Top 25 3D Modeling and Design Software for 3D Printing

The first stage in the 3D printing process is to create a printable design — and everyone appears to have a different view on which software is best for the job. So, which 3D modelling software is the most popular for 3D printing? Continue reading to learn about the top 25!

The first step in the 3D printing process is to create a printable design. But which programme is the most widely used? (Photo by Nils Anderssen)

It's not easy to rank the most popular 3D modelling software for 3D printing. Simply looking at the number of users of a certain software would paint an inaccurate picture: although certain applications were designed specifically for 3D printing communities (such as Tinkercad), others are generally used by visual artists and game designers — and only rarely by 3D printing aficionados.

As a result, we prepared an overview that takes into account numerous criteria, including the software's overall popularity as well as its use within the 3D printing community. In total, we examined six different variables that contributed to the final score.

Popularity in general:

Social Media Score: The first aspect we considered was the software's overall popularity on social networks. This comprises the number of social media fans, followers, and mentions.

Page Authority is a Moz score that predicts how well a certain page ranks on search engines and comprises several sub-variables (for example link counts).

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While these two variables demonstrate the software's overall popularity, they make no distinction between utilising the software for 3D printing and any other use. As a result, we incorporated some more 3D printing-related factors:

Popularity among 3D printing enthusiasts:

Mentions in Leading 3D Printing Communities: We assessed how frequently the programme is referenced in leading 3D printing forums (e.g. 3dprintboard.com).

3D Printing Video Mentions: This metric indicates how frequently the software is mentioned in 3D printing videos on YouTube. It covers phrases like "3D printing using XY," "XY 3D printing tutorial," and so on.

3D Printing Databases: This score indicates the frequency with which 3D models in 3D printing databases and communities were tagged with a specific software. A higher score indicates that many 3D printable models were tagged with this software's name.

3D Printing Google Score: This figure indicates how frequently the software is cited in the context of 3D printing on Google.

Before I show you the results, let me remind you that this evaluation is not about how wonderful the software is. It's simply an attempt to quantify the extent of its 3D printing community. Outstanding software with a particular concentration (for example, sculpting software) will have a more difficult time scoring highly because there are fewer 3D sculptors available. As a result, this list is just about the numbers and makes no claims regarding the software's quality.

The end result:

But first, let's look at the results: here are the 25 most popular 3D modelling software applications for 3D printing, as determined by numerous popularity indicators.

Blender and SketchUp are at the top of the list!

So there you have it: Blender has the largest and most active 3D printing community. The community is very enthusiastic about sharing and disseminating resources: Blender has the most forum entries, YouTube videos, and Google search results for 3D printing content.

Blender's popularity can be attributed to two factors: first, it provides users with immense design freedom through a plethora of tools, and second, it is free open-source software. Blender, on the other hand, is notorious for having a high learning curve and is frequently seen as tough for novices.

In our ranking, SketchUp receives the silver medal. It just performed exceptionally well in all of the categories that we examined. SketchUp is well-known for its user-friendly learning curve and plethora of tools for geometric objects. The best part is that SketchUp is also available in a free edition. SketchUp has lately made it easier to prepare and share 3D printable items, so its 'database score' is likely to rise much higher in the near future.

Don't dismiss beginner-friendly software!

When it comes to this list, beginner-friendly software has a relatively challenging position. Tinkercad, a free online design platform, provides the most crucial basic design tools and makes 3D modelling as simple as it gets. However, after designers have mastered this software, they are likely to go on to more advanced tools. This is why we were shocked to see Tinkercad ranking as high as eighth, only slightly behind its bigger, more professional Autodesk brothers (such as AutoCAD, Maya, 3DS Max, and Inventor) and SolidWorks.

Don't dismiss specialised products!

As previously said, niche products have a difficult time ranking well on this list - but it doesn't make them any less deserving. ZBrush (ranked ninth) is by far the most popular digital sculpting software. It's probably the most powerful software to use when creating figurines, magical creatures, and any other organic object.

Cinema 4D is ranked 10th, 123D Design is ranked 11th, and OpenSCAD is ranked 12th, just behind ZBrush.

Rhino is placed thirteenth. Of course, quantitative statistics will always leave out some subtleties. For example, we separated Rhinoceros and Grasshopper as two distinct modelling programmes because their design approaches and community commitments are easily distinguishable. On the other side, because Grasshopper is merely a Rhinoceros plugin, our data would be skewed. Counting Rhino and Grasshopper as one package would dramatically boost its rating to 45 and 10th place.

Modo, Fusion 360, Meshmixer (a free mashup 3D product from Autodesk), LightWave, Sculptris (a free sculpting programme from the designers of ZBrush), Grasshopper (an algorithmic modelling plugin for Rhino), and FreeCAD are ranked 14 to 20.

MoI3D (also known as Moment of Inspiration) has claimed the 21st position. It is vital to note that some publishers do not use an aggressive web marketing strategy. For example, MoI3D does not have a Facebook profile or a Twitter account. The majority of its community uses MoI's own discussion board and looks for materials on MoI's wiki platform. It stands to reason that a software that seeks for less external exposure will have a lower score.

3Dtin (22nd), Wings3D (23rd), K-3D (24th), and BRL-CAD (25th) are the last four programmes to make the top 25. (25th).

Software that did not reach the top 25, but could be just as good for your needs, are (in alphabetical order): AC3D, Alias, Alibre Design Xpress, Anim8or, 3D Canvas, 3D Creationist, 3D-Coat, 3DPlus, 3DSlash, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3DVIA Shape, 3D Master of Animation, Art of Illusion CASCADE, Catia, Cheetah3D, City Engine, Clara.io, DAZ Studio, DesignWorkshop, eDrawings, EIAS, Flux, Form-Z, fragMOTION, GDesign, Hexagon, Houdini, K3DSurf, LeoCAD, MASSIVE, Metasequioa, MilkShape3D, Minos, OnShape, Poser

What these ratings tell us and don't tell us:

To summarise, these scores show us the following:

When it comes to developing a new product for 3D printing, 3D modellers have a number of options. The competition is fierce, and there are numerous programmes to select from. This list can provide a broad idea of how large the 3D printing community are for each of these applications.

The most 3D printing users are those that utilise freeware with a lot of design freedom (such as Blender). These applications are free and can be used for a variety of items.

What these scores do not reveal:

They don't tell us which application is the best for 3D modelling. It does not include a ranking of the interface, functions, pricing, or anything else.

They also do not show us which programme is the most user-friendly for 3D modelling. It does not include information regarding how user-friendly a programme is for beginners.

Simply because a software is popular does not imply that it is the best programme for you. The easiest method to find your software is to go to their respective websites, compare prices, look at items made with them, and consider how much time you're willing to devote to learning them.

If you're new to 3D modelling, this article on how to get started with 3D modelling may be helpful. If you already know how to use 3D modelling software but are having problems with 3D printing modelling, then avoiding these 5 frequent blunders will undoubtedly assist. If you already have a printable 3D file, simply upload it to our website, select from over 100 material possibilities, and let us handle the printing.