--- title: Autodesk Arnold Reviews meta\_title: 'Autodesk Arnold Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta\_description: Filter 22 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Autodesk Arnold works for a business like yours. aggregate\_rating: rating\_value: 4.6 review\_count: 22 scale: '5' date\_modified: '2026-08-07' parent\_category: name: 3D Design url: https://www.g2.com/categories/3d-design --- ### Autodesk Arnold Pros and Cons: Top Advantages and Disadvantages #### Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews Generated from real user reviews Users praise the **realistic rendering** of Autodesk Arnold, enhancing the visual quality of their projects. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432194&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users experience **lagging issues** with rendering time on Autodesk Arnold, even with capable hardware like Lenovo Legion laptops. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432206&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users are frustrated by the **slow rendering time** of Autodesk Arnold, despite having sufficient hardware power. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432200&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users experience **slow processing times** with Autodesk Arnold, impacting performance despite having sufficient hardware capabilities. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432183&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) Users experience **slow performance** with Autodesk Arnold, impacting their rendering efficiency despite having adequate hardware. [(1 mentions)](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432191&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) ### Top Pros or Advantages of Autodesk Arnold ##### 1. Rendering Quality Users praise the **realistic rendering** of Autodesk Arnold, enhancing the visual quality of their projects. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432194&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Alan H.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Alan H.") AH Alan H. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.5/5 "Autodesk Arnold is a Rendering Powerhouse" What do you like about Autodesk Arnold? What I like best about the Arnold renderer would be it's realistic rendering. ### Top Cons or Disadvantages of Autodesk Arnold ##### 1. Lagging Issues Users experience **lagging issues** with rendering time on Autodesk Arnold, even with capable hardware like Lenovo Legion laptops. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432206&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Alan H.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Alan H.") AH Alan H. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.5/5 "Autodesk Arnold is a Rendering Powerhouse" What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? What I dislike about Arnold would have to be the slow processing time. I run Lenovo Legion laptop, so it's definitely adequate power, yet the rended p ##### 2. Long Rendering Time Users are frustrated by the **slow rendering time** of Autodesk Arnold, despite having sufficient hardware power. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432200&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Alan H.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Alan H.") AH Alan H. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.5/5 "Autodesk Arnold is a Rendering Powerhouse" What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? What I dislike about Arnold would have to be the slow processing time. I run Lenovo Legion laptop, so it's definitely adequate power, yet the rended p ##### 3. Performance Issues Users experience **slow processing times** with Autodesk Arnold, impacting performance despite having sufficient hardware capabilities. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432183&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Alan H.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Alan H.") AH Alan H. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.5/5 "Autodesk Arnold is a Rendering Powerhouse" What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? What I dislike about Arnold would have to be the slow processing time. I run Lenovo Legion laptop, so it's definitely adequate power, yet the rended p ##### 4. Slow Performance Users experience **slow performance** with Autodesk Arnold, impacting their rendering efficiency despite having adequate hardware. [ See 1 mentions ](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2432191&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews) See Related User Reviews ![Alan H.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Alan H.") AH Alan H. Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 4.5/5 "Autodesk Arnold is a Rendering Powerhouse" What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? What I dislike about Arnold would have to be the slow processing time. I run Lenovo Legion laptop, so it's definitely adequate power, yet the rended p ## Top-Rated Alternatives [ ![KeyShot](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_a5f997e9293e492840a3e9596a8c566b/keyshot.png "KeyShot") KeyShot 4.5/5(182) ](https://www.g2.com/products/keyshot/reviews) [ ![Unity](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/8d37490d4121959e2e924bfc90695055/unity.svg "Unity") Unity 4.5/5(364) ](https://www.g2.com/products/unity/reviews) [ ![Lumion Pro](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/3a3685c51ae17ea0cb583ae4be49a7db/lumion-pro.svg "Lumion Pro") Lumion Pro 4.5/5(110) ](https://www.g2.com/products/lumion-pro/reviews) [ View All Alternatives ](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-arnold/competitors/alternatives) ![Verified User in Motion Pictures and Film](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Motion Pictures and Film") UM Verified User in Motion Pictures and Film Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) 7/27/2021 "Arnold is a very good engine and easy to use. For learning purpose also it's very easy to understand" 5/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? It is effortless to understand what is the most fantastic thing about Arnold. Artists don't need to go through many tutorials to use it. We can quickly get the desired output because of PBR shaders. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? There is nothing much to dislike about Arnold. But if we could see the layer stack in the render view directly and the blending layers in it, it would be the most fantastic thing to try. We can see the whole image in it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? I am a CG artist and a tutor. Arnold is helping me to create personal artworks, as well as it is helping me to teach students how to use render engines. What aspects are helpful in making the materials. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Sagar S.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Sagar S.") SS Sagar S. Wildcat 3D Artist Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 7/6/2021 "UI is unfriendly and not easy for new users, but the output is great" 3.5/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? The lighting and renders are great. Also, it is faster than VRAY. There aren't tons of settings to look after. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? UI and material creation. A greater material library would be nice. I hate the node system, so a clean basic material editor would be nice. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? Faster rendering and real-time rendering. Since I follow most of the pipeline in Maya, it is great to take test renders. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Animation](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Animation") UA Verified User in Animation Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 7/20/2021 "Amazing Render, Best for animations" 5/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? the fact that it takes very little to start the render and it wholly integrated with Maya Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? As a stand-alone, it's a bit costly for other applications, but for Maya, it's fantastic. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Autodesk Arnold: I want others to try it at least once. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? My major problem was real-time rending to see how my animation looked on the go, not on gray or clay colors. Arnold solved that problem, and in GPU rendering, I don't have to wait 10 minutes per clip Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Mayank S.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Mayank S.") MS Mayank S. Creative Marketing Manager Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 7/15/2021 "Best renderer I have ever used" 5/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? Easy to use, unlike the other renderers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? Rendering speed could be much more faster for low end machines too. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Autodesk Arnold: I would definitely recommend Arnold to other creative people. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? The photorealism is at its best. It gives cinematic renders on low budget. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Subhojit G.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Subhojit G.") SG Subhojit G. Asset Modeler Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 7/19/2021 "Arnold easy to use, It's very useful and advance." 4/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? It has many advance useful tools. We can use it directly in Maya software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? Expensive compared to other render engines, Not suitable for beginners. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Autodesk Arnold: Just try it, It's awesome. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? It's help me to work smart and saving my time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Simone C.](/assets/transparent-ad5be28fbcd25b7b08d2cebe1d957125437fb5407d75ee717965ad22c8808791.gif "Simone C.") SC Simone C. FX Supervisor Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 7/2/2021 "Good but not there yet" 4/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? Speed, good volume shading options, IPR nice, in the viewport Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? Material builder and assignation, I'd love see more katana managing scenes in maya Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? Bifrost shader for volume, starting to be a nice workflow, but a lot to do here, still can compete with Houdini mantra as user-friendliness Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Computer Games](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Computer Games") UC Verified User in Computer Games Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 7/20/2021 "Awesome render with flexibility settings" 5/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? I like Arnold lighting, it's so realistic and dramatic. This is perfect for cg render. Most important part is it's free with maya subscription. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? Some settings are complicated i know it's good but thye are improving it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? It's is maya inbuilt pluging and free. It response very smoothly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Animation](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Animation") UA Verified User in Animation Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 7/2/2021 "Arnold Review" 4.5/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? Autodesk support and training available and Photorealistic feel from the final render. It is fast and reasonably straightforward. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? I feel VRAY is better than Arnold. Sometimes it crashes, and I lose my work as it doesn't autosave. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Autodesk Arnold: You can use it if you love photorealistic output. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? It helps me to create realistic comps. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Architecture & Planning](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Architecture & Planning") AA Verified User in Architecture & Planning Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) 7/22/2021 "Awsome" 4.5/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? Render time and quality, and Arnold sky light is great Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? Nothing is there for dislike, every thing is awesome Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? I think may it's support to other materials also for better quality because right now it's supporting only arnold material library Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ![Verified User in Media Production](/assets/icons/anonymous-avatar-purple-4ae1032bdb50ee5682003170c8184aee790d25958bd397abbd384ba52c596a7b.svg "Verified User in Media Production") UM Verified User in Media Production Enterprise (\> 1000 emp.) 6/28/2021 "Amazing features, and flexibility .." 5/5 What do you like best about Autodesk Arnold? Shading and render of quality, and we have AOV, and lot of utility. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about Autodesk Arnold? Mainly it is taking too much time to render in some times. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering Autodesk Arnold: It is a great App to use in 3D Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is Autodesk Arnold solving and how is that benefiting you? Nothing much, while having displacement getting crash in some time, so we need to carefull while plugin time Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Show More Validated ReviewerIncentivizedSource: G2 invite ## Work at Autodesk? Claim this profile to respond to reviews, update product info, and reach in-market buyers. 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