Softwr

CAD · head to head

BricsCAD vs RealityScan

BricsCAD logo

BricsCAD

CAD

DWG-based CAD platform

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RealityScan logo

RealityScan

CAD

The photogrammetry engine formerly called RealityCapture, free below a one million dollar revenue line

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only RealityScan has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: BricsCAD the Lite edition has no 3D modelling, surveying or point cloud support; RealityScan the free tier is bounded by company revenue rather than by usage, so a business crossing one million US dollars of turnover acquires a per-seat cost overnight for software its workflow now depends on
  • They diverge on capability: BricsCAD covers DWG native, RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BricsCAD and RealityScan actually diverge.

Attributes where BricsCAD and RealityScan differ
AttributeBricsCADRealityScan
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelone-timeFree below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, MacOS, LinuxWindows
Founded2002Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (CAD).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BricsCAD

  • DWG native
  • 2D drafting
  • 3D modeling
  • BIM
  • Sheet metal
  • Mechanical
  • LISP support
  • AutoCAD compatible

Only in RealityScan

  • Photogrammetric reconstruction
  • Laser scan fusion
  • Ground control points
  • Texturing and unwrapping
  • Command line interface
  • Unreal Engine path
  • Component alignment control

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BricsCAD

  • 2D drafting as a DWG native alternative to AutoCADnot RealityScan
  • 3D mechanical design and assembly modellingnot RealityScan
  • BIM modelling and construction documentationnot RealityScan

RealityScan

  • A two-person heritage survey practice under the revenue threshold that can now run professional photogrammetry at no licence costnot BricsCAD
  • A film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedulenot BricsCAD
  • A survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstructionnot BricsCAD
  • A construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for Unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagerynot BricsCAD

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BricsCAD

  • The Lite edition has no 3D modelling, surveying or point cloud support
  • Lite is sold as a network licence only with a 5 seat minimum
  • Mechanical excludes BIM tools and BIM excludes mechanical and surveying tools, so cross discipline work needs Ultimate at 1,176 euro
  • Importing 3D geometry and PMI from other CAD systems requires the Communicator add on at 294 euro per year
  • Network licences require the customer to run their own licence server
  • Maintenance is included for the first year only and renewal is a separate annual charge on perpetual licences
  • Listed prices exclude local taxes
  • Bricsys now trades as Octave and the product site has moved to bricscad.octave.com

RealityScan

  • The free tier is bounded by company revenue rather than by usage, so a business crossing one million US dollars of turnover acquires a per-seat cost overnight for software its workflow now depends on
  • New perpetual licences are no longer sold, so an organisation that deliberately avoided subscription software has no route in; existing perpetual holders keep their version but stop receiving updates unless they accept the current terms
  • It is Windows only and needs an NVIDIA CUDA capable GPU, which excludes macOS studios and makes the real cost of adoption a workstation purchase rather than a licence
  • The rename from RealityCapture to RealityScan in 2025 means tutorials, forum answers and third party pipeline documentation are split across two names and several licensing regimes, and much of it is now wrong about price
  • The interface assumes photogrammetry knowledge; alignment failures, control point placement and reconstruction region setup are not guided, so a team without an experienced operator produces poor models quickly rather than good ones slowly

Pricing, plan by plan

BricsCAD

$29/month
  • Lite$550/month
    • 2D drafting
  • Pro$875/month
    • 2D + 3D
  • Ultimate$1575/month
    • All features

RealityScan

Free
  • Free tierFree
    • For individuals and companies with annual revenue under 1,000,000 USD
    • Full application, no metered input charges
    • Epic account required
  • RealityScan seat$1250/year
    • Required once annual revenue exceeds 1,000,000 USD
    • Per seat, per year
    • Commercial use without output restrictions
  • Unreal Engine subscription$1850/year
    • Per seat per year
    • Includes RealityScan and Twinmotion
    • For teams that also need Unreal Engine for non-game commercial use

Which should you pick?

Choose BricsCAD if

  • You need dwg native.
  • You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
  • You also want 2d drafting.
BricsCAD review

Choose RealityScan if

  • You need photogrammetric reconstruction.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want laser scan fusion.
RealityScan review

Questions people ask

Is BricsCAD or RealityScan better?
Neither clearly leads. BricsCAD starts at $29/month and RealityScan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BricsCAD or RealityScan?
RealityScan has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for BricsCAD and Free for RealityScan.
Does BricsCAD or RealityScan run on more platforms?
BricsCAD runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux. RealityScan runs on Windows.
Can I use RealityScan for free?
Yes. RealityScan has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BricsCAD starts at $29/month.
What is BricsCAD best used for?
BricsCAD is most often used for 2d drafting as a dwg native alternative to autocad, 3d mechanical design and assembly modelling, bim modelling and construction documentation. Of those, 2d drafting as a dwg native alternative to autocad and 3d mechanical design and assembly modelling are not what RealityScan is typically brought in for.
What can BricsCAD do that RealityScan cannot?
BricsCAD covers DWG native, 2D drafting, 3D modeling, BIM. RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BricsCAD: Does BricsCAD offer a trial?

Yes, BricsCAD offers a 30-day trial to 'Start designing in BricsCAD today'.

Source
RealityScan: Is RealityCapture still called that?

No. Epic rebranded it to RealityScan with version 2.0 in 2025. It is the same engine and the same team.

BricsCAD: Is BricsCAD free for any users?

Yes, BricsCAD is available at no cost for students and schools.

Source
RealityScan: Who gets it free?

Individuals and companies with annual revenue under one million US dollars. Above that, a seat is 1,250 US dollars per year.

BricsCAD: What product tiers does BricsCAD offer?

BricsCAD offers five tiers: Lite (essential 2D CAD), Pro (professional 2D & 3D CAD), Mechanical (2D & 3D mechanical CAD), BIM (2D & 3D building modeling), and Ultimate (integrated 2D & 3D for multiple disciplines). Specific pricing for each tier is not disclosed on the website.

Source
RealityScan: Can I still buy a perpetual licence?

Not for new purchases. Existing perpetual licences remain valid for the version owned, with updates only under the current terms.

RealityScan: Does the free version restrict output?

No output metering or watermarking; the restriction is on who qualifies, based on company revenue, not on what you export.

Share

Related pages

More on BricsCAD

More on RealityScan

Keep looking

Other head to heads