Autodesk 3ds Max, formerly 3D Studio Max, is a professional 3D computer graphics program for making 3D animations, models, games and images. It was developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. wikipedia.org

Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software product used for creating animated films, visual effects, interactive 3D applications or video games. wikipedia.org

Skeletal animation is a technique in computer animation in which a character is represented in two parts: a surface representation used to draw the character and a hierarchical set of interconnected bones used to animate the mesh. wikipedia.org

ZBrush is a digital sculpting tool that combines 3D/2.5D modeling, texturing and painting. It uses a proprietary "pixol" technology (see below) which stores lighting, color, material, and depth information for all objects on the screen. wikipedia.org

Autodesk Maya, commonly shortened to Maya, is 3D computer graphics software that runs on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Linux. wikipedia.org

3D modeling (also known as meshing) is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object (either inanimate or living) via specialized software. wikipedia.org

3D computer graphics are works of graphic art that were created with the aid of digital computer and specialized 3D software. In general, the term may also refer to the process of creating such graphics, or the field of study of 3D computer graphic techniques and its related technology. wikipedia.org