TexHouse Plain comparisons of 3D printing and maker tools

Meshmixer vs Simplify3D in 2026

Meshmixer and Simplify3D compared with LunarWerx 3D Print for makers: what each does, price, setup, and what to check before you pick one.

By TexHouse ยท

TexHouse is published by the makers of LunarWerx 3D Print, Vector3D and MeshyDL, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Meshmixer and Simplify3D compared with LunarWerx 3D Print for makers: what each does, price, setup, and what to check before you pick one.

OptionWhat it doesPriceWhere it runs
MeshmixerFree software for working with triangle meshes [1]; includes hollowing with escape holes and branching support structures [1]Free [1]not published
Simplify3DStates 3.0x faster slicing performance [2]; customers in over 170 countries [2]not publishednot published
LunarWerx 3D PrintBrowser tools for ironing settings, injection moulding checks and foam inserts [3]Free to use [3]In a web browser [3]

The short answer

Meshmixer is free software for working with triangle meshes. [1] Simplify3D states its software has 3.0x faster slicing performance. [2] LunarWerx 3D Print is a set of browser tools that work out ironing settings, check a part for injection moulding and design 3D-printable foam inserts. [3] For mesh work, Meshmixer's page lists hollowing with escape holes and branching support structures for 3D printing. [1] If slicing speed matters, Simplify3D's page claims 3.0x faster slicing performance. [2] If you need ironing settings exported as a ready 3MF file, the LunarWerx 3D Print claims say it does that. [3] The three can be looked at as different jobs rather than strict replacements.

What Meshmixer, Simplify3D is built for

Autodesk's page lists Meshmixer as free software for working with triangle meshes. [1] For 3D printing work, its page lists hollowing with escape holes and branching support structures for 3D printing. [1] Those are the features its page names here; anything more should be checked on its own page. Simplify3D's page states it has 3.0x faster slicing performance. [2] It says the team has been providing tools for additive manufacturing for more than a decade. [2] It says customers in over 170 countries use its software. [2] Together those are the facts its own page gives here; other details are not covered by these sources.

What LunarWerx 3D Print is built for

LunarWerx 3D Print is made by the team that publishes this site. It is a set of browser tools for ironing settings, injection moulding checks and foam inserts. [3] The ironing helper works out settings for your printer, material and finish and exports a ready 3MF file. [3] It makes a 9-pad or 16-pad test plate, and you mark each pad as worked or not. [3] You can click flat top surfaces, and the export adds a modifier part over each picked surface. [3] The mould helper runs 13 checks, shows shrinkage, pressure and weak-point maps, and builds the two mould halves; all numbers are estimates. [3] The foam tool lays parts out in a box and designs a foam tray and top pad that each part lifts out of. [3] It also turns backwards faces in an STL file right side out and says how many it fixed. [3]

Pricing and fees

Meshmixer is listed as free. [1] The facts given here do not state a price for Simplify3D, so check its own page. LunarWerx 3D Print says its tools are free to use. [3] No card fee or add-on fee is published for any of the three tools in these sources.

Setting it up and printing

The facts gathered here do not state system requirements or setup steps for Meshmixer or Simplify3D, so check each one's own page for what you need. LunarWerx 3D Print runs in a web browser. [3] You use it on its website, which is hosted on Cloudflare. [3] It runs only in your browser; sign in with Connections and your settings, recent test plates and print results follow you to every computer. [3] For your slicer, an uploaded Bambu or Orca project gets per-object ironing settings, and the rest of the file stays unchanged. [3] One checkbox slows just the first layer to 15 mm/s by default. [3]

Things to check before you choose

Ask which job you need done: mesh editing, slicing speed, or settings and design helpers. Check what setup and system your chosen tool needs, since the facts here do not state them for Meshmixer or Simplify3D. Ask whether a browser tool suits your workflow, since LunarWerx 3D Print runs in a web browser. [3] Mould numbers are estimates, so decide how much weight to give them. [3] If you want to see the code of the tool you use, check each one's licence; the LunarWerx 3D Print code package is marked private, not public. [3]

How to choose

If you work with triangle meshes, Meshmixer is listed as free and covers hollowing and branching support structures. [1] [1] If slicing speed is a need, Simplify3D's page claims 3.0x faster slicing performance. [2] If you want ironing settings with test plates, LunarWerx 3D Print says it makes them. [3] If you want to add ironing to an existing Bambu or Orca project, it adds per-object settings. [3] If you want a foam insert for a box of parts, it designs one. [3] If you want a free tool, it says the tools are free to use. [3]

Frequently asked questions

Is Meshmixer free?

Meshmixer is listed as free on Autodesk's page. [1] The facts given here do not say what that covers, so check its own page for the exact terms before you rely on it. Simplify3D has no price published in these sources. LunarWerx 3D Print says its tools are free to use. [3]

Does simplify3D work faster?

Simplify3D's page states it has 3.0x faster slicing performance. [2] That claim is the only performance figure its page gives here, and it does not state what it is compared with, so check its own page for the details before you decide. No other tool on this page publishes a slicing speed figure.

Does Meshmixer work for 3D printing?

Meshmixer's page lists hollowing with escape holes and branching support structures for 3D printing. [1] Those are the 3D printing features its page names here. It is listed as free. [1] The facts here say nothing about setup or system needs, so check its own page for those.

Does LunarWerx 3D Print need to be installed?

LunarWerx 3D Print runs in a web browser. [3] You use it on its website, which is hosted on Cloudflare. [3] Sign in with Connections and your settings, recent test plates and print results follow you to every computer. [3]

Does LunarWerx 3D Print work with existing projects?

For an uploaded Bambu or Orca project, LunarWerx 3D Print says it adds per-object ironing settings and keeps the rest of the file unchanged. [3] It also exports a ready 3MF file with ironing settings. [3] The facts here do not say whether Meshmixer or Simplify3D handles those project files.

The tools are free to use. [3]

Try LunarWerx 3D Print

Sources

  1. Meshmixer, meshmixer.com, read 2026-10-07
  2. Simplify3D, simplify3d.com, read 2026-10-10
  3. LunarWerx 3D Print's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

Related comparisons