clayground
Shapelab is a paid VR sculpting app with polygon and voxel engines, aimed at 3D artists who want VR in their production workflow. Clayground is a free VR clay sculpting app for Meta Quest, plus a free browser studio, aimed at people who want to make characters by hand without a PC or a subscription.
Side by side
| Clayground | Shapelab | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Lite $34.99, or Max at $9.99 a month / $49.99 a year, with a 7-day trial (shapelabvr.com, October 2026) |
| Runs on | Standalone Meta Quest, plus any browser and phone | Meta Quest and PC VR |
| Clay | Volumetric clay you push, pull, carve and smooth | Polygon and voxel sculpting engines |
| Painting | Paint straight onto the clay | Yes |
| Animation | Pose keys with onion skins; one-press loops and clip export in the browser | Check Shapelab's site for current features |
| Export | GLB and OBJ with colour | Common 3D formats for production |
| Without a headset | Free browser studio with a one-tap character generator | No |
| Made by | One independent artist | A dedicated studio team |
Pick Shapelab if
- You sculpt for production and want high-detail meshes for games, film or printing.
- You already work in a professional 3D pipeline and want VR as one step in it.
- A subscription or a one-time licence is fine, and you want a mature, polished tool.
Pick Clayground if
- You want to start sculpting today for free, on the headset, with no PC.
- You make characters, mascots or weird little creatures and like clay that stays soft and lumpy.
- You want to try it on your phone first, or share a sculpt with friends who don't own a headset.
- You'd like to tell the person who makes it what to build next. I read everything at Hey@emotionull.art.
Honestly
Shapelab is the stronger professional tool. Clayground is younger and still in early access, and it won't match a studio-built app on detail or file formats. What it gives you is a free, friendly way to sculpt by hand, a browser studio for when you're away from the headset, and a direct line to the artist who makes it.
You don't have to choose forever: try Clayground's browser studio in a minute, and see the other VR sculpting apps on Quest too.
Questions people ask
Is Clayground free?
Yes. Clayground is free on Meta Quest, and the browser studio is free with no account.
Does Clayground need a PC?
No. It runs on a standalone Meta Quest. The browser studio runs on any modern computer or phone.
Can I move a sculpt from Clayground to Blender?
Yes. Export a GLB or OBJ with colour and open it in Blender, a game engine or an AR app.
Sources
Checked 7 October 2026.