Blender vs FaceGen
Blender
blender.orgFaceGen
facegen.comSide by side
| Figure | Blender | FaceGen |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 6 |
| Spec score · 3D Avatar Software | 8.8 (#4) | 8.1 (#11) |
| Animation | Animation tools include a pose editor, non-linear animation, forward and inverse kinematics, sound synchronization, rigging, constraints, drivers, and shape keys. | Modeller includes more than 110 morph targets, including the Facial Action Coding System, and adapts expressions and accessories to each face. |
| Founded | 2002 | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam, Netherlands | Singular Inversions Inc. lists its address in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. |
| License | Blender is distributed under the GNU GPL, which permits users to use, distribute, study, and modify it, with source publication required when distributing modified versions. | The Modeller purchase is a perpetual, one-time, single-concurrent-user license, and installations are validated with a serial number or by email. |
| Support | Support resources include an online manual, developer documentation, Python API reference, tutorials, community forums, and enterprise support for Blender LTS releases through Canonical. | Support is offered by email and a Google discussion group, with manuals and an FAQ available. |
Plans
FaceGen
- FaceGen Artist DemoFree
- FaceGen Modeller DemoFree
- FaceGen Artist Pro$100, paid once
- FaceGen Modeller Core$300, paid once
- FaceGen Modeller Pro$900, paid once
- FaceGen Modeller Enterprise$2,900, paid once
In their own words
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.
FaceGen
FaceGen creates 3D human faces from photos, 3D scan data or random generation. Its face controls cover more than 150 characteristics, including age, race, gender and caricature. Modeller includes over 110 morph targets, including Facial Action Coding System targets, and adjusts expressions and accessories for each face. It exports meshes in formats including DAE, FBX, 3DS, OBJ, XSI, WRL and STL, with optional expression morph targets. FaceGen Artist creates faces for Daz Studio Genesis meshes and lists support for Genesis 1, 2, 3, 8, 8.1 and 9. The software runs on Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11 with DirectX 11; macOS and Linux are unsupported. Modeller purchases are perpetual, one-time licenses for one concurrent user. Free demo editions are available. Paid plans include FaceGen Artist Pro at $100, paid once, Modeller Core at $300, paid once, Modeller Pro at $900, paid once and Modeller Enterprise at $2,900, paid once. Rendered images, video and physical sculptures may be distributed freely, while exported models retaining photo color details have restrictions.