The 3 Best Pixyz Alternatives in 2024

Introduction: What is Pixyz, and what is it used for?

If you’re working with 3D models from CAD and you’d like to use them in interactive applications, Pixyz can help you with that: Pixyz allows you to prepare and optimize 3D models for real-time rendering in Unity, one of the world’s leading game engines. This includes algorithms such as CAD tessellation, mesh repair, or optimization of meshes and textures.

Pixyz consists of different modules:

• Pixyz Studio: A standalone, seat-based tool.
• Pixyz Plugin: A plugin for Unity, only available with a Unity Industry subscription.
• Pixyz SDK: An SDK solution to automate operations with a programmable Python or C# runtime, coming also with batch processing capabilities.

Why consider alternative solutions to Pixyz?

There are several reasons why one might be interested in alternative solutions to Pixyz, in particular because of the following drawbacks:

1. Fixed connection with Unity. Unity is a leading game engine, but what if you want to get your 3D data into other ecosystems, such as the Unreal Engine, 3D in the browser, app-less AR, product configurators, or internal and external 3D planning tools? Then Pixyz might just be not the right fit, since it’s focus and mission is heavily centered around getting your 3D models into Unity.  
2. No Browser-based solution. Pixyz is only available as standalone Desktop tool, or via Unity. This limits the ease of prototyping workflows, where it can be beneficial to get started with just a few clicks. Browser-based tools are also powerful for secure deployments inside a corporate intranet – avoiding the need to install tools and simply collaborate against a self-hosted instance of a 3D processing solution.  
3. No REST API. Pixyz does not come with a REST API, hence it cannot easily be used inside cloud-based enterprise infrastructures. This can be a huge drawback, especially when it comes to seamless integration into enterprise services.  
4. No Blender integration. As a plugin, Pixyz only integrates with Unity. However, nowadays more and more skilled tech artists and pipeline developers make use of tools like Blender, a free, open-source tool for digital content creation (DCC). Pixyzs is lacking integration with Blender (or with any other DCC).  
5. Lack of smart optimization targets. Pixyz has a couple of 3D optimization targets available, but lacks easy-to-use smart targets, such as a screensize target or an MB target.  
6. Lack of focus on interoperability and 3D standards. The 3D world is – luckily – becoming more and more interconnected. Many new tools and applications emerge. As this is happening, 3D standards that help these tools to seamlessly exchange data are becoming more and more relevant. This includes glTF, USD(Z), MaterialX, and OpenPBR, for example, which are all key to interoperability and avoiding vendor lock-in. Pixyz is not fully supporting these standards, which might be connected to its focus on serving the Unity engine in particular.

Alternative 1: RapidPipeline

RapidPipeline is a best-in-class solution for optimization of 3D data, already successfully used by brands, retailers and 3D platform companies on more than 4.5 million 3D models to date (2024). Its mission is to “100x the productivity of digital production & marketing pipelines, by making 3D digital products as easy to handle as 2D images”. RapidPipeline’s design philosophy includes a strong focus on empowering 3D tech artists and pipeline developers first and foremost through automation tools (such as CLI or REST API), as well as the use of interoperable 3D standards (“open ecosystem” approach).

The powerful automation pipeline built on interoperable 3D standards allows RapidPipeline to automatically optimize 3D data for any application, preventing enterprises from falling into the trap of a vendor lock-in. Apart from this, RapidPipeline comes with modern integration options that include a Blender plugin, a Web interface + REST API, options for self-hosting, as well as advanced tooling for QC automation – which is key when large batches should be processed. It can also import data directly from 3dsMax/V-Ray scenes, for example, as well as from many CAD formats (including Solidworks, CATIA, and many more).

Alternative 2: Simplygon

Simplygon is an established solution for 3D data optimization in the games industry, owned by Microsoft. Its slogan is being “the Standard in 3D Games Content Optimization”. With many sophisticated, advanced features to optimize 3D games content, Simplygon has been setting the standard for many years, and it is being used within many AAA game productions. With a C+++ SDK as well as automation options, Simplygon has established a strong toolset with good fit for the AAA games market – including smart optimization targets such as a screensize target. Simpylgon also offers a batch processor.

With plugins available for many DCCs and game engines including Unity and Unreal, Simplygon is often the first choice when it comes to optimization of high-end 3D game content. 3D file formats supported as input include FBX, OBJ and glTF, for example, but Simplygon does not offer any support for CAD formats (which is no problem for typical game productions).

Alternative 3: VNTANA

VNTANA is an online and offline solution for 3D digital asset management as well as for various 3D-related processing tasks. The slogan currently (2024) is “3D Asset Management at Scale”. VNTANA uses 3D standards and allows users to upload and manage their 3D assets, as well as to convert & optimize them for publishing them anywhere – for which they also provide an own, proprietary 3D viewer. However, a CLI tool (comparable to Pixyz Scenario Processor or the RapidPipeline 3D Processor CLI) is missing.

VNTANA also offers various end applications such as digital showrooms. The solution is able to load all common CAD formats, so it is possible to get these into the VNTANA ecosystem and use them within all the applications and tools offered. Another offering consists of APIs to facilitate the integration of various 3D automation tasks. While VNTANA uses open standards and offers plugins for some DCC tools and game engines, much of its overall offering uses a more “closed ecosystem” end-to-end approach, which might make it less suited for solving focused 3D pipeline automation tasks at maximum interoperability with upstream and downstream tooling and applications.

Comparison

The following table shows a simple comparison of the key facts when considering an alternative to Pixyz:

Summary

There are several alternatives to Pixyz, which have been evaluated as part of this article.

RapidPipeline stands out in particular because of several reasons:

• Rich, best-in class feature set for getting CAD/DCC outputs ready for many use cases
• Focus on automation & interoperable workflows 
• Mission and product strategy best aligned with Pixyz user base (processing of digital products, at scale), catering to industrial use cases with many different target applications

In case this sounds interesting to you, consider trying RapidPipeline out today, for free.