Game Development · head to head
CryEngine vs D5 Render
CryEngine
Game Development
Build worlds, break limits. Professional game development engine.
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: CryEngine a royalty of 5% of Gross Receipts is payable to Crytek on every game built with CRYENGINE; D5 Render windows-only application with no macOS support
- They diverge on capability: CryEngine covers Advanced graphics, D5 Render covers Real-time ray tracing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CryEngine and D5 Render actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 CryEngine
- Advanced graphics
- Physics engine
- AI system
- Animation tools
- Flow Graph visual scripting
- C++ and Lua support
- Entity component system
- Sandbox editor
Only in D5 Render
- Real-time ray tracing
- GI
- Asset library
- Video export
- LiveSync
- Geo-location
- SketchUp
- Revit
Both cover
- Windows support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CryEngine
- Building photorealistic first person and open world games with real time global illuminationnot D5 Render
- Developing with full engine source code accessnot D5 Render
- Sandbox based level design with what you see is what you get exportnot D5 Render
D5 Render
- Architectural visualizationnot CryEngine
- Interior rendersnot CryEngine
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CryEngine
- A royalty of 5% of Gross Receipts is payable to Crytek on every game built with CRYENGINE
- Royalties are waived only on the first USD 5,000.00 of Gross Receipts per year per game
- Royalties are calculated at source on gross receipts before any publisher or platform deductions, so a developer receiving 70% of USD 100,000 still owes USD 4,750
- Military projects, gambling, simulation, science, architecture and serious games are excluded from the standard licence and are not covered as Games
- The licence forbids combining CRYENGINE with code from other game engine providers
- Supported platforms are limited to those Crytek announces at its sole discretion, listed in the agreement as Windows, Linux, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
- Support is only provided against payment of a separate Support Fee that Crytek may change at its sole discretion
- Crytek may modify the licence agreement at any time, with the only remedy for disagreement being to stop using CRYENGINE
D5 Render
- Windows-only application with no macOS support
- Requires dedicated NVIDIA GPU, limiting hardware compatibility
- Community edition restricted to non-commercial use only
- Teams plan at USD 75/seat/month becomes expensive for larger organizations
Pricing, plan by plan
CryEngine
Free- FreeFree
- Full engine access
- Source code
- Asset library
D5 Render
Free- CommunityFree
- Full rendering engine with real-time ray tracing
- Unlimited projects
- High-resolution image and panorama output
- Pro$38/month
- 16K stills and panoramas
- 4K video
- Frame sequence rendering
- Teams$75/month
- All Pro features
- Multi-seat licensing
- Team collaboration
Which should you pick?
Choose CryEngine if
- You need advanced graphics.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux.
- You also want physics engine.
Choose D5 Render if
- You need real-time ray tracing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want gi.
Questions people ask
- Is CryEngine or D5 Render better?
- Neither clearly leads. CryEngine starts at Free and D5 Render at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CryEngine or D5 Render?
- CryEngine starts at Free and D5 Render at Free.
- Does CryEngine or D5 Render run on more platforms?
- CryEngine runs on Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Linux. D5 Render runs on Windows.
- Can I use CryEngine for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is CryEngine best used for?
- CryEngine is most often used for building photorealistic first person and open world games with real time global illumination, developing with full engine source code access, sandbox based level design with what you see is what you get export. Of those, building photorealistic first person and open world games with real time global illumination and developing with full engine source code access are not what D5 Render is typically brought in for.
- What can CryEngine do that D5 Render cannot?
- CryEngine covers Advanced graphics, Physics engine, AI system, Animation tools. D5 Render covers Real-time ray tracing, GI, Asset library, Video export. Both handle Windows support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
D5 Render: What is the pricing for D5 Render Pro?
D5 Render Pro costs USD 38/month or USD 360/year. Annual billing saves 20-21% compared to monthly payments.
SourceD5 Render: Is there a free version of D5 Render?
Yes. D5 Render Community edition is free for non-commercial use. It includes the full rendering engine with real-time ray tracing, unlimited projects, and approximately 2,000 library models and materials.
SourceD5 Render: Does D5 Render work on macOS?
No. D5 Render is a Windows-only application that requires a dedicated NVIDIA GPU. There is no Mac version available.
D5 Render: What are the output resolution capabilities in Pro?
D5 Render Pro supports 16K stills and panoramas, 4K video, frame sequence rendering, and VR output with full Showreel capabilities.
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- D5 Render vs Construct 3
- D5 Render vs GameMaker Studio 2
- D5 Render vs Mixamo
- D5 Render vs Pico-8
- D5 Render vs Substance 3D Painter
- D5 Render vs Adventure Game Studio
- D5 Render vs AppGameKit
- D5 Render vs Armory3D
- D5 Render vs Bevy
- D5 Render vs Buildbox
- D5 Render vs Clickteam Fusion
- D5 Render vs Cocos2d-x
- D5 Render vs Defold
- D5 Render vs Enscape
- D5 Render vs V-Ray
- D5 Render vs FreeCAD
- D5 Render vs KeyShot
- D5 Render vs Lumion
- D5 Render vs Houdini
- D5 Render vs Arnold
- D5 Render vs Inventor
- D5 Render vs Mudbox
- D5 Render vs Corona Renderer
- D5 Render vs Twinmotion
- D5 Render vs LightWave 3D
- D5 Render vs OpenSCAD
- D5 Render vs PrusaSlicer
- D5 Render vs Siemens NX
- D5 Render vs ZBrush
- D5 Render vs 3D-Coat
- D5 Render vs Alibre Design