Side by side
Hew vs Meshroom
Both stand on 3d modeling software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan iPhoneLinuxMac+3
Hew provides solids-focused modeling, broad file exchange, organization tools, and exact-scale printing across several platforms. It remains an early-stage project, with no listed sculpting, animation, parametric modeling, or rendering features.
Visit Hew Free plan LinuxWindows
Meshroom offers visual pipeline editing alongside command-line and JSON-based automation, at no listed cost. macOS users need to package it manually; downloadable releases are listed for Linux and Windows.
Visit MeshroomThe facts
| Hew | Meshroom | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | Linux, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Meshroom |
| Website | hew3d.com | meshroom.org |
| On 3d modeling software | #43 of 147 | #47 of 147 |
Hew: what it does well
- Free and open-source with no paid feature tier
- Imports SKP and COLLADA files
- Exports glTF, STL, 3MF, and USDZ
- Reports watertight and non-manifold geometry
- Prints exact-scale paper or PDF layouts
What to know first
- No sculpting, animation, or parametric modeling tools
- No render engine is listed
- Project lacks SketchUp’s established community
- Desktop versions require specified operating systems
Meshroom: what it does well
- Combines multiple AliceVision processing workflows
- Supports automated pipelines through CLI and JSON
- Reuses cached intermediate results
- Can run local and remote computation together
- Includes viewers for logs, images and 3D data
What to know first
- Prebuilt versions are available only for Linux and Windows
- macOS requires manual packaging