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CAD · head to head

D5 Render vs RealityScan

D5 Render logo

D5 Render

CAD

Real-time ray tracing renderer

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: D5 Render windows-only application with no macOS 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: D5 Render covers Real-time ray tracing, RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which D5 Render and RealityScan actually diverge.

Attributes where D5 Render and RealityScan differ
AttributeD5 RenderRealityScan
Pricing modelUnknownFree below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year
Founded2019Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Windows), 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 D5 Render

  • Real-time ray tracing
  • GI
  • Asset library
  • Video export
  • LiveSync
  • Geo-location
  • SketchUp
  • Revit

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.

D5 Render

  • Architectural visualizationnot RealityScan
  • Interior rendersnot RealityScan

RealityScan

  • A two-person heritage survey practice under the revenue threshold that can now run professional photogrammetry at no licence costnot D5 Render
  • A film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedulenot D5 Render
  • A survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstructionnot D5 Render
  • A construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for Unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagerynot D5 Render

Where each one falls short

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

D5 Render

  • Windows-only application with no macOS support
  • Requires dedicated NVIDIA GPU, limiting hardware compatibility
  • Community edition restricted to non-commercial use only
  • Teams plan at USD 75/seat/month becomes expensive for larger organizations

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

D5 Render

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Full rendering engine with real-time ray tracing
    • Unlimited projects
    • High-resolution image and panorama output
  • Pro$38/month
    • 16K stills and panoramas
    • 4K video
    • Frame sequence rendering
  • Teams$75/month
    • All Pro features
    • Multi-seat licensing
    • Team collaboration

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 D5 Render if

  • You need real-time ray tracing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want gi.
D5 Render 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 D5 Render or RealityScan better?
Neither clearly leads. D5 Render starts at Free and RealityScan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, D5 Render or RealityScan?
D5 Render starts at Free and RealityScan at Free.
Does D5 Render or RealityScan run on more platforms?
Both run on Windows, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use D5 Render for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is D5 Render best used for?
D5 Render is most often used for architectural visualization, interior renders. Of those, architectural visualization and interior renders are not what RealityScan is typically brought in for.
What can D5 Render do that RealityScan cannot?
D5 Render covers Real-time ray tracing, GI, Asset library, Video export. RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

D5 Render: What is the pricing for D5 Render Pro?

D5 Render Pro costs USD 38/month or USD 360/year. Annual billing saves 20-21% compared to monthly payments.

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.

D5 Render: Is there a free version of D5 Render?

Yes. D5 Render Community edition is free for non-commercial use. It includes the full rendering engine with real-time ray tracing, unlimited projects, and approximately 2,000 library models and materials.

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.

D5 Render: Does D5 Render work on macOS?

No. D5 Render is a Windows-only application that requires a dedicated NVIDIA GPU. There is no Mac version available.

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.

D5 Render: What are the output resolution capabilities in Pro?

D5 Render Pro supports 16K stills and panoramas, 4K video, frame sequence rendering, and VR output with full Showreel capabilities.

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.

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