Autodesk 3ds Max vs. KeyShot

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Autodesk 3ds Max
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Autodesk 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
KeyShot
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Luxion, headquartered in California, offers KeyShot, a 3D rendering software.
$995
Pricing
Autodesk 3ds MaxKeyShot
Editions & Modules
Monthly Subscription
$235
per month per user
Yearly Subscription
$1875
per year per user
3-Year Subscription
$5625
3 years per user
KeyShot 10 HD
$995.00
KeyShot 10 Pro
$1,995.00
KeyShot 10 Floating
$2,995.00
KeyShot 10 Enterprise
$3,995.00
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Autodesk 3ds MaxKeyShot
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level 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.—
More Pricing Information
Best Alternatives
Autodesk 3ds MaxKeyShot
Small Businesses
Autodesk Maya
Autodesk Maya
Score 7.9 out of 10
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
Score 9.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.1 out of 10
Canva
Canva
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Rhino
Rhino
Score 9.1 out of 10
Adobe PhotoShop
Adobe PhotoShop
Score 9.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Autodesk 3ds MaxKeyShot
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(10 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
6.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Autodesk 3ds MaxKeyShot
Likelihood to Recommend
Autodesk
I've used many 3d programs I've not found any more capable or well suited for about anything you throw at it. I've had scenes with over 20million polys that I can work in just fine. It's well suited to produce absolute photorealistic renders especially when you pair it with plugins like V-Ray Render. One area where is may not be as suitable is if you have to model something in a coordinate space that is a long way from 0,0,0. Max is not double precision, so when a model is very tiny or very large or a long way from the origin, odd things occur. But, this is easily mitigated by modeling near the origin or reducing or enlarging the scene by some factor to make it not too small or too large. Then, after you are finished, you can scale it up or down by that factor again and export a perfectly scaled model for use in some other program
Read full review
Luxion
KeyShot can do some really amazing things as far as product renderings. You can turn simple 3D models into realistic images in a very short amount of time. I wish there were a way to manipulate the geometry once imported into KeyShot. The software allows this user to move geometry but not change its shape or form.
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.
Read full review
Luxion
  • Keyshot has a simple and intuitive interface that makes it easy to use for quick renderings.
  • Through Keyshot's viewport, you can see real-time changes when replacing or adding textures to a 3D model.
  • The new Keyshot 8 comes with volumetric features such as fog that can add depth to your image making process without having to manually do it later in another program.
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.
Read full review
Luxion
  • Floating licensing install is troublesome
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
Read full review
Luxion
No answers on this topic
Usability
Autodesk
This is not a 3ds Max fault, it's like any powerful software, "you have to spend time to learn it." It, like most all others as powerful, have a "learning curve" that can be steep depending on your knowledgebase. I'm glad it's not "so simple a caveman can use it" or I'd be out of business. Everyone in the world would have it and my skills would not be needed. Having said that, it's as intuitive and any other software. If you understand 3d principles, 3ds Max will not be difficult to wrap your head around. It uses normal and expected conventions
Read full review
Luxion
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Autodesk
I have contacted support many times and have had a good experience. They have always been helpful
Read full review
Luxion
Honestly, I've only needed customer support a couple of times. One time was a question about licensing which their customer service explained very well and offered just the help I was looking for
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Autodesk
In Autodesk 3ds Max you can do camera animation with ease, its complex in Cinema 4D. Even I think same with light setup. Setting up light is quite easy in Autodesk 3ds Max as compare to Cinema 4D. Overall Autodesk 3ds Max is less complex in compare to other 3D softwares.
Read full review
Luxion
Keyshot is simpler and more intuitive compared to Octane. That being said, Octane is far less expensive and can take advantage of a GPU making it more versatile.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Autodesk
  • Allows us to meet deadlines quickly - render times are minutes, not days.
  • Digs into profits due to licensing fees - just a single seat can set us back thousands.
Read full review
Luxion
  • Faster approval times from client
  • Impressive website work vs editing photos
Read full review
ScreenShots