The 2026 Map of 3D Modeling Tools: AI Generation, Scanning, CAD, or Manual
There are four paths to a 3D model in 2026: AI generation (Meshy-6 / Tripo / Rodin Gen-2.5 / Hunyuan 3D), phone scanning, Text-to-CAD, and manual modeling. Picking wrong has concrete costs — AI-generated meshes can't be dimensionally edited, Rodin's STL exports usually need repair, and Meshy's free-tier assets are public. This guide selects by what the model is actually for, with current pricing from each vendor's own page.