Comparison · Aerial and drone LiDAR, GIS and photogrammetry
Neurones 3D vs LiDAR360
Looking for a LiDAR360 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.
LiDAR360 is a point cloud and imagery processing platform from GreenValley International, launched in 2013, with modules for terrain, forestry, powerline, mining, photogrammetry and vectorisation, and an AI assistant that drives its 260+ tools.
By Dr. Florent Poux, maker of Neurones 3D · LiDAR360's facts from GreenValley International's own documentation, checked
The short answer
Choose Neurones 3D if you want a focused offline Windows application with no account or sign-in, trained classifiers that ship in every build, terrain, contours, M3C2 change detection and dimensioned plans, and a free viewer that runs every process with a one-time price for export. Choose LiDAR360 if you need the widest possible industry toolset, with forestry inventory, mining, powerline, photogrammetry, trajectory adjustment and your own trained models, and you are happy to agree terms with the vendor.
At a glance
| Neurones 3D | LiDAR360 | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) | Windows 10 |
| Where it runs | desktop | desktop |
| Licence | free viewer + one-time paid editions | commercial licence activated by authorisation code; terms not published |
| Price | Free viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscription | price on request source |
| Free use | The free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition | Trial on request; trial licences can be activated by signing in to a LiCloud account |
Feature by feature
"Not stated" means we could not find it in GreenValley International's documentation, not that it is missing. Each of LiDAR360's cells links to where we read it.
| Capability | Neurones 3D | LiDAR360 |
|---|---|---|
| Runs fully offline | YesNo account, no internet connection, no telemetry | Not statedDistributed computing can use cloud or local clusters; offline licence use is not stated |
| One-time licence available | YesBought once; no subscription | Not stated |
| Opens LAS/LAZ and E57 | YesLAS, LAZ, COPC, E57, PLY, PCD and more; a 127.8 M point E57 opens in about 22 s | YesConverts point clouds to and from formats including E57, PLY, 3D Tiles and DXF (V10.0) source |
| Scan registration | PartlyCloud-to-cloud alignment (ICP and graph matching, no initial placement needed), RMS shown with the inlier share | YesAutomatic registration of multi-station scans; trajectory adjustment for flight paths source |
| AI point cloud classification | YesFour trained models ship in every build: indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape; a confidence per point | YesAI classification of 26 features; train your own point cloud models source |
| Segmentation | YesUnsupervised segmentation, primitive decomposition, components, rooms | YesIndividual tree segmentation; Segment Anything outline extraction source |
| Automatic floor plans | YesAutomatic, dimensioned, with sections and elevations | Not stated |
| DXF / CAD drawings | YesDXF R2000, SVG and PDF; no DWG | YesConvert Point Cloud to DXF; CAD and GIS vector integration source |
| DTM / DSM | YesDTM, DSM, CHM, slope, aspect, hillshade on one grid | YesDEM and 15 types of terrain products source |
| Contour lines | YesContours that cannot cross | YesContours with smoothing and sheet joining source |
| Change detection | YesM3C2 with a 95 % level of detection; cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-BIM deviation | YesVolume measurement, change detection and section analysis source |
| Meshing | YesPoisson and clean meshing; the clean mesh is closed, not edge-manifold | YesTIN editing and big data mesh editing source |
| Gaussian splats | YesOpens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splats | PartlyRenders .ply and .splat Gaussian splats (V10.0) source |
| Reports | YesSelf-contained HTML reports with provenance | YesDynamic HTML and PDF reports; accuracy and control point reports source |
| Scripting / SDK | YesEngine & SDK edition: Python package and headless command line | YesPython API for 260+ tools, built-in Python editor, Model Builder source |
Where Neurones 3D is stronger
- No account at any stage, no internet connection and no telemetry; LiDAR360 trial licences activate by signing in to a LiCloud account.
- A free viewer that opens, views and runs every process, and paid editions bought once with no subscription, stated up front; LiDAR360 publishes no price or licence term.
- Opens PLY and SPZ Gaussian splats and converts them to points and meshes; LiDAR360 documents splat rendering.
Where LiDAR360 is stronger
- A much broader toolset: 260+ tools and modules for forestry (100+ tree species), mining, powerline, hydrology and tunnels.
- Photogrammetry, orthophotos and spectral data fused with LiDAR, plus trajectory adjustment and UAV LiDAR calibration.
- Train your own AI models, and an AI assistant that drives the tools and writes Python.
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 LiDAR360: Survey, forestry and utility teams processing drone, airborne and terrestrial LiDAR who want a very broad industry toolset, often alongside GreenValley hardware.
Questions
Is LiDAR360 free?
LiDAR360: price on request. Free use: Trial on request; trial licences can be activated by signing in to a LiCloud account. Neurones 3D’s free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition bought once.
Can LiDAR360 classify point clouds with AI?
LiDAR360: yes. AI classification of 26 features; train your own point cloud models. Neurones 3D: yes. Four trained models ship in every build: indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape; a confidence per point.
Does LiDAR360 support Gaussian splats?
LiDAR360: partly. Renders .ply and .splat Gaussian splats (V10.0). Neurones 3D: yes. Opens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splats.
What is the best alternative to LiDAR360?
Choose Neurones 3D if you want a focused offline Windows application with no account or sign-in, trained classifiers that ship in every build, terrain, contours, M3C2 change detection and dimensioned plans, and a free viewer that runs every process with a one-time price for export. Choose LiDAR360 if you need the widest possible industry toolset, with forestry inventory, mining, powerline, photogrammetry, trajectory adjustment and your own trained models, and you are happy to agree terms with the vendor.
How this comparison was made
Written by the maker of Neurones 3D, so read it as such. LiDAR360's column comes only from GreenValley International'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.
Sources: