Point Cloud Library vs PolyWorks|Inspector

Point Cloud Library (PCL) is a free, open-source project for processing 2D and 3D images and point clouds. Its algorithms cover filtering, feature estimation, surface reconstruction, registration, model fitting, and segmentation. They can be used to reduce noise, join point clouds, divide scenes into segments, find keypoints, calculate descriptors, create surfaces, and visualize point data.

PCL is divided into smaller code libraries that can be compiled separately, supporting distribution on systems with limited computing capacity or storage. Prebuilt binaries are available for Linux, Windows, and macOS, and the project recommends package managers to distribute PCL and simplify installation of its third-party dependencies. It supports OpenNI 3D interfaces for acquiring and processing data from devices such as PrimeSensor cameras, Microsoft Kinect, and Asus XTionPro. The API reference includes public methods and classes, code snippets, and links to scientific publications. PCL uses the 3-clause BSD license and is free for commercial and research use.

PolyWorks|Inspector has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.