TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    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

    SketchUp

    Score8.4 out of 10
    N/ASketchUp is 3D modeling software with an emphasis on usability. SketchUp is a Trimble product.

    $119

    per year

    Pricing
    Autodesk 3ds MaxSketchUp
    Editions & Modules
    Monthly Subscription
    $235
    per month per user
    Yearly Subscription
    $1875
    per year per user
    3-Year Subscription
    $5625
    3 years per user
    Free
    $0.00
    per year
    For Schools (free with G Suite or Microsoft education account)
    $0
    For Students
    $55.00
    per year
    For Educators
    $55.00
    per year
    Studio for Students / Educators (Desktop version)
    $55
    per year
    Shop
    $119.00
    per year
    Pro
    $299.00
    per year
    Professional
    $299.00
    per year
    Studio (Windows only)
    $699
    per year
    Studio
    $1199.00
    per year
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Autodesk 3ds MaxSketchUp
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    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
    Community Pulse
    Autodesk 3ds MaxSketchUp
    Considered Both Products
    Autodesk
    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
    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
    Trimble
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    12 Answers
    96%
    Would buy again
    23 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    83%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    22 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    13 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    22 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    17 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    18 Answers
    Best Alternatives
    Autodesk 3ds MaxSketchUp
    Small Businesses
    Autodesk Maya
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Autodesk Maya
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    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
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Autodesk 3ds MaxSketchUp
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.5
    (13 ratings)
    8.0
    (47 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    9.3
    (4 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.5
    (14 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Autodesk 3ds MaxSketchUp
    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
    Trimble
    SketchUp is great for individually studying options for building design. It is an awesome conceptual tool to be able to quickly model and manipulate a building to study different designs. It is not good for complex geometries, especially curves. Surfaces have a hard time registering and cutting into one another. It also eventually needs to go into Revit to be more realistic as it is not good as a documentation tool
    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
    Trimble
    • Quickly exploring solutions in 3D: We get a lot of "what if" and "what would that look like" questions. While hand-sketching and hand-drafting can be fairly quick, SketchUp allows me to quickly create 3D and 2D views of a detail or solution, change dimensions and materials in a flash, and show a client or installer the plan in minutes.
    • Creating professional design documents in LayOut: Projects of any scale need good documentation. Using a combination of SketchUp and LayOut, I can create a Design Intent Set, plans for permitting, a set for mechanical trades to mark-up, etc. Having clear, appropriately-scaled drawings with dimensions or notations is a must, and we don't always have the time or budget to get an architect involved!
    • Using live files to guide discussions: Not all clients are "visual" people, so opening their model and orbiting around their space in real time has been extremely helpful. Clients and trades enjoy the perspective views so much that we often include them in the full-sized drawing sets to give a good "overall" view of the project intent. For complex or tight spaces, sometimes un-rendered plans and elevations just aren't enough!
    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
    Trimble
    • Ability to import Revit files and libraries.
    • Ability to export true curved vector linework. There are some workarounds, needs to be refined.
    • Create an OPEN MAPS connection. Since the split from Google, the source for high-quality aerials is limited.
    • Ability to dock all menus to the master window on a Mac
    • Ability to develop dockable menu trays on a Mac
    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
    Trimble
    We typically wait a few years in between renewing, as even older versions are powerful tools for modeling, and we make sure the amount of feature changes are worth the re-investment.
    Read full review
    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
    Trimble
    It is very user friendly and easy to learn. It's simplicity allows for a low learning curve so more people can learn it faster. The downside is that most schools are no longer teaching it, so many younger professionals come out of school not knowing it and knowing more complex software and they have a hard time "dumbing down" their skillsets
    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
    Trimble
    Sketchup is so intuitive; I can't recall ever looking for official support. However, there are many user forums online that can answer more questions. The usefulness of the online forums is, however, tempered by the fact that there have been many versions of the software under different ownership and support regimes, and thus finding the right information for the right version of the software can be a challenge.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Trimble
    We have not evaluated any other competing software to this one. I heard about this software from a friend who teaches how to use it. She showed me in just a few minutes and I was HOOKED. I saw immediately the possible help it would be to my business. Thank you.
    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
    Trimble
    • It's good in the sense that you can quickly make a drawing and speeds up the design process. Not sure how to quantify that from a ROI perspective.
    • Also, good for editing an image after the fact. We can easily add a dimension that was forgotten in the original image.
    • Allows team members to understand a design easier than on other software platforms.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots