Blender
Maya
Blender
Maya
Blender
Maya
Blender
Maya
Blender
Maya
Blender
No signals
Maya
Blender
No signals
Maya
Users: Unlimited
Storage: N/A (local software)
Limits: No official paid support. Community-driven help only. Some studio features require Blender Studio subscription.
Users: 1 user
Storage: Cloud assets access
Limits: This is supplementary content, not required for using Blender. Mainly for learning and production assets.
Users: 1 user
Storage: N/A
Limits: No ownership, access ends when subscription lapses. High ongoing cost for casual or intermittent use.
Users: 1 user
Storage: N/A
Limits: Still very expensive for individuals. No perpetual option, must renew annually.
Users: 1 user
Storage: N/A
Limits: Requires large upfront payment. Still subscription-based with no ownership.
Users: 1 user
Storage: N/A
Limits: Annual gross revenue must be under $100,000 USD. Cannot use on projects valued over $100,000 USD. Strict eligibility requirements.
| Feature | Blender | Maya |
|---|---|---|
| Core Features | ||
| 3D Modeling Comprehensive polygon and NURBS modeling | ||
| Digital Sculpting Capable but not ZBrush-level | ||
| Rigging & Animation Full character animation pipeline | ||
| Animation | ||
| Character Rigging Industry-leading with HumanIK | ||
| Keyframe Animation Comprehensive toolset | ||
| Motion Capture Full pipeline support | ||
| Grease Pencil 2D 2D animation in 3D space | ||
| Rendering | ||
| Arnold Renderer Hollywood-proven included | ||
| Cycles Ray Tracing Photorealistic path-traced rendering | ||
| EEVEE Real-time Fast rasterization-based rendering | ||
| Modeling | ||
| Polygon Modeling Full toolset | ||
| NURBS Modeling Full support | ||
| Simulation | ||
| Physics Simulation Cloth, fluid, smoke, rigid body | ||
| Dynamics Simulation Cloth, rigid body, particles | ||
| Fluid Simulation Bifrost system | ||
| Post-production | ||
| Video Editing Basic editing, not professional-grade | ||
| Compositing Node-based compositor | ||
| Extensibility | ||
| MEL/Python Scripting Deep customization | ||
| Python Scripting Full API access | ||
| VFX | ||
| Motion Tracking Camera and object tracking | ||
| Pipeline | ||
| USD Support Industry standard format | ||
| Grooming | ||
| XGen Hair/Fur Production-quality grooming | ||
| Emerging Tech | ||
| VR Scene Inspection VR headset support | ||
| Production | ||
| Camera Sequencer Layout and previz tools | ||
