Autodesk Mudbox vs Rhino 3D
Autodesk Mudbox
autodesk.comRhino 3D
rhino3d.comSide by side
| Figure | Autodesk Mudbox | Rhino 3D |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $95/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 14 |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 9.2 (#7) | 9.5 (#1) |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Platform access | desktop | desktop |
| 3D print export | Yes | Yes |
| Rating on G2 | 4.1 out of 5 from 50 reviews | 4.4 out of 5 from 192 reviews. |
| Self-hosting | Mudbox is installed as desktop software on a local host or network server rather than delivered as a hosted web application. | Compute documentation covers local execution, Linux, Azure, AWS, HTTPS deployment and custom endpoints. |
| Support | Autodesk advertises 24x7 online support resources and access to three previous versions for subscribers. | Support resources include forums, telephone, email, live chat, tutorials, training classes and community sites, with support included in purchase price. |
| What it does | Mudbox is Autodesk software for digital 3D sculpting and painting of detailed characters and environments. | Rhino is a 3D CAD application for creating, editing, analyzing, documenting, rendering, animating and translating NURBS, SubD, point-cloud and mesh geometry. |
Plans
Autodesk Mudbox
- SubscriptionPriced on request
- SubscriptionPrice not published
- SubscriptionPriced on request
- Autodesk Education accessFree
- Mudbox free trialFree
- Mudbox 2-year$160 a year
- Mudbox 3-year$240 a year
- Annual subscriptionPrice not published
- Monthly subscriptionPrice not published
Rhino 3D
- Commercial — Rhino 8 single concurrent user$995 a month
- Commercial — Rhino 8, 10 concurrent users$9,950 a month
- Commercial — Rhino 8, 50 concurrent users$49,750 a month
- Commercial upgrade — Rhino 8 single concurrent user$595 a month
- Student or faculty — Rhino 8 single user$195 a month
- Student or faculty upgrade — Rhino 8 single user$95 a month
- School — Rhino 8, 30-user lab$975 a month
- EvaluationFree
- Rhino 8 EvaluationFree
- Rhino 8 Educational Single User$195, paid once
In their own words
Autodesk Mudbox
Autodesk Mudbox is desktop software for 3D sculpting and painting, used to create detailed characters and environments with textures. Artists can build production-quality meshes from scanned, imported, or sculpted data, paint across multiple channels on 3D models, and add mesh resolution where needed. Retopology tools help create clean production meshes, and the layer-based workflow supports work on high-resolution models and textures. Mudbox also supports 3D print export. Autodesk identifies professional VFX and game studios among its users. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The 2026 requirements specify Windows 10 version 1809 or later and Windows 11, macOS 13.x through 15.x, Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation 8.10, 9.3, and 9.5, and Rocky Linux 8.10, 9.3, and 9.5. Hardware requirements include a 64-bit Intel or AMD multi-core processor, 4 GB RAM, 2 GB free disk space, and a three-button mouse; 8 GB or more RAM is recommended. There is no free plan, but a 30-day trial is available.
Rhino 3D
Rhino 3D is desktop software for Windows and macOS with listed capabilities for parametric modeling, animation, rendering, and 3D print export. The commercial Rhino 8 single concurrent-user license is listed at $995 a month, billed as a permanent license that does not expire. Licenses for 10 and 50 concurrent users are listed at $9,950 a month and $49,750 a month, respectively, also as permanent licenses. Student or faculty and school options are listed, with educational-status or school-licensing requirements. Commercial and student or faculty upgrade options are available, though evaluation versions cannot be upgraded. A free evaluation license costs nothing and lasts 90 days; saving and plugins stop working after that period. The listing describes Rhino 3D as paid while also indicating a free plan and free trial. Its maker is listed as founded in 1980 and based in Seattle, Washington, USA.