MeshLab vs Polyga FlexScan3D
MeshLab
meshlab.net
Polyga FlexScan3D
polyga.comSide by side
| Figure | MeshLab | Polyga FlexScan3D |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · 3D Scanning Software | 8.7 (#3) | 7.7 (#17) |
| Founded | 2005 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Pisa, Italy | Vancouver, Canada |
| Maker | The site says MeshLab has been developed by the Visual Computing Lab of ISTI-CNR since 2005. | Polyga Inc. is based in Vancouver, Canada, and says it was founded in 2016. |
| Purpose | MeshLab processes and edits 3D triangular meshes, with tools for editing, cleaning, healing, inspecting, rendering, texturing, and converting meshes. | FlexScan3D is 3D scanning software for capturing scans and processing them into digital 3D models. |
Plans
In their own words
MeshLab
MeshLab is a free desktop system for processing and editing 3D triangular meshes, including unstructured models produced by 3D scanning. Its tools cover editing, cleaning, repair, inspection, rendering, texturing, and conversion. The site describes using it to process raw data from 3D digitization and prepare models for 3D printing. MeshLab supports PTX point-cloud and range-map files, and listed export formats include PLY, STL, OBJ, OFF, WRL, and DXF. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is distributed under the GPL 3.0 license. PyMeshLab provides a Python interface for loading and saving meshes and applying MeshLab filters; the VCG code can be used in a standalone, large-scale automated processing pipeline. The listed MeshLab 2025.07 release is dated September 9, 2025, and includes ARM64 support on Linux and macOS plus 3MF support. The site points usage questions to Stack Overflow and bug reports to GitHub, with video learning resources for basics, features, scanning workflows, and mesh cleaning.
Polyga FlexScan3D
Polyga FlexScan3D is free legacy software for controlling 3D scanners, capturing scans, and processing them into digital 3D models. It can operate multiple scanners, change scanner settings, and recalibrate systems; Polyga states that acquisition takes approximately one second per scan. The built-in mesh editor supports processing, aligning, merging, cleaning, and filling holes. Standard edition tools measure and analyze deviation by comparing two meshes with a color map. Exports include PLY, OBJ, STL, ASC, and FBX. A C++/C# API library and scripting functions expose scanner controls and data processing. Compatibility includes Polyga scanners, most Basler and FLIR monochrome global-shutter cameras, and standard DLP projectors through HDMI. An automatic rotary table supports 360-degree scanning, and color capture works with color machine-vision cameras. The listed minimum operating system is 64-bit Windows 10. Polyga provides a manual but no one-on-one support for custom DIY scanner builds.