Comparison
Sharing point clouds without Autodesk ReCap
People search for a ReCap alternative for two different reasons. One is processing scans. The other is just getting a point cloud in front of someone. ViewerFX is for the second.
Autodesk ReCap Pro is reality-capture software you install. It registers scans, cleans them, and converts them into the RCP and RCS formats the rest of the Autodesk world expects. If your deliverable is heading into Civil 3D or Revit, ReCap or something like it is simply part of the pipeline, and nothing on this page changes that.
The gap shows up after processing. Your client, the project owner, the architect on the other side of the table, they do not have ReCap and are not going to buy an Autodesk subscription to look at a scan. Emailing a 6GB file is not a plan either. That handoff moment is the entire reason ViewerFX exists.
What ReCap is for
ReCap is a working tool for the person who owns the data: registration, cleanup, region management, format conversion for Autodesk products, and photogrammetry through its cloud services. It is sold as an Autodesk subscription, on Autodesk's terms, and it assumes the person driving it does this for a living. Sharing exists in the ecosystem through Autodesk cloud services, but everyone involved tends to need to be in that ecosystem too.
What ViewerFX is for
ViewerFX picks up where processing ends. Export LAS or LAZ from ReCap, Cyclone, SCENE, Pix4D, Metashape, whatever you run, upload it, and send a link. The person on the other end gets a streaming 3D viewer in their browser with measurement, spot elevations, annotations and optional password protection. They install nothing and pay nothing, ever.
- Free tier: 2GB and two stored files, every feature included, shares carry a small ViewerFX badge. Enough to deliver a real job today.
- Paid from $29 a month for 50GB, self-serve, cancel anytime. Tiers only change storage and file count, never features.
- Links never expire while your account is active, which matters when a project resurfaces a year later.
Side by side
| Dimension | ViewerFX | Autodesk ReCap |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Sharing and viewing, hosted | Processing software, installed |
| Who uses it | You upload, anyone views with a link | The scan professional at their desk |
| Client requirements | A browser | Autodesk software or ecosystem access |
| Formats | LAS and LAZ in, streaming viewer out | Many formats in, RCP and RCS out for Autodesk tools |
| Registration and cleanup | No, bring finished data | Yes, that is the product |
| Pricing model | Free tier, then flat monthly by storage | Autodesk subscription, verify current terms |
They are not actually competitors
The honest version of this page is that ReCap and ViewerFX are different layers of the same pipeline. Plenty of ViewerFX users run ReCap every day. They process in ReCap, export LAZ, and share through a link because that is what the receiving end can open. If you came here hoping to stop paying for processing software, ViewerFX will not replace ReCap. If you came here because the sharing part of your Autodesk workflow feels heavier than the work deserves, that is exactly the problem ViewerFX removes.
Try the handoff
Export a LAZ from your last job and drop it into the free browser viewer, no account needed, to see what your client would see. When you want a link you can actually send, a free account publishes it in a few minutes, and plans from $29 cover you when the jobs get bigger.
Share your next point cloud as a link
Upload a LAS or LAZ and send your client an interactive viewer. No installs on their end, no per-seat fees, links that never expire.