Comparison · Gaussian splatting tools
Neurones 3D vs KIRI Engine
Looking for a KIRI Engine alternative? Neurones 3D is free, offline point cloud and Gaussian splatting software for Windows: the free viewer runs every process, from AI classification to dimensioned floor plans, and a one-time paid edition saves the results.
KIRI Engine is a 3D scanning app for phones and the web from KIRI Innovations, making photogrammetry meshes, LiDAR scans and Gaussian splats, with a 3DGS to mesh option.
By Dr. Florent Poux, maker of Neurones 3D · KIRI Engine's facts from KIRI Innovations's own documentation, checked
The short answer
Choose Neurones 3D when a splat or scan has to become measured, drawn or classified survey data, offline on your own PC and paid for once: point clouds, sections, DXF floor plans and classification sit in one Windows application. Choose KIRI Engine when you want to capture with a phone and get attractive splats and game-ready meshes with PBR textures quickly and cheaply. The tools cover different halves of the job, so a common path is to capture and train in KIRI Engine, download the PLY and finish the survey deliverables in Neurones 3D.
At a glance
| Neurones 3D | KIRI Engine | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) | iOS, Android, web browser |
| Where it runs | desktop | mobile |
| Licence | free viewer + one-time paid editions | free Basic plan, Pro by yearly or monthly subscription |
| Price | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | Pro USD 79.99 a year (equal to USD 6.66 a month) or USD 17.99 a month source |
| Free use | The free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition | Basic plan free: unlimited scans and exports, up to 150 photos and 2 GB per scan |
Feature by feature
"Not stated" means we could not find it in KIRI Innovations's documentation, not that it is missing. Each of KIRI Engine's cells links to where we read it.
| Capability | Neurones 3D | KIRI Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Runs fully offline | YesNo account, no internet connection, no telemetry | No3DGS results are ready about 7 to 20 minutes after uploading source |
| One-time licence available | YesBought once; no subscription | Not statedOnly yearly and monthly Pro plans are listed |
| Opens LAS/LAZ and E57 | YesLAS, LAZ, COPC, E57, PLY, PCD and more; a 127.8 M point E57 opens in about 22 s | Not stated |
| Scan registration | PartlyCloud-to-cloud alignment (ICP and graph matching, no initial placement needed), RMS shown with the inlier share | Not stated |
| AI point cloud classification | YesFour trained models ship in every build: indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape; a confidence per point | Not stated |
| Segmentation | YesUnsupervised segmentation, primitive decomposition, components, rooms | Not stated |
| Automatic floor plans | YesAutomatic, dimensioned, with sections and elevations | Not stated |
| DXF / CAD drawings | YesDXF R2000, SVG and PDF; no DWG | Not stated |
| DTM / DSM | YesDTM, DSM, CHM, slope, aspect, hillshade on one grid | Not stated |
| Contour lines | YesContours that cannot cross | Not stated |
| Change detection | YesM3C2 with a 95 % level of detection; cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-BIM deviation | Not stated |
| Meshing | YesPoisson and clean meshing; the clean mesh is closed, not edge-manifold | YesPhotogrammetry and 3DGS to mesh; OBJ, FBX, STL, GLB, GLTF, USDZ, PLY, XYZ; quad mesh on Pro source |
| Gaussian splats | YesOpens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splats | In the cloudTrained after upload and exported as PLY; free Blender add-on and a UE5 plug-in source |
| Reports | YesSelf-contained HTML reports with provenance | Not stated |
| Scripting / SDK | YesEngine & SDK edition: Python package and headless command line | YesKIRI Engine API for photogrammetry, 3DGS and 3DGS to mesh source |
Where Neurones 3D is stronger
- Runs offline on Windows with no upload; KIRI Engine processes splats after they are uploaded.
- Turns a splat capture into survey deliverables: a point cloud, measured sections and a dimensioned floor plan saved as DXF R2000, SVG and PDF.
- Classifies the converted cloud with trained models (indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape), with a confidence per point.
- Opens LAS, LAZ and E57 laser scans, so splats and scans can be compared in one scene.
- Bought once with no subscription.
Where KIRI Engine is stronger
- KIRI Engine captures and trains splats from a phone; Neurones 3D does not train splats.
- KIRI Engine makes game-ready meshes with quad retopology, PBR materials and auto-rigging, and exports OBJ, FBX and STL, which Neurones 3D does not write.
- A free plan with unlimited exports, and a developer API.
Who should choose which
Choose Neurones 3D to take a point cloud or a splat capture to a finished deliverable on your own machine: classified LAS, a dimensioned floor plan with sections and elevations in DXF, a DTM with contours, a change map or a report, without an account, an upload or a subscription. Every figure it publishes is measured; see the benchmarks.
Choose KIRI Engine: Creators and game artists who want splats and production-ready meshes, with quad topology and PBR materials, from a phone at a low subscription price.
Questions
Is KIRI Engine free?
KIRI Engine: Pro USD 79.99 a year (equal to USD 6.66 a month) or USD 17.99 a month. Free use: Basic plan free: unlimited scans and exports, up to 150 photos and 2 GB per scan. Neurones 3D’s free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition bought once.
Does KIRI Engine work offline?
KIRI Engine: no. 3DGS results are ready about 7 to 20 minutes after uploading. Neurones 3D: yes. No account, no internet connection, no telemetry.
Does KIRI Engine support Gaussian splats?
KIRI Engine: in the cloud. Trained after upload and exported as PLY; free Blender add-on and a UE5 plug-in. Neurones 3D: yes. Opens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splats.
What is the best alternative to KIRI Engine?
Choose Neurones 3D when a splat or scan has to become measured, drawn or classified survey data, offline on your own PC and paid for once: point clouds, sections, DXF floor plans and classification sit in one Windows application. Choose KIRI Engine when you want to capture with a phone and get attractive splats and game-ready meshes with PBR textures quickly and cheaply. The tools cover different halves of the job, so a common path is to capture and train in KIRI Engine, download the PLY and finish the survey deliverables in Neurones 3D.
How this comparison was made
Written by the maker of Neurones 3D, so read it as such. KIRI Engine's column comes only from KIRI Innovations's published documentation and listings, read on 2026-09-24; where we found nothing, the cell says "not stated". Neurones 3D's column comes from its own guides, which give the limits too. If something here is wrong or out of date, write to howto@learngeodata.eu and it will be corrected.
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