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Incredible Power and TRULY Incredible Value.
January 20, 2023

Incredible Power and TRULY Incredible Value.

Matt Eddy | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Blender

We use Blender mainly to create (relatively simple) models for 3D printing -- mostly tools and accessories for our camera team. These have included missing tripod handles, custom storage hooks, (etc.). Occasionally, we design more detailed small props for videos, or figures we use in mock-ups for blocking and storyboarding. We barely scratch the surface of Blender's incredibly deep feature set. Even for the relatively easy things we use it for, it's amazing. It truly too to be true that's open source and available free.
  • Powerful and precise 3D object placement and manipulation
  • Intuitive free-form sculpting tools
  • Easy to keep complex 3D elements organized
  • Deep bench of tools to make complex design processes easy
  • Huge online community -- you can easily Google how to do anything you want to do
  • Very steep learning curve -- interface is complex to get your head around
  • Functions aren't intuitively organized, so you generally have to look up how to do something new.
  • Price (free)
  • Powerful, compete 3D design tools
  • Outputting to .stl for 3D printing
  • Very positive: cost savings from not having to outsource 3D design and printing
  • Cost savings in printing superior, custom tools and hardware rather than buying them
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.

Do you think Blender delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Blender's feature set?

Yes

Did Blender live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Blender go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Blender again?

Yes

It feels like there's nothing in the 3D design space Blender can't do -- if you have the patience to research techniques online. We use Blender to make very accurate 3D tool and hardware models -- and it's great at placing vertices and edges and manipulating them precisely. For more freeform modeling, it has a sculpting mode that lets you virtually manipulate a surface like clay. Between these two modes, you can create everything from ultra-precise machine templates to organic figurines. It has a 3D printing add-on that checks your models before slicing, then it outputs it to one of many different formats. We output to .stl and have had good results.