Maxwell Render
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMadrid, Spain
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Maxwell Render firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Maxwell Render
- Legal name
- Next Limit Services, S.L.
- Website
- https://maxwellrender.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Maxwell Render industry classification
Industry- Product category
- 3D Rendering Software
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lighting, Rendering & Render Management (Render Farms, Optimization) (MPAHABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cloud Rendering & Compute for Post/VFX/Animation (render farms, burst compute) (MPAHANAF)
Keywords
Where Maxwell Render is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madrid
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Maxwell Render business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Software Licenses (Perpetual): Maxwell Render products are sold as perpetual licenses with permanent license type. Customers purchase a license seat that can be used for the specific product or bundle. The Maxwell Bundle includes all plugin integrations plus Maxwell Studio with one license seat that can be switched between products as needed.
- Educational Subscriptions: Students and educators can subscribe to Maxwell Render products on an annual basis. Student/Educator licenses are available at significantly discounted rates (75 EUR for Maxwell 5) with access to free updates during the subscription period.
- Maxwell Cloud Rendering Service: Pay-per-use cloud rendering service providing access to high-end rendering machines. Users can manage cloud time and pay for rendering resources as needed.
- Maxwell Multilight (Free): Free standalone tool to produce light variations from MXI Maxwell files. Available for download to work outside Maxwell environment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Student/Educator Annual License |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Maxwell Bundle (Commercial) |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Maxwell Cloud (Pay-per-use) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | 30-Day Free Demo |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Maxwell Render product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Maxwell Render is a CPU, GPU, and cloud-enabled photorealistic render engine based on unbiased spectral ray-tracing. It is delivered through Maxwell Studio (standalone) and a suite of plugin integrations for major 3D/CAD applications including Cinema 4D, SketchUp, ArchiCAD, 3ds Max, Maya, form·Z, and Rhinoceros. The Maxwell Bundle packages all plugins plus Maxwell Cloud access under a single license seat, and the Maxwell Cloud service provides on-demand access to high-end rendering hardware.
Product overview
Maxwell Render is a CPU, GPU, and cloud photorealistic render engine based on unbiased spectral ray-tracing. The product family consists of a core rendering engine delivered through two main channels: Maxwell Studio (the standalone application) and a suite of plugin integrations for major 3D/CAD applications (Cinema 4D, SketchUp, ArchiCAD, 3ds Max, Maya, form·Z, Rhinoceros). The Maxwell Bundle packages all plugins plus Maxwell Cloud under one license seat. Maxwell Cloud provides cloud-based high-end rendering machines. Maxwell Multilight is a free included tool for post-render lighting adjustments. The portfolio also includes Maxwell for Photoshop for post-production work. Maxwell 5.2 is the current version with a rewritten multi-GPU core and improved denoiser.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Maxwell Studio: Standalone version of Maxwell Render for Windows and MacOS, compatible with widely used formats
- Maxwell Cloud
- Maxwell Multilight
- Maxwell Bundle
- Maxwell for Cinema 4D
- Maxwell for SketchUp
- Maxwell for 3ds Max
- Maxwell for Rhinoceros
- Maxwell for ArchiCAD
- Maxwell for Maya
- Maxwell for form·Z
- Maxwell for Photoshop
Products and services
- Maxwell Bundle A comprehensive license package bundling Maxwell Studio with all major plugin integrations plus Maxwell Cloud access. One license seat can be switched between any product in the family, providing flexibility for professional 3D artists and studios working across multiple host applications.
- Maxwell Studio Standalone version of the Maxwell Render engine providing a complete environment combining multiple tools for scene editing, geometry collection, lighting, ready-made and custom libraries, and animation export. Includes FIRE interactive render environment, geometry collector with Pack and Go tool, Lights panel, and supports V-Ray scene import.
- Maxwell for Cinema 4D Plugin integration for Maxon Cinema 4D providing Maxwell's photorealistic rendering inside the Cinema 4D environment. Includes an integrated material editor, automatic conversion of native materials and cameras, and support for grass, hair, particles, and volumetric effects.
- Maxwell for SketchUp Plugin integration for Trimble SketchUp providing Scene Manager, automatic translation of SketchUp materials to realistic Maxwell materials, FIRE interactive preview, and custom light objects including spotlights, HDRI lights, IES, and area lights.
- Maxwell for ArchiCAD Plugin integration for Graphisoft ArchiCAD with automatic or semi-automatic material conversion, support for physical sky or image-based environments, and easy creation of sun study and fly-through animations.
- Maxwell for 3ds Max Plugin integration for Autodesk 3ds Max providing an integrated material editor, FIRE interactive render, MxLight object for customizable light, and an integrated V-Ray scene translator for converting V-Ray scenes, materials, lights, and environments.
- Maxwell for Maya Plugin integration for Autodesk Maya supporting photoreal hair rendering compatible with Maya Shave and a Haircut as well as native Maya hair, with any Maxwell material applicable to hair.
- Maxwell for form·Z Plugin integration for AutoDesSys form·Z featuring Light Mixer tool for interactive light balancing, automatic material translation from form·Z Shaded or RenderZone materials, and custom light types including Softbox, Ambient Field, IES, Projector, Physical Sky, Sky Dome, and IBL.
- Maxwell for Rhinoceros Plugin integration for McNeel Rhinoceros featuring the Maxwell Extensions system (Maxwell Grass, Maxwell Scatter), enhanced texture visualization, seamless material integration, Maxwell environments per camera, mxs references with instancing, and Pack and Go for scene portability.
- Maxwell for Photoshop Free plugin for Adobe Photoshop enabling post-production work with Maxwell rendered images.
- Maxwell Cloud Cloud-based rendering service providing on-demand access to high-end machines (96 cores, 86.4GB RAM) available 24/7 from all Maxwell family products. One machine per render with the ability to launch unlimited simultaneous renders. Output includes images, mxi file, and channels.
- Maxwell Multilight Free standalone tool included with all Maxwell products that enables multiple lighting variations from a single render without re-rendering. Users can change individual light intensities and colors during and after rendering, with keyframing and color editing support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multi-GPU performance: 1 GPU = 25X faster than CPU; 2 GPUs = 40X faster; 4 GPUs = 60X faster (tested with 2M triangles at 2048×1152 resolution)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Maxwell Render
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Maxwell Render technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration18 records
AI capability2 records
Feature11 records
Maxwell Render partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Autodesk (3ds Max)coreMaxwell for 3ds Max provides native integration with Autodesk 3ds Max, allowing users to access Maxwell's photorealistic rendering capabilities directly within the 3ds Max interface. Compatible with versions 2016-2024.
- Trimble (SketchUp)coreMaxwell for SketchUp integrates with Trimble SketchUp for architectural and interior design visualization. Compatible with SketchUp 2017-2024 for Windows and MacOS.
- Maxon (Cinema 4D)coreMaxwell for Cinema 4D provides deep integration with Maxon's Cinema 4D, combining Maxwell's rendering quality with Cinema 4D's motion graphics capabilities. Compatible with Cinema 4D R20-2024.
- Graphisoft (ArchiCAD)coreMaxwell for ArchiCAD integrates with Graphisoft's BIM software for architectural visualization. Compatible with ArchiCAD AC21-AC27.
- McNeel (Rhinoceros)coreMaxwell for Rhinoceros integrates seamlessly with McNeel's Rhino 3D modeling software, following the same logic and interface conventions. Compatible with Rhino 5-8 for Windows and MacOS.
- Autodesk (Maya)coreMaxwell for Maya provides integration with Autodesk Maya for animation and VFX rendering. Compatible with Maya 2018-2024.
- AutoDesSys (form·Z)coreMaxwell for form·Z integrates with AutoDesSys form·Z for architectural and design visualization. Compatible with form·Z 8-10 for Windows and MacOS.
- Chaos (V-Ray)coreMaxwell includes a V-Ray scene translator that converts V-Ray scenes, materials, lights, and environments to Maxwell format. Available in Maxwell Studio.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Maxwell Render competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Twinmotion: Twinmotion (Epic Games) is a real-time architectural visualization tool with SketchUp, Rhino, ArchiCAD, and Revit plugins. It targets the same arch-viz customer base as Maxwell with a free tier, posing a pricing threat.
- Lumion: Lumion is a real-time architectural visualization tool focused on the arch-viz segment that Maxwell serves via its SketchUp, ArchiCAD, and Rhino plugins. Both compete for the same architect and arch-viz studio budget.
- Chaos (V-Ray): Chaos's V-Ray is the most direct competitor to Maxwell Render — both are physically-based render engines with deep plugin integrations across the same DCC hosts (3ds Max, Maya, Rhino, SketchUp, Cinema 4D). Maxwell even ships a V-Ray scene translator explicitly targeting V-Ray users.
- Enscape: Enscape is a real-time rendering and virtual reality plugin for SketchUp, Rhino, ArchiCAD, and Revit. It competes head-on with Maxwell's architecture-focused plugins by offering instant photorealistic walkthroughs instead of offline rendering.
- OTOY (OctaneRender): OctaneRender is a GPU-first unbiased render engine competing directly with Maxwell's multi-GPU core. Both target the same arch-viz, product design, and VFX users with physically accurate rendering and similar DCC plugin footprints.
- Maxon Redshift: Redshift is a GPU-accelerated biased render engine tightly integrated with Cinema 4D and Houdini. It competes for the same Cinema 4D and 3ds Max plugin seats that Maxwell targets, with a comparable pricing tier.
Broad incumbents
- Pixar RenderMan: RenderMan is a high-end physically-based renderer used in feature film VFX and animation, overlapping with Maxwell's VFX/animation use cases. It is part of Pixar's broader technology portfolio rather than a niche arch-viz tool.
- Autodesk Arnold: Arnold is Autodesk's production renderer for Maya, 3ds Max, and Houdini, deeply embedded in the VFX/animation pipeline. It overlaps with Maxwell's Maya and 3ds Max plugins but is part of a much broader Autodesk product portfolio.
- NVIDIA Iray: NVIDIA Iray is a GPU-accelerated physically-based renderer integrated into NVIDIA's broader design visualization stack. It overlaps with Maxwell's photorealistic, GPU-enabled rendering value proposition for product design and arch-viz.
Emerging players
- Blender (Cycles): Cycles is Blender's built-in path-tracing render engine — physically based and free/open-source, which puts pricing pressure on Maxwell from below, especially for indie and student users who form Maxwell's educational pipeline.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Maxwell Render social profiles
Digital presenceMaxwell Render financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Maxwell Render leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Maxwell Render funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Maxwell Render M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Maxwell Render
What does Maxwell Render do?
Maxwell Render is a CPU, GPU, and cloud-enabled photorealistic render engine based on unbiased spectral ray-tracing. It is delivered through Maxwell Studio (standalone) and a suite of plugin integrations for major 3D/CAD applications including Cinema 4D, SketchUp, ArchiCAD, 3ds Max, Maya, form·Z, and Rhinoceros. The Maxwell Bundle packages all plugins plus Maxwell Cloud access under a single license seat, and the Maxwell Cloud service provides on-demand access to high-end rendering hardware.
Is Maxwell Render a public or private company?
Maxwell Render is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Maxwell Render founded?
Maxwell Render was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Maxwell Render based?
Maxwell Render is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Maxwell Render make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses (Perpetual) is the primary driver. The others are educational Subscriptions, maxwell Cloud Rendering Service and maxwell Multilight (Free).
Who are Maxwell Render's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Twinmotion, Lumion, Chaos (V-Ray), Enscape, OTOY (OctaneRender) and Maxon Redshift. Broad incumbents are Pixar RenderMan, Autodesk Arnold and NVIDIA Iray. Blender (Cycles) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Maxwell Render have an API?
No public API is recorded for Maxwell Render.
What industry is Maxwell Render in?
Maxwell Render's product category is 3D Rendering Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHABAG, Lighting, Rendering & Render Management (Render Farms, Optimization), with a secondary code of MPAHANAF, Cloud Rendering & Compute for Post/VFX/Animation (render farms, burst compute).