Shade3D vs ZBrush
Shade3D
shade3d.jpZBrush
maxon.netSide by side
| Figure | Shade3D | ZBrush |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8.25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 15 | 7 |
| Spec score · 3D modeling software | 8.2 (#53) | 9.3 (#2) |
| 3D printing | Its 3D Print Assistant checks and corrects model errors for 3D printing. | ZBrush 3D Print Hub exports STL, 3MF, VRML and OBJ files at exact scale and can hollow models through DynaMesh. |
| File formats | The feature page lists OBJ, DXF, STL, FBX, COLLADA, and 3ds Max input and output support. | ZBrush imports and exports formats including OBJ, FBX, STL, PLY, DAE, ABC, 3MF and USD-related formats depending on edition and plugin. |
| Founded | 1987 | 1986 |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan | Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany |
| Integrations | Ver.22.2 adds Suite Chidori Engine linkage to FBX export. | GoZ connects ZBrush with Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D and other supported applications. |
| Rendering | Shade3D provides photorealistic rendering using textures, materials, transparency, and lighting settings. | Desktop includes advanced BPR rendering, render passes, raytraced ambient occlusion and a ZBrush-to-KeyShot bridge. |
| Trial | The Ver.25 trial lasts 30 days, limits rendering to 640 × 480 pixels, and does not allow saving or exporting data. | Maxon offers a 14-day trial through the Maxon App, including ZBrush and the full Maxon One suite. |
Plans
Shade3D
- Basic — first year$198 a year
- Basic — from year 2$99 a year
- Standard — first year$480 a year
- Standard — from year 2$240 a year
- Professional — first year$980 a year
- Professional — from year 2$392 a year
- Professional rental — 1 month$343 a month
- Professional rental — 2 months$450.80 a month
- Professional rental — 3 months$539 a month
- Shade3D Basic Ver.23$198 a year
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
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.