MakeHuman vs ZBrush
MakeHuman
makehumancommunity.org
ZBrush
maxon.netSide by side
| Figure | MakeHuman | ZBrush |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 7 |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 8.3 (#48) | 9.3 (#2) |
| Spec score · 3D Avatar Software | 7.9 (#13) | 8.5 (#6) |
| Spec score · Game Character Creation Software | 7.9 (#15) | 8.5 (#10) |
| Spec score · Game 3D Modeling Software | 7.9 (#18) | 8.5 (#13) |
| Spec score · 3D Design Software | 8.1 (#20) | 8.5 (#12) |
| Animation tools | No | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Platform access | desktop | desktop |
| 3D print export | Yes | Yes |
| Render engine | built-in | both |
| Support | The project README directs usage questions to its forum and asks users to report bugs through the GitHub issues section. | Maxon provides a support center with knowledge-base articles, ticket support, installers, requirements, release notes, training and community forums. |
| System requirements | The installation guide calls for about half a gigabyte of free disk space and a graphics card supporting GLSL 1.2 or above for some real-time materials and the internal rendering engine. | Minimum Windows requirements include 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, 4 GB RAM, 8 GB disk space, OpenGL 3.3 and Vulkan 1.1 support. |
Plans
ZBrush
- ZBrush for iPad Free PlanFree
- ZBrush for iPad SubscriptionPrice not published
- ZBrush for iPad SubscriptionPriced on request
- ZBrush DesktopPrice not published
- ZBrush DesktopPriced on request
- ZBrush for iPad$33.25 a month
- ZBrush$399 a year
In their own words
MakeHuman
MakeHuman creates customizable 3D human characters by blending adjustable features on a base mesh. Character targets let users alter traits from sex and muscle tone to earlobe shape. A built-in downloader provides access to community assets, and the application includes a render engine and parametric modeling. Meshes can be exported in Collada (DAE), FBX, Wavefront OBJ, STL, and Ogre3D formats; projects can also be saved in MHM format. Exporting meshes is one-way: MakeHuman cannot open those exported formats again. BVH is the listed rig format, and the documentation says MakeHuman 1.1.0 does not officially support animation inside the application. For Blender workflows, MPFB can communicate directly with MakeHuman instead of depending on file exports. It runs as desktop software on Linux, macOS, and Windows. The plan is free. The site says core assets including the base mesh, targets, and skins are CC0, with no paywall or email requirement for downloading.
ZBrush
ZBrush is a 3D sculpting and modeling application with desktop and iPad offerings. Its listed tools include sculpting, parametric modeling, animation, rendering and 3D print export. Desktop is listed for Windows and macOS, while a separate supported-platform list also includes Linux. The desktop plan includes ZBrush for iPad and advanced sculpting, modeling, rendering and export tools. Rendering is described as hybrid, with GPU and animation rendering and denoising. Listed workload areas include CPU and GPU rendering, ray tracing, shader execution and geometry processing. Other listed capabilities include rotoscoping, 3D camera tracking, custom test profiles and CLI or automation support. The listed result export formats are none documented, and results are not saved as a file. Headquarters are listed as both Bad Homburg vor der Höhe and Friedrichsdorf, Germany; the maker is listed as founded in 1986.