Best Kray Alternatives in 2026
Find the top alternatives to Kray currently available. Compare ratings, reviews, pricing, and features of Kray alternatives in 2026. Slashdot lists the best Kray alternatives on the market that offer competing products that are similar to Kray. Sort through Kray alternatives below to make the best choice for your needs
-
1
Raylectron
Raylectron
$99.95 per licenseThe development of Raylectron spanned several years, involving extensive research and experimentation. Crafting such sophisticated software is quite challenging. Although ray tracing techniques have been around for a significant period before Raylectron’s inception, they often lack true photorealism. To achieve a lifelike appearance, it is essential to accurately trace the light's path to illuminate the various objects within a scene, necessitating a deep understanding of physical laws, particularly how photons behave when they collide with surfaces. In reality, photons move at light speed, allowing us to perceive illumination almost instantaneously. However, replicating this effect in a computer program is far from straightforward. The speed of calculations presents a significant hurdle, as computers cannot process information at the speed of light. Additionally, the underlying mathematics is incredibly intricate and demanding. Raylectron integrates all these complex features into a single, user-friendly software solution. It offers users an extensive selection of illumination options and allows for real-time texturing of models, making the process more accessible than ever before. This seamless combination of capabilities elevates the user experience significantly. -
2
CentiLeo
CentiLeo
CentiLeo is a highly efficient GPU path tracer designed for seamless integration with both 3ds Max and Cinema 4D, allowing users to easily manage complex lighting in their scenes. This advanced GPU renderer excels in delivering rapid unbiased path tracing, particularly for intricate lighting scenarios. Featuring out-of-core technology, CentiLeo can efficiently handle enormous scene assets, enabling the rendering of polygon counts, particles, and textures that exceed the limitations of GPU memory. The innovative technology extends the memory capacity for geometry and particles by four times and dramatically increases texture memory limits by a factor of 100. In addition, CentiLeo offers capabilities such as Interactive Preview Render, node-based material and shader editing, displacement mapping, motion blur, subsurface scattering, and rapid noise reduction tailored for multi-materials, glass objects, and mesh lights. Moreover, the software has received support from the Skolkovo Foundation, which has backed some of its research and development initiatives through grants, underscoring the commitment to advancing rendering technology. This combination of features makes CentiLeo an ideal choice for artists and designers looking to enhance their rendering workflows. -
3
Render[in]
Render[in]
€190 per licenseRender[in] is a comprehensive, real-time radiosity engine designed specifically for users of SketchUp, both Free and Pro versions. Leveraging the capabilities of Artlantis 6.5’s rendering technology, Render[in] 3 provides SketchUp users with stunning, high-definition photorealistic images through a user-friendly interface. In the realm of rendering, just as in photography, accurately capturing color is crucial. The enhanced global illumination engine in Render[in] significantly elevates the quality of images, offering improved clarity for colors, textures, and materials. With the introduction of ISO and Shutter settings, adjusting the lighting in a scene has become more accessible than ever, allowing for greater creative control. This ensures that users can achieve the precise visual effects they desire in their projects. -
4
Flamingo nXt
Robert McNeel & Associates
$195Showcase your Rhino models with unparalleled clarity using cutting-edge rendering technology. Designed specifically for designers, Flamingo nXt makes it easy for anyone to present their work without requiring extensive CG expertise. Achieve impressive results with just a few clicks in a matter of minutes. In Rhino, simply hit Render to explore the default settings of nXt, or take a moment to customize your lighting and materials for an even better outcome before rendering. With Flamingo nXt 5, users can effortlessly generate breathtaking, lifelike images directly within Rhino. You don't need to be a seasoned rendering expert to obtain realistic visuals quickly—just provide the materials and lighting, then click Render to let nXt handle the simulation. The platform minimizes complexity, allowing you to focus on creativity rather than technical settings. nXt adeptly simulates light transport within your model, easily accommodating indirect lighting along with intricate reflection and refraction effects, making your presentations more dynamic and visually striking. With such user-friendly features, presenting your designs has never been easier or more effective. -
5
Maverick Studio
Maverick
€3999 per monthMaverick Studio is a powerful desktop application that utilizes GPU acceleration to create a sophisticated physics simulator for light, combined with user-friendly drag-and-drop features. You can effortlessly import your 3D models or CAD files to produce stunning photo-realistic images or dynamic turntable presentations with minimal effort. Additionally, a convenient plug-in for Rhinoceros allows you to send and update your models in Maverick Studio with just a single click, while retaining all the intricate details of materials, lighting, and camera settings you established within the software. This user-centric workflow enables you to beautifully illuminate your jewelry models and achieve spectacular photo-realistic outcomes using advanced gradient lighting and scientifically accurate materials. If you don't use Rhino, there's no need to worry; you can still export from various modeling software to any file format that Maverick supports natively, allowing you to easily style your geometries with lighting and textures for breathtaking results. With Maverick Studio, the creative possibilities for showcasing your designs are virtually limitless. -
6
AIR
SiTex Graphics
$375 per licenseAIR represents a cutting-edge 3D graphics rendering solution, characterized by its innovative architecture and a comprehensive suite of features aimed at swiftly generating high-quality visuals. As a hybrid renderer, AIR blends the rapid rendering capabilities of scanline techniques—efficiently handling complex scenes, motion blur, and depth of field—with the adaptive precision of on-demand ray tracing, allowing for realistic reflections, soft shadows, global illumination, and caustics. This advanced renderer accommodates a wide variety of geometric shapes, such as polygon meshes, trimmed NURBs, subdivision surfaces, curves, particles, and implicit surfaces, all supported in their original form—eliminating the need for pre-meshing. Additionally, AIR facilitates true sub-pixel displacement and supports both high-dynamic range (HDR) input and output. A hallmark of AIR is its highly customizable shading and procedural modeling capabilities, enabling users to enhance the shading language by implementing new functions through any programming language of their choice. This adaptability empowers artists to push the boundaries of their creativity and achieve unprecedented levels of detail and realism in their projects. -
7
Light-in-Night
Light-in-Night
FreeThis application is designed for the planning of street lighting and illumination in public spaces, serving as a mobile solution for designers and lighting professionals. It assists purchasers of lighting equipment in selecting appropriate fixtures by allowing users to input the specifications of the area or roadway to be illuminated. Users can choose different fixtures and installation methods tailored to their needs. After completing the calculations, a detailed visual 3D representation of the scene will be generated, showcasing the distribution of light. Additionally, users have the option to save the lighting calculation results and scene parameters in a comprehensive report. Furthermore, the inclusion of sample projects crafted by experienced lighting technicians offers users the opportunity to not only explore the software's capabilities but also to create their own unique lighting designs inspired by these examples. This blend of functionality and inspiration makes the tool invaluable for both novice and seasoned lighting designers alike. -
8
RenderMan
Pixar
$5 per lincensePixar Animation Studios has developed cutting-edge technology for rendering visual effects and animation. Their latest framework, designed specifically for physically-based rendering, offers unparalleled adaptability to fit any production pipeline. RenderMan is not only utilized for Pixar's own feature films but has also gained widespread adoption across the industry for its capabilities in rendering visual effects and animation, highlighting its inherent scalability and versatility. Users can now access ready-to-use production tools directly from Pixar, providing materials and light transport without the need for additional development. This physically based shading system enables RenderMan to create remarkably realistic lighting with minimal configuration, featuring comprehensive support for multi-bounce ray traced global illumination and ray traced subsurface scattering. A significant amount of research and innovation has been dedicated to transforming these typically costly effects into practical solutions for production environments. The materials offered come fully equipped with a plethora of creative options, empowering artists to bring their visions to life. This commitment to accessibility and quality positions RenderMan as a leader in the rendering technology landscape. -
9
Unicorn Render
Unicorn Render
Unicorn Render is a sophisticated rendering software that empowers users to create breathtakingly realistic images and reach professional-grade rendering quality, even if they lack any previous experience. Its intuitive interface is crafted to equip users with all the necessary tools to achieve incredible results with minimal effort. The software is offered as both a standalone application and a plugin, seamlessly incorporating cutting-edge AI technology alongside professional visualization capabilities. Notably, it supports GPU+CPU acceleration via deep learning photorealistic rendering techniques and NVIDIA CUDA technology, enabling compatibility with both CUDA GPUs and multicore CPUs. Unicorn Render boasts features such as real-time progressive physics illumination, a Metropolis Light Transport sampler (MLT), a caustic sampler, and native support for NVIDIA MDL materials. Furthermore, its WYSIWYG editing mode guarantees that all editing occurs at the quality of the final image, ensuring there are no unexpected outcomes during the final production stage. Thanks to its comprehensive toolset and user-friendly design, Unicorn Render stands out as an essential resource for both novice and experienced users aiming to elevate their rendering projects. -
10
NOX
EVERMOTION
NOX is a cutting-edge, standalone renderer that offers physical accuracy and is completely free to use. Its rendering engine employs unbiased techniques, utilizing either Path Tracing or Bidirectional Path Tracing for global illumination analysis. Although the simulation of light adheres to physical principles, some simplifications are made for practicality. NOX provides a range of post-production capabilities within its interface, eliminating the need for external software. It supports scenes that are generated and imported from popular applications such as 3ds Max, Blender, and Cinema4D. Recognized as one of the most feature-rich renderers available, NOX remains in its beta development phase, continually evolving and adding new functionalities. To optimize your rendering experience with NOX, understanding its rendering philosophy is essential, and consulting the User Guide is highly recommended. The current guide encompasses features from version 0.3.39, and given the significant advancements made since that release, an updated User Guide is expected to be available in autumn 2013. This ongoing improvement highlights the commitment to refining and enhancing the software for its users. -
11
Radiance
Radiance
Radiance is designed to assist lighting designers and architects in forecasting the illumination levels and visual characteristics of a space before it is built. This software package comprises tools for modeling and converting scene geometry, luminaire specifications, and material attributes, all essential for the simulation process. Utilizing ray tracing techniques, the lighting simulation calculates radiance values—representing the amount of light that travels through a specific point in a designated direction—and typically presents these values in a high-quality photographic image format. Users can analyze, view, and modify the resulting images within the software, as well as export them to various widely-used image file formats, thus enabling the creation of printed outputs. Of particular importance to users is the primary component of the Radiance package: the lighting simulation engine, which not only determines light levels but also generates detailed images, allowing for enhanced visualization and assessment of lighting designs. Furthermore, this capability aids in refining the design process by offering insights into potential adjustments before actual construction begins. -
12
Twinmotion
Unreal Engine
Effortlessly create stunning images, breathtaking panoramas, standard or 360° VR videos, and comprehensive client presentations in mere seconds! Designed for professionals in architecture, construction, urban planning, and landscaping, Twinmotion merges a user-friendly icon-based interface with the robust capabilities of the Unreal Engine. You can observe and modify your scene in real time, achieving the same high quality as the final rendering right from the start. With realistic lighting and shadowing based on physical principles, complemented by built-in global illumination, Twinmotion also provides over 600 PBR materials that adapt to your environment, along with features such as depth of field, lens flare, and vignetting to help you achieve the desired aesthetic effortlessly. No matter how intricate your project may be or what your prior CG background is, Twinmotion's straightforward and intuitive interface makes it remarkably easy to master and utilize. You can simply drag and drop lights, materials, and props; alter the season, weather, or time of day by adjusting a slider, transforming your creative vision into reality with unprecedented ease and speed. This powerful tool not only enhances productivity but also empowers users to bring their ideas to life like never before. -
13
LuxCoreRender
LuxCoreRender
LuxCoreRender is an unbiased rendering engine that uses a physically based approach to create high-quality images. Leveraging cutting-edge algorithms, it accurately simulates light's behavior according to fundamental physical principles, resulting in images that resemble real-life photographs. Built upon these physical equations, LuxCoreRender effectively models the journey of light through various mediums. The software utilizes OpenCL technology, allowing it to harness the power of multiple CPUs and GPUs simultaneously for enhanced performance. Notably, LuxCoreRender is constantly available as free software for both personal and commercial use, ensuring widespread accessibility. A testament to its capabilities can be seen in the impressive works created by its users. The engine offers a diverse array of material types, including realistic representations of metals, glass, and automotive paint, alongside standard options like matte and glossy finishes. Additionally, LuxCoreRender provides features for dynamic and interactive scene editing, enabling users to modify their projects in real-time for optimal results. This flexibility makes LuxCoreRender an invaluable tool for both hobbyists and professionals alike. -
14
Autodesk Arnold
Autodesk
$27 per monthGlobal illumination rendering software enhances the speed at which high-quality 3D images are produced using Arnold, enabling artists to concentrate on their creative work. This sophisticated Monte Carlo ray tracing renderer not only boosts efficiency but also allows for interactive results that facilitate rapid iterations. With a user-friendly interface and straightforward controls, switching between CPU and GPU rendering is effortless to meet various production requirements. Arnold excels in handling large datasets and intricate scene files, ensuring that production-ready tools effectively tackle challenges related to characters, environments, and lighting. It optimizes compute performance for elements like hair, fur, and skin, making it a versatile choice. Additionally, the software seamlessly integrates with leading 3D digital content creation tools, providing a scalable and open architecture. Users benefit from Arnold GPU's ability to fluidly transition between rendering modes, while its advanced ray-traced subsurface scattering technology removes the hassle of adjusting point clouds, ultimately streamlining the rendering process even further. This makes Arnold a robust option for artists striving for excellence in their 3D visual projects. -
15
Horde3D
The Horde3D Team
Horde3D is a compact open-source 3D rendering engine designed to deliver impressive visual effects characteristic of next-generation gaming while maintaining a lightweight and clean conceptual framework. Its user-friendly interface can be utilized through nearly any programming language, making it especially adept at rendering extensive crowds of animated figures with high-quality graphics. The engine's complete scene graph and animation systems are tailored specifically for this purpose, ensuring efficiency in performance. To minimize call overhead, Horde3D focuses on maintaining smaller node hierarchies and leverages cached data to enhance the speed of animations. Additionally, the geometry is fine-tuned for optimal cache effectiveness, allowing for multiple levels of detail in models. It also supports vertex skinning and implements deferred shading techniques, which help decrease the number of draw calls in scenes that feature numerous light sources. Overall, Horde3D stands out as a versatile tool for developers seeking to push the boundaries of visual fidelity in their projects. -
16
FPrime
Worley Labs
FPrime serves as an innovative rendering engine with a distinct approach to design. Unlike conventional renderers that function solely as a final output stage, FPrime acts as a supportive partner throughout the entire creative process, beginning with the initial setup and extending through texturing, lighting, keyframing, and culminating in the final rendering. This engine transforms the workflow by providing continuous feedback on your current scene and the impact of your modifications. You can always view your render in real-time. The remarkable speed of FPrime is what enables this immediate feedback, ensuring that you never have to wait for LightWave. Instead, every moment is utilized to assist you and ensure that your time is not wasted. FPrime also offers flexible viewing options, allowing for multiple simultaneous renders that remain quick and provide additional insights. In contrast, achieving radiosity effects with LightWave can be challenging to predict during setup and often requires extensive rendering time. With FPrime, however, you benefit from immediate feedback, which dramatically streamlines the creative process. This instant accessibility empowers artists to make informed decisions more efficiently. -
17
Guerilla Render
Guerilla Render
€280Guerilla, which incorporates both Guerilla Station and Guerilla Render, is a well-established solution for Look Development, Assembly, Lighting, and Rendering, tailored specifically for the Animation and VFX sectors. It has been utilized across a diverse array of productions, ranging from fully computer-generated films to hybrid projects and visual effects, encompassing everything from feature-length movies to television series, and accommodating budgets of all sizes, whether low, medium, or high. This cutting-edge software is user-friendly and seamlessly integrates into existing pipelines, providing the essential flexibility needed for various projects without sacrificing performance. Enhance your creative potential with the innovative procedural system that now features four levels of instantiation depth. The software also offers complete OCIO management, enabling the use of looks and input LUTs, along with tools like color pickers and color boxes for precise color control. Furthermore, it allows for a reduced memory footprint with the Group Instance Prims feature, which streamlines instances made up of multiple objects. Additionally, the new Asynchronous OpenGL View helps to eliminate UI freezes while loading geometries in real-time, ensuring a smoother workflow. With these advancements, Guerilla empowers artists to push their creative boundaries even further. -
18
Katana
Foundry
Swift and powerful, Katana emerges as a premier tool for look development and lighting, adeptly addressing creative challenges with both intensity and simplicity. It equips artists with the freedom and scalability necessary to meet the demands of today's intricate CG-rendering projects. With its state-of-the-art Lighting Tools, users can illuminate entire sequences of shots rapidly, leveraging Katana’s industry-leading multi-shot workflows. The Foresight Rendering capabilities of Katana, featuring Multiple Simultaneous Renders and Networked Interactive Rendering, deliver scalable feedback that accelerates the iteration process for artists. Designed to enhance the look development of both standout and high-volume assets, Katana also fosters seamless collaboration in shot production. Its technology, optimized for USD, integrates smoothly with various APIs, five commercial renderers, and an open-sourced Shotgun TK integration, establishing Katana as an indispensable tool in any production pipeline. In an ever-evolving landscape, Katana consistently adapts, ensuring artists can achieve innovative visual storytelling with greater efficiency. -
19
LucidShape
Synopsys
Easily and swiftly design reflector or lens geometries using LucidShape FunGeo, which utilizes innovative algorithms to automatically generate optical shapes tailored to specified illuminance and intensity patterns. This distinctive and practical method allows you to prioritize overall design goals instead of getting bogged down by the complexities of intricate optical elements. By utilizing GPUTrace, you can significantly speed up LucidShape illumination simulations, achieving remarkable enhancements in processing speed. As the pioneering optical simulation software harnessing the power of graphics processing units, LucidShape offers speed improvements that far exceed traditional multithreading methods. Additionally, LucidShape's visualization tool provides a platform to showcase luminance effects when various light sources interact within a model, allowing for a comprehensive depiction of the interplay between system geometry and illumination. This combination of powerful features makes LucidShape an invaluable asset for designers and engineers in the optical field. -
20
Maxwell Render
Maxwell Render
$60Reality is characterized by predictable and reliable outcomes every time. Maxwell Render™ empowers your creativity by eliminating the hassle of intricate computer graphics jargon and numerous parameter adjustments. Designed specifically for architects, designers, and artists, Maxwell Render enables efficient and precise visualization of projects with minimal setup time required. Recognized as the premier rendering software for light simulation, Maxwell 5 integrates physically accurate lighting with a vast array of Maxwell materials, resulting in strikingly realistic images. Its compatibility with a majority of 3D and CAD applications enhances its versatility. This lighting engine is ideal for professionals in various fields, including design, architecture, and the arts. Our ongoing commitment to refining the realism of the renders ensures that users experience both improved quality and enhanced ease of use. Maxwell also offers a seamless transition between GPU and CPU rendering, along with a top-tier cloud rendering service, making it a comprehensive solution for all rendering needs. Ultimately, Maxwell Render strives to redefine the standards in rendering technology for creative professionals. -
21
Indigo Renderer
Indigo Renderer
$835 per licenseIndigo Renderer is a cutting-edge, unbiased renderer that produces photorealistic images using both GPU and CPU, focusing on achieving the highest image quality by faithfully replicating the behavior of light. It integrates advanced rendering capabilities along with intuitive models for materials and cameras, simplifying the process through an interactive and photographic user experience. Utilizing an OpenCL-based GPU engine, Indigo delivers exceptional performance on both Nvidia and AMD graphics cards, achieving speeds that are approximately ten times quicker with just a single modern GPU. By adding additional GPUs, users can harness even more power to rapidly create stunning 4K images and animations. The latest version, Indigo 4, introduces features such as a dark user interface mode, interactive previews for materials, and light-layer thumbnails, along with RGB color curves and responsive trackball navigation, all contributing to a more streamlined and enjoyable workflow. Furthermore, these enhancements ensure that users can efficiently manage their rendering tasks while enjoying an aesthetically pleasing design. -
22
appleseed
appleseed
Appleseed is a free, open-source rendering engine that focuses on physically-based global illumination, primarily catering to the needs of animation and visual effects. Developed by a dedicated, international group of volunteers from the animation and VFX sectors, Appleseed aims to deliver a comprehensive, dependable, and entirely open rendering solution for both individuals and small studios. Throughout its development, Appleseed has contributed to various projects, ranging from television documentaries and advertisements to promotional videos and short animated films. The engine incorporates a contemporary path tracing workflow that allows for single-pass rendering without artifacts, requiring minimal technical adjustments. Additionally, it provides the flexibility to perform unbiased rendering for scenarios where accuracy is critical, while also offering biased rendering options for projects that prioritize artistic expression and quicker rendering times. With its robust features, Appleseed continues to evolve, attracting more users and contributors who appreciate its quality and open-source nature. -
23
LightWave 3D
NewTek
$995NewTek LightWave 3D® is tailored for independent creators who want to maintain oversight of their artistic journey from inception to completion. Affordable and user-friendly, LightWave is recognized as one of the foremost 3D modeling systems available today. It offers capabilities for modeling, animating, and rendering breathtakingly realistic visuals, empowering users to forge new realms, enhance their brand identity, and exceed expectations. LightWave 2020 has undergone significant refinements and improvements. Rather than just taking our word for it, experience LightWave 2020 without limitations. By downloading and registering, you can access a full-feature trial version of LightWave 2020 on both Windows and Mac operating systems. This latest iteration equips you with the essential tools to ensure that any project is completed punctually and within financial constraints. Integrate the potency and effectiveness of LightWave 2020 into your workflow today, and embark on a journey of creativity with an efficient, streamlined process that is both reliable and rapid. This combination promises to make your 3D projects an enjoyable experience. -
24
Ansys SPEOS
Ansys
Ansys SPEOS offers predictive capabilities for illumination and optical system performance, significantly reducing both prototyping time and costs while enhancing the efficiency of your products. With a user-friendly and detailed interface, Ansys SPEOS boosts productivity through GPU utilization for simulation previews and provides seamless integration with the Ansys multiphysics ecosystem. The tool's accuracy has been validated by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) against the CIE 171:2006 standards, demonstrating the advantages of its light modeling software. Activate the lighting in your virtual model to easily investigate light propagation in a three-dimensional space. The SPEOS Live preview feature includes both simulation and rendering tools, allowing for an interactive design experience. By conducting accurate simulations on the first attempt, you can reduce iteration times and accelerate your decision-making, all while automatically optimizing the designs for optical surfaces, light guides, and lenses. This innovative approach not only streamlines the design process but also empowers creators to achieve higher precision in their optical designs. -
25
LightTools
Synopsys
LightTools is an all-encompassing 3D software designed for optical engineering and design that facilitates virtual prototyping, simulation, optimization, and the creation of photorealistic renderings in illumination applications. By allowing users to swiftly develop illumination designs that function effectively on the first attempt, it minimizes the number of prototype iterations needed and speeds up the time it takes to bring products to market. Among its notable features are advanced solid modeling capabilities with complete optical precision, exceptional ray tracing performance that allows users to control accuracy and resolution, as well as the option to generate light sources from any geometric configuration, providing unparalleled flexibility. The software also includes specialized tools tailored for specific applications, enabling users to efficiently construct comprehensive models, along with an extensive library of sources and materials that encompasses LEDs and BSDF measurements. Furthermore, it boasts strong data exchange capabilities for mechanical CAD information and maintains an interactive, dynamic connection with SOLIDWORKS, enhancing user experience. Additionally, LightTools offers a variety of licensing options for its multiple modules, ensuring that users can select configurations that best suit their unique requirements. -
26
ElumTools
Lighting Analysts
$94 per user per monthElumTools® stands out as the first and only fully integrated lighting calculation add-in specifically designed for Autodesk® Revit®. This innovative tool allows for precise point-by-point illuminance calculations on any surface or workplane by leveraging existing lighting fixture families and surface geometry within the Revit model. Operating entirely within Revit, ElumTools features its own ribbon toolbar, which facilitates swift access to analytical tools tailored for Revit Rooms, Spaces, Regions, and Views. The calculation process generates an interactive Radiosity-based visualization, enabling designers to conduct immersive walk-throughs that enhance their comprehension of how light interacts with surfaces. User-friendly and straightforward, ElumTools simplifies the process of performing lighting computations regularly. By streamlining the workflow, ElumTools significantly reduces the time and effort previously spent exporting geometry to external software and reconciling results with Revit sheets, thereby enhancing overall productivity. This tool not only boosts efficiency but also empowers designers to create more informed lighting designs. -
27
EQUINOX-3D
EQUINOX-3D
EQUINOX-3D is the premier 3D modeling software equipped with the quickest fully integrated ray-tracer available, proving that "rasterization is so 20th century™." This versatile tool offers a broad spectrum of capabilities, including 3D modeling, animation, photorealistic rendering, VR content creation, CAD/CAM functionalities, and even support for 3D printing and laser-cutting. What sets EQUINOX-3D apart? As one of our artists aptly put it: "all engineers should be forced to use the software they write," but personally, I find myself immersed in EQX for hours on end without any compulsion! Its ultra-fast photorealistic renderer is groundbreaking, being the first interactive ray-tracer seamlessly integrated into a modeling application, allowing for complete editing and modeling within ray-traced windows. Moreover, it boasts powerful subdivision surface modeling, comprehensive CAD/CAM features, and robust support for both 3D printing and laser-cutting. The software includes a universal rendering API, enabling full modeling on any renderer, along with a fully integrated Cg renderer that delivers quality comparable to the ray-tracer. Additionally, it supports HDR textures and offers HDR rendering output, alongside incredibly fast importance-sampled HDR environment light capabilities, ensuring that your projects achieve stunning visual fidelity. The combination of these features makes EQUINOX-3D an indispensable tool for professionals in various creative fields. -
28
Avoyd
enkisoftware
€15 one-time paymentAvoyd Voxel Editor and Renderer is a 3D art and rendering tool for voxel artists, Minecraft map builders and game developers. With Avoyd you can - Create worlds up to 256k voxels a side. - Create and render Voxel Art with CPU and GPU path tracing. - Export to optimised mesh (glTF, obj) for 3D modelling tools like Blender and game engines like Unreal Engine, Godot or Unity. - Import and export MagicaVoxel .vox files. - Import and render Minecraft worlds and Heightmaps from software like World Machine - Import and create material palettes with up to 65k physically based materials. - Physically based light and atmosphere. - Orthographic projection with Isometric presets. -
29
DGArt
nitrio
DGArt is a versatile tool for 3D modeling and rendering, tailored specifically for artists, game designers, and developers to craft 3D assets and content seamlessly from inception to completion. Its affordability, comprehensive features, and user-friendly interface make it easily accessible for anyone looking to dive into digital art. When using DGArt on your iPad, you can quickly create intricate 3D models and stunning digital artwork with minimal effort. The application supports an array of geometric shapes, including fundamental geometry types like spheres, cubes, planes, and text, along with editable polygons accessible via an edit mode that includes options for extrusion, inset, loop cuts, and additional functionalities. Furthermore, DGArt saves projects in a .scn file format, which effectively encapsulates the geometry, nodes, lighting, and camera settings, making it compatible for use in applications or games through the Playgrounds App. For those in creative professions who often find themselves on the go, whether as freelancers or simply preferring the flexibility of a tablet over traditional desktop setups, this mobile 3D application serves as an excellent alternative, enabling creativity without boundaries. Its intuitive design and powerful capabilities make it an invaluable asset for any creative project. -
30
Kerkythea
Kerkythea
Kerkythea is a free rendering software that allows users to generate high-quality images without any licensing fees. This program utilizes physically accurate materials and lighting to ensure optimal rendering quality in a timely manner, focusing on streamlining the rendering process by offering essential tools for automating scene setup, including a GL real-time viewer, a material editor, and various settings editors, all within a unified interface. As a comprehensive staging application, Kerkythea caters to the rendering needs of your 3D models. Additionally, it is now compatible with all major operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and macOS! The software supports .3ds and .obj file formats and features a robust free exporter specifically designed for SketchUp, enhancing its versatility for users. Furthermore, this accessibility opens up opportunities for a wider audience to explore 3D rendering without financial barriers. -
31
Mitsuba
Mitsuba
Mitsuba 2 is a research-focused, flexible rendering system crafted in portable C++17 and built upon the Enoki library, developed by the Realistic Graphics Lab at EPFL. It supports multiple variants, accommodating different color representations such as RGB, spectral, and monochrome, along with various vectorization options including scalar, SIMD, and CUDA, as well as capabilities for differentiable rendering. The system comprises a compact collection of core libraries supplemented by an extensive array of plugins that provide features like diverse materials, light sources, and comprehensive rendering algorithms. Mitsuba 2 aims to maintain compatibility with its predecessor, Mitsuba 0.6, ensuring a smooth transition for users. The rendering engine is backed by an extensive automated test suite created in Python, and its ongoing development is supported by several continuous integration servers that compile and verify new updates across various operating systems and compilation configurations, such as debug or release builds and single or double precision. This comprehensive testing framework enhances the robustness and reliability of the software, making it a valuable tool for researchers in the field of graphics. -
32
3ds Max
Autodesk
$215 per month3ds Max provides an extensive and adaptable suite of tools that empowers designers with complete artistic freedom to create exceptional works. You can construct expansive game worlds, visualize stunning architectural projects, and design intricately detailed interiors and objects. Additionally, it allows you to animate characters and features, enhancing them with visual effects. The integrated Arnold renderer enriches your experience by effectively managing complex characters, scenes, and effects. With centralized creative tools, you can save time on interactive light mixing, color correction, and lens effects applied to rendered images. The user-friendly interface and intuitive controls enable you to work more efficiently, producing high-quality renders and variations at a quicker pace. 3ds Max supports workflow scalability through automation, which allows you to dedicate more time to your creative endeavors. Furthermore, it can function as a compute engine to optimize content production and offers extendable workflows through easy-to-use APIs, enhancing overall productivity. By leveraging these features, you can elevate your design projects to new heights. -
33
Chaos Corona
Chaos Czech
€24.99 per monthChaos® Corona stands out as the sole renderer designed exclusively for architectural visualization, allowing users to embrace their artistic side rather than focusing solely on technicalities while achieving stunning photorealistic results more effortlessly than with other rendering tools. The ease of use is perhaps the standout attribute of Chaos Corona, as the rendering setup can be initiated with merely a click of the “Render” button, with many newcomers mastering the software within just one day and becoming enthusiastic users in two. Our commitment is to keep Chaos Corona both affordable and accessible, ensuring that a wide audience can benefit from its robust features without sacrificing quality or development. As a valued user of Corona, you are supported by the esteemed Chaos family, which allows you to enhance your skillset with complementary Chaos tools that seamlessly integrate with your preferred rendering engine. With improved workflows and heightened creativity, you gain precise control over channels influenced by a Decal, utilize cameras that function within volumes, and benefit from advancements in depth of field highlights, caustics, rapid and detailed listings, among other enhancements, all contributing to an enriched rendering experience. Ultimately, this comprehensive suite of features is designed not just to meet your needs but to inspire your creative vision in architectural projects. -
34
2020 Fusion Live
2020
2020 Fusion Live represents the evolution of kitchen and bath design technology. Designers throughout Europe utilize 2020 Fusion Live to craft exquisite environments tailored to their clients' needs. With access to online configurable manufacturers’ catalogs through the 2020 cloud, design processes become swifter and more precise. The platform offers features such as photorealistic 3D renderings, immersive 360° panoramas, and integrated virtual reality, equipping designers with sophisticated tools to showcase exceptional kitchens and bathrooms effortlessly. Enhance your designs with external lighting themes and thoughtful arrangements of task and accent lighting. Additionally, to personalize each project, you can select from a vast array of decorative elements available on the 2020 Cloud, including stylish accessories and even representations of pets and people, ensuring that every design reflects the unique character of its space. Ultimately, 2020 Fusion Live not only streamlines the design process but also elevates the aesthetic appeal of your projects. -
35
Lumion
Act-3D
A building is not a thing that exists in isolation. Your design will come to life if it is influenced by its surroundings. To create an atmosphere. To give spaces a sense scale and possibility. Lumion makes it simple to transform any CAD model into a real-life experience. You can create entire landscapes and add context to your designs. High-quality materials, fine-detailed nature and detailed skies can make spaces feel real. With stunning lighting, weather, and animation effects, convey emotion and atmosphere. Lumion architectural rendering software makes it easy to show how your projects will transform into real-life experiences. Lumion is intuitive, reliable, and fast, making rendering more enjoyable and satisfying. Atmospheric spotlights. Realism-inducing decals. You can create scenes faster than ever before with these decals -
36
Terragen
Planetside Software
$12 per monthTerragen 4 offers improved speed, interactivity, and user-friendliness, setting a new standard for photorealistic imagery while equipping users with innovative tools for quicker and more intuitive scene creation and exploration. The introduction of the Ray-Traced Preview (RTP) transforms the workflow by delivering near-instant feedback on objects, shaders, atmosphere, and lighting adjustments, making it significantly easier to refine scenes efficiently. Enhancements to the atmospheric model now simulate light absorption by ozone, elevating realism to a level that closely mimics the real world. With a rendering engine that processes scenes more than twice as fast as its predecessor, Terragen 4 dramatically improves performance, and in various cases, the speed is even higher. Furthermore, the incorporation of high-quality, context-sensitive lens effects such as bloom and starbursts adds a new dimension of realism, with all effects accurately responding to the specifics of light sources and enhancing the overall visual experience. This combination of features ensures that users can achieve stunning results with less effort and in a shorter timeframe than ever before. -
37
FluidRay
Fluid Interactive
$14.99 per monthThe adjustments made to materials, lighting, or any other scene elements are instantly reflected in real-time within the viewport, enhancing both the speed and enjoyment of your workflow. FluidRay stands out as the sole interactive renderer free from GPU constraints. While GPU-based renderers perform well for particular tasks, FluidRay adeptly handles all operations swiftly and efficiently. Using FluidRay feels seamless, and its highly intuitive interactive workflow allows anyone to become proficient in just a few minutes. With FluidRay, you can rapidly produce visually impressive previews for architectural designs, interior layouts, jewelry creations, and a variety of other projects. The interactive rendering feature transforms the design of products and environments into a simple and enjoyable experience. Additionally, FluidRay simplifies the process of quickly prototyping your ideas and generating exceptionally high-quality preview images. Moreover, FluidRay’s integration with Rhino allows designers to effortlessly create 3D models in Rhino and import them into FluidRay with ease, streamlining the entire design process even further. The combination of these features makes FluidRay a powerful tool for creative professionals. -
38
KeyLIGHTS
Transoft Solutions
KeyLIGHTS is a specialized software suite designed for the development of detailed working drawings related to planned highway lighting systems. It boasts a built-in illuminance calculation engine alongside a comprehensive Roadway design tool and an integrated Highway Power Calculation (HPC) module to enhance design accuracy. This software also facilitates the engineering of all civil works necessary for the installation of street lighting. With robust support for Building Information Modeling (BIM) and 3D capabilities, KeyLIGHTS enables seamless data sharing with other applications, such as Navisworks or maintenance management systems. The platform features an advanced lighting calculations engine that dynamically generates light levels based on the photometric data files assigned to your luminaire symbols. Furthermore, Transoft Solutions offers extensive support services, including user group gatherings and regular updates, ensuring users remain well-informed about evolving standards and regulations in the field. As a result, users can confidently create compliant and efficient lighting designs tailored to their specific needs. -
39
Marmoset Toolbag
Marmoset
$189 per userToolbag equips you with all the essential tools to elevate the appearance, design, and display of your 3D creations. Whether you're previewing materials, preparing texture sets for production, or generating renders for global exposure, Toolbag seamlessly integrates into your workflow. At the heart of Toolbag's exceptional image quality are real-time physically-based rendering and image-based lighting, enabling your artwork to radiate, whether it’s realistic or stylized. With an emphasis on efficiency, you can focus on creativity and minimize clicks. Features like drag-and-drop capabilities and intelligent loaders contribute to a streamlined and intuitive 3D rendering experience within Toolbag. You can capture stunning still images of your latest character designs, environmental art, product visuals, and much more. Additionally, take advantage of Toolbag’s built-in Turntable tool, or craft your own personalized animation and camera sequences to proudly present your latest masterpiece in dynamic motion. This versatility ensures that every aspect of your 3D project can be perfected and showcased to its fullest potential. -
40
Qualitas EagleEye
Qualitas Technologies
The Qualitas EagleEye features a versatile modular design that allows users to select their preferred image resolution, fixed focal length optics, and various illumination options such as spotlight, dome light, ring light, and bar light. After the installation of the camera module, the images it captures are transmitted to our cloud application for the purposes of annotation and training. Through an intuitive point-and-click software interface, users can label these images, which are subsequently utilized to train a deep learning model. Once the training is complete, the models can be deployed “over the air” via a user-friendly one-click deployment interface. Following deployment, the autonomous vision system is capable of independently inspecting the captured images, providing valuable results. Additionally, the cloud-based application enables ongoing performance and accuracy monitoring, allowing for closed-loop re-training to correct any errors and enhance system reliability over time. This system not only improves operational efficiency but also adapts continuously to ensure optimal performance. -
41
3Delight
Illumination Research
$30 per weekPresenting 3Delight, a remarkably straightforward and swift rendering solution. This high-performance production rendering software and its associated tools come with unparalleled support services. Based in Singapore, Illumination Research focuses on providing rendering solutions tailored for the rigorous demands of the VFX and animation production workflow. Since its inception in 2002, 3Delight has been utilized in a multitude of feature films and commercials. Our offerings include 3DelightNSI, 3Delight for Maya, and 3Delight for Katana, and we are currently testing a rendering service via 3Delight Cloud. The 3Delight for Maya plug-in is designed specifically for Autodesk® Maya®, allowing artists to work easily while retaining the versatility needed for complex rendering pipelines. Additionally, the complimentary version of 3Delight includes a full license with access to all features, although it limits rendering to a maximum of 12 cores on your system. This ensures that newcomers can experience the power of professional rendering without overwhelming their resources. -
42
Enlighted IoT
Enlighted
Enlighted and its partners develop applications that significantly enhance operational efficiencies and improve the experiences of occupants, while also boosting productivity and maximizing the utilization of resources and assets. The system employs sensors capable of detecting motion, temperature, and ambient light levels. Additionally, asset tags and badges utilize Bluetooth technology to communicate with these sensors, enabling the precise tracking of both assets and individuals. Users can manually adjust lighting or rely on automated systems for room controls. This technology includes the industry's most advanced software-defined sensors, which capture and integrate various data streams. Moreover, a gateway transmits the information collected by the sensors to the energy manager for comprehensive analysis and reporting. With just a push of a button, occupants have the flexibility to modify preset lighting levels and configurations, ensuring that their comfort and preferences are prioritized. This functionality empowers users to create personalized environments that cater to their specific needs. -
43
OctaneRender
otoy
€699 per monthOctaneRender® stands out as the first and fastest unbiased GPU rendering engine in the world, known for its spectrally accurate results that surpass any other production renderer currently available. OTOY® is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of graphics technology through innovative machine learning enhancements, comprehensive out-of-core geometry support, and impressive speed improvements ranging from 10 to 100 times in the scene graph. The addition of RTX raytracing GPU hardware acceleration offers remarkable render speed boosts of 2 to 5 times when utilizing NVIDIA raytracing GPUs, supporting multiple GPUs for enhanced performance. These speed improvements are particularly noticeable in more intricate scenes and can be assessed using RTX OctaneBench®. Furthermore, the updated layered material system permits users to create complex materials composed of a base layer and up to eight additional layers stacked on top, enhancing creative possibilities. Additionally, the introduction of new nodes such as layered material, diffuse layer, specular layer, sheen layer, metallic layer, and layer group nodes enriches the toolset available for artists. This comprehensive update not only enhances the functionality but also significantly expands the creative potential within OctaneRender®. -
44
Clarisse iFX
Isotropix
$499 one-time paymentClarisse iFX is a robust computer graphics software suite that is relied upon by some of the world's leading creative studios. Developed by artists for their peers, this toolset aims to streamline the intricate creative processes of today, granting users enhanced interactivity, speed, and control over datasets that can contain vast amounts of polygons. Created in response to the insights and suggestions of contemporary CG professionals, Clarisse iFX brings together powerful tools for rendering, lighting, and look development into one user-friendly package. Its integrated CPU-based rendering engine leverages unidirectional path-tracing, allowing users to engage with rich, data-intensive environments, scenes, and assets while maintaining complete oversight of their creative choices. Designed to fit effortlessly into any modern production workflow, Clarisse iFX offers an intuitive, adaptable, and all-encompassing toolset that caters specifically to the evolving requirements of today’s CG studios and production teams, rather than those of the past decade. As such, it stands as an essential asset for creatives aiming to push the boundaries of visual storytelling. -
45
AMD Radeon™ ProRender serves as a robust physically-based rendering engine that allows creative professionals to generate breathtakingly photorealistic visuals. Leveraging AMD’s advanced Radeon™ Rays technology, this comprehensive and scalable ray tracing engine utilizes open industry standards to optimize both GPU and CPU performance, ensuring rapid and impressive outcomes. It boasts an extensive, native physically-based material and camera system, empowering designers to make informed choices while implementing global illumination. The unique combination of cross-platform compatibility, rendering prowess, and efficiency significantly shortens the time needed to produce lifelike images. Additionally, it utilizes the power of machine learning to achieve high-quality final and interactive renders much more quickly than traditional denoising methods. Currently, free plug-ins for Radeon™ ProRender are available for a variety of popular 3D content creation software, enabling users to craft remarkable, physically accurate renderings with ease. This accessibility broadens the creative possibilities for artists and designers across various industries.