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3D & CAD · head to head

Lumion vs V-Ray

Lumion logo

Lumion

3D & CAD

Architectural visualization made easy

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
V-Ray logo

V-Ray

3D & CAD

Professional 3D rendering software

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Lumion enterprise tier is priced by quote only, labelled Let's talk in the vendor's own pricing data, alongside otherwise self-serve tiers with published dollar and pound figures; V-Ray licences are subscription only with no perpetual option listed for any product
  • They diverge on capability: Lumion covers Real-time rendering, V-Ray covers Ray tracing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Lumion and V-Ray actually diverge.

Attributes where Lumion and V-Ray differ
AttributeLumionV-Ray
PlatformsWindowsWindows, MacOS, Linux
Founded19981997

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (3D & CAD).

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 Lumion

  • Real-time rendering
  • Content library
  • Effects
  • Video animation
  • VR export
  • LiveSync
  • ArchiCAD
  • Vectorworks

Only in V-Ray

  • Ray tracing
  • Global illumination
  • GPU rendering
  • CPU rendering
  • Materials
  • Lighting
  • VR output
  • Scene intelligence

Both cover

  • Revit
  • SketchUp
  • Rhino
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Lumion

  • Architectural visualizationnot V-Ray
  • Client presentationsnot V-Ray

V-Ray

  • Photorealistic rendering for architecture and product visualisationnot Lumion
  • Real time and ray traced rendering inside CAD and 3D applicationsnot Lumion

Where each one falls short

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

Lumion

  • Enterprise tier is priced by quote only, labelled Let's talk in the vendor's own pricing data, alongside otherwise self-serve tiers with published dollar and pound figures

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Lumion

$29/month
  • Standard$1499/month
    • Core features
  • Pro$2999/month
    • Full features
    • More content

V-Ray

$29/month
  • V-Ray Solo$60/month
    • 1 workstation
    • 5 render nodes
  • V-Ray Premium$80/month
    • Multiple apps
    • Cloud credits

Which should you pick?

Choose Lumion if

  • You need real-time rendering.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want content library.
Lumion review

Choose V-Ray if

  • You need ray tracing.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want global illumination.
V-Ray review

Questions people ask

Is Lumion or V-Ray better?
Neither clearly leads. Lumion starts at $29/month and V-Ray at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Lumion or V-Ray?
Lumion starts at $29/month and V-Ray at $29/month.
Does Lumion or V-Ray run on more platforms?
Lumion runs on Windows. V-Ray runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
What is Lumion best used for?
Lumion is most often used for architectural visualization, client presentations. Of those, architectural visualization and client presentations are not what V-Ray is typically brought in for.
What can Lumion do that V-Ray cannot?
Lumion covers Real-time rendering, Content library, Effects, Video animation. V-Ray covers Ray tracing, Global illumination, GPU rendering, CPU rendering. Both handle Revit, SketchUp, Rhino, Windows support.
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