Houdini vs SelfCAD

Houdini is SideFX’s procedural 3D creation system for film, television, games, motion graphics, virtual reality and synthetic-data work. Its workflow stores actions in nodes connected as networks, and supports sharing workflows and custom digital assets with colleagues. Tools cover modeling, sculpting, animation, parametric modeling, character rigging, rendering and 3D-print export. Houdini FX adds simulation tools for fluids, destruction, pyro effects, grains and cloth. KineFX supports character rigging and animation, alongside tools for hair, fur, feathers, muscles and cloth. Karma renders images in the Solaris look-development workflow, while PDG distributes tasks, handles dependencies and creates datasets for machine-learning and AI applications. Houdini runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. The free Apprentice version is for non-commercial learning and personal projects; its renders are capped at 1920x1080 and carry a watermark. SideFX lists perpetual licenses, annual upgrades, rentals, subscriptions and education licenses. Listed paid pricing starts at $299/yr, though individual options have different terms and prices.

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.