← all parity reports
DCC & rendering
Kerf vs Autodesk 3ds Max
Archviz & game-art DCC — a different category from B-rep CAD.
28/28in Kerf today
5/28in Autodesk 3ds Max (included)
0behind a paid tier
2026-05-19last reviewed
| Capability | Kerf | Autodesk 3ds Max |
|---|---|---|
| Geometry — B-rep solid kernelD1 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/brep/
|
no source ↗ |
| Geometry — constraint sketcherD1 |
yes
src/components/SketchView.jsx
|
no source ↗ |
| Geometry — parametric feature history DAGD1 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/geom/
|
partial source ↗ |
| Geometry — STEP / IGES B-rep interopD1 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/io/
|
partial source ↗ |
| Geometry — polygon mesh modellingD1 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/subd_tools.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Structural / FEA — code checks (AISC, ACI, ASCE 7)D2 |
yes
packages/kerf-structural/
|
no source ↗ |
| Structural / FEA — finite element analysisD2 |
yes
packages/kerf-fem/
|
no source ↗ |
| Machine elements — gear, bearing, fastener ratingD3 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/gearstrength/
|
no source ↗ |
| Thermal / fluid / HVAC — heat-exchanger and pipe-network calcD4 |
yes
packages/kerf-hvac/
|
no source ↗ |
| Thermal / fluid — visual fluid simulation (Phoenix FD)D4 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/fluid/visual_fluid.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Aero / marine / space — aerodynamic and orbital analysisD5 |
yes
packages/kerf-aero/
|
no source ↗ |
| Electronics / EDA — schematic, PCB, DRCD6 |
yes
packages/kerf-electronics/
|
no source ↗ |
| Electronics — SPICE simulationD6 |
yes
packages/kerf-electronics/src/kerf_electronics/spice/
|
no source ↗ |
| Manufacturing / CAM — CNC toolpath generationD7 |
yes
packages/kerf-cam/
|
no source ↗ |
| Manufacturing — FDM slicingD7 |
yes
src/components/PrintSliceView.jsx
|
no source ↗ |
| Civil / infrastructure — road alignment, pavement, geotechD8 |
yes
packages/kerf-civil/
|
no source ↗ |
| Dynamics / controls — rigid-body and controls simulationD9 |
yes
packages/kerf-motion/
|
partial source ↗ |
| Dynamics — skeletal animation and riggingD9 |
yes
src/components/dcc/AnimationTimelinePanel.jsx
|
yes source ↗ |
| Electrical / energy — power distribution and PLCD10 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/elecpower/
|
no source ↗ |
| Tolerancing / QA — GD&T and tolerance stackupD11 |
yes
packages/kerf-gdnt/
|
no source ↗ |
| Optics — paraxial ABCD ray transferD12 |
yes
packages/kerf-optics/
|
no source ↗ |
| Optics — production path-traced rendering (Arnold)D12 |
yes
packages/kerf-render/src/kerf_render/pathtracer.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Acoustics — room acoustics and ISO 9613D12 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/acoustics/
|
no source ↗ |
| Verticals — jewelry designD13 |
yes
src/components/JewelryConfiguratorPanel.jsx
|
partial source ↗ |
| Verticals — BIM / architectural (IFC)D13 |
yes
packages/kerf-bim/
|
partial source ↗ |
| Verticals — archviz creative workflowD13 |
yes
packages/kerf-render/src/kerf_render/archviz_scatter.py
|
yes source ↗ |
| Cost / materials — should-cost and LCAD14 |
yes
packages/kerf-lca/
|
no source ↗ |
| Cost / materials — material selection (Ashby)D14 |
yes
packages/kerf-cad-core/src/kerf_cad_core/matsel/
|
no source ↗ |
- yes shipped
- partial works with limits
- paid tier present, but behind an add-on or meter
- no not available
Corrections welcome. These rows are read off published documentation on the date shown and go stale as products ship. If a row is wrong, open an issue — the source file is public/compare/max3ds.md and every claim in it carries a link.