Side by side

EQUINOX-3D vs RenderMan

Both stand on 3d rendering software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

EQUINOX-3D

Free plan LinuxMac

EQUINOX-3D combines modeling, animation and rendering with tools for VR, CAD/CAM and fabrication workflows. Review the stated hardware requirements and platform-specific setup before downloading.

Visit EQUINOX-3D

RenderMan offers rendering tools for visual effects and animation, with separate non-commercial and commercial terms. Check the hardware requirements and license limits that apply to your intended use.

Visit RenderMan

The facts

	EQUINOX-3D	RenderMan
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Linux, Mac	Linux, Mac, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	See the plans
Plans published	1	3
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	equinox3d.com	renderman.pixar.com
On 3d rendering software	#10 of 46	#14 of 46

EQUINOX-3D: what it does well

Free for commercial and non-commercial use.
Includes parametric modeling and animation tools.
Built-in renderer supports global illumination and motion blur.
Plugin changes can be recompiled and reloaded without restarting.
Open native format includes complete load and save source code.

What to know first

Mac users must install and start XQuartz first.
Requires at least a 2 GHz i5, i7 or equivalent.
Linux graphics drivers from the GPU maker are advised.
Shareware use requires author information to remain intact.

RenderMan: what it does well

Supports multi-bounce ray-traced global illumination.
XPU supports multi-GPU rendering.
Stylized Looks includes illustration and anime styles.
Bridge tools are available for Maya and Blender.
Free non-commercial plan is available.

What to know first

Free plan excludes Stylized Looks.
Commercial work requires a commercial license.
XPU requires at least 12 GB of VRAM.
macOS support for XPU is in progress.

Alternatives to EQUINOX-3D Alternatives to RenderMan The whole list