Meshroom vs MetaScan

Meshroom is a free, node-based visual programming toolbox for creating and running data-processing pipelines. Its AliceVision plugin combines photogrammetry, camera tracking, HDR panorama, lidar meshing, raw image conversion and color calibration workflows. Users connect operations visually to set dependencies, data flow and execution order. Pipelines can run locally or on distributed systems, including local and remote computation in one project. The meshroom_batch command-line interface and JSON pipeline definitions support automated, reproducible execution. Meshroom reuses cached intermediate results and invalidates affected downstream nodes when attributes change. Built-in viewers display logs, images, 3D data and node outputs. Dynamically loaded plugins can run in separate virtual environments, while Meshroom Hub offers domain-specific plugins for computer vision, AI and other tasks. Prebuilt desktop releases are available for Linux and Windows; macOS requires manual packaging. The software is linked to the Mozilla Public License 2.0. Its listed plan costs nothing.

MetaScan creates 3D models of people and objects through a mobile app or an event scanning service. Its app offers object, full-body and head-and-shoulders capture using photogrammetry on modern iPhone or Android cameras, without requiring LiDAR. Scans can be viewed in augmented reality and exported as GLB, USDZ or OBJ; MetaScan also says they can be auto-rigged and animated for use in its multiplayer game In The Real World. Browser-based converters support GLB, OBJ, STL, glTF, PLY, FBX and USDZ, processing files on the user's device without uploading them. Event services include a scanning station, portrait studio and 360 spin video booth for occasions such as weddings, team days and corporate events. The free plan allows up to five scans in a library and one HD reconstruction per month. Pro costs $9.99 a month, Studio costs $29.99 a month, and an HD credit costs 4.99 USD once. MetaScan says person scans require consent and source images for standard scans are deleted automatically about two hours after model generation. It offers support by phone, text, email or website message.