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CAD · head to head

RealityScan vs Siemens NX

RealityScan logo

RealityScan

CAD

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Siemens NX logo

Siemens NX

CAD

Integrated product design and manufacturing

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only RealityScan has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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; Siemens NX siemens NX offers only a 30-day free trial with no published subscription or perpetual license price; buyers must go through a sales process to get pricing, per the vendor's own product page.
  • They diverge on capability: RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Siemens NX covers Advanced CAD.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which RealityScan and Siemens NX actually diverge.

Attributes where RealityScan and Siemens NX differ
AttributeRealityScanSiemens NX
Starting priceFree$29/month
Pricing modelFree below a revenue threshold, then per seat per yearsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindowsWindows, Linux
FoundedUnknown1963

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 RealityScan

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

Only in Siemens NX

  • Advanced CAD
  • CAM programming
  • CAE simulation
  • Additive manufacturing
  • Sheet metal
  • Mold design
  • Industrial machinery
  • Teamcenter PLM

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 Siemens NX
  • A film or games asset team scanning props and environments at very high image counts where processing speed decides the schedulenot Siemens NX
  • A survey firm combining terrestrial laser scans with drone photography and needing both aligned in a single reconstructionnot Siemens NX
  • A construction reality-capture operator producing meshes for Unreal-based client visualisation from the same source imagerynot Siemens NX

Siemens NX

  • Enterprise product designnot RealityScan
  • Manufacturingnot RealityScan
  • Simulationnot 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

Siemens NX

  • Siemens NX offers only a 30-day free trial with no published subscription or perpetual license price; buyers must go through a sales process to get pricing, per the vendor's own product page.

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

Siemens NX

$29/month
  • NX Design$4500/month
    • CAD design
    • Core modeling
  • NX CAM$5500/month
    • Manufacturing programming
  • NX Complete$8500/month
    • Full suite
    • CAD/CAM/CAE

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.
RealityScan review

Choose Siemens NX if

  • You need advanced cad.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want cam programming.
Siemens NX review

Questions people ask

Is RealityScan or Siemens NX better?
Neither clearly leads. RealityScan starts at Free and Siemens NX at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, RealityScan or Siemens NX?
RealityScan has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for RealityScan and $29/month for Siemens NX.
Does RealityScan or Siemens NX run on more platforms?
RealityScan runs on Windows. Siemens NX runs on Windows, Linux.
Can I use RealityScan for free?
Yes. RealityScan has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Siemens NX starts at $29/month.
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 Siemens NX is typically brought in for.
What can RealityScan do that Siemens NX cannot?
RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping. Siemens NX covers Advanced CAD, CAM programming, CAE simulation, Additive manufacturing.

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.

Siemens NX: Does Siemens NX offer a free trial?

Yes, Siemens offers a 30-day free trial of both Designcenter CAD and NX CAM software that is fully functional. Users can get a hands-on feel for the software without any financial commitment before purchasing.

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.

Siemens NX: Is NX free for students?

Yes, Siemens offers free CAD/CAM Student Edition access to Designcenter and NX for students and educators. Academic offerings are available for those in educational institutions.

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.

Siemens NX: What licensing options does NX provide for different business sizes?

Siemens offers scalable licensing for startups, mid-size companies, and multinational corporations. Designcenter and NX CAM support flexible team-based licensing to match organizational size and manufacturing needs.

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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