Testing Macbook Air M1 Performance with 3D software

Very raw video I wanted to throw quickly just to show the performance of the Apple M1 with a few of the 3d software I use daily. Maya, Blender, Zbrush, and Substance. I am missing my 3dsmax but you can't have everything.

[@Yeta00metal]

I had the same problem. I spent lot time trying to find a video like this. A bit punch of people like to make videos showing how M1 run modeling softwares. Thanks for the video mate.

[@Yeta00metal]

In general, do you recommend this laptop to use for simple autocad scketch or maybe modeling 3D software in order to print it in a 3D printer? Ps: have you tested ‘CURA’ slicer software ? Just asking :) Thanks

[@JulioCesarEspada]

I have not tried any software like autocad, but Maya and Zbrush work great. I do not do 3d printing, but if Zbrush works great I think there should not be a problem with other softwares that handle many polys. The only one I have tried that more or less falls in that cathegory is Meshmixer and it worked perfectly fine.

[@donniedarko464]

@@Yeta00metal did you buy macbook? how did it go with printing?

[@harveylawrence9601]

Amazing review!!!

[@javadpourvali7664]

Thank you sooo much… such video is very needed in youtube and it was very helpful 🙏🏽😍

[@JM-dr1th]

I would love to see that same model open in Zbrush 2023 now that it is native to apple silicone. I am hoping to get a portable computer for sculpting and this apple silicone seems solid

[@JulioCesarEspada]

I do not have plans to downgrade to 2023 for now!

[@doc12ish]

Thank you so much

[@sarasbum999]

Thank you so much Julio this is precisely the kind of video I was needing. I was wondering, when it comes to rendering on Maya or Blender, do you feel the Mac M1 might take longer than your other PC? Do you feel there might be a substancial difference on rendering time?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

I did a quick test with the demo scene from Blender "junk shop". Just open the scene and render, my main PC hit 1:32 using cycles. In the Macbook I just cancelled it when it was around 3 minutes and it was not even half of it render. Surprisingly it not that hot, like if the computer knows this is going to take forever so it just chills down :). Anyway, this computer is giving me great performance for modeling, but for rendering I can't say much since it is not part of my usual pipeline.

[@sarasbum999]

I understand, thank you for your answer!

[@asngy]

Thank you 🙏 just what I was curious about! I’m on the same boat with windows. Thinking of using this as my portable machine creatively; rendering heavy stuff on my gaming pc😅 if needed..

[@newatlantisrepublic6844]

I’d like to know how well the M1 chips handle Daz3d studio.

[@AlanStreams]

This is awesome man thank you, any idea how it would handle grooming in xGen? Would be awesome if you can share an xgen test with us :D

[@acosorio]

saludos, yo aun conservo una licensia perpetua de zbrush 2022. sabes si esta version funciona con Ventura o Sonoma? yo me quede con Monterey por miedo a perder acceso al programa. agredecere cualquier informacion que puedas compartir.

[@Jesus_Fk2]

Muchas gracias por este video, me ha ayudado bastante a la hora de elegir el nuevo portatil que he comprado que ha sido un MacBook Pro M1. Seria mucha molestia que hicieras algun tutorial o me pasaras enlaces de Maya y Substance ya que me estoy volviendo loco para instalarlas. Un saludo y muchas gracias!

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Tanto Maya como Substance tienen versiones demo de 30 días que puedes descargar de sus páginas oficiales, Después deberás adquirir una licencia para poder usarlos de manera comercial. Por supuesto tienes también otros métodos para conseguir licencias, pero ahi lo siento no puedo ayudarte.

[@oldgrub]

gracias shur

[@vladimirnesterov9536]

And What about crazy cooler vents in zbrush and temperature of CPU?

[@Ollylifestyle]

Hi ! Thank you for this video! Question, do you think 3Ds Max would work smoothly on the M1 ?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Hello. 3DSMax only works on Windows. I do not know if with extra software is possible to run it, but if Maya runs well, I don't see why max could not run well too.

[@barmyrishiarts4978]

Very soon I'll be doing animation and graphics college course, should i still get this laptop or windows?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Create a list of the "must have" things your computer has to have. Add another colum for the "good to have" and another one for the "I hate this", Fill those cells and then compare the options in your budget with the lists you created. That will give you a better perspective of what you need.

[@amirkaripov5999]

Hey! I say right away, I don’t know English. I’m from Kazakhstan. i would like to ask how to download drivers on macbook m1 for graphics tablet? i bought a graphics tablet for it but it didn't want to work with macbook m1. Can you tell me how to fix this? I have a tablet from parblo

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Hey, I use Wacom so I do not know how Parblo drivers work, but I think you just need to go to their website and find somewhere to download drivers for macos that work for your model of tablet.

[@files5039]

I want to use the Blender grease pencil. Should I go for this? I want to also move around and see the rendered scenes during the project. Thanks ✌️💗

[@redoxfusion5477]

Buenas bro, ver si me puedes ayudar con algunas dudas, necesito comprar una computadora, la necesito para modelado en maya y posteriormente animación (desconozco con que vaya a trabajar), soy estudiante todavía, y estaba pensando en una Mac, pero por presupuesto y tal me surgieron algunas dudas, crees que convenga más una Mac Pro con 8GB de RAM o una Air con 16 de Ram? Crees que convenga más agarrar la Air con el M1 o con M2? O crees que me salga “mejor” irme por una windows? Que opinas de la iMac con M1, trabajará mejor por ser de escritorio? 🤔 Agradecería mucho que me pudieras ayudar🙌🏼

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Uff amigo, es una pregunta con una respuesta un tanto compleja. Esta es una pregunta que me hacéis mucho y tengo pensado hacer un video para tratar de resolverla lo mejor posible. A ver si lo puedo tener listo pronto. Saludos

[@kevintuite9973]

Hey can i ask is this the base line mac book air model with a 7 core gpu or is it the upgraded model with a 8 core gpu? Thanks for the video!

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Yes, it is the 8Core version "MBA 13,3 GRIS ES/8N CPU/8N GPU/8GB/512G

[@aasiyakhan9258]

Hey, did zbrush and blender run smoothly even in longer sessions?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Absolutely no problems. Most of my time has been with Maya so can't really say I have done more than 1 or 2 hours in Zbrush in one session, but it did not show any bad sign of throttling.

[@50design82]

hello have you tried rhinoceros software ? Rhinoceros 3D

[@shivgrover1914]

Where can i get crack of zbrush for m1

[@subodhmajarkhede1642]

Hello can I buy maac book M1 pro for the 3D animation . Maya run for M1 chip?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Maya runs very well on my Airbook M1. I do not know how well it would work for complex animations, but for modeling is great.

[@xrmbrdnt3151]

Great video! Question though, does rendering in maya take too long on the M1? And does it get hot?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Thank you. I do not do render in Maya so I can not say how well it performs but being a CPU intensive task for sure will get hot.

[@xrmbrdnt3151]

@@JulioCesarEspada Thanks for replying!

[@sergiovaquerolerena9012]

Que opinas del MacBook Air 8 gb para empezar con blender y unreal engine ?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Unreal engine mas o menos bien, depende de lo que le cargues, pero si estás empezando entonces sin problema. Unity no va tan bien, por lo menos en las pruebas que yo he hecho. Blender perfecto, ningún problema.

[@joandelaplata816]

Julio me gustaría saber tu opinión sobre cómo trabajan los nuevos Mac con M1 con el programa Maya. Estoy pensando en comprarme un ordenador nuevo para el máster de diseño de transporte y automoción. Tengo entendido que con adobe Mac va genial pero me hace dudar el programa Maya. Entonces si me podrías dar tu opinión al respecto te lo agradecería muchísimo

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Hola Joan. En mi Airbook M1 con 8gb de ram, en general va bastante bien para modelar. Va a depender mucho de las tareas que ejecutes en Maya, yo para mis personajes va perfecto, pero no sabría decirte para tareas más complejas.

[@joandelaplata816]

@@JulioCesarEspada Muchas gracias Julio!

[@omaior20]

Hello, How fast is the CTRL-Z when working on an object with subdiv and active booleans? And how is the performance with multiple modifiers on a lets say 1.5mil poly project? Thanks.

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Hello. I did two tests. One with the scene Computer case fan that comes with Zbrush boolean projects. I did al sort of things to the subtools , subdivided, moved, undo... all very good in my opinion. The other test I did with the demo head, subdivided to almost 4 million polys and added several bend, taper, slice, scale.. all working great. This boy is doing great in Zbrush I must say.

[@sebcastilho]

how are you finding it 1 year later?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Hey, I am planning to create an update video about the computer. For now I would say I use it daily and still works perfectly fine for my light 3d projects.

[@XanaxToons]

Mi computadora murió , tenía una legión 5 , y estoy haciendo mi proyecto de titulación un juego en unreal , con todo lo q lleva , modelados, textus , rig etc .. approx tengo 1000 DLLs para una nueva computadora la vdd es mi tercera Windows a lo largo de mi carrera ,.Windows siempre me falla por una o por otra . Pienso seriamente en cambiar a Mac . Una MacBook air si podría dar el ancho como computadora principal ?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Un macbook air te dará buen rendimiento, pero creo que en proyectos grandes con mucha textura, mucho render, etc, tal vez pueda quedarse un poco corto. Echa un ojo a los macbook pro a ver que tanto más rendimiento dan. El asunto es que claro, cuanta más potencia, más caro, y el precio se puede llegar a disparar muchisimo.

[@harisperiorellis6786]

Hello. Very helpful review. Is that m1 with 8 or 16giga ram?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

8 gb

[@rainramblers7656]

2:54 M1 Macbook Air doesn't come with 32GB RAM, how did you get it done....????

[@JulioCesarEspada]

I was talking about the other computer, the big one I use for my work.

[@rainramblers7656]

@@JulioCesarEspada Oh ok , sorry!

[@frederikfrancis1010]

You have trottling on Macbook Air M1 when you working long(or very long) time in 3D softs ? Have freezes ?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

No performance issues so far. I have done quite long sessions modeling in Maya and the thing is not even warm.

[@ka3bool_2025]

M1 MacBook Air 16gb good for learning 3d modeling?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Absolutely

[@kadckadc]

May I know why you chose SSD (512) over upgrading RAM from 8 to 16? thank you

[@JulioCesarEspada]

For the type of work I do in this computer 8gb is more than enough. I have not noticed any lack of RAM whatsoever, but hard drive I am sitting at 200gb free at the moment. I hate to have to choose, but I did not want to max out everything because that would end up being too expensive. In the end, to me hdd space is something I really do not want to worry about.

[@PaperBoat.]

Is it MA 8gb variant?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Yes it is 8gb

[@five5zero0studio]

Bro can I buy MacBook m1 air for this software?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

I don't fully understand what you mean. Can you elaborate a bit more?

[@five5zero0studio]

@@JulioCesarEspada I want to buy a laptop which can run blender software easily

[@JulioCesarEspada]

@@five5zero0studio For running Blender you do not really need a beefy and expensive computer, it is what you want to do it Blender what should drive your decission. Check out Dave2D or Lizzie Tech tips youtube channels for much better guides on your purchase, I am not really an expert in laptops.

[@five5zero0studio]

@@JulioCesarEspada thanks bro

[@boganx1291]

Hey are u using parellels ?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Nope

[@haroldobauteart]

Where did you study to learn all the 3d stuff? Fuiste a algúna academia o universidad?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

I am a self taught artist, books and internet has been always my sources for learning.

[@dicasdocorretor2278]

Macbook air m1 7 core 8gb RAM?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

It is the 8 core CPU, 8 core GPU with 512 ssd. 8gb Ram.

[@joshuepico75]

@@mae2309 you can say that all you want but it's hard to deny that M1 machines are actually worth it for most people

[@lui_8515]

how you've installed maya on mac m1 pls tell me too

[@JulioCesarEspada]

I am using the student version. It is as simple as downloading the mac installer from autodesk website.

[@guts711]

is this 8g of ram?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Yes

[@shutup_athul]

I want a laptop for 4k edit and To Use 3d Software ( blender, lumion, cinema 4d) I am planning to buy the ryzen 7 rtx 3060 Model 1) So, Can it handle 3d software without any lag 2) build quality ( I want to use it for 3years+) 3) Any other options

[@JulioCesarEspada]

I am not really the best person to recommend you a specific laptop that is perfect for everything you want. Check out some other youtube channels like Dave2D or Lizzie Tech Reviews, those are much better channels to get a solid answer.

[@shutup_athul]

@@AlFirous 😅 I bought Hp Vitus

[@screpkavpeske2952]

lol dude you need minimum 3080 rtx and you will have lags anyway on laptop for 3D. Pro using 3090 or 2-3 cards in same time in PC

[@screpkavpeske2952]

@@AlFirous they both suck hard becose new GPU work only in CInema4D and lost in 5 time GPU rendering to mobile RTX3070

[@lucalorenzetti9905]

@@shutup_athul how do you feel with the HP Victus? i am willing to take the model with ryzen 5 (6 cores), rtx 3050 and 16gb of ram to do some 3d, is it good in your opinion? I am currently on macbook air M1 8gb of ram and honestly I am happy with it, I just struggle to install the software and unfortunately I only work on the CPU, when the ideal on 3d would be to work with GPU acceleration, too bad for Apple, because these PCs they are very performing, do you have any advice for me?

[@Meteotrance]

Im pretty sure we can run zbrush on a intel celeron without 3D card, it's not a demanding software as long as you get enough ram, more than 2 go is enough, i run this soft since 2003 on a amd athlon with a single core and less than 1,5 go of ram, it was already impressive, what we could do with it back then... But today they need 4 go if ram and a 64 but os and core2duo minimum.

[@cheervinsky]

its 8 or 16 gb of memory

[@JulioCesarEspada]

8gb

[@intajoziko2314]

is mac good for 3d rendering and modelling ?

[@JulioCesarEspada]

Of course it can do modeling and rendering, but it also depends on what you want to do.