FARO RevEng vs Global Mapper
FARO RevEng
faro.com
Global Mapper
bluemarblegeo.comSide by side
| Figure | FARO RevEng | Global Mapper |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $49.92/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Point Cloud Software | 7.6 (#6) | 8.3 (#1) |
| Intended users | FARO describes RevEng for industrial designers and product design and engineering work, and cites historic preservation as another application. | The maker identifies GIS professionals, surveyors, engineers, government agencies, utilities, environmental consultants, and public safety organizations as users. |
| Purpose | RevEng creates and edits meshes and CAD surfaces from 3D point clouds for reverse-engineering workflows, including further design and 3D printing. | Global Mapper is a desktop GIS application for geospatial data processing, spatial analysis, geodetic workflows, and deployment-ready mapping. |
| Trial | FARO offers a free, fully functional 30-day software trial through its trial page. | The free trial request requires an email and does not require a credit card; the page does not state a trial duration. |
Plans
Global Mapper
- Essentials$599 a year
- Advanced$1,199 a year
- Professional$2,199 a year
In their own words
FARO RevEng
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.
Global Mapper
Global Mapper is a desktop GIS application for geospatial data processing, spatial analysis, geodetic workflows, and preparing maps for deployment. It supports more than 300 vector, raster, elevation, and point cloud formats without add-ons or additional licenses. The Essentials plan covers data viewing and conversion, coordinate transformation and reprojection, and streamed online data sources. Advanced adds terrain and vector analysis, scripting, geodetic analysis, and cartographic production. Professional adds lidar and point cloud processing, drone photogrammetry, complex imagery and raster analysis, automated breakline extraction, and AI/ML image classification. Lidar tools include feature classification, noise removal, point cloud thinning, and vector feature extraction. GeoCalc provides more than 12,000 geodetic definitions and supports modernized NSRS and CSRS. AI-assisted extraction can identify roads, buildings, vegetation, power lines, and other features. It exchanges data with ArcGIS formats, exports to Avenza Maps for offline field use, and supports a workflow with MAPublisher and Adobe Illustrator. Plans start at $599/user/yr; a 14-day trial is listed.