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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Autodesk 3ds Max

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/AAutodesk offers 3ds Max, 3D modeling and rendering software for design visualization, games, and animation. The vendor states that users can produce professional-quality 3D animations, renders, and models with an efficient and flexible toolset to help create better 3D content in less time.

    $235

    per month per user

    Autodesk Maya

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/AAutodesk offers Maya, a 3D animation, modeling, simulation and rendering tool available to artists, animators, and educators, used to create realistic characters, models, and scenes, as well as effects such as explosions, cloth movement, etc.

    $234

    per month

    Blender

    Score9 out of 10
    N/ABlender is a free and open source 3D creation suite available in under the GNU General Public License. It supports the entirety of the 3D pipeline—modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, video editing and 2D animation pipeline. Blender Cloud is a related service accessible via subscription, and is a training and content platform providing access to expertise from the Blender Institute for advancing one's use of Blender.

    $11.50

    per month

    Pricing
    Autodesk 3ds MaxAutodesk MayaBlender
    Editions & Modules
    Monthly Subscription
    $235
    per month per user
    Yearly Subscription
    $1875
    per year per user
    3-Year Subscription
    $5625
    3 years per user
    Monthly
    $235
    per month per user
    Yearly
    $1875
    per year per user
    3-Year
    $5625
    3 years per user
    Blender Cloud Membership
    $11.50
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Autodesk 3ds MaxAutodesk MayaBlender
    Free Trial
    YesYesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsFlex pricing available for limited usage. Minimum plan $300 for 100 tokens. 3ds Max costs 6 tokens per day.Maya is also available through Autodesk's Flex plan and pricing. Tokens expire 1 year from date of purchase. Not all products and features are available with Flex. Students and teachers at qualified academic institutions worldwide are eligible for free access to Autodesk software for one-year through the Autodesk Education Community.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Autodesk 3ds MaxAutodesk MayaBlender
    Considered Multiple Products
    Autodesk
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    I use Blender, Maya is expensive learned it once but about the same as 3ds Max, just more expensive. Blender is great, open source and hard to learn, but work it. But since I have so much experience in 3ds Max it is my go to software.
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    Back when 3d programs were becoming more powerful and stable, 3d Studio (yes, it was 3d Studio before it was 3ds Max, more on that later) and Maya were owned by different companies. At that time, you had to
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    Blender is a very small and quite easy-to-use software but it lacks some of the things and for that, you need a lot of addons. So that's not a good thing. 3ds Max on the other hand is big in size but it can do pretty much all the tasks by itself.
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    Sketch-up week to be vertically integrated to produce concept all the way to high-end render, an animation (effects, particles, soft-body, etc..) All 3 other softwares are fully capable, it just comes down to what software an operator is most familiar with and if it works in …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    Maya is an overall better rendering program.
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    [Most] people like to use Maya for modeling but Maya is only good for soft surface modeling not for hard surface. The [Autodesk 3ds] Max has no limitations in this field, it is open to [making] hard or soft surface modeling. [It] even has great command on fx effects [made] by …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    3ds Max provides me with good animations, as well as rendering images and stability for my gaming models. Therefore, I prefer it over Maya software
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    Best for rendering and geometry flexibility. Interphase is also superior. The stacking of modifiers is unique and allows for combining, and turning on and of which makes presenting options very agile, and clear without destroying the geometry. It's easily reversible. All others …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk 3ds Max
    Complex models are very easy to make in 3ds Max compared to other software, as Autodesk provides safety and security for your data and there are always there to serve you better. My experience with Autodesk was remarkable and Upmarket integration with other plugins makes 3ds …
    Incentivized
    Autodesk
    Chose Autodesk Maya
    The UI of 3ds Max is not that good and very old, not the best. Blender is the best for everything, especially its modeling and animation tools are not the best as compared to Autodesk Maya. Cinema 4D is good for motion graphics and create vibrant renders but it has limited …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk Maya
    Animating in Autodesk Maya is much more convenient and easier in comparison to Blender. It's easier to use features like constrains, motion trails, and attribute editors in Autodesk Maya. Most of the time I use Blender for modeling and Autodesk Maya for animation. Either way, I …
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk Maya
    Autodesk Maya is better than these other softwares because Autodesk Maya is a software that does not have updates every time, and this means that you do not have to waste time seeing what has been updated and what has not.
    Incentivized
    Chose Autodesk Maya
    All are different and cannot compare with each other's abilities. Maya is more powerful than any other software compared to.
    Incentivized
    Open Source
    Chose Blender
    In addition to being free to use, Blender is competent and complete enough to do the same things as these programs. While some stabilization is still needed in some aspects, many of these They work quite well and practically the same as them. In addition, Blender has a …
    Incentivized
    Chose Blender
    Most obvious answer for why we have chosen blender over others is cost. The cost of other software is too high but because blender is free it helps to put our money and resources in the right places. It also helped us to get quality output without additional cost as octane is …
    Incentivized
    Chose Blender
    We selected Blender for most of use cases because it's availability and ease of use. Having no commitment in terms of plans or pricing also gives us more freedom to try it out, and we ended up staying with Blender.
    Incentivized
    Chose Blender
    Well, in fact, I haven't used any of that software, but there is one thing I know: Blender is free. That's huge for small business owners like me; it is the difference between having the tool and not having it. I have heard other people saying that the Autodesk offerings have …
    Incentivized
    Chose Blender
    Again, Blender wins over its competition in the number of users and its large community because it is free software. Whether you like it or not, that's a kickstart that makes a noticeable difference.
    But, indeed, its competition is usually much more powerful and professional, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Blender
    Blender is first of all free and open source software. It has very easy to use tools which can help one in navigating and modifying easily and efficiently. It is also very less in size, on my system it is of 355 MB. The rendering engine Cycle works simultaneously in the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Blender
    The biggest advantage of Blender over these alternatives was how easy it was to learn, even for team members with no previous experience in 3D modeling, design, or any artistic field. The fact that it allows you to import or export files in most of the existing 3D model …
    Incentivized
    Chose Blender

    To date, Maya has been and is the undisputed leader in the sector. Despite being at such a high price, there is really no substitute for Maya's quality. Therefore, the use of

    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    6 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    26 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    83%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    60%
    Delivers good value for the price
    3 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    26 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    6 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    26 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    22 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    25 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Autodesk 3ds MaxAutodesk MayaBlender
    Small Businesses
    Autodesk Maya
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Autodesk 3ds Max
    Score8.9 out of 10
    Autodesk Maya
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Navisworks
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Navisworks
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Navisworks
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Navisworks
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Navisworks
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Navisworks
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Autodesk 3ds MaxAutodesk MayaBlender
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.4
    (13 ratings)
    9.0
    (8 ratings)
    9.9
    (25 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    9.2
    (4 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.1
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Autodesk 3ds MaxAutodesk MayaBlender
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Autodesk
    For print media for marketing and for 3d animations for web spots and TV ads/movies/programs. It is less suited for quick 3d graphics or images that you get from AI image programs, but it is much more powerful than most AI image programs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    Autodesk Maya is a great software, it has so many tools that you can create a full movie without even jumping to any other software. Although it's pretty hard to learn but there is nothing more fun, once you get a hang of it. In general, its tools are best for modeling and animation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    Blender is an excellent tool for everything from simple to complex 3D animations, the creation of 3D images, etc. It performs excellently in all of these areas. In the realm of 3D modelling, animation and rendering, there is very little that Blender is not suited for.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Autodesk
    • 3ds Max includes some of the inbuild modifiers which can be very good in the case of beginners.
    • 3rd party Rendering support makes 3ds Max a powerful software for rendering out realistic images.
    • Autodesk 3ds max in comparison to its rivals is lightweight and fast, also the animation case also.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • Easy to build workflow due to strong customizability.
    • Industry share. Easy to collaborate with other companies.
    • Strong cooperation with other software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • Creating complex polygonal geometries is very easy in Blender.
    • Edit Mode and Sculpt Mode helps in creating non uniform surfaces for objects like rocks, surfaces, terrains etc.
    • Blender can use various external plugins to make it work in more smoother way. For example to import any 3d object one can use sketchfab plugin and easily import the free assets from web after logging in.
    • Blender has a better rendering engine known as Cycles, it is far more better than any other stock rendering engine which can generate realistic lightning, shadows and reflections.
    • The animations can easily be generated with blender animation toolbar and also it incorporate any other animations made in any other software.
    • The bone generation and its behavior of animations can be achieved easily in blender.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Autodesk
    • working in 2d is very frustrating and unreliable. It just lacks the precision
    • How scaling affects units (or doesn't) There needs to be a way for modifiers to address a change of scale in the object.
    • Booleans are not intuitive. Especially for architecture, creating an opening and putting a door or a window is an incredibly cumbersome process.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • Right now Maya has no good viewport like Blender 2.8 has. It is good that Maya 2019 devs focused on performance and stability but it's strange to see that mainstream soft aren't on trend in developing really cool and helpful tools.
    • Maya LT is very good for artist who don't need complex FX tools. So the devs must add python API to Maya LT.
    • Add more helpful tools to modeling section especially for retopology.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • It's really a hard question, but it could be: a game engine. Older versions used to have it; I would use it to simulate machines game-like.
    • I'm struggling to find another one; maybe the fact that it is so powerful and has so many features that learning it can be daunting; better documentation WITH examples and/or a map of Blender capabilities would help to know where you are in terms of knowledge and the planning the roadmap to where you want to go.
    • Precision modeling. Coming from CAD and using Blender as part of my design workflow, I'd love to be able to model inside Blender as I model with CAD tools. At this moment, it's simply impossible.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Autodesk
    It satisfies 95% of my 3d visualization need. The left over 5% is handled by a few other programs. If Max just can't perform a specific task I can do that elsewhere and then bring it back to Max to finish up. But, it's rare that this occurs in my work
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    No answers on this topic
    Open Source
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Autodesk
    It is a very difficult program to learn to use and even harder to use well. But once you get to using it it is a great software package to know how to use. Getting to be good at using it takes lots of use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    As Autodesk Maya was one of the first softwares I learned, so I feel very fun to work with it. The overall usabilty feels very natural to me and I felt it's easy to learn but tough to master kind of software. Some people find it very difficult to learn, so I deduced some rating points.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    Because while it's a pretty good piece of software, the default built-in commands, the interface layout, and certain functions aren't as logical in their way of being arranged and executed. This, of course, doesn't diminish its use or effectiveness in your field of work, but it is quite awkward at first. A big advantage is that Blender lets you customize the interface however you want as well as keyboard shortcuts and several general program parameters.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Autodesk
    I have contacted support many times and have had a good experience. They have always been helpful
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    No answers on this topic
    Open Source
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Autodesk
    Sketch-up week to be vertically integrated to produce concept all the way to high-end render, an animation (effects, particles, soft-body, etc..) All 3 other softwares are fully capable, it just comes down to what software an operator is most familiar with and if it works in the production pipeline for the client.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    We were evaluating the products within the Adobe portfolio like Adobe Animate, Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe After Effects majorly among few others before finalising on the Autodesk Maya. One of the major reasons for that was earlier experience with the Autodesk Maya tool for the engineer and also it has more to offer than Adobe with multiple products.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    We've only used the consumer (non-pro) version of SketchUp, which we love, but is very limited in features and output capabilities compared to Blender. While Blender's learning curve is MUCH steeper than SketchUp, it feels like truly complete, professional design software.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Autodesk
    • 3ds Max has one of the best control tools that can help someone to sculpt almost anything. With the vertex tool and polyline edit function we can create almost any complex geometry.
    • Default rendering is equipped with almost everything that is needed for process, V-Ray for 3ds Max is the best 3rd party plugin for getting crisp renders.
    • The four view port tools for viewing the model helps from each and every angle. The moment and selection tools in the 3ds Max are quit easy to operate.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Autodesk
    • Effectively able to get the designs created and visualised
    • Video creation for concepts has become easy
    • ROI has been good, but if the costing is brought down then its even more amazing
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Open Source
    • As it is a beginner-friendly software with increasing demand in the animation sector again, it positively impacts the business.
    • Except in some specific cases, no one will use Blender on their own at a professional level.
    • When I was a beginner, it took me a lot of time to learn, consequently designing the creation. But if we want to learn to master Blender, we can do it. As long as we have time and a lot of willpower, since, we repeat, it is not a simple program and hides thousands of tools and possibilities.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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