Overview

Mari focuses on painting and developing textures for 3D assets rather than covering every stage of content creation. Support for thousands of UDIM textures per model, each up to 32K × 32K pixels, gives texture artists headroom for assets with extensive, high-resolution map sets. That capacity is valuable when a project calls for it; smaller jobs may not justify a tool centered on production-scale texturing.

Projection painting lets artists preview edits on the model before applying them across texture maps. This keeps the decision about a paint change grounded in its appearance in context. For non-commercial exploration, a free edition is available, but its export, scripting and object limits make it a poor fit for unrestricted production.

Key features

Painting and baking

Multi-Channel Paint handles up to eight streams at once, which suits assets requiring coordinated channel work. Mari’s Bakery can bake geometry maps such as curvature and occlusion across multiple objects and UDIMs. Together, these tools support a texture workflow built around large, complex assets rather than a minimal paint-and-export cycle.

Pipeline fit

Support for OpenColorIO, OpenSubdiv, FBX and Alembic, plus APIs and Python scripting, gives pipeline developers several integration points. Shaders are provided for 3Delight, VRay, Unreal and Arnold. This breadth is a practical advantage for teams aligning Mari with existing tools and render workflows; the disabled Python scripting in the free edition means that particular integration path requires a paid license.

Mari also includes procedural materials, node-based authoring, node-based compositing, keying and rotoscoping tools. It supports shot annotations and scene layouts, but not 3D camera tracking or simulation. Those omissions matter if a team expects one application to cover tracking or simulation alongside its texture work.

Pricing

Mari offers a free Non-commercial plan, individual subscriptions, quarterly rental and an annual team subscription. Paid plans are priced subject to applicable taxes.

Mari Non-commercial: 0.00 USD per free, for as long as you like. It is for non-commercial use, caps texture exports at 4K and 16-bit per channel, disables Python scripting and allows at most five objects at once. It works for learning or personal exploration, not production that needs full-resolution exports, scripting or larger scenes.
Mari Individual Subscription (monthly): 86.00 USD per month for one named user, with one license per user. The monthly term suits an individual who needs access without committing to an annual subscription.
Mari Individual Subscription (annual): 689.00 USD per year for one named user, with one license per user. It fits freelancers or small companies where one person needs Mari and can commit to annual access.
Mari Rent: 949.00 USD per once, billed $949/qtr, for a quarterly rental license. Node-locked or floating licenses are available, making this an option for teams that need rental access or a choice of license type.
Mari Subscribe (teams): 1289.00 USD per year, billed $1,289 annually. This annual license offers node-locked or floating licenses for teams.

Foundry offers a free 30-day trial with unrestricted access, giving prospective users a way to assess the full application before selecting a plan. Individual Subscription uses login-based licensing: an internet connection is required at first login on a machine and at least once every 30 days afterward. Individual subscribers receive email support while the subscription is valid; Mari users can also seek help through Foundry’s Support Portal or Community.

Platforms

Mari supports Windows 11 64-bit and Linux 64-bit on Rocky/RHEL 9. The operating-system requirements are specific, so teams should confirm their machines match before adopting it. Individual licensing also requires periodic internet access after initial login.

Who it's for

Mari is a strong fit for texture artists working on high-resolution, multi-UDIM assets in VFX, animation or games, and for pipeline teams that can use its formats, APIs and Python scripting. Individual subscriptions suit freelancers and small companies when one person needs access; studios can choose node-locked or floating licenses through team subscriptions or rental.

It is less suitable for buyers seeking unrestricted free commercial use, users who need scripting in a free tier, or teams whose core requirements include 3D camera tracking or simulation. The non-commercial edition’s caps are substantive, not just a smaller version of the paid workflow.

Pros and cons

Pros: Thousands of UDIMs per model and textures up to 32K × 32K accommodate high-detail assets.
Pros: Projection previews, painting across up to eight streams and multi-object, multi-UDIM baking address several demanding texture tasks.
Pros: Common pipeline formats, APIs, Python scripting and shaders for several renderers support integration with existing production setups.
Cons: The free edition restricts exports to 4K and 16-bit per channel, disables Python and caps work at five objects.
Cons: Individual licensing requires internet access at first login and at least once every 30 days afterward.
Cons: Mari does not provide 3D camera tracking or simulation, so it cannot replace tools needed for those parts of a workflow.

Alternatives

For storyboard-first work rather than high-resolution 3D texturing, compare Storyboard Software options. Mari’s focus is texture painting and look development, so teams chiefly building shot sequences should choose a dedicated storyboard tool. The same distinction applies to Visual Effects Software and Game Texture Software directories: use them to compare tools centered on those broader or more specific needs.

Boords is a web-based freemium storyboard option with a free Solo plan for one user, 250 AI images per month and unlimited storyboards and scripts; choose it when storyboard creation is the goal, not 3D texture painting. Storyboard That offers a web free plan limited to two storyboards per week, a three-cell option, classic layout and watermarked downloads, making it a constrained starting point for storyboard work. Cineboard has a web free plan capped at one project, 20 Shot Cards, 50 moodboard items and 5 GB, so it is for bounded preproduction rather than texture production.

Krock.io has a free plan for one user with 2 GB storage, one workspace, two projects, 50 AI Tokens and unlimited reviewers; pick it when those collaboration and project limits suit the work. Previs Pro offers a free plan with one animatic per project and watermarked exports, a fit for limited previs work. Shot Designer’s free plan saves one current scene but lacks file management, export and sync or team sharing, so it suits a narrower scene-planning need.

Storyboarder is a free, open-source option for storyboard work. StoryBoom offers a free starter plan for up to three members, five storyboards and 80 scenes with no time limit, making it an alternative for small storyboard teams. For a direct comparison of texture-focused tools, browse 3D Texturing Software; for tracking-specific needs, see Motion Tracking Software.

Verdict

Choose Mari if your work depends on high-resolution, multi-UDIM texture painting and your pipeline can benefit from its baking, formats and scripting. Its production scale and integration options are the main reasons to buy it. Look elsewhere if the free edition’s restrictions are unacceptable, periodic license validation is impractical, or your workflow needs camera tracking or simulation rather than a specialist texturing package.

	Mari	VSDC Free Video Editor
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	Yes	No
Paid from	$57.42/mo	$1.67/mo
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Linux, Windows	iOS, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
3D camera tracking	No	—

Mari vs VSDC Free Video Editor

Mari

VSDC Free Video Editor