Metashape by Agisoft is a versatile photo-processing tool for creating detailed 2D or 3D models from images, widely used in various industries due to its compatibility across different operating systems and rich feature set.
Considering alternatives to Metashape, one can explore Agisoft PhotoScan, 3DF Zephyr, Pix4D, ReCap Pro, ContextCapture, Reality Capture, and others for similar functionalities in the realm of photogrammetry and 3D modeling.
Agisoft
Meet Agisoft, the mastermind behind the notably powerful photogrammetric software ‘Metashape’, earlier known as ‘Photoscan’.
Agisoft: Weaponry of Strength
Impressive Pricing: With a perpetual license available at $179 (standard edition), and even more lucrative deals for education, it’s financially feasible.
Hardware capabilities: Unleash power with no bounds on the number of photos or GPUs used. The discretion is recommended with integrated GPUs.
Refined Performance: Revel in optimized processing, with the speed more than double of what it used to be.
Feature
Description
Noise Elimination
Experience an enhanced mesh from depth maps for noise obviation and detail enhancement.
Content-creation Tools
Devices for refining mesh, creating mesh from depth maps, direct video imports, and decomposing into frames are available.
Masking Tools
Efficient background removal and dense point cloud streamlining.
Agisoft Downfalls
Integrated GPUs: While allowing unlimited GPU usage, caution is advised with integrated GPUs.
Agisoft Pricing
Agisoft’s Metashape brings affordability to the commercial market. The standard edition comes at a perpetual license cost of $179, while the educational discount offers it for just $59, ensuring a high value-for-money offering.
Agisoft At Play
Use case 1: Reality Capture
Agisoft provides a cost-effective solution catering to reality capture needs, free of constraints on the number of photos used.
Use case 2: Edtech
Restricted budgets in edtech communities find relief in Agisoft; Trinity community models on Sketchfab stand testament to its potentials.
Use case 3: Visual Effects Production
For visual effects production, Agisoft offers refined meshes and depth maps to ensure high-quality models with detail enhancements.
PhotoScan
An innovative brainchild of Google, PhotoScan arrived on the scene in 2018. This transformational app turns tangible photos into crisp and digitally enhanced scans designed with an exceptional eye for detail.
PhotoScan Top Features
Employs innovative AI technology, image recognition, and enhancement algorithms for top-notch image quality.
Touts a user-friendly interface, catering to usage simplicity and intuitive nature.
Offers quick processing, delivering a scan within a 15 and 30-second window.
Executes automatic cropping via edge detection, incorporates perspective correction, and supports smart rotation features.
Ingeniously stitches multiple images to produce a final composite product, devoid of glare.
Feature
Benefit
Glare-free scans
Improves the quality of scans by reducing glare and distortions.
Resolution
Captures images at a resolution of 72 pixels per inch, excellent for online sharing.
Integration with Google Photos
Allows easy editing, organization, and sharing of images.
PhotoScan Limitations
Dependent on the phone camera’s quality for the output quality.
Scanning speed is influenced by glare-free environments.
PhotoScan Use Cases
Personal Archiving
PhotoScan is an excellent tool for people looking to digitize their physical photo collections and archive memories.
Professional Settings
Museums and historical societies can leverage PhotoScan for digitizing their extensive artifacts and creating virtual tours.
Educational Purposes
It serves as an effective tool for learners and educators alike, enabling the conversion of tactile learning resources into accessible digital formats.
CloudCompare
Envision a world populated with 3D point clouds and triangular meshes, effortlessly processed by a software spun by the intellect at Telecom ParisTech and EDF R&D division. Welcome, readers, to CloudCompare— an open source software backed by an expansive and impressive technical scaffold.
CloudCompare’s Top Features
Manually editing and rendering 3D points clouds and triangular meshes, with unlimited scalar fields per point cloud.
Advance algorithms that cover an extensive range from projections and registration to distance computation and geometric features estimation.
Dynamic color rendering system that enhances visualization of per-point scalar fields.
Automation in the form of interactive segmentation of 3D entities, with capabilities to manage singular as well as multiple entities.
Support for an multitude of formats including BIN, ASCII cloud, PLY cloud and more, further complemented by an ability to import specific manufacturer’s formats and to export Maya ASCII files.
Compatibility
Details
Platforms
Windows, Linux, Mac OS X for both 32 and 64 bits architectures
Large point clouds handling
Exceeding 10 million points
Extension
Supports plugin mechanism, extending capacities with standard plugins for algorithms and OpenGL plugins for advanced shaders.
CloudCompare Limitations
The software trims down to mainly point cloud processing while triangular mesh is seen as a secondary entity.
Requires technological proficiency for maximum efficiency, and may prove tedious for novices.
CloudCompare Pricing
Tiered to accommodate, CloudCompare is both open source and free.
CloudCompare Use Cases
Use Case 1 – Industrial Sites
In the labyrinthine complexity of industrial sites, CloudCompare emerges as a useful tool for change detection and subsistence monitoring.
Use Case 2 – 3D Data Processing
For professionals seeking a tool for advance 3D data processing, CloudCompare provides an array of algorithms and features, thereby, raising the bar.
Use Case 3 – Educational Purpose
Educationists and students striving to understand the nuances of workflow, point cloud processing, and animation can tap into CloudCompare’s online courses and step-by-step instructions.
Meshroom
Step right into the limitless vastness of your creative terrain with Meshroom, a peerless, free, open-source 3D Reconstruction Software. Engineered with the strength of the AliceVision framework, Meshroom is the brainchild of a dynamic collaboration between academia and industry and is your ticket to the future of 3D modeling and augmented reality.
Meshroom Top Features
Powerful and Robust Algorithms: AliceVision, the lifeblood of Meshroom provides superior 3D Reconstruction and Camera Tracking algorithms.
Full Customization: Designed for seamless integration in render farm systems, Meshroom allows for customization that fits right into your studio pipeline.
Wide Range of Tools: Meshroom is equipped with Blender, Maya, Houdini plugins, CCTag library, and PopSIFT.
Feature
Benefit
Real-time 3D Capture
Meshroom targets real-time 3D capture with devices like Microsoft Kinect or Asus’s Xtion Pro Live.
Compatibility
Available for both Windows and OSX/Linux users. Meaning more people can unleash their creativity.
Extended Photogrammetry
Meshroom extends photogrammetry to large-scale projects like a CT scanned human body.
Meshroom Limitations
Publications using Meshroom require citation.
Video inputs are acceptable but produce lower quality than still images.
Specific objects, like those that are glossy or transparent, require a coating of powder, flour, chalk spray, or painters tape for optimal results.
Meshroom Pricing
Unleash your creativity without constraints because Meshroom is open-source and absolutely free!
Meshroom Use Cases
Use Case 1: 3D Printing & 3D Scanning
With its superior 3D reconstruction ability, Meshroom is an ideal solution for 3D printing and 3D scanning.
Use Case 2: Photogrammetry
Meshroom brings a new dimension to photogrammetry with its unique attributes of real-time 3D capture and effective handling of textured, rough items.
Use Case 3: Robotics & Medicine
Through its large-scale project handling capabilities, Meshroom positively impacts industries like Robotics and Medicine, bringing about a transformation in digitizing the physical world.
Metascan
The Metascan app is designed with modern technology in mind, offering 3D and LiDAR scanning capabilities. Compatible with any iOS device from 2015 and beyond, it’s a powerful tool for both consumers and professionals.
Metascan Top Features
Supports LiDAR and Photo Mode, with photos deleted after model processing for privacy.
Comes with Metascan Pro subscription, offering higher detail scans and all supported file formats.
Supports mesh formats: USDZ, OBJ, glTF, FBX, STL and point cloud formats: LAZ, PLY, XYZ.
Powerful anti-malware tool, scanning files using 17 antivirus engines.
Partnered with OPSWAT, ensuring instant access to thousands of malware samples daily for increased detection.
Processing Modes
Compatibility
LiDAR and Photo modes
Devices from 2015 with iOS 15 or above
Includes 40 anti-virus/anti-malware engines
All file types up to 40MB
Metascan Limitations
Requires an active internet connection.
Unable to scan website or blog URLs.
Scanning process time can be influenced by file size.
Only one file can be scanned at once.
Metascan Use Cases
Use case 1
Metascan is ideal for professionals and businesses involved in 3D modeling and augmented reality. The wide compatibility and multiple file format support simplifies the workflow dramatically.
Use case 2
The OPSWAT partnership makes Metascan a reliable solution for IT security professionals and systems administrators, seeking malware detection capabilities.
Use Case 3
For developers and graphic designers, Metascan’s high resolution texture mapping and Metascan Pro benefits are invaluable assets in crafting detailed and realistic digital assets.
3DF Zephyr
Introducing 3DF Zephyr, an advanced photogrammetry software developed by 3Dflow. This software is a powerful tool designed to automate the process of 3D model reconstruction from photos.
3DF Zephyr Top Features
Automated 3D model reconstruction from photos, supported by various camera sensors, drones, and laser scanners.
Complete photogrammetry process, from camera orientation to texture generation phase, with multi-GPU support for speedy performance.
Versatile usage options: combines photogrammetry and laser scan in one application.
Ability to create true orthophotos and Digital Terrain and Surface models, perform CAD drawing, generate sections, paths, and contour lines.
Users are permitted to measure and export data in their preferred file format.
Feature
Description
Auto-masking tool
Available in Lite and Pro versions, helping users in image processing.
Photo and Video Loading
Enables speedier capturing process, especially useful for motion capture.
Ground Control Points
Strength in scaling via these control points and integrating with laser scanning.
3DF Zephyr Limitations
Free version supports a limit of only 50 photos, single NVIDIA GPU, with limited exporting and editing tools.
Windows-only application which can function on Linux with Wine, but not natively supported.
Lacks 3rd party library support, leveraging only in-house technology.
3DF Zephyr Pricing
3DF Zephyr offers a tiered pricing structure with four versions – Free, Lite, Pro, and Aerial. The Lite version costs €199.00 + VAT with a perpetual license while the fully equipped Pro version is available either as a perpetual license at €4200.00 + VAT or a monthly subscription at €250.00 + VAT. There are no hidden fees with the perpetual licenses and are inclusive of 12 months of updates.
3DF Zephyr Use Cases
Hobbyist Photography
With its first version released to the public via Steam, 3DF Zephyr is known for meeting the photogrammetry needs of hobbyists and enthusiasts with its user-friendly interface and comprehensive tools.
Professional 3D Modelling
Whether it’s for design, architecture, or animation, professionals will find the Pro version of 3DF Zephyr beneficial with its extensive exporting capabilities, as well as the ability to handle unlimited images.
Geospatial Analysis
For geospatial scientists and analysts, the capabilities of generating Digital Terrain and Surface models, along with CAD drawings, can simplify the creation and manipulation of topographic models.
Pix4D
At the epicenter of drone mapping and photogrammetry software is Pix4D. A globetrotter originating from Switzerland, the company’s wings have spread to San Francisco, Shanghai, Berlin, Madrid, Tokyo, and Denver. Pix4D empowers each individual, equipping them with the tools to create professional 3D maps from varied image sources. Your images, whether hand-captured, drone-taken, or plane-snapshot, can be magically transformed into geo-referenced 2D mosaics, 3D models, and point clouds.
Pix4D Top Features
Pix4Dmapper: A world-class photogrammetry software that serves up precise 2D maps and 3D models from images.
Custom Applications: Offering diverse aerial image mapping applications for varied industries.
Pix4Dreact: A dedicated software for public safety and emergency response sectors.
Pix4Dcapture: A flight planning mobile app for smooth mapping and 3D modeling.
Pix4DCapture
Pix4DReact
Pix4DMapper
Drone flight planning and image acquisition for free
Quick 2D map creation from drone images
Transforms images into precise 2D maps and 3D models
Flexible adjustments in flight plan and parameters
Designed for insightful cryptic analysis
Empowers varied applications and industries
Pix4D Downsides
No refunds offered for cancellations
Billing cycle basis: Subscription cancellations and downgrade changes not immediate
Wire transfers only for amounts exceeding 1500 US$, €, or CHF
Pix4D Pricing
Pix4D’s pricing model is subscription-based. Nevertheless, it offers immense flexibility, with subscriptions being modifiable or cancellable anytime from the Pix4D user account. Payment for licenses is accepted via credit card or PayPal, with wire transfers available for larger amounts. Pix4D does not offer refunds for cancellations, so thoughtful subscription choices are paramount.
Pix4D Use Cases
Use case 1: 3D Modeling
Pix4D provides an unmatched environment for 3D modeling. Its Pix4Dmapper software is explicitly designed to convert images into rich 2D maps and detailed 3D models, fueling creativity and ingenuity.
Use case 2: Emergency Response
In times of crisis, Pix4Dreact comes into play. Its sophisticated tools enable the fast transformation of drone images into 2D maps, providing vital intelligence and saving precious time.
Use case 3: Drone Flight Planning and Mapping
For drone enthusiasts and professionals, Pix4Dcapture proves to be a worthwhile ally. The app pilots drone flight planning alongside image acquisition at no cost, embracing the future of mapping and 3D modeling.
ReCap Pro
Swinging open the doors to a new realm of 3D modeling, meet the maverick in the pack, Autodesk’s ReCap Pro. Bridging the tangible with the digital, the real world with the virtual, ReCap Pro redraws the boundaries of 3D scanning capabilities.
ReCap Pro Top Features
Allows a seamless flow of data from the physical to the digital sphere via laser scans and photographs.
Showcases impressive collaboration capabilities with its reality-based design feature.
Elevating its game with the integration of high-precision GPS, escalating accuracy of photo reconstruction, sans any groundwork.
Affords the possibility of integration with Pix4D’s drone mapping, Meshroom’s 3D reconstruction, and more.
Steering RealView technology towards a remarkable blend of reality capture and 3D modeling.
ReCap Pro Limitations
Scaling could be restrictive to some as only RCM, OBJ, FBX formats are supported.
Limited compatibility with mobile devices may prove to be a roadblock for some.
Reliance on Leica BLK360 laser scanner for advanced processing could potentially exclude other laser scanning technologies.
ReCap Pro Pricing
Not a freeloader’s paradise, but surely a bang for the buck! Starting at a modest $26 per month, ReCap Pro also tempts with a taste of its potential via a free trial. Stepping it up, it offers licenses on a monthly, yearly, and even a 3-yearly basis for carte blanche access to all its features.
ReCap Pro Use Cases
Use Case 1: Construction and Engineering Projects
Picture this – complex real-world conditions morphine into potent 3D models. This is the power ReCap Pro brings to construction and engineering. Take real-world scans, feed them into ReCap Pro, and bam! Accurate 3D models of site conditions emerge.
Use Case 2: Collaborative Designing
Your team scattered across the world? Cut across geographical barriers with ReCap Pro. It blends reality-based design with collaboration, giving your team a singular platform for collective creativity.
Use Case 3: Surveying
Turning the tedium of surveying into a walk in the park, ReCap allows data measurement, view, and mark up with mobile devices. Got an iPad Pro? You’ve got a survey tool!
ContextCapture
Introducing ContextCapture, an innovative software developed by Bentley Systems. It is specialized in creating precise 3D models using photos and LiDAR point clouds. Ideal for various infrastructure projects, as it includes fraction of traditional methods’ cost and the ability to handle a large amount of input imagery.
ContextCapture Top Features
Fastest processing using specific workflows.
Includes both iTwin Capture Modeler and iTwin Capture Modeler Center for flexibility.
Generates precise reality meshes, 2.5D digital surface models, and true orthophotos, allowing useful integration in any GIS formats workflow.
Enables online streaming of multi-resolution reality meshes and Mach-Leaning technology to detect, locate, and classify reality data.
Designed for expanding scalability and cost-efficiency, with features for level-of-detail generation, adaptive tiling and surface, as well as volume measurements.
Key Attributes
Beneficial Usage
Cloud-based service
Offers excellent accessibility and project management capabilities, appropriate for large-scale datasets.
CAD module compatibility
Allows you to edit and analyze the reality data with ease.
Interoperability
Seamless workflow with integrated Bentley software and other platforms.
ContextCapture Limitations
No information on possible limitations was provided in the company summary.
ContextCapture Pricing
The company summary failed to specify the software pricing, so it can’t be evaluated.
ContextCapture Use Cases
Use Case 1: Urban Planning and Infrastructure Development
The efficient collection and classification of reality data by ContextCapture revolutionizes the urban planning process by providing precise 3D models for project simulations.
Use Case 2: Architecture and Construction
ContextCapture assists architects and construction engineers in developing infrastructure models and predicting potential structural complications prior to the physical construction.
Use Case 3: Asset Management and Facility Operations
With the use of ContextCapture, accurate digital representations and 3D models of physical assets enhance the effectiveness of asset management strategies and facility operations.
Reality Capture
Developed by Capturing Reality, Reality Capture introduces a versatile 3D modeling software, capable of creating seamless models from unordered photos or laser scans. Its application spans across varying sectors, ramping up efficiencies in fields such as gaming, VR, VFX, mapping, surveying, and more.
Reality Capture Top Features
Powerful image registration and calibration
Efficient polygon mesh calculation and texturing
Georeferencing and measurement capabilities
Supports command line operation
Out-of-core meshing, coloring, and texturing, maximizing performance
Allows professionals to integrate it into their workflow securely, promoting productivity
Efficiency
Operates linearly, which implies processing time simply doubles as the input doubles
Integration
Integration with Unreal Engine following the acquisition by Epic Games in 2021
Performance
Runs on mid-level systems efficiently, without requiring high-end configurations
Reality Capture Limitations
Provides limited Nvidia graphics card support
Promo license limits the maximum of 2500 photos and doesn’t offer technical support
The new PGM version is strictly for photogrammetry sans any laser-scan features
Demo version limits the user abilities with no export possibilities
Reality Capture Pricing
Reality Capture offers competitive pricing at $10 per 3,500 credits, opening up opportunities for businesses seeking robust photogrammetry software.
Reality Capture Use Cases
Use case 1 – Gaming
Its impressive image registration, calibration, and meshing capabilities make Reality Capture a desirable choice for game developers.
Use case 2 – Architecture
Architects can leverage this tool to visualise future construction sites or buildings for enhanced design and client presentations.
Use case 3 – Virtual Reality
With its potential to generate textured 3D meshes and virtual reality scenes, Reality Capture significantly augments VR experiences.
Meshmixer
Introducing Meshmixer: a powerful, free 3D modelling tool engineered by Autodesk. Innovatively designed for creating 3D mashups, it excels in print preparation, model customization, and printability analysis.
Meshmixer Top Features
3D Sculpting Tools: Allows exceptional detailing and symmetry options.
Mesh-Mix functionality: Facilitates seamless model attachment.
Print Preparatory Tools: Provides slicing tools, escape holes for hollowing, and fragility analysis.
Analysis and Repair Tool: Offers inspector for model analysis and repair, ensuring printability.
Export Capability: Supports multiple formats such as STL, OBJ, COLLADA, WRL.
Functionalities
Make Solid, Hollow, Separate Shells, Resize, Measure.
Printing Options
Direct Desktop Printing, Online 3D printing service Sculpteo.
Additional Benefits
Create physical representations in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner.
Meshmixer Limitations
Statistics adjustment: The limitation of the software will be added upon receiving detailed data regarding this.
Meshmixer Pricing
Meshmixer offers its cutting-edge functionalities, free of cost.
Meshmixer Use Cases
For Hobbyists
Hobbyists can employ Meshmixer’s user-friendly interface for creating intricate designs for personal 3D printing.
For 3D Modelers
Meshmixer provides 3D Modelers with advanced mesh-editing tools to optimize their models for SLA printing.
For Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs can use Meshmixer to create physical prototypes of their concepts quickly, effectively, and cost-efficiently.
Blender
Behold, the realm of Blender—a frontrunner in the space of 3D computer graphics software tool set. Not just an average joe, Blender has been writing history since January 2, 1994, and is generously bestowed to the world as free and open-source.
Top-Notch Features of Blender
3D Modelling: Create, transform, edit, and finalize your 3D shapes with precision.
UV Mapping: Conquer the complexity of creating texture coordinates for 3D models.
Particle Simulation: Breathe life into your creations with realistic effects of smoke, fire, and explosions.
Sculpting: Sculpt and mold with high levels of detail and artistic freedom.
Video Editing: Cater your cinematic needs with its comprehensive video editing features.
Developed By
Primarily by the community, with Blender Institute employing 26 full-timers and 12 freelancers.
Supported OS
Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Haiku
Available Languages
An impressive count of 36 languages.
Blender’s Limitations
Depreciation of Blender Game Engine in 2.8 release.
Removal of Blender Internal in 2.80 release, favoring Eevee renderer can be a downside for some.
Blender Pricing
Pricing? Oh, that’s the best part! In a world where everything has a cost, Blender is a delightful exception—it is absolutely free. Yes, you read that right, it’s open-source too. No hidden costs!
Blender Use Cases
Use Case 1: Visual Effects in Films
From global to indie cinema, Blender has been transforming visuals into cinematic experiences.
Use Case 2: 3D-Printed Models
Designers and engineers celebrate Blender as a faithful ally in creating intricate 3D-printed models.
Use Case 3: VR & Interactive Applications
Blender pioneers the future, powering Virtual reality and interactive 3D applications across cultures and languages.
Patrick Daugherty
Content writer @ Aircada. Merging AR expertise with a love for late-night gaming sessions.
