Old thread but it's installed as part of Adobe After Effects More on reddit.com

C4D isn't good value for money, Blender is free and Houdini is cheap for an indie license - but C4D is the industry standard. If you join a studio that uses C4D, you will end up getting a license to use through there and you may end up paying out 6 months of a year-long subscription (monthly payments aren't worth it). So what I would do, is what everyone seems to do with Photoshop, After Effects and also C4D. I would pirate it and hopefully Redshift works with that, to be able to learn how to use the software. Then if you start working freelance you can start paying for it or you get a license through a studio. Maxon (and Adobe) charge massive amounts for their licenses and don't have great systems set up for people who want to learn to get into the business. If you're not making money from the pirated software, I don't see an issue with it. The other option is, if you are a student or have friends who are students, you can get a student license through them. That one is good value. More on reddit.com

I work in TV and streaming. Everyone uses c4d and AE. No one really uses Blender. Im over 50 tho so im old. Having the Houdini experience is valuable. C4d is also easier than blender(from what I’ve heard) so it wouldn’t be that tough to pick up. I always resisted learning new softwares in my career and I wish I had not been so.. More on reddit.com

I can't speak for C4D, but I came from using Maya and Max, to Blender. The biggest hurdle was the UI/controls, but honestly it's not that difficult beyond that. It's become a pretty incredible program in the last ten years. And you can't beat free. If you learn it and still don't love it, you can always invest in C4D later and all it cost you was learning a new program 🤷🏼‍♀️ More on reddit.com