3DTuning for iPhone

Free car designer for the car lover

3DTuning is a unique 3D model generator program that allows you to render 3D photorealistic car configurations for free. Developed by 3DTuning LLC, this car tuner app lets you style your dream car with various customization options and it plays out like a dress-up game for vehicles. If you’re an uber car enthusiast who would like to design your own pimped-out ride or you just want to see how a certain part or color would look on a car model, then this is the car configurator you should try.

Be a car designer

The beauty of 3D modeling programs is that you can use them to display virtual models of objects and play around with their design without having to waste money or time on the real thing. These programs also help in preparing you with your choices—like, for example, seeing how a window style might look on a house model before picking it for your dream home. 

What comes to mind may be SketchUp, used mainly for architectural designs; MikuMikuDance (MMD), used mainly for 3D animated movies about dancing characters; and CityEngine, used for the generation of 3D urban environments. If you’re thinking about video game terms, The Sims’ franchise with its Build Mode is also probably something you thought of. Plus, popular car racing games tend to let you customize your racecars. 

3DTuning doesn’t fully fall into any of these categories, however—in fact, it’s not even a full-on 3D modeling program. 3DTuning, in the simplest of terms, is a virtual car tuner and configurator. With it, you can customize preset car models for free. You can’t use your design to race on other video games, though.

Your virtual garage

There are three modes 3DTuning offers: Tuning Configurator, Truck Configurator, and Wheel Configurator. Tuning Configurator lets you choose any car, truck, or bike model from known automobile brands and customize them with parts. From the wheels to the side mirrors, you can choose different designs for them and even paint them in different colors and finishes under the Finishes tab. 

Not all brands will have all their models available, however, and the type of vehicle will predictably only accommodate the parts that they naturally can. This means that cars won’t have customizable exhausts as motorbikes do. Nevertheless, it’s easy to start customizing your chosen model, as the selection options show visual icons to help you, all under the Parts tab. Underneath the customization, a window is a list of text details on your edits. 

Lastly, the Settings tab gives sliders for the window tint and suspension level and lets you choose display options for previewing. The Truck Configurator mode is mostly the same but it’s more focused on the off-road and pick-up trucks. Meanwhile, the Wheel Configurator is for the exclusive vehicles on exclusive wheels, allowing you to customize these specialized parts.

Not bad of a choice

3DTuning offers more than 600 car models and 1,000 car parts that you can play around with. Its community is active with the design challenges and competitions you can join if you’re a registered user. It’s available for both your web browser and your phone, but even with all of this, 3DTuning can still fall behind its rival car configurators. For one, 3DTuning doesn’t have licenses on some of the models it offers. Another is that the customization is mostly just skin-deep and you can’t play with the interiors and engines. Plus, not all car models from one brand is available. Nevertheless, 3DTuning impresses with its photorealistic 3D models of cars.