What is the next step beyond Maya/Houdini/Blender/Unity/Unreal?
What new and interesting techniques and ideas have been introduced since those apps were designed?
How might future apps be different?
It's also interesting to look at how those apps have evolved over the last 20 years to get a sense of where we might be in the next 20. For instance, even though Houdini has always be a very open package, it's user base exploded when it explicitly created Houdini engine to integrate with Maya/Unreal/Unity. So integration is a key factor and we can hope to see apps become even more interchangeable.
Marketplaces, like blender's ( https://blendermarket.com/ ) or Houdini's ( https://www.orbolt.com/ ) will also grow, increasing collaboration between artists and developers, just like github increased collaboration. That should be accelerated as teams become more and more remote-only.
Then I'm curious to see when AI will make a dent in 3D creation, just like we have seen for 2D works with midjourney. Maybe there will be a github copilot for 3D?
And maybe in 10-20 years, we'll arrive at a combination of those items, as in an AI powered marketplate that guesses tools the community may need.
Accessibility (web), interoperability (with existing systems), and community seem to be key.
I might add focus to that. Do something specific better than the existing players. I doubt a new general purpose system is viable, at least in the pro market.
Or find a new market.
AI is the wild horse. Unclear how it may affect things.