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CAD · head to head

RealityScan vs Unreal Engine

RealityScan logo

RealityScan

CAD

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Unreal Engine logo

Unreal Engine

Entertainment

The world's most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Unreal Engine 5% royalty triggered on any project exceeding $1 million in gross revenue across all revenue sources
  • They diverge on capability: RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Unreal Engine covers Real-time ray tracing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which RealityScan and Unreal Engine actually diverge.

Attributes where RealityScan and Unreal Engine differ
AttributeRealityScanUnreal Engine
Pricing modelFree below a revenue threshold, then per seat per yearUnknown
PlatformsWindowsPC, macOS, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, VR, AR
CategoryCADEntertainment
FoundedUnknown1991

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Unreal Engine

  • Real-time ray tracing
  • Nanite geometry
  • Lumen global illumination
  • Blueprint visual scripting
  • C++ programming
  • World composition
  • Animation systems
  • Audio engine

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

Unreal Engine

  • AAA game developmentnot RealityScan
  • Indie game creationnot RealityScan
  • Architectural visualizationnot RealityScan
  • Film and TV productionnot RealityScan
  • VR/AR experiencesnot 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

Unreal Engine

  • 5% royalty triggered on any project exceeding $1 million in gross revenue across all revenue sources
  • Smaller mobile game ecosystem compared to Unity, with fewer optimized mobile libraries and live-ops services

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

Unreal Engine

Free
  • Game DevelopmentFree
    • Nanite geometry
    • Lumen global illumination
    • Blueprint visual scripting
  • Non-Game Commercial$1850/year
    • No royalties
    • Enterprise features

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 Unreal Engine if

  • You need real-time ray tracing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on PC, macOS, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, VR, AR.
  • You also want nanite geometry.
Unreal Engine review

Questions people ask

Is RealityScan or Unreal Engine better?
Neither clearly leads. RealityScan starts at Free and Unreal Engine at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, RealityScan or Unreal Engine?
RealityScan starts at Free and Unreal Engine at Free.
Does RealityScan or Unreal Engine run on more platforms?
RealityScan runs on Windows. Unreal Engine runs on PC, macOS, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, VR, AR.
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 Unreal Engine is typically brought in for.
What can RealityScan do that Unreal Engine cannot?
RealityScan covers Photogrammetric reconstruction, Laser scan fusion, Ground control points, Texturing and unwrapping. Unreal Engine covers Real-time ray tracing, Nanite geometry, Lumen global illumination, Blueprint visual scripting.

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.

Unreal Engine: What is Unreal Engine's royalty structure?

Unreal Engine is free upfront with a 5% royalty on gross revenue worldwide after a project exceeds $1 million in lifetime gross revenue. This includes in-app purchases, advertising, and direct sales but excludes indirect revenue.

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.

Unreal Engine: What platforms can Unreal Engine target?

Unreal Engine supports PC, VR, AR, gaming consoles, and mobile devices. The royalty fee applies across all platforms.

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.

Unreal Engine: What are Unreal Engine's graphics capabilities?

Unreal Engine 5 features Nanite virtualized geometry and Lumen global illumination, enabling photorealistic AAA workflows. Nanite replaces traditional LOD systems with 128-triangle clusters and software rasterization for superior visual fidelity.

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.

Unreal Engine: Do non-game developers pay royalties?

No. Non-game commercial teams pay $1,850 per seat per year instead of royalties. This covers enterprise use cases outside traditional game development.

Source
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