CAD · head to head
RealityScan vs Rhino 3D
RealityScan
CAD
The photogrammetry engine formerly called RealityCapture, free below a one million dollar revenue line
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; Rhino 3D windows-only for certain features including 3D digitizing hardware support
- They diverge on capability: RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Rhino 3D covers NURBS modeling.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which RealityScan and Rhino 3D actually diverge.
| Attribute | RealityScan | Rhino 3D |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year | one-time |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, Mac, iOS |
| Founded | Unknown | 1980 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 RealityScan
- Photogrammetric reconstruction
- Laser scan fusion
- Ground control points
- Texturing and unwrapping
- Command line interface
- Unreal Engine path
- Component alignment control
Only in Rhino 3D
- NURBS modeling
- Surface modeling
- 3D visualization
- Grasshopper
- Rendering
- Grasshopper
- KeyShot
- V-Ray
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
RealityScan
- A two-person heritage survey practice under the revenue threshold that can now run professional photogrammetry at no licence costnot Rhino 3D
- A film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedulenot Rhino 3D
- A survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstructionnot Rhino 3D
- A construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for Unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagerynot Rhino 3D
Rhino 3D
- NURBS-based 3D modelling for product design and engineeringnot RealityScan
- Precision engineering and prototyping (aerospace, automotive, jewellery)not RealityScan
- Generative design with Grasshopper visual programmingnot RealityScan
- Mesh editing and point cloud processingnot RealityScan
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Rhino 3D
- Windows-only for certain features including 3D digitizing hardware support
- Performance depends on hardware capabilities; complex projects require better equipment
- Pre-release/Work-in-Progress builds may contain bugs and are not production ready
Pricing, plan by plan
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
Rhino 3D
Free- EvaluationFree
- 90-day trial
- All features included
- No credit card required
- Student License$195/mo
- Perpetual license
- Support included
- Service releases
- Commercial License$995/mo
- Perpetual license
- Support included
- Service releases
- Student Upgrade$95/mo
- Perpetual license
- Requires prior license key
- Support included
Which should you pick?
Choose RealityScan if
- You need photogrammetric reconstruction.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows.
- You also want laser scan fusion.
Choose Rhino 3D if
- You need nurbs modeling.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Mac, iOS.
- You also want surface modeling.
Questions people ask
- Is RealityScan or Rhino 3D better?
- Neither clearly leads. RealityScan starts at Free and Rhino 3D at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, RealityScan or Rhino 3D?
- RealityScan starts at Free and Rhino 3D at Free.
- Does RealityScan or Rhino 3D run on more platforms?
- RealityScan runs on Windows. Rhino 3D runs on Windows, Mac, iOS.
- Can I use RealityScan for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is RealityScan best used for?
- RealityScan is most often used for a two-person heritage survey practice under the revenue threshold that can now run professional photogrammetry at no licence cost, a film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedule, a survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstruction, a construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagery. Of those, a two-person heritage survey practice under the revenue threshold that can now run professional photogrammetry at no licence cost and a film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedule are not what Rhino 3D is typically brought in for.
- What can RealityScan do that Rhino 3D cannot?
- RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping. Rhino 3D covers NURBS modeling, Surface modeling, 3D visualization, Grasshopper.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
Rhino 3D: How much does Rhino 3D cost?
Student licenses cost EUR 195, commercial licenses cost EUR 995. Both are perpetual one-time purchases. Upgrades from prior versions cost EUR 95 for students and EUR 595 for commercial users.
SourceRealityScan: 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.
Rhino 3D: Is there a free trial?
Yes, a 90-day evaluation license is available free with no credit card required. Full features are included and commercial use is allowed.
SourceRealityScan: 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.
Rhino 3D: Can Rhino 3D licenses be shared across multiple users?
Commercial versions support floating licenses that can be shared. Student licenses are limited to single-user perpetual licenses. All licenses include support and service releases.
SourceRealityScan: 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.
Related pages
More on RealityScan
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