CAD · head to head
RealityScan vs Houdini
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; Houdini houdini Indie at $299 per year requires annual gross revenue under $100K USD
- They diverge on capability: RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Houdini covers Procedural modeling.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which RealityScan and Houdini actually diverge.
| Attribute | RealityScan | Houdini |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free below a revenue threshold, then per seat per year | subscription |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows, MacOS, Linux |
| Founded | Unknown | 1987 |
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 Houdini
- Procedural modeling
- VFX
- Simulations
- Particle systems
- Pyro FX
- Ocean tools
- Rigging
- Rendering
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 Houdini
- A film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedulenot Houdini
- A survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstructionnot Houdini
- A construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for Unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagerynot Houdini
Houdini
- Procedural 3D modelling and environment generationnot RealityScan
- Visual effects simulation for pyro, fluids, cloth and rigid bodiesnot RealityScan
- Building reusable procedural assets for a studio pipelinenot 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
Houdini
- Houdini Indie at $299 per year requires annual gross revenue under $100K USD
- Houdini Indie cannot be used in the same pipeline as commercial versions of Houdini
- Houdini Indie and Apprentice save to their own .hipnc file format, which commercial Houdini pipelines do not share
- The free Apprentice edition is non commercial, caps render resolution at 1920x1080 and watermarks output images
- Houdini Indie ships with only 2 render tokens
- Full DOP level simulation node access requires Houdini FX at $4,495 per workstation; Core at $1,995 exposes only SOP level pre built simulation assets
- Extra render tokens cost $195
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
Houdini
Free- ApprenticeFree
- Learning version
- Non-commercial
- Indie$269/month
- Revenue limit $100K
- Core$1995/month
- Full commercial
- FX$4495/month
- Full + simulations
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 Houdini if
- You need procedural modeling.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- You also want vfx.
Questions people ask
- Is RealityScan or Houdini better?
- Neither clearly leads. RealityScan starts at Free and Houdini at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, RealityScan or Houdini?
- RealityScan starts at Free and Houdini at Free.
- Does RealityScan or Houdini run on more platforms?
- RealityScan runs on Windows. Houdini runs on Windows, MacOS, Linux.
- 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 Houdini is typically brought in for.
- What can RealityScan do that Houdini cannot?
- RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping. Houdini covers Procedural modeling, VFX, Simulations, Particle systems.
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.
Houdini: How much does SideFX Houdini cost?
SideFX Houdini pricing is not published on their website. Specific prices for commercial, educational, and non-commercial licenses must be obtained by adding items to your cart or contacting SideFX sales directly.
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.
Houdini: What license types does Houdini offer?
Houdini offers Commercial licenses (Houdini Indie for under $100K USD annual revenue, Houdini Core, Houdini FX, Houdini Engine), Non-Commercial licenses (Houdini Apprentice free, Houdini Education for Students and Schools), Rental options, and Annual Upgrade Plans. Volume-based discounts are available for Houdini Engine.
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.
Houdini: Is Houdini available for free?
Yes. Houdini Apprentice is available free for non-commercial use. Houdini Education licenses are also available for students and schools at no cost.
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.
Houdini: Are volume discounts available for Houdini?
Yes. Volume-based discounts are available for Houdini Engine licenses. Rental and Annual Upgrade Plan pricing have been adjusted as of Houdini 21.
SourceRelated pages
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