Alternatives to using Blender or Unreal Engine for effects

So I posted a bit ago about creating a cosmic horror, and I was recommended Unreal Engine for special effects. This planted another question in my mind that - while somewhat unrelated to cosmic horror - I wanted to ask.

So I don't have any experience with Blender or Unreal Engine, as an engineering student I've never really had to come across those kinds of software. I however have a history of creating stop motion films with Plasticine as a hobby when I was younger, and have a great interest in combining live action shots with stop motion as seen in the 1933 King Kong. I also have experience using modelling software such as Autodesk Fusion, Solidworks and AutoCad, but these software's are used for engineering drawings and machining components rather than animation, so I was thinking of using these to make props and practical effects. Furthermore, I've been building Warhammer models since I was eight, this includes creating scenery for use in games as well as some diorama work which I think could be used for miniaturised replicas of sets.

Could these be viable alternatives to Blender or Unreal Engine?