3D tools compared on facts,
including who they are wrong for

A structured catalog of 3D software: pricing, platforms and the exact file formats each tool reads and writes, checked against vendor documentation and dated. Every entry also records who the tool does not suit, which is often the more useful half. We do not run the software ourselves, and every page says so.

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3D Tool Wiki modeling · sculpting · texturing · rendering · scanning · conversion · slicing · AI 3D
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41 tools cataloged
139 file formats mapped
7 head to head comparisons
5 free browser tools

41 tools catalogued so far: 14 open source, 15 freemium and 3 free, across 139 file formats. Every entry records its pricing tiers, the formats it imports and exports, what third-party reviewers consistently praise and criticise, and who should look elsewhere. We do not test the software ourselves, so any score you see is a labelled synthesis of public third-party reviews rather than our own verdict.

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Alpha3D

Cloud image and text to 3D with a mandatory cleanup pass, three polygon density tiers and quad output from the Basic plan upward.

Subscription · USD 5/month AI 3D Generation

Backflip AI

Turns 3D scans and STL meshes into editable parametric CAD with a feature tree, as a Fusion add-in or a web app.

Freemium · USD 20/month Format ConversionCAD

CSM (Common Sense Machines)

Image, sketch and text to 3D generator. Alphabet acquired the company in January 2026 and the service is no longer reachable.

Freemium AI 3D Generation

Hi3D

Image and text to 3D built around printing: watertight output, face counts up to 2 million, and 3MF export that carries colour regions into a slicer.

Freemium AI 3D Generation

Kaedim

3.8

Managed 2D to 3D asset production for studios, where AI generates the base mesh and in-house artists retopologise it before delivery.

Subscription AI 3D Generation

Neural4D

Text, image and sketch to 3D generator with a free tier, mesh quality presets, part splitting and export aimed at both game engines and 3D printing.

Freemium · USD 19.9/month AI 3D Generation

Head to head comparisons

Two tools side by side on pricing, platforms, formats, documented strengths and who each one fits. No winner is declared, because we do not test them.

Latest workflow guide

3MF to STL: What 9 Converters Kept, Dropped and Invented

We sent ten test files through nine 3MF to STL converters. Simple files mostly survive. A Bambu Studio project file did not survive any of them intact, Bambu Studio included.

Read the guide →

File formats in the directory

Every entry records which formats it imports and which it exports, so the directory doubles as a compatibility map. These are the 139 formats covered so far.

Open the full compatibility table