3D modeling program · Nick Kallen / Plasticity

Plasticity

Solid and surface modeler sold as a one-off licence with 12 months of updates.

33/100

#8 of 9 3D modeling programs
Facts checked 9 Oct 2026

In short

Indie costs $175 once, for one person, with commercial use allowed².
Both paid editions include 12 months of updates, and the installed version keeps working afterwards^2,3.
A 30-day free trial exists, but it is for non-commercial use with limited export^2,3.
Runs on Windows 10+, macOS 12+ and Ubuntu 22+¹.
Exports STEP, OBJ and STL; FBX is import only⁶.

Plasticity suits people who want solid and NURBS surface modeling without a subscription. Indie is $175 once and Studio $299, both with commercial use and 12 months of updates^2,5. The catch: no animation, simulation, rendering or scripting appears in the manual, and the free option is only a 30-day non-commercial trial^3,4,11.

Best for: Hard-surface and product designers who want to buy once instead of subscribing.

Where the points come from

Systems4 of 8

Licence12 of 33

Modelling tools5 of 38

Formats3 of 6

Price9 of 15

Systems 4 of 8 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Other systems	macOS, LinuxWindows 10+, macOS 12+ and Ubuntu 22+ are listed; no web or iPad version is listed¹.	4 / 8

Licence 12 of 33 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free version without a time limit	NoThe plans are a 30-day trial, Indie and Studio; the FAQ lists no permanent free version^2,3.	0 / 10
Free version allowed for paid work	NoNo free version exists, and the trial is non-commercial only³.	0 / 6
One-off licence you keep	YesLicences are perpetual; you can keep using a version without restrictions after 12 months of updates³.	8 / 8
Open source	NoThe EULA licenses only the compiled application and bars access to its source code⁷; the repository's LGPL-3.0 notice does not show the application's code is public⁸.	0 / 5
Free licence for students	YesFree academic licence for the Indie edition, non-commercial use^1,3.	4 / 4

Modelling tools 5 of 38 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Precise curve and solid modeling	YesBuilt on Parasolid and xNURBS; the manual has a NURBS overview and solid modeling tools^4,11.	5 / 5
Digital sculpting	Not publishedNo mesh brush sculpting is published; the feature page mentions only 'sculpting tools for Class-A surfaces'^4,11.	0 / 5
Node-based procedural modeling	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's feature page or manual index^4,11.	0 / 5
Rigging and animation	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's feature page or manual index^4,11.	0 / 5
Physics simulation	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's feature page or manual index^4,11.	0 / 4
UV unwrapping	Not publishedNot published in the manual. 'Unwrap Face' is a solid command that never mentions UVs or textures¹⁰.	0 / 4
Built-in ray-traced renderer	Not publishedRender Mode only changes viewport shading, and the page names no ray tracer⁹.	0 / 5
Scripting and add-ons	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's feature page or manual index; only Blender and Cinema 4D bridges are listed^4,11.	0 / 5

Formats 3 of 6 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Built-in export formats	STEP, OBJ, STLExport table lists STEP, Parasolid, OBJ, STL, SVG and 3MF on Indie and Studio; FBX is import only⁶.	3 / 6

Price 9 of 15 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Cheapest way to use it for paid work	$4.86/moIndie, $175 one-off, divided by 36 months; commercial use allowed^2,5.	9 / 12
Full-feature trial	NoA 30-day trial exists, but the vendor says it has feature limits such as reduced export and watermarks³.	0 / 3

The rule behind each line: how we score 3D modeling programs.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Free trial1 person	Free for 30 days^2,3	$0	Non-commercial; reduced export
Indie1 person, 2 machines	$175 once²	–	Commercial use; 12 months of updates
Studio1 person, 4 machines	$299 once^2,5	–	Adds PolySplines, xNURBS, beta access for 12 months

Prices exclude local taxes. Updates after the first 12 months need a renewal or a new licence^2,3.

Strengths

One-off licence: you keep the version you have after the 12-month update window ends³.
Names NURBS surface modeling and a Parasolid solid-modeling kernel⁴.
Free academic licence for non-commercial use, Indie edition^1,3.
Runs on Windows, macOS and Linux¹.

Limits

No permanent free version; the trial lasts 30 days, bars commercial use and limits exports^2,3.
Companies with more than 10 employees must buy Studio at $299².
The manual and feature pages show no animation, simulation, UV or scripting tools^4,11.
FBX is import only, and the export list has no glTF or USD⁶.

Other 3D modeling programs

1
BlenderAnyone who wants full 3D tools for paid work at no cost
80/100
$0cheapest way to use it for paid work
2
HoudiniArtists who want procedural, node-driven modeling and simulation
72/100
$24.92/mocheapest way to use it for paid work
3
FreeCADPeople who want free, scriptable solid modeling for designed parts
50/100
$0cheapest way to use it for paid work
4
Rhino 3DDesigners who want precise curve and surface modeling and prefer to buy once
48/100
$30.92/mocheapest way to use it for paid work

All 9 3D modeling programs

Sources

Plasticity, Plasticity. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Plasticity plans and pricing, Plasticity. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Plasticity FAQ, Plasticity. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Plasticity product tour, Plasticity. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
License types and features, Plasticity manual. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Import and export, Plasticity manual. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Plasticity end-user licence agreement, Plasticity. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
nkallen/plasticity LICENSE, GitHub. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Render Mode, Plasticity manual. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Unwrap Face, Plasticity manual. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.
Plasticity manual, Plasticity manual. Accessed 9 Oct 2026.

Website: www.plasticity.xyz · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Nick Kallen / Plasticity.