The 5 Best 3D Sculpting Software

In the market for 3D sculpting software? We've got you covered.

3D sculpting software is used to create free-form designs and bring organic shapes to life via polygon meshes that act like real-life clay. Character animation, game design, product design, and the like all utilize 3D sculpting software.

There's a large selection of software to do this on; most include features for animating, painting, and texturing your creations.

This article covers a list of the best five paid and free 3D sculpting software on the market today. Let's dive right in.

1. Blender

Blender is a powerful open-source software. If you're a hobbyist or a professional looking for free 3D modeling software with sculpting capabilities, this is your best bet.

The software is jam-packed with toolsets and features, including advanced sculpting functions, character animation, and texture controls. You can use it in creating games, motion tracking, and video editing, to mention a few.

Blender has many different brush types, mirror sculpting, and dynamic topology sculpting. It also offers both Bézier and NURBS curves, which use less memory and storage space while you're creating.

Thanks to Blender's active online community, beginners can always find help throughout the sculpting process should they need it. You can also consult the webpage for manuals and tutorials. And the best thing about Blender, it's completely free.

Download: Blender for Windows, Mac, and Linux (Free)

2. Maya

Autodesk's Maya is renowned for its incredible sculpting tools and enhanced workflow. The software has several different plugins for sculpting, modeling, and rendering animation, including LBrush, Realflow, Ziva, and Render Man.

This award-winning software is geared toward professionals and is primarily used across the TV, film, and video game industries.

For better precision and improved control over detail, it's recommended to use a graphics tablet with touch controls; check out our list for best drawing tablets for digital artists. But you can also use a standard mouse.

Related: 8 Things You Should Know Before Buying a Graphics Tablet

With Maya, you can sculpt polygon models, create characters and movements, and render natural elements like wind, water, fire, and earth. When you're done sculpting, you can export the design as a 3D file for viewing or 3D printing.

If you want to get started with Maya, there are many online tutorials that will help you progress in the right direction.

The sculpting tool will cost you $215 per month or $1700 per year. It also offers a 30-day free trial.

Download: Maya for Windows, Mac, and Linux (Subscription required, free trial available)

3. ZBrush

ZBrush is a 3D digital sculpting software used for creating high-resolution models. The software offers some of the most advanced tools, making it ideal for professionals and intermediate users looking for creative freedom.

This market-leading sculpting software boasts great customization capabilities for sculpting which lets you sculpt and render organic shapes with utmost detail. That's why professionals in the film and video game industries love it.

ZBrush includes 3D brushes, PolyPaint, FiberMesh, DynaMesh, and Transpose. These tools can help you create entire figures, with props and clothes, ready to be rendered.

It also uses "pixol" technology which stores color, lighting, depth information, and orientation for the points making up all objects on the screen. Essentially, pixols are 2D pixels with additional information.

Related: How to 3D Print for First Timers and Beginners

ZBrush supports all major 3D printing file-formats including Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), Wavefront OBJ, and STL (STereoLithography). Because it seamlessly integrates with software like Blender, Maya, and Cinema 4D, some creators prefer designing their product elsewhere before importing it to ZBrush for final touches.

Being one of the most recommended sculpting software, there are many online training materials and courses to help you learn how to use it.

This software will cost you $895 for a perpetual license or $39.95 per month. To get a feel for it without making a purchase, you can start a 30-day free trial. If you're not sure you'll need ZBrush's advanced feature set, you can use ZBrushCoreMini for free or get ZBrushCore.

Download: ZBrush for Windows and Mac (Subscription required, free trial available)

Download: ZBrushCoreMini for Windows and Mac (Free)

Download: ZBrushCore for Windows and Mac ($179 .95)

4. Mudbox

If you're looking for affordable and professional sculpting software, Autodesk's Mudbox might be for you. This software is mainly used for high-resolution digital sculpting, texture painting, displacement, and normal map creation.

It provides a tactile and intuitive toolset for creating and modifying 3D geometry and textures. You can use it for high-poly modeling and paint maps directly onto meshes.

Mudbox costs $10 per month, or $90 annually, and is ideal for 3D sculpting professionals and intermediates looking for an affordable way to create. While this software may be cost-effective, there's no lack of cutting-edge features.

Download: Mudbox for Windows, Mac, and Linux (Subscription required, free trial available)

5. Modo

Modo is a well-rounded 3D sculpting software with user-friendly tools and a solid rendering system. The software's modeling, animation, texturing tools are among the most powerful in the industry. It also integrates with several third-party plugins, making it fit seamlessly into your workflow.

It features three types of sculpting: Image-Based, Mesh, and Multi-Res, which you can apply for different purposes. This makes the software a great choice for expert and intermediate users looking for a fast and flexible sculpting solution.

With image-based sculpting, you can produce fine details for models. Mesh sculpting is great for building out a rough form. And Multi-Res sculpting doesn't require images or UV mapping to sculpt on multiresolution meshes. You can also use Modo to create polygonal designs using both direct tools and procedural techniques.

The latest version of the software includes powerful additions like Static Analysis and Curve Booleans. Static Analysis is the software's new updated system for detecting performance issues like unused images, floating vertices, and empty groups. Boolean tools allow you to intersect and subtract on 2D curves and convert the resulting form into a 3D model.

Modo's perpetual license costs $1909, while the monthly subscription will set you back $65 every month.

Download: Modo for Windows, Mac, and Linux (Subscription required, free trial available)

Pick Your 3D Sculpting Software

With the increasing demand for 3D content, growing sums are invested in industries like film, gaming, 3D printing, advertising, and product design. This has led to a great influx of 3D artists and designers.

Mastering 3D sculpting means you'll open yourself up to a variety of career opportunities. Give some of the best 3D sculpting software listed here a go, even if you're new to the world of graphic design—you might surprise yourself with what you create.

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