Redshift
3D rendering software
3D design software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
Take the quiz to check if Redshift and its alternatives fit your requirements.
$264 per year
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
Small
Medium
Large
- Media and communications
- Arts, entertainment, and recreation
- Banking and insurance
What is Redshift
Redshift is a GPU-accelerated renderer used to generate photorealistic images and animations from 3D scenes. It is commonly used by 3D artists and studios for motion graphics, VFX, and product/visualization workflows. The product integrates as a renderer inside multiple DCC applications and focuses on performance-oriented rendering features such as biased rendering controls and GPU-based computation.
GPU-accelerated production rendering
Redshift is designed around GPU rendering, which can reduce render times compared with CPU-only workflows for many scenes. It supports production-oriented features needed for animation and VFX pipelines, including AOVs/passes and motion blur. This makes it suitable for iterative look development where frequent test renders are required.
Integrations with major DCCs
Redshift is delivered as a renderer that plugs into common 3D content creation applications rather than being a standalone modeling tool. This allows teams to keep existing scene, rigging, and animation workflows while changing the render backend. It also supports typical pipeline needs such as network rendering options (depending on licensing/configuration) and render output management.
Flexible biased rendering controls
Redshift provides controls that let users trade physical accuracy for speed, which can be important for production deadlines. It includes material and lighting systems intended for photorealistic rendering and supports common shading workflows. These controls can help artists manage noise, sampling, and render cost on complex scenes.
Not a full 3D suite
Redshift primarily addresses rendering and does not replace modeling, sculpting, animation, or real-time engine capabilities. Users typically need a separate DCC application to create and manage scenes. This can increase overall toolchain complexity compared with all-in-one 3D packages.
Hardware and driver dependency
Because it is GPU-focused, performance and stability depend on supported GPUs, VRAM capacity, and graphics driver compatibility. Large scenes can be constrained by GPU memory, requiring optimization strategies such as texture management and proxy workflows. Organizations may need to standardize hardware to avoid inconsistent results across artists.
Licensing and pipeline overhead
Commercial licensing can add cost compared with free/open-source renderers bundled with some 3D tools. Deploying it across teams may require license management and coordination across multiple host applications. Pipeline teams may also need to validate version compatibility between the renderer, plugins, and DCC application updates.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual (Annual) | $264 per year | Redshift annual subscription (subscription license for Redshift: includes all integration plugins; multiple instances up to 8 GPUs on a single computer; licensed/managed via the Maxon App). |
| Individual (Monthly) | Not listed on Maxon site / Unavailable (see notes) | Maxon states monthly and annual terms are/were offered, but a current, explicit monthly price for Redshift was not discoverable on the Maxon website/shop pages accessed. Contact Maxon or view the Maxon App/shop for region-specific monthly pricing. |
| Teams (for organizations) | Contact Sales / Not listed on Maxon site | Maxon advertises Teams subscriptions for larger workgroups (includes training, support, Teams Dashboard, floating/RLM options). Pricing not published on the public Maxon pages consulted; contact Sales. |
| Included with Maxon One (bundle) | Check Maxon One pricing | Maxon One bundle includes Redshift (GPU+CPU); bundle pricing is shown on Maxon One/Buy pages (region-dependent) — consult Maxon One product/shop for current bundle price. |
Seller details
Maxon Computer GmbH
Bad Homburg, Germany
1986
Subsidiary
https://www.maxon.net/
https://x.com/MaxonVFX
https://www.linkedin.com/company/maxonvfx/
