Entwine vs FARO RevEng

Entwine is a Linux data organization library for building indexes of massive point-cloud datasets, from desktop-scale collections to trillions of points. Its build command creates an Entwine Point Tile (EPT) dataset, a flexible octree-based format. The project describes builds as lossless, retaining points, metadata, and precision, including at terabyte scale. Entwine can index any point-cloud format readable by PDAL, with documented storage types including laszip, zstandard, and binary. Input and output can use local storage or remote sources supported through Arbiter, including S3, GCS, and Dropbox. Commands accept options on the command line or settings in JSON files. The info command gathers file metadata before a build; merge combines completed subset builds, not unrelated EPT datasets. Output is shown with Potree, Plasio, and Cesium, and EPT can be converted to 3D Tiles for Cesium. An option enables AWS server-side encryption for S3 writes. Entwine is open source under the LGPL License; Conda is recommended as the fastest installation route, with source releases also listed.

FARO RevEng is Windows software for creating and editing meshes and CAD surfaces from 3D point clouds. It supports reverse-engineering, further design and 3D-printing workflows. RevEng connects with FARO ScanArms and the 8-Axis Quantum ScanArm, including real-time capture, and imports point-cloud data from PC, ASC, XYZ, PTS, E57, NPTS, VTX, PCS and PWN files. Mesh inputs include STL, PLY, OBJ, OFF, OM, GLTF and GLB. Tools provide automatic mesh fixing, repair, adjustment, smoothing and fitting. The Sketch Tool can produce editable NURBS surfaces from point clouds. Hole filling, simplification, offsets and shell operations help prepare watertight meshes for printing. Exports include the listed point-cloud and mesh formats plus STEP. The recommended system is Windows 10/11 64-bit with an Intel Core i7 or equivalent sixth-generation processor or later, at least 16 GB RAM and 1 GB free disk space. Virtual-machine installation and remote desktop access are supported. Pricing is on request, with no free plan; FARO offers a fully functional 30-day trial. A license is complimentary with new CAM2 Scan Professional or Expert purchases.