Blender vs SelfCAD
Blender
blender.orgSelfCAD
selfcad.comSide by side
| Figure | Blender | SelfCAD |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $11.67/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 8.9 (#13) | 9.0 (#11) |
| Spec score · 3D Design Software | 8.8 (#3) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Animation tools | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Platform access | desktop | both |
| 3D print export | Yes | Yes |
| Render engine | Blender includes the Cycles built-in unbiased path-tracer engine. | both |
| Rendering | Cycles is Blender’s ray-trace based production render engine, with CPU and GPU rendering and support for multiple GPUs. | Can generate realistic renders of designs. |
| Sculpting tools | Blender includes advanced sculpting tools, brushes, multiresolution, and dynamic subdivision. | Yes |
Plans
SelfCAD
- FreeFree
- SelfCAD Pro Monthly$14.99 a month
- SelfCAD Pro Yearly$139.99 a year
- SelfCAD Perpetual License$599, paid once
- 10-day free trialFree
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.
SelfCAD
SelfCAD is a 3D modeling application that covers work from sketching and sculpting through rendering and 3D printing. It runs in a browser without downloads and also has a PC version for offline project work and storage; online and offline projects synchronize. Listed platforms are web, Windows, macOS and Linux. Tools include sculpting, animation, image-to-3D conversion, shape generators and model changes such as extrusion, reshaping and simplification. Designs can be rendered and prepared for printing with a built-in slicer compatible with most FDM 3D printers. The software supports industry-standard 3D formats and includes interactive tutorials, lessons, videos and starter courses. A limited free plan offers basic modeling. Pro plans add full modeling tools, rendering, animation and image-to-3D. A 10-day trial gives access to all products, requires no credit card and can be canceled anytime. Listed prices include $14.99 a month, $139.99 a year and $599, paid once for a perpetual license.