Mari Review and verdict 2026

Foundry's high-resolution 3D texture painting tool for film and games.

From 32€/mo.

Our take

Understanding Mari.

Mari is Foundry's high-end 3D texture painting tool, built for film. Its specialty is painting ultra-detailed textures on very heavy models (creatures, hero characters), handling massive resolutions and large numbers of UDIMs without flinching. It's the VFX studios' tool for front-line assets.

The downside is that it's specialized and pricey: the commercial version runs around €3,139/year, with a more affordable Mari Indie offer for freelancers and a non-commercial version to learn. Foundry is also moving its whole catalog to subscription by 2027.

Who it's for: film texture artists and demanding studio pipelines. For most needs (games, freelance, everyday projects), Substance 3D Painter is more accessible, cheaper and largely dominant thanks to its PBR flow. Mari mainly earns its place on hero film-production assets where resolution and UDIM counts explode.

Practical uses

Paint textures for a film character.
Texture assets for an AAA game.
Prepare high-resolution textures for rendering.

Pros and cons

What Mari does especially well — and the limits to anticipate.

Pros

Handles very heavy textures and models.
Recognized standard in VFX and film.
High-resolution multi-UDIM support.
Integrates into production pipelines.

Cons

No free version.
High cost and steep learning curve.
Overkill for simple projects.

Mari: when it makes sense.

Mari is the pick for high-end texturing on complex assets; for simple models or occasional use, a lighter solution is enough.

Keep if

You paint textures on complex, detailed 3D assets.. You work in VFX, film or AAA games.

Mari becomes worthwhile when

You use it at least once a week
The monthly cost (€32) is small next to the time it saves you

Challenge if

You're starting out texturing simple models.. Occasional use doesn't justify the cost.

Mari becomes too expensive when

You use it less than once a month
A cheaper alternative already covers the essentials: Pour la plupart des usages (jeu, freelance), Substance 3D Painter est plus accessible, moins cher et dominant grâce à son flux PBR.

Our verdict on Mari.

Why this verdict

Very good

Mari is fairly easy to replace with an alternative, a free tier to test before paying, clearly documented use cases.