AC3D vs Blender
AC3D
inivis.com
Blender
blender.orgSide by side
| Figure | AC3D | Blender |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $99/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 16 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game 3D Modeling Software | 8.7 (#6) | 8.7 (#7) |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 8.0 (#82) | 8.9 (#13) |
| Animation tools | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Intended users | The maker describes AC3D as suitable for people who want to visualise ideas in three dimensions and says it is used in education, academia and commercial environments. | Blender says it is well suited to individuals and small studios that benefit from a unified pipeline and responsive development process. |
| Platform access | desktop | desktop |
| Platforms | The maker lists 64-bit Windows, Mac OS X and Linux downloads. | The download page lists builds for Windows, Windows ARM, macOS Apple Silicon, and Linux, as well as Steam and source code downloads. |
| 3D print export | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy | The maker says AC3D does not collect or transmit personal information about users or their internet usage. | Blender says its software can be downloaded and used without registration or internet access, and its website policy says it uses first-party cookies and does not allow third parties to track visitors or place ads. |
| Render engine | both | Blender includes the Cycles built-in unbiased path-tracer engine. |
Plans
AC3D
- Home / Student$99 a month
- Commercial / Group — 1 seat$179 a month
- Commercial / Group — 2 seats$149 a month
- Commercial / Group — 3 seats$129 a month
- Commercial / Group — 4 seats$119 a month
- Commercial / Group — 5 seats$99 a month
- Commercial / Group — 6+ seatsPrice not published
- Site licensePrice not published
- AC3D - Commercial / Group (5 users/seats)$99, paid once
- AC3D - Home / Student$99, paid once
In their own words
AC3D
AC3D is desktop 3D design software for creating models, prototypes, virtual reality simulations, and data visualisations. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with animation tools, rendering, and 3D print export. Modeling features include subdivision surfaces, UV mapping, 2D and 3D text, boolean operations, polygon reduction, and object hierarchy. It imports and exports formats including 3D Studio, Collada, DirectX, DXF, OBJ, STL, VRML, and X3D. A software development kit and plugin interface allow additions such as file formats and other functionality. An optional plugin adds animation capability for X-Plane models on Windows, Mac, and Linux. AC3D also lists support for 3Dconnexion mice on Windows. A 14-day trial is available. The maker lists one-time prices of $99.00 USD for Home / Student and $99.00 USD for Commercial / Group (5 users/seats); other listed seats have different prices. Purchases are non-refundable, and the software is delivered by download with the license emailed after purchase.
Blender
Blender is a free, open-source desktop suite for 3D creation on Linux, macOS and Windows. It covers modeling, sculpting, UV editing, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking, video editing and game asset creation. Modeling tools include modifiers, UV unwrapping and mesh editing; sculpting includes 20 brush types, multi-resolution work, dynamic topology and mirrored sculpting. Animation features include rigging, a pose editor, non-linear animation and forward and inverse kinematics. Users can draw in 2D in a 3D viewport and combine 2D and 3D work. The built-in Cycles renderer supports CPU and GPU rendering, real-time viewport previews, PBR shaders, HDR lighting and VR rendering. Blender also includes camera and object tracking with masking and live scene previews. Advanced users can customize the application and build tools or add-ons through its Python API. Blender is licensed under the GNU GPL and owned by its contributors. It can run without installation or an internet connection, including from a USB stick or desktop folder.