# ZBrush, Substance Designer vs Houdini Comparison | | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Star Rating** | 4.7 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | | **Total Reviews** | 104 | 56 | 35 | | **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (69.9% of reviews) | Small-Business (70.9% of reviews) | Small-Business (64.7% of reviews) | | **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | No pricing available | No pricing available | --- ## Top Pros & Cons ### ZBrush Pros: - Modeling (4 reviews) - 3D Modeling (3 reviews) Cons: - Difficult Learning (2 reviews) - Limited Features (2 reviews) ### Substance Designer Pros: - Accuracy (1 reviews) - Ease of Use (1 reviews) ### Houdini Pros: - Ease of Use (1 reviews) - Features (1 reviews) Cons: - Difficult Learning (1 reviews) - Difficulty for Beginners (1 reviews) --- ## Ratings Comparison | Rating | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Meets Requirements** | 9.2 (99 reviews) | 8.8 (42 reviews) | 9.0 (31 reviews) | | **Ease of Use** | 6.7 (100 reviews) | 7.6 (43 reviews) | 6.4 (32 reviews) | | **Ease of Setup** | 9.2 (8 reviews) | Not enough data | 8.7 (5 reviews) | | **Ease of Admin** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Quality of Support** | 8.4 (85 reviews) | 8.7 (37 reviews) | 8.6 (30 reviews) | | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 9.0 (94 reviews) | 8.3 (40 reviews) | 8.8 (30 reviews) | --- ## Pricing ### ZBrush #### Entry-Level Pricing No pricing available #### Free Trial Yes ### Substance Designer #### Entry-Level Pricing No pricing available #### Free Trial No information available ### Houdini #### Entry-Level Pricing No pricing available #### Free Trial No information available --- ## Features Comparison By Category ### 3D Modeling | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **ZBrush** | 7.8/10 | 32 | | **Substance Designer** | 7.5/10 | 18 | | **Houdini** | 7.9/10 | 16 | #### Design | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Sculpting** | 9.6 (31 reviews) | 6.4 (7 reviews) | 6.3 (8 reviews) | | **Topology** | 8.9 (28 reviews) | 7.1 (7 reviews) | 8.0 (9 reviews) | | **Drawing** | 7.2 (25 reviews) | 6.9 (9 reviews) | 5.6 (8 reviews) | | **Brush Variety ** | 9.2 (27 reviews) | 7.6 (11 reviews) | 6.3 (8 reviews) | | **Effects** | 7.0 (23 reviews) | 8.3 (14 reviews) | 9.4 (14 reviews) | #### Move | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Animate** | 4.5 (22 reviews) | 6.9 (9 reviews) | 8.1 (15 reviews) | | **Render** | 6.6 (25 reviews) | 7.9 (13 reviews) | 8.9 (15 reviews) | | **Views** | 8.4 (27 reviews) | 8.1 (14 reviews) | 8.6 (13 reviews) | #### Store & Manage | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Pipeline ** | 8.5 (28 reviews) | 8.0 (15 reviews) | 9.4 (13 reviews) | | **Controls** | 8.1 (27 reviews) | 7.3 (15 reviews) | 8.5 (12 reviews) | | **Template library ** | 8.2 (27 reviews) | 8.7 (15 reviews) | 7.8 (12 reviews) | #### Generative AI | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **AI Text-to-Image** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **AI Text-to-3D** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | ### 3D Painting | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **ZBrush** | 8.5/10 | 15 | | **Substance Designer** | N/A | N/A | | **Houdini** | N/A | N/A | #### Design | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Brush Variety** | 9.6 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Color** | 9.5 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Effects** | 7.1 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Detail | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Sculpt** | 9.9 (14 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Dynamic Tessellation** | 9.4 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Texture ** | 9.0 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Unwrap** | 6.7 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **UV Mapping** | 6.7 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Logistics | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Import** | 8.3 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Integrations** | 9.0 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Export** | 8.5 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Generative AI | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **AI Text-to-Image** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **AI Text-to-3D** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | ### 3D Rendering | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **ZBrush** | N/A | N/A | | **Substance Designer** | N/A | N/A | | **Houdini** | N/A | N/A | #### Generative AI | Feature | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **AI Text-to-Image** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **AI Text-to-Video** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **AI Text-to-3D** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | --- ## Categories **Shared Categories (2):** [3D Modeling Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/3d-modeling), [3D Rendering Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/3d-rendering) **Unique to ZBrush (1):** [3D Painting Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/3d-painting) --- ## Reviewer Demographics ### By Company Size | Segment | ZBrush | Substance Designer | Houdini | |---|---|---|---| | **Small-Business** | 69.9% | 70.9% | 64.7% | | **Mid-Market** | 20.4% | 25.5% | 23.5% | | **Enterprise** | 9.7% | 3.6% | 11.8% | ### By Industry #### ZBrush - **Computer Games:** 17.5% - **Animation:** 16.5% - **Design:** 10.7% - **Entertainment:** 8.7% - **Graphic Design:** 5.8% - **Motion Pictures and Film:** 4.9% - **Marketing and Advertising:** 3.9% - **Architecture & Planning:** 3.9% - **Arts and Crafts:** 3.9% - **Media Production:** 2.9% - **Other:** 21.4% #### Substance Designer - **Computer Games:** 30.9% - **Animation:** 23.6% - **Entertainment:** 7.3% - **Design:** 5.5% - **Motion Pictures and Film:** 3.6% - **Architecture & Planning:** 3.6% - **Marketing and Advertising:** 3.6% - **Hospital & Health Care:** 3.6% - **E-Learning:** 3.6% - **Apparel & Fashion:** 1.8% - **Other:** 12.7% #### Houdini - **Motion Pictures and Film:** 24.2% - **Media Production:** 18.2% - **Animation:** 18.2% - **Information Technology and Services:** 6.1% - **Entertainment:** 6.1% - **Design:** 6.1% - **Computer Games:** 6.1% - **Marketing and Advertising:** 3.0% - **Higher Education:** 3.0% - **Fine Art:** 3.0% - **Other:** 6.1% --- ## Alternatives ### Alternatives to ZBrush - [3D Coat](https://www.g2.com/products/3d-coat/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (21 reviews) - [Blender](https://www.g2.com/products/blender/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (316 reviews) - [3ds Max Design](https://www.g2.com/products/3ds-max-design/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (280 reviews) - [Maya](https://www.g2.com/products/maya/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (267 reviews) - [Modo](https://www.g2.com/products/modo/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (86 reviews) - [Adobe Dimension](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-dimension/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (72 reviews) - [Mudbox](https://www.g2.com/products/mudbox/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (50 reviews) - [Unity](https://www.g2.com/products/unity/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (364 reviews) - [SketchUp](https://www.g2.com/products/sketchup/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (1324 reviews) - [Adobe Substance 3D Painter](https://www.g2.com/products/adobe-substance-3d-painter/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (109 reviews) ### Alternatives to Substance Designer - [Blender](https://www.g2.com/products/blender/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (316 reviews) - [3ds Max Design](https://www.g2.com/products/3ds-max-design/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (280 reviews) - [Maya](https://www.g2.com/products/maya/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (267 reviews) - [Cinema 4D](https://www.g2.com/products/cinema-4d/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (136 reviews) - [3D Coat](https://www.g2.com/products/3d-coat/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (21 reviews) - [KeyShot](https://www.g2.com/products/keyshot/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (181 reviews) - [Unity](https://www.g2.com/products/unity/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (364 reviews) - [D5 Render](https://www.g2.com/products/d5-render/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (1046 reviews) - [SketchUp](https://www.g2.com/products/sketchup/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (1324 reviews) - [Enscape 3D](https://www.g2.com/products/enscape-3d/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (415 reviews) ### Alternatives to Houdini - [Blender](https://www.g2.com/products/blender/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (316 reviews) - [3ds Max Design](https://www.g2.com/products/3ds-max-design/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (280 reviews) - [Maya](https://www.g2.com/products/maya/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (267 reviews) - [Cinema 4D](https://www.g2.com/products/cinema-4d/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (136 reviews) - [Modo](https://www.g2.com/products/modo/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (86 reviews) - [Unity](https://www.g2.com/products/unity/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (364 reviews) - [LightWave 3D](https://www.g2.com/products/lightwave-3d/reviews) — 3.9/5 stars (29 reviews) - [KeyShot](https://www.g2.com/products/keyshot/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (181 reviews) - [SketchUp](https://www.g2.com/products/sketchup/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (1324 reviews) - [Chaos Corona](https://www.g2.com/products/chaos-corona/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (116 reviews) --- ## Top Discussions ### ZBrush - Title: [Is ZBrush free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-zbrush-free) — 1 comment > **Top comment:** "NO" - Title: [What can ZBrush be used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-can-zbrush-be-used-for) — 1 comment > **Top comment:** "Digital sculpture and modeling to be use animation, print or games. " - Title: [In The near futuro, Will you upgrade the rendering options and camera controls?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/in-the-near-futuro-will-you-upgrade-the-rendering-options-and-camera-controls) — 1 comment, 1 upvote > **Top comment:** "By Anonymous Many binary operations are rippers. I invested about $320,000 then i decided to withdraw after several week but the withdrawal wasn't..." - Title: [Is there a way to have a 3D sculpt that has been converted to an image file?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-there-a-way-to-have-a-3d-sculpt-that-has-been-converted-to-an-image-file) — 1 comment, 1 upvote > **Top comment:** "Hey Shariece, Thanks for the question. I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring out what your question is asking, I'm going to assume this is the..." ### Substance Designer No discussions available for this product. ### Houdini - Title: [Does Disney use Houdini?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/does-disney-use-houdini) — 2 comments > **Top comment:** "yes, it is used by major VFX companies including Walt Disney." - Title: [What is Houdini software used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-houdini-software-used-for) — 2 comments > **Top comment:** "Houdini is used for VFX but does a lot of other task that makes games more productive because of it's procedural nature. " - Title: [Is Houdini free for students?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-houdini-free-for-students) — 1 comment > **Top comment:** "Yes, SideFx give Access to Free Education use" --- **Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/zbrush-vs-substance-designer-vs-houdini)