What’s the Difference Between Iray, 3Delight, and Filament in Daz Studio? (2025 Guide)

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If you’re using Daz Studio and wondering which render engine is best for your project, you’re not alone. Daz Studio offers multiple built-in rendering options — Iray, 3Delight, and Filament — each with its own strengths, limitations, and ideal use cases.

In this article, we’ll break down:

What is Iray, 3Delight, and Filament?
How do they compare in terms of performance and quality?
Which rendering engine should you choose in 2025 for your workflow?

What Is Iray in Daz Studio?

Iray is a physically based, GPU-accelerated render engine developed by NVIDIA. It simulates real-world lighting, shadows, reflections, and materials with high realism.

Best for:

Photorealistic stills
High-quality character renders
Artists who have powerful NVIDIA GPU

Watch out:

Slower on weaker hardware
GPU dependent
Longer render times compared to real-time engines

What Is 3Delight?

3Delight is a CPU-based render engine that supports cinematic-quality features like subsurface scattering and advanced shading. While not as physically accurate as Iray, it can still deliver solid results with artistic control.

Best for:

Users without high-end GPUs
Stylized or NPR (non-photorealistic rendering)
Faster previews on CPU systems

Limitations:

Not as realistic as Iray
May require more shader tweaking

What Is Filament?

Filament is a real-time render engine that provides near-instant feedback. It’s perfect for quick previews, posing, and scene layout.

Best for:

Fast previews
Scene composition
Low-end systems or laptops

Not Ideal for:

Final-quality renders
Photorealism

Which Render Engine Should You Use in 2025?

Final Thoughts
If you’re aiming for photorealism and cinematic quality, go with Iray — but make sure your system has the GPU power to support it.
If you’re on a CPU-only setup or want more artistic control, 3Delight is a solid alternative.
For speed and testing scenes quickly, Filament is the go-to option.

Want to render faster with Iray or 3Delight? Check out iRender’s high-performance GPU cloud rendering optimized for Daz Studio.

💡 Still unsure which render engine to choose? Drop your questions in the comments or try them out side by side — your workflow and final goals will help guide the right choice!