Best 3D Modeling Software for Linux of 2025

Blender is an open-source 3D creation suite available for free, encompassing the entire 3D production process—covering modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, motion tracking, video editing, and even 2D animation. Its integrated Cycles engine is a powerful unbiased path-tracer that delivers breathtakingly realistic renders. The extensive modeling capabilities of Blender simplify the creation, transformation, and modification of models efficiently. VFX experts proclaim it to be “probably the best tracker in the market.” Additionally, Blender features robust camera and object tracking functionalities that allow users to import raw video, track it, create masks, and visualize camera movements in real time within the 3D environment, thus removing the need for frequent software switching. With its exceptional rigging and animation tools, Blender has gained popularity among filmmakers, leading to its use in various short films, commercials, television series, and feature-length movies. This versatility has made it an essential tool for artists and creators striving to bring their visions to life.

SelfCAD is a powerful 3D modeling software that is easy to use. Users can be able to model, sculpt, render, and even slice all under one program. The program targets beginners, hobbyists, professionals, students, small and large business owners and freelancers who would like to design their 3D models quickly without having to spend a lot of time learning how to use the software. SelfCAD has a simplified interface in which the tools are well arranged in the interface making it an easy to use software. There are a lot many interactive tutorials available that makes learning fun. If you would like to introduce your students to 3D modeling, prepare professionals prototypes or designs, this is the best tool you need.

BricsCAD is the pioneering all-in-one CAD design platform that utilizes the .dwg format, catering to all your requirements, including 2D drafting, 3D modeling, mechanical design, and Building Information Modeling (BIM). The diverse range of BricsCAD® products provides a budget-friendly, cross-platform CAD solution available for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. It offers a permanent or perpetual licensing option suitable for both networked and stand-alone systems, with the added possibility of subscribing to All-In Maintenance for effortless updates. Additionally, BricsCAD® can also be accessed through a rental or subscription plan if preferred. Users familiar with other CAD systems will find that the full support for LISP significantly shortens the learning process for new BricsCAD® users, often to just one day. The software leverages advanced multi-threading capabilities, optimizing performance on modern processors, while innovative machine learning tools enhance drawing precision and efficiency. With a minimal installation size and robust performance, BricsCAD® exemplifies our unwavering commitment to quality and contemporary software design, making it an ideal choice for designers and engineers alike.

2D & 3-D CAD software for creating & editing technical drawings in DWG format. You can choose between Perpetual or Network licenses. The ndeg1 alternative for AutoCAD offers agility. ARES Commander is cost-effective and offers a simple switch and a complete replacement at a fraction the cost of AutoCAD. You can enjoy Graebert's ARES CAD software as a 3-in-1 license. This includes ARES Commander (for Windows and macOS) + ARES Kudo(Cloud) + Graebert Touch (iOS + android). These products can be used together to synchronize work across users and devices. You can create and modify DWG drawings locally with files stored on your computer or in sync to Google Drive, Box OneDrive, Dropbox. You can also store files on a private Cloud server via WebDAV. Our advanced CAD features include Dynamic blocks, PDF-to-DWG conversion, Drawing comparison and IFC & Revit import. 3D solid modeling, satellite imagery, street maps, and 3D solid modeling are just a few of the many options.

Optimized for creative workflows, Plasticity boasts unmatched filleting capabilities, advanced surface modeling, and the most sophisticated direct editing tools available, making it the ideal software for those who seek excellence. Additionally, with a one-time purchase and no subscription fees, you retain full ownership of your software. Experience it risk-free for 30 days and witness the transformative difference it can make. Plasticity stands out as the premier choice for creative professionals across various fields, including video game design, product development, automotive design, and much more. It marks a departure from traditional, cumbersome CAD processes that prioritize manufacturability over creativity. By seamlessly merging the power of NURBS modeling with cutting-edge innovations from modern polygonal software, Plasticity provides the flexibility and artistic freedom necessary to turn your concepts into reality. Its advanced geometry and fillet engine utilize Parasolid's exceptional algorithms, resulting in unparalleled performance. With Plasticity, you have the ability to create top-tier fillets, booleans, and offsets, while enjoying the freedom to modify them at any time, ensuring your designs can evolve as your creative vision does. Ultimately, this makes Plasticity an indispensable tool for any design professional looking to elevate their work.

Flame® offers a comprehensive suite of tools for 3D visual effects (VFX), finishing, and color grading. This advanced software facilitates 3D compositing and editorial finishing, allowing for an efficient and integrated creative workflow. With its powerful capabilities, users can achieve faster compositing, cutting-edge graphics, and precise color correction. AI-driven tools enable the extraction of mattes for the human body, head, and face, streamlining color adjustments, relighting, and digital beauty enhancements. Quickly isolate skies and key objects, which enhances grading and VFX tasks considerably. Users can edit, composite, and color correct all within a singular environment, eliminating the need to switch between different software applications. This fosters rapid creation and iteration, leading to more productive interactions during client sessions. Additionally, Flame provides tools designed for swift and engaging visual effects finishing alongside 3D compositing. It features a timeline-centric assistant station fully compatible with Flame, which is essential for collaborative VFX workflows. Furthermore, the software supports real-time color grading, facilitating creative look development with ease and precision. This cohesive environment ultimately elevates the quality and efficiency of visual storytelling.

3DCoat stands out as a comprehensive application that equips users with all the necessary tools to transform a simple block of digital clay into a polished, production-ready model, whether organic or hard surface. Currently, over 300 educational institutions worldwide, including universities and colleges, offer courses on 3DCoat, emphasizing its significance in the field. This software is recognized as one of the most sophisticated solutions for crafting intricate 3D models. Unlike other applications in this sector that often focus on a singular function, such as Digital Sculpting or Texture Painting, 3DCoat excels by offering top-tier capabilities across various stages of the asset creation workflow. Its functionalities encompass Sculpting, Retopology, UV Editing, PBR Texture Painting, and Rendering. Because of this versatility, it can be described as a comprehensive suite that combines 3D texturing software, 3D texture painting software, a 3D sculpting program, Retopology software, UV mapping software, and 3D rendering software into one platform. Ultimately, 3DCoat eliminates the necessity of acquiring and mastering multiple specialized software packages, streamlining the creative process for artists and designers alike. This all-in-one approach not only saves time but also enhances productivity by allowing users to focus on their creative vision without the distraction of switching between different tools.

Wings 3D is a sophisticated and user-friendly subdivision modeling tool that combines power with accessibility. Its development was inspired by the works of Nendo and Mirai from Izware, and it has been in continuous development since 2001, initiated by Björn Gustavsson (bjorng) and Dan Gudmundsson (dgud). Between 2006 and 2012, Richard Jones (optigon) played a crucial role in maintaining the software and adding numerous features. Currently, Dan oversees Wings 3D's development with the invaluable assistance of an engaged community. The software provides an extensive array of modeling tools, a customizable user interface, and functionalities like lighting and material support, along with a built-in AutoUV mapping feature. Written in Erlang, a functional programming language from Ericsson, Wings 3D is named after the Winged Edge Data Structure (WEDS), which is integral to managing the adjacency relationships between edges, faces, and vertices in its models. As an open-source project, Wings 3D is available for free, making it suitable for both personal and commercial use, thus encouraging creativity and collaboration among users. This commitment to accessibility and community support has fostered a vibrant ecosystem around the software.

SuperSplat is the premier solution for editing and enhancing 3D Gaussian splats. Its user-friendly interface is equipped with robust selection tools that simplify the cleanup process of your splats. Developed on the advanced PlayCanvas engine runtime and utilizing the PCUI front-end framework, SuperSplat offers a lightweight and efficient visual editing environment that is entirely browser-based. There is no need for downloads or installations, making it incredibly accessible. Operating seamlessly with the widely-used PLY file format, SuperSplat is compatible with any engine of your choice. Thanks to the PlayCanvas engine's capabilities, it can effortlessly manage even the most complex 3D Gaussian splat scenes. Users can easily select splats for removal, as well as translate and rotate their scenes according to their needs. Additionally, you can save your work in PLY, compressed PLY, or SPLAT formats. 3D Gaussian splatting presents an innovative technique for generating photorealistic 3D scenes derived from photogrammetry, yet sometimes the captured splats require adjustments for optimal results. Therefore, SuperSplat emerges as an essential tool for artists and developers looking to refine their visual creations.

Universal Scene Description (USD) is an open-source system created by Pixar Animation Studios to facilitate the exchange of 3D graphics data among different digital content creation applications. This framework offers a comprehensive and robust set of tools for efficiently reading, writing, and modifying 3D scene information, along with the capability for quick previews. Designed with an emphasis on performance and supporting large-scale collaboration among numerous artists, USD is well-suited to meet the challenges of contemporary production pipelines. A notable component of USD is Hydra, a high-performance renderer that can interactively showcase extensive data sets with ease. Additionally, USD accommodates multiple file formats, such as usda, usdc, and usdz, which is a zero-compression zip archive that remains unencrypted, thereby providing versatility for data representation and sharing. Among its useful features is usdedit, a utility that transforms any USD-compatible file into its .usda text version, making it simpler for users to edit scene data. This flexibility in handling diverse file formats and offering user-friendly editing tools enhances the overall usability of the framework.

Global illumination rendering software enhances the speed at which high-quality 3D images are produced using Arnold, enabling artists to concentrate on their creative work. This sophisticated Monte Carlo ray tracing renderer not only boosts efficiency but also allows for interactive results that facilitate rapid iterations. With a user-friendly interface and straightforward controls, switching between CPU and GPU rendering is effortless to meet various production requirements. Arnold excels in handling large datasets and intricate scene files, ensuring that production-ready tools effectively tackle challenges related to characters, environments, and lighting. It optimizes compute performance for elements like hair, fur, and skin, making it a versatile choice. Additionally, the software seamlessly integrates with leading 3D digital content creation tools, providing a scalable and open architecture. Users benefit from Arnold GPU's ability to fluidly transition between rendering modes, while its advanced ray-traced subsurface scattering technology removes the hassle of adjusting point clouds, ultimately streamlining the rendering process even further. This makes Arnold a robust option for artists striving for excellence in their 3D visual projects.

The strength of Realsoft 3D lies in its open design and extensive feature set, enabling it to compete effectively with other leading software while maintaining a favorable price/performance ratio. In specific domains like SDS modeling and ray tracing, it stands out as one of the top products available. Additionally, its smart, context-sensitive user interface caters to both beginners and seasoned professionals, allowing the software to evolve alongside the user's proficiency. This flexibility makes it appealing for a variety of users, including artists in advertising, architects, product designers, educational institutions, game developers, and hobbyists alike. With a reasonable price tag of $700, Realsoft 3D attracts a diverse audience, making it an excellent choice for anyone in need of high-quality photorealistic images. The demand for such images is substantial, further solidifying the software's relevance in today's digital landscape.

Art of Illusion serves as a free, open-source studio for 3D modeling and rendering, boasting features that can compete with those of commercial software. Its notable functionalities encompass subdivision surface modeling, skeleton-based animation, and a visual programming language for crafting procedural textures and materials. The latest iteration, version 3.2.0, was launched on January 13, 2021, and is robust and dependable for high-end animation projects. Additionally, there is a comprehensive documentation section available that includes a user manual along with various tutorials addressing different program features. The user interface is thoughtfully designed to be clean and user-friendly, making it accessible for beginners while still catering to more experienced users. Furthermore, Art of Illusion’s subdivision surface modeling tools enable the creation of smooth surfaces derived from control meshes of any desired shape, and its advanced deformation tools provide a natural and intuitive sculpting experience for users. All these features come together to offer a powerful platform for both novice and professional animators alike.

This software is open-source and compatible with Linux/UNIX, Windows, and Mac OS X. Unlike many free 3D modeling tools like Blender, which emphasize artistic creation, this software is primarily focused on computer-aided design (CAD) functionalities. Therefore, it might be ideal for those intending to design 3D models of mechanical components, but it likely won’t suit your needs if you're aiming to produce animated films. OpenSCAD operates differently from traditional interactive modelers; it functions more like a 3D compiler that interprets a script file detailing the object to generate the 3D model. This approach grants designers complete authority over the modeling workflow, allowing for straightforward modifications at any stage of the process and supporting designs that can be defined by adjustable parameters, making it a powerful tool for precision engineering. Moreover, the ability to script models can significantly enhance productivity and repeatability in design tasks.

Utilize MotionBuilder®, a powerful 3D character animation program, to capture, edit, and playback intricate animations. This software offers an interactive workspace designed to enhance your productivity and efficiency while maintaining your creative vision. Generate exceptional 3D character animations by leveraging its library of prebuilt movements. Achieve lifelike character motions using one of the fastest animation tools available in the industry. Enhance your character animations with robust, production-tested tools that manipulate motion capture data effectively. The included software development kit and FBX data exchange facilitate seamless interoperability with other 3D applications. MotionBuilder is exclusively available through a subscription model, as perpetual licenses are no longer offered. Subscribing to MotionBuilder not only allows installation and usage of the three most recent versions but also permits installation on up to three computers or devices, providing flexibility for your animation projects. Embrace the full potential of MotionBuilder to elevate your animation experience and streamline your creative process.

Bforartists is a comprehensive, free, and open-source 3D software suite designed for creating 3D content. It provides a complete pipeline for generating game graphics, pre-rendered films, and still images, encompassing all stages from modeling and sculpting to texturing, rigging, animation, rendering, and post-processing. The name Bforartists emphasizes a focus on artists, reminding developers to prioritize user experience over programmer convenience. This software is a fork of the widely-used open-source 3D platform Blender, crafted by a group of 3D enthusiasts with the aim of enhancing its functionality. The main objective of the Bforartists project is to offer an improved graphical user interface and enhanced usability, shifting from a hotkey-driven approach to a more intuitive and user-friendly design. Bforartists maintains full compatibility with Blender files and add-ons, ensuring that every feature available in Blender is also accessible in Bforartists. Furthermore, the toolset remains consistent with Blender's, and the software is regularly updated to align with the latest Blender version, providing users with the most contemporary tools available. This commitment to user experience makes Bforartists a valuable option for both novice and experienced artists alike.

EQUINOX-3D is the premier 3D modeling software equipped with the quickest fully integrated ray-tracer available, proving that "rasterization is so 20th century™." This versatile tool offers a broad spectrum of capabilities, including 3D modeling, animation, photorealistic rendering, VR content creation, CAD/CAM functionalities, and even support for 3D printing and laser-cutting. What sets EQUINOX-3D apart? As one of our artists aptly put it: "all engineers should be forced to use the software they write," but personally, I find myself immersed in EQX for hours on end without any compulsion! Its ultra-fast photorealistic renderer is groundbreaking, being the first interactive ray-tracer seamlessly integrated into a modeling application, allowing for complete editing and modeling within ray-traced windows. Moreover, it boasts powerful subdivision surface modeling, comprehensive CAD/CAM features, and robust support for both 3D printing and laser-cutting. The software includes a universal rendering API, enabling full modeling on any renderer, along with a fully integrated Cg renderer that delivers quality comparable to the ray-tracer. Additionally, it supports HDR textures and offers HDR rendering output, alongside incredibly fast importance-sampled HDR environment light capabilities, ensuring that your projects achieve stunning visual fidelity. The combination of these features makes EQUINOX-3D an indispensable tool for professionals in various creative fields.

Start building your own part of the metaverse today with complimentary 3D virtual reality authoring and publishing tools crafted by artists specifically for artists. Jahshaka serves as an all-in-one platform for designing, sharing, and monetizing virtual assets, environments, and experiences. It equips you with essential resources, including robust project management capabilities, immersive 3D content creation, and options for both online and offline playback, allowing you to publish directly or host your own projects. This innovative platform enables the crafting of virtual scenes and worlds while facilitating seamless distribution, and it features a fully interactive multi-user engine to enhance collaborative experiences. Jahshaka ensures you have everything needed to share and distribute your virtual masterpieces effectively. Additionally, our standalone player allows users to navigate your creations on a variety of devices, from laptops and desktops to smartphones, while our world server offers the opportunity to host a dynamic collaborative VR environment for users to engage in together. Each of these features is designed to empower creativity and foster a vibrant community within the metaverse.

CityEngine is a cutting-edge 3D modeling application that enables the rapid creation of expansive, interactive urban landscapes more efficiently than conventional modeling methods. The cities you design with CityEngine can reflect actual geographical information system (GIS) data or represent an imaginative urban setting from any time period. Instead of constructing each building separately, you can generate a large-scale city model in one go. CityEngine facilitates quick modifications to architectural styles or various aspects of your city, allowing you to explore numerous design options effortlessly. Additionally, you can produce 3D models to illustrate proposed modifications and alternative designs effectively. Your designs can be guided by 3D models that reflect land use regulations and other relevant conditions. You can easily present various design options to your team or stakeholders, soliciting valuable feedback. CityEngine seamlessly fits into your existing workflow, enabling you to incorporate key buildings or other assets to create a comprehensive 3D environment around them. You can also export your work back into high-end visualization tools or game engines for further refinement and presentation. This powerful software not only enhances creativity but also streamlines collaboration among project participants.