ViaCAD vs ZBrush
ViaCAD
punchcad.com
ZBrush
maxon.netSide by side
| Figure | ViaCAD | ZBrush |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $5/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 (#63) | 9.3 (#2) |
| 3D printing | ViaCAD 2D/3D includes tools to check printability and export models as STL or 3MF. | ZBrush 3D Print Hub exports STL, 3MF, VRML and OBJ files at exact scale and can hollow models through DynaMesh. |
| Animation tools | Yes | Yes |
| File formats | The product reads and writes current AutoCAD DWG and DXF; the site also lists formats including STL, 3MF, SAT, OBJ, SKP, SVG, and 3DS. | ZBrush imports and exports formats including OBJ, FBX, STL, PLY, DAE, ABC, 3MF and USD-related formats depending on edition and plugin. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Novato, California, United States | Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany |
| Integrations | The site lists KeyShot LiveLinking for rendering and native SolidWorks, Inventor, NX, and CATIA file exchange for SharkCAD Pro, rather than ViaCAD. | GoZ connects ZBrush with Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D and other supported applications. |
| Platform access | desktop | desktop |
| 3D print export | Yes | Yes |
| Render engine | both | both |
| Rendering | ViaCAD Pro includes physically based rendering, HDRI lighting, ray-traced shadows, a material and decal library, and KeyShot LiveLinking. | Desktop includes advanced BPR rendering, render passes, raytraced ambient occlusion and a ZBrush-to-KeyShot bridge. |
| Support | Every licence includes twelve months of technical support and maintenance, and the maker provides tutorials and a user forum. | Maxon provides a support center with knowledge-base articles, ticket support, installers, requirements, release notes, training and community forums. |
| Trial | The maker offers a free 15-day trial. | Maxon offers a 14-day trial through the Maxon App, including ZBrush and the full Maxon One suite. |
Plans
ViaCAD
- ViaCAD 17 2D — Own it$129.99 a month
- ViaCAD 17 2D — 1-year term$59.99 a year
- ViaCAD 17 2D — 3-year term$159.99 a year
- ViaCAD 17 2D/3D — Own it$279.99 a month
- ViaCAD 17 2D/3D — 1-year term$119.99 a year
- ViaCAD 17 2D/3D — 3-year term$339.99 a year
- ViaCAD 17 Pro — Own it$599.99 a month
- ViaCAD 17 Pro — 1-year termPrice not published
- ViaCAD 17 Pro — 3-year termPrice not published
- ViaCAD 17 2D$59.99 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.