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3D & CAD · head to head

Arnold vs Substance 3D Painter

Arnold logo

Arnold

3D & CAD

Advanced Monte Carlo ray tracing renderer

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substance 3D Painter logo

Substance 3D Painter

Game Development

3D texture painting software

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Arnold the Internet Archive's capture of Autodesk's Arnold overview page on 30 December 2022 stated a subscription can be installed on up to 3 computers or devices, though only the named user may run it on one machine at a time, and includes access to the 3 previous major versions.; Substance 3D Painter the Internet Archive's capture of Adobe's Substance 3D Painter page on 23 June 2021 priced the Substance 3D Collection plan (which bundles Painter, Stager, Sampler, Designer and Modeler) at US$39.99/month for the first year.
  • They diverge on capability: Arnold covers Ray tracing, Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arnold and Substance 3D Painter actually diverge.

Attributes where Arnold and Substance 3D Painter differ
AttributeArnoldSubstance 3D Painter
Category3D & CADGame Development
Founded19981982

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Windows, MacOS, Linux), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Arnold

  • Ray tracing
  • GPU rendering
  • Production shading
  • OSL
  • Denoising
  • Cinema 4D
  • Houdini
  • Katana

Only in Substance 3D Painter

  • 3D painting
  • Smart materials
  • Generators
  • PBR workflow
  • Baking
  • Export presets
  • Scripting
  • Blender

Both cover

  • Maya
  • 3ds Max
  • Windows support
  • MacOS support
  • Linux support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Arnold

  • Film productionnot Substance 3D Painter
  • Animationnot Substance 3D Painter
  • VFXnot Substance 3D Painter

Substance 3D Painter

  • Game texturingnot Arnold
  • Film assetsnot Arnold
  • Product visualizationnot Arnold

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Arnold

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Autodesk's Arnold overview page on 30 December 2022 stated a subscription can be installed on up to 3 computers or devices, though only the named user may run it on one machine at a time, and includes access to the 3 previous major versions.

Substance 3D Painter

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Adobe's Substance 3D Painter page on 23 June 2021 priced the Substance 3D Collection plan (which bundles Painter, Stager, Sampler, Designer and Modeler) at US$39.99/month for the first year.

Pricing, plan by plan

Arnold

$29/month
  • Arnold$360/month
    • Standalone renderer

Substance 3D Painter

$29/month
  • Substance 3D Texturing$19.99/month
    • Painter + Sampler
  • Substance 3D Collection$49.99/month
    • All Substance apps

Which should you pick?

Choose Arnold if

  • You need ray tracing.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want gpu rendering.
Arnold review

Choose Substance 3D Painter if

  • You need 3d painting.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want smart materials.
Substance 3D Painter review

Questions people ask

Is Arnold or Substance 3D Painter better?
Neither clearly leads. Arnold starts at $29/month and Substance 3D Painter at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arnold or Substance 3D Painter?
Arnold starts at $29/month and Substance 3D Painter at $29/month.
Does Arnold or Substance 3D Painter run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, MacOS, Linux, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Arnold best used for?
Arnold is most often used for film production, animation, vfx. Of those, film production and animation are not what Substance 3D Painter is typically brought in for.
What can Arnold do that Substance 3D Painter cannot?
Arnold covers Ray tracing, GPU rendering, Production shading, OSL. Substance 3D Painter covers 3D painting, Smart materials, Generators, PBR workflow. Both handle Maya, 3ds Max, Windows support, MacOS support.
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