3Design CAD vs ZBrush
3Design CAD
3design.com
ZBrush
maxon.netSide by side
| Figure | 3Design CAD | ZBrush |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 7 |
| Spec score · Jewelry Design Software | 8.4 (#7) | 8.5 (#6) |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 7.9 (#86) | 9.3 (#2) |
| Animation tools | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Rillieux-la-Pape, France | Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany |
| Integrations | The maker lists a Swarovski stone library and compatibility with 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse among its supported accessories and tools. | GoZ connects ZBrush with Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D and other supported applications. |
| Platform access | desktop | desktop |
| 3D print export | Yes | Yes |
| Render engine | built-in | both |
| Rendering | V13's rendering engine includes improved reflections, ambient occlusion, bloom effects, and refined materials. | Desktop includes advanced BPR rendering, render passes, raytraced ambient occlusion and a ZBrush-to-KeyShot bridge. |
| Sculpting tools | Yes | Yes |
| System requirements | The maker recommends 16 GB RAM and a dedicated graphics card for Windows, and recommends Apple Silicon with 16 GB RAM for Mac. | Minimum Windows requirements include 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, 4 GB RAM, 8 GB disk space, OpenGL 3.3 and Vulkan 1.1 support. |
| Trial | The maker offers a 30-day free trial of Version 13 with access to experts for questions and guidance. | Maxon offers a 14-day trial through the Maxon App, including ZBrush and the full Maxon One suite. |
Plans
ZBrush
- ZBrush for iPad Free PlanFree
- ZBrush for iPad SubscriptionPrice not published
- ZBrush for iPad SubscriptionPriced on request
- ZBrush DesktopPrice not published
- ZBrush DesktopPriced on request
- ZBrush for iPad$33.25 a month
- ZBrush$399 a year
In their own words
3Design CAD
3Design CAD is desktop CAD/CAM software for professional jewelry design, available on macOS and Windows. Its parametric construction tree lets users revise designs after creating them. Jewelry-specific tools include custom stone building, advanced pavé, and microsetting; the software also has sculpting and animation tools, parametric modeling, a built-in render engine, and 3D print export. The maker describes Version 13 as adding over 400 fixes and 50 new features across stone setting, curves, interface, and performance. Version 13's rendering engine includes reflections, ambient occlusion, bloom effects, and refined materials. Installers are available for both operating systems, with separate downloads for the software, model libraries, and Swarovski stone libraries. Files can be shared between Mac and Windows, and the maker lists compatibility with 3Dconnexion SpaceMouse. A 30-day Version 13 trial includes access to experts for questions and guidance. Recommended specifications are 16 GB RAM and a dedicated graphics card for Windows, or Apple Silicon with 16 GB RAM for Mac. Pricing and license details are available from a sales representative.
ZBrush
ZBrush is a 3D sculpting and modeling application with desktop and iPad offerings. Its listed tools include sculpting, parametric modeling, animation, rendering and 3D print export. Desktop is listed for Windows and macOS, while a separate supported-platform list also includes Linux. The desktop plan includes ZBrush for iPad and advanced sculpting, modeling, rendering and export tools. Rendering is described as hybrid, with GPU and animation rendering and denoising. Listed workload areas include CPU and GPU rendering, ray tracing, shader execution and geometry processing. Other listed capabilities include rotoscoping, 3D camera tracking, custom test profiles and CLI or automation support. The listed result export formats are none documented, and results are not saved as a file. Headquarters are listed as both Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Friedrichsdorf, Germany; the maker is listed as founded in 1986.