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CAD · head to head

LightWave 3D vs RealityScan

LightWave 3D logo

LightWave 3D

CAD

Complete 3D production suite

From
$999/one-time
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: LightWave 3D user interface appears dated compared to modern competitors; 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: LightWave 3D covers Modeler, RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LightWave 3D and RealityScan actually diverge.

Attributes where LightWave 3D and RealityScan differ
AttributeLightWave 3DRealityScan
Starting price$999/one-timeFree
Pricing modelUnknownFree below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWindows
Founded1990Unknown

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 LightWave 3D

  • Modeler
  • Layout
  • Animation
  • Rendering
  • VPR
  • FiberFX
  • Dynamics
  • Unity

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.

LightWave 3D

  • Animationnot RealityScan
  • VFXnot RealityScan
  • Product visualizationnot RealityScan

RealityScan

  • A two-person heritage survey practice under the revenue threshold that can now run professional photogrammetry at no licence costnot LightWave 3D
  • A film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedulenot LightWave 3D
  • A survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstructionnot LightWave 3D
  • A construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for Unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagerynot LightWave 3D

Where each one falls short

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

LightWave 3D

  • User interface appears dated compared to modern competitors
  • Smaller community than Blender or Maya, resulting in fewer learning resources
  • Less industry adoption in some sectors, potentially affecting job market relevance

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

LightWave 3D

$999/one-time

No published plan breakdown. See the LightWave 3D review.

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 LightWave 3D if

  • You need modeler.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux.
  • You also want layout.
LightWave 3D 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 LightWave 3D or RealityScan better?
Neither clearly leads. LightWave 3D starts at $999/one-time and RealityScan at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LightWave 3D or RealityScan?
RealityScan has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $999/one-time for LightWave 3D and Free for RealityScan.
Does LightWave 3D or RealityScan run on more platforms?
LightWave 3D 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. LightWave 3D starts at $999/one-time.
What is LightWave 3D best used for?
LightWave 3D is most often used for animation, vfx, product visualization. Of those, animation and vfx are not what RealityScan is typically brought in for.
What can LightWave 3D do that RealityScan cannot?
LightWave 3D covers Modeler, Layout, Animation, Rendering. RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LightWave 3D: What is the cost of LightWave 3D?

LightWave 3D 2026 license costs $1,096 USD. Upgrades from previous versions cost $620-$758 USD. There are no subscription fees, only one-time purchase costs.

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.

LightWave 3D: Is there a free trial available?

Yes. LightWave 3D offers a 30-day free full-feature trial, allowing users to evaluate all capabilities before purchase.

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.

LightWave 3D: What rendering engines does it include?

LightWave 2026 includes RiPR2, a next-generation viewport renderer with physically-based global illumination built on Nvidia OptiX and CUDA, plus traditional rendering options.

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.

LightWave 3D: What new features are in LightWave 2026?

LightWave 2026 adds Advanced Placement for physics-based object scattering, MotoRig for vehicle animation, THOR for lightning effects, Fracture tool, Snow Falling 3D, 3D Camera Tracker, and built-in asset browser.

Source
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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