AC3D vs LightWave 3D
AC3D
inivis.comLightWave 3D
lightwave3d.comSide by side
| Figure | AC3D | LightWave 3D |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $99/mo | £450/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 16 | 10 |
| Spec score · Game 3D Modeling Software | 8.7 (#6) | 8.7 (#8) |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 8.0 (#82) | 8.6 (#29) |
| Free plan | No | No |
| 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. | The maker describes LightWave as intended for professionals in television production, film visual effects, video game development, print graphics, and visualization. |
| Purpose | AC3D is 3D design software used for game model creation, product prototypes, virtual reality simulations and data visualisation. | LightWave 3D is software for creating 3D models, animations, and visual effects. |
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
LightWave 3D
- New LightWave 2025 Licence£795 a month
- LightWave 2025 Upgrade - LightWave 2024 users£450 a month
- LightWave 2025 Upgrade - LightWave 2023 or earlier users£550 a month
- 30-day trialFree
- LightWave 2025 Upgrade — LightWave 2024 users£450, paid once
- LightWave 2026 upgrade from 2025£450, paid once
- LightWave 2025 Upgrade — LightWave 2023 or earlier users£550, paid once
- LightWave 2026 upgrade from 2024 or earlier£550, paid once
- LightWave 2025 licence£795, paid once
- New LightWave 2026 licence£795, 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.
LightWave 3D
LightWave 3D has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.