This article is produced in association with Masters of CG, a contest for creatives in partnership with HP, Nvidia, and 2000 AD. Check out the shortlisted entries here.

Creating a CG project on a budget? Or looking for a particular rendering style? Check out these free 3D rendering softwares.

01. LuxRender

An unbiased rendering engine, the LuxRender team describe the software as being 'based on state-of-the-art algorithms, which simulated the flow of light according to physical equations, thus producing realistic images of photographic quality'.

Free for both personal and commercial use, LuxRender works with all the major 3D suites, including Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D and SketchUp. It features include a variety of material types, virtual film that allows you to pause and continue a rendering at any time. Upcoming releases look to support hair and optionally biased path tracing too.

02. Cycles

If you're a user of open-source software Blender, you'll probably be aware that it comes with it's very own, built-in GPU-accelerated unbiased render engine, called Cycles.

Flexible and speedy, Cycles allows artists to work quickly and efficiently, with its global illumination producing quality, photoreal imagery. The latest version of Cycles has Blackbody emissive materials, hair rendering, tone mapping and volumetrics.

03. Kerkythea

Available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux, Kerkythea is free software capable of producing high-quality renders. Using physically accurate materials and lights, Kerkythea has been developed to create the best quality renders in the most efficient timeframe.

The software accepts .3ds and .obj models as well as having a free exporter for SketchUp. The website, very helpfully provides explanatory pdf files for anyone new to Kerkythea as well as a useful material guide editor, so you can really get to grips with the software.

04. Freestyle

Freestyle, a rendering software for non-photorealistic line drawings, offers something a little different. The software was developed in the midst of a research project dedicated to the study of stylised line drawing rendering from 3D scenes.

Designed as a programmable interface, users have complete control over the style of the final drawing. Inspired by the shading languages in photorealistic renders such as Pixar's Renderman, Freestyle offers access to a wealth of parameters and allows the design of a variety of rich and complex styles.

And, one to watch out for...

05. Pixar's Renderman

While it's not free yet, we thought it worth mentioning Pixar's Renderman too, as it's creators say it soon will be. The advanced technology for shading, lighting anf rendering can be plugged into Maya, Houdini, Katana or Cinema 4D.

At the moment, you still have to pay for the software but the animation giant have commented that they'll be releasing it free for non-commercial use in the last quarter of 2014. Register online for more information and release dates.

It’s easy to see why so many architects,designers, and engineers have been beginning to use SketchUp on a daily. It’seasy to use, client friendly, and doesn’t cost you a dime to get things up andrunning. What once was at the butt end of every 3D visualization joke is now apowerhouse in the industry, and poised to grow even stronger as it continues tobe supported by its developers and its user community.

And when paired with the right renderingplugin, SketchUp transforms into a 3D rendering and visualization tool that hasthe potential to rival design software that has long been dubbed superior.

These are the top rendering plugins forSketchUp, all must-have addons that might even have you tossing the rest ofyour creative suite in the trash.

1 vRay

Yes, the most ubiquitous and arguably powerfulrendering engine has made its way to SketchUp. In fact, it’s been here for awhile, and has been transforming people’s SketchUp models into photorealisticrenderings and animations for a number of years now. vRay for SketchUp is easyto install and get started with, offering the power of the world’s most usedrenderer to the speed and flexibility of the most commonly used modeler.

2 Brighter 3D

Brighter 3D is a high-quality rendering pluginthat has supported SketchUp since 2008. It uses an unbiased rendering algorithmthat provides plenty of power and the ability to quickly produce renders forcritique, feedback, and easy tweaking. There is a free version of Brighter 3Dfor those looking to test the waters before diving in head first. And whileBrighter 3D is developed by a small team and occasionally presents bugs, it islightning quick, affordable, and incredibly easy to use - all three thingsSketchUp itself is credited with.

3 SU Podium

SU Podium is a favorite among architects andinterior designers for the ease in which it can produce detailed and life-likearchitectural visualizations from a detailed SketchUp model. Their developmentphilosophy has always been to simplify their interface to work best withSketchUp’s streamlined approach. This has resulted in a marriage that is aseamless as it is fruitful, giving designers the ability to translate theirwork into results without the need of an expensive rendering consultant.

4 LumenRT

LumenRT provides a robust and easy tounderstand toolset that works best for designers and artists who rely heavilyon landscape and terrain to improve the realism of their rendered scenes.LumenRT doesn’t actually have a specific plugin for SketchUp, but the models youbuild in Google’s modeling software can be easily imported into Lumen, where itcan be set up with the material libraries, lighting and entourage capabilitiesof LumenRT.

5 Maxwell

A name that is almost as well known as vRay.Maxwell has been around since before SketchUp was even a name, so it’s easy tosee why this renderer is help in such high regard by 3D rendering andvisualization artists. It’s the household name of household names, and thereasons why are in the quality of results Maxwell produces time and time again.The plugin for SketchUp is no different, offering professionals somethingfamiliar to hang on to as they push and pull their way through their 3D models.

6 Caravaggio

Named after one of the most well-known ItalianBaroque painters, Caravaggio 3D is a simple, lean rendering plugin that isdefinitely worth a look. They offer a free trial (200 renderings) to see ifit’s something that might add value to your work. The plugin works directlywith your SketchUp model and has material and lighting editors for finetweaking and final production.

7 Indigo Renderer

Indigo boasts one of the most impressivereal-world lighting physics models, even when pitted against some of the biggernames on this list. The plugin for SketchUp works just as you’d hope, and willtransform your models from blocky lines and shapes into magnificent works ofart. Yes, it is that good. If you’re looking for a product to do most of thework for you and make you look like a seasoned professional, jump now and give IndigoRenderer a try.