I was wondering about how they made the robots and VFX in the movies. Did they use blender to do the animations?

 

i think they used Maya, but i am not sure

 

No you idiot they used Google SketchUp.  

 

Oh, ok.

 

Facepalm

 

Actually they used Zeno (for 2nd and 3rd), but maya was used for the first.

I think that's it. 

 

Watching the making of's ILM predominantly used Autodesk Maya plus add-ons they developed and I think Digital Domain used Maya and some 3D Max.

 

If I sound like a jerk, forgive me, as this is not my intent.

Simple answer: Did they use Blender? Probably not. At least not solely.

Longer answer: As many others have pointed out, to "do the VFX" they would've used a combination of multiple, high-end 3D, modelling, animation, rendering, etc. programs (Maya, etc.) to meet the extreme needs of the visual effects in the movies.

If you want to find out more, I highly recommend Googling articles (CGSociety, VFXWorld) pertaining to ILM/DD and their work on the trilogy, reading Wikipedia articles and - to get to most bang for your buck - watch the bonus materials on the home video releases of each movie. The VFX-oriented material may be relatively short, but it's still extremely informative.

That's the best option. It's better than listening to "armchair VFX-perts" like us (myself included) throw our ideas, guesses and theories at you.  

 

they also used lightwave. and to create the final matte paintings; they used after effects.

 

Thanks guys