12 Best 3D Modeling Software & Tools

3D modeling apps are used in a variety of projects. 

You’ll find their use in entertainment, architecture, engineering, product design, marketing projects, and many more.

They are a must-have tool for 3D artists and an essential part of the product development process.

Today, we’ll explore the best 3D modeling software for beginners and seasoned artists. If you are looking for specific apps or some good recommendations, check out my review.

What is 3D Modeling and What Tools Are Best For You?

3D Modeling means creating a three-dimensional version of your artwork. The design can be a majestic Onyx dragon for a video game or something as simple as a Rubik’s cube puzzle toy.

3D artists use specific software to create 3D models of their concepts. It allows them to check their idea functionality and work on finer details.

Top Features To Look For In A 3D Modeling Software;

• Modeling.
• Customization.
• Rendering.
• Compatibility and integration.

Here’s the list of the 12 best 3D modeling software products available in the market. 

1. Adobe Substance

Adobe Substance provides textures and material for models. Via this tool, artists can create authentic material surfaces for games, movies, and product visualizations. 

Here, you’ll get core modules for sampling, designing, and painting. You can take samples from real objects and apply natural textures like wood, metal, and fabric to your design. 

Plus, you can take pictures and create 3D models from images.

Tools for background staging are also available. They are best for product illustrations.

What makes Adobe Substance a good choice is its advanced painting. You can directly paint on your model using layers and smart brushes.

You can connect Adobe Substance with your sculpting software.

Core Features

• Smart material.
• Painting.
• 3D modeling.
• Sampling.
• Product stager.
• Rendering.
• AI capabilities.
• Integration.

Price

Adobe Substance’s monthly subscription starts at $49.99. You can take a free trial.1

2. Blender

Blender is an open-source 3D modeling tool. It’s your go-to software for all kinds of 3D designs.

You can use Blender for character design, animation, visual effects, and more. You can, in fact, manage your entire workflow on Blender, from concept to rendering.

The software is free for everyone, and you will find a vast online community for support.

Most emerging artists actually start their careers with Blender before moving to other premium tools for rendering.

The only drawback of Blender is its steep learning curve. It takes some time to get familiar with its interface and features. Other than that, it’s an excellent tool for the initial experience.

You can integrate Blender with third-party applications. Here’s a list of add-ons that can be connected to the software.

Core Features

• 2D sketching.
• Sculpting.
• 3D modeling.
• Texturing and shading.
• Stimulation.
• Rigging. 
• Rendering.
• Extensions and add-ons.
• Cross-platform support.

Price

Blender is completely free.

3. Maya

Maya is a product of a leading software company, Autodesk. It is incredibly rich in features and can support sophisticated 3D designs.

Core capabilities of Maya are polygonal modeling, digital sculpting, procedural effects, and rigging. You can create model skeletons for animation, geometric designs for industrial products, organic characters for games, and large-scale environments for films.

Maya also lets you fine-tune 3D materials and textures. You get real-time feedback to visualize the designs in different settings.

You can download Maya for free and take a 30-day trial to test the features. You can also integrate Maya with Autodesk’s other products and third-party applications.

Maya has a subscription model. A permanent license purchasing option is, unfortunately, not available. 

This might put off some people wanting a tool of their own, but if you want to learn industry-standard apps to boost your career, you should explore Maya. 

Core Features

• Polygonal modeling.
• Sculpting.
• Painting and texturing.
• Procedural effects.
• Animation.
• Stimulation.
• Rendering.
• Integration.
• Mac and Windows.

Price

Autodesk charges $245 per month for Maya.

4. 3DCoat

3DCoat has strong sculpting, painting, and 3D model creation features. It provides a robust voxel-based sculpting, allowing you to create organic shapes without restraints.

This software is efficient for game assets, 3D prints, and animations. Plus, it has intuitive painting tools to apply realistic textures to models.

Retopology is 3D Coat’s standout feature. You can automatically clean up the mesh and fine-tune your models.

Another good feature of 3DCoat is UV mapping. You can apply materials and work on complex models comfortably.

3DCoat supports Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. It doesn’t have an iPad version yet, but we are hopeful.

Core Features

• 3D sculpting.
• Hard surface modeling.
• Animation.
• Painting and texturing.
• Automatic and manual retopology.
• UV mapping.
• PBR library.
• Multiple import/export formats.
• Integration.

Price

You can buy 3DCoat for €379. It’s a one-time payment. Monthly subscription and renting options are also available.

5. Rhino

Rhino is a multipurpose 3D modeling app, best known for its usability. Most people find it easy to use and highly efficient.

You can use Rhino to create architectural designs, jewelry items, automotive components, and prototypes. It’s great for both artistic and technical projects.

One of Rhino’s biggest strengths is its ability to handle complex curves and surfaces with high accuracy. It also works well with plugins like Grasshopper, which lets you create smart parametric designs.

Overall, Rhino is an excellent software choice for those who want both creativity and perfection in their work.

Core Features

• 3D modeling.
• Organic sculpting.
• Grasshopper plugin.
• Rendering.
• Visualization.
• Integration.
• Multiple file formats.

Price 

Rhino charges $995 for the license. It’s a one-time purchase. 

You will also find a budget-friendly package for students.

6. Houdini

Houdini is an incredibly powerful 3D software. It sets itself apart from traditional 3D modeling tools with its procedural modeling system.

The app is ideal for animation, VFX, and large-scale projects like environments.

All the core creating features for character development and 3D animation are available on Houdini. In addition, artists can create dynamic scenes and add visual effects, such as fire, smoke, water, and destruction. 

The simulation ability of this software makes it a popular choice in the movie and video gaming industry. 

If you need an efficient and customizable tool, this software is perfect for you.

Core Features

• 3D modeling.
• Surface modeling.
• VFX.
• Advanced simulations.
• Procedural modeling.
• Rigging.
• Rendering and compositing.
• Integration.
• Community support.

Price

You can use Houdini for free. The full version costs $269 annually.

7. SolidWorks

SolidWorks is built for manufacturers and engineers. It’s a 3D CAD software to design precise and detailed 3D models.

You’ll get an extensive range of features, including 2D technical drafting and assembling tools. With simulation capability, you can design and test the component functionality together.

For workflow efficiency, you’ll receive collaboration functions. You can access your models remotely and work on the designs with your team in real time. 

Your team lead also doesn’t need to download the files for review. They can see your designs on their browsers and mark the areas for revisions.

Core Features

• 3D modeling.
• Part assembly.
• Simulation.
• 2D drafting.
• Collaboration.
• AR and VR.
• Photorealistic rendering.
• Cloud storage.
• Integration.

Price

SolidWorks offers quarterly and annual subscriptions. Its prices start at $846.

You can take a free trial.

8. Zbrush

Zbrush is a top preference for digital sculpting. The software lets you create organic shapes from virtual clay, giving you full control over your designs.

You can make jewelry designs, 3D prints, gaming characters, and illustrations. It has advanced brushes for texturing and painting and a material-capturing option to get the exact surface you want for your models.

Zbrush also has hard surface capabilities. You will get essential tools to create low poly models. Its strength, however, lies in sculpting.

Overall, if you need industry-standard software specifically for organic designs, this app is the perfect choice. 

Zbrush works on Max, Windows, and iPads, and supports multiple import and export formats.

Core Features

• Digital Sculpting.
• Painting and texturing.
• Polygon modeling.
• Dynamesh.
• Rendering.
• A library of resources.
• Multiple import and export options.
• Desktop and iPad versions.

Price

Zbrush monthly subscription costs around $46 a month. You can get a lighter version for $10. A one-time payment option is also available. For $895, you can buy a perpetual license.

9. Cinema4D

Cinema4D lets you create motion graphics, animation, and 3D models.

The software has a clean and simple interface, which makes it a perfect choice for emerging artists.

You’ll get powerful modeling tools to create both simple and complex shapes. The program comes with built-in rendering features, but you can connect it with external rendering engines like Redshift to achieve realistic outcomes.

Due to its quick rendering abilities and animation tools. Cinema 4D is widely used in advertising, movie production, and game development.

Its strongest feature is MoGraph. It allows you to create dynamic motion designs, duplicate objects, and add powerful effects.

You can import and export files on Cinema 4D in multiple formats, including OBJ, FBX, STL, and Alembic. It’s compatible with other 3D software, like Blender and Maya.

Core Features

• 3D modeling.
• Animation.
• MoGraph for motion design.
• Fast and smooth rendering.
• External render engines support.
• Integration.
• Multilingual.

Price

Cinema4D charges 99€ per month and 699€ per year. You can take a 30-day free trial.

10. Marvelous Designer

Marvelous Designer is ideal for fashion designing. It’s a 3D cloth generation software that allows you to create realistic clothing.

Some of the things you can do with Marvelous Designer include fabric making, garment simulation, and custom adjustments. The software produces realistic fabric simulation during character movement and offers real-time feedback to let you make quick adjustments on the spot.

Its intuitive interface especially makes the experience both fun and functional.

You can connect Marvelous Designer with all the major 3D modeling software and export files in standard 3D formats.

Core Features

• Clothing generation.
• Simulation.
• Patterns.
• Robust customization.
• Asset library.
• Integration.
• Multiple import and export formats.

Price

Marvelous Designer charges $39 per month or $280 per year. You can ask for the enterprise solution.

11. SketchUp

SketchUp is perfect for architects and interior designers. It gives a digital space to visualize your concepts and draw realistic 3D buildings.

You can use SketchUp on your desktop and your iPad. You’ll get unlimited storage with access to a large 3D asset library to speed up your work.

Collaboration is one of SketchUp’s core functions. You can share your designs with your team and generate reports for the stakeholders. Multiple view options are available for your convenience.

Core Features

• 3D modeling.
• 2D design documentation.
• Pre-built assets.
• Customization.
• Collaboration.
• Photorealistic rendering.
• AR mobile view.
• Multiple import and export options.

Price

SketchUp prices range between $18 and $50. 

12. Tinkercad

Tinkercad is one of the most intuitive and user-friendly design apps. It’s a web-based platform that provides basic creating tools for conceptual 3D models and prototypes.

You can easily place, resize, and combine pre-defined shapes to make 3D models. Also, you can apply natural materials and assemble shapes to build mechanical objects.

Tinkercard supports both static and dynamic shapes. You can create accurate measurements and clone changes to improve work efficiency.

The best usage of Tinkercard is in 3D printing. It’s easy enough for beginners and provides tools to build precise models.

Core Features

• Browser-based 3D model.
• Drag-and-drop functionality.
• Create and combine.
• Simulation.
• AR.
• Duplication.
• Desktop and iPad versions.
• Multiple file format support.

Price

Tinkercad is free. You can sign up on the website and find it in both Google and Apple stores.

Conclusion

3D modeling software are designed for both general and specific purposes. Some apps deliver industry-specific modeling features, and some offer all-in-one solutions.

Choose the apps that meet your project requirements. Compare their compatibility and creation tools to shortlist the best 3D modeling software.

If you are, however, just exploring this field, I would recommend trying out Blender before moving to industry-standard apps. Blender is not only free, but it also covers all the 3D fields. Good luck!