Software · head to head
V-Ray vs ZBrush
The short version
- Each has a real cost: V-Ray licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product; ZBrush subscription model required; no perpetual licence option available
- They diverge on capability: V-Ray covers Ray tracing, ZBrush covers Digital sculpting.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which V-Ray and ZBrush actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 V-Ray
- Ray tracing
- Global illumination
- GPU rendering
- CPU rendering
- Materials
- Lighting
- VR output
- Scene intelligence
Only in ZBrush
- Digital sculpting
- Dynamesh
- ZRemesher
- PolyPaint
- Live Boolean
- Sculptris Pro
- UV Master
- High polygon handling
Both cover
- 3ds Max
- Maya
- Cinema 4D
- Blender
- License management
- Windows support
- MacOS support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
V-Ray
- Photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisationnot ZBrush
- Real time and ray traced rendering inside CAD and 3D applicationsnot ZBrush
ZBrush
- Digital character and creature sculptingnot V-Ray
- High-polygon organic form designnot V-Ray
- Texture painting and PolyPaint worknot V-Ray
- Game asset creation and 3D modellingnot V-Ray
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
V-Ray
- Licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product
- Subscription terms renew automatically
- Cloud rendering runs on separately purchased credits, with the Pro tier at $25.30 a month for 1,000
- Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
ZBrush
- Subscription model required; no perpetual licence option available
- iPad version requires separate subscription to ZBrush for iPad
Pricing, plan by plan
V-Ray
$29/month- V-Ray Solo$60/month
- 1 workstation
- 5 render nodes
- V-Ray Premium$80/month
- Multiple apps
- Cloud credits
ZBrush
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the ZBrush review.
Which should you pick?
Choose V-Ray if
- You need ray tracing.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want global illumination.
Choose ZBrush if
- You need digital sculpting.
- You work on Windows, macOS, iPadOS.
- You also want dynamesh.
Questions people ask
- Is V-Ray or ZBrush better?
- Neither clearly leads. V-Ray starts at $29/month and ZBrush at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, V-Ray or ZBrush?
- V-Ray starts at $29/month and ZBrush at On request.
- Does V-Ray or ZBrush run on more platforms?
- V-Ray runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. ZBrush runs on Windows, macOS, iPadOS.
- What is V-Ray best used for?
- V-Ray is most often used for photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisation, real time and ray traced rendering inside cad and 3d applications. Of those, photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisation and real time and ray traced rendering inside cad and 3d applications are not what ZBrush is typically brought in for.
- What can V-Ray do that ZBrush cannot?
- V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Global illumination, GPU rendering, CPU rendering. ZBrush covers Digital sculpting, Dynamesh, ZRemesher, PolyPaint. Both handle 3ds Max, Maya, Cinema 4D, Blender.
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