Skip to content
Neurones 3D Download

Comparison · AI and cloud point cloud services

Neurones 3D vs Hexagon GeoCloud

Looking for a Hexagon GeoCloud 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.

Hexagon GeoCloud is Hexagon’s browser-based platform for storing, processing and sharing survey and reality capture data. It was called Reality Cloud Studio (powered by HxDR) until April 2026.

By Dr. Florent Poux, maker of Neurones 3D · Hexagon GeoCloud's facts from Hexagon / Leica Geosystems's own documentation, checked

Download Neurones 3D free Compare every tool

The short answer

Choose Neurones 3D if your data must stay on your own computer, if you prefer to buy once rather than pay by usage, or if you need automatic floor plans, terrain grids and contours produced locally from LAS, LAZ, E57 or splat files. Choose Hexagon GeoCloud if your priority is sharing point clouds and meshes in the browser with many people, if you already work with Leica field software, Cyclone 3DR or CloudWorx, and if cloud classification and meshing without local processing hardware suit your projects.

At a glance

Neurones 3DHexagon GeoCloud
Runs onWindows 10 and 11 (64-bit)Web browser
Where it runsdesktopcloud
Licencefree viewer + one-time paid editionsusage-based subscription, billed annually by invoice (upload, download and processing tracked)
PriceFree viewer; paid editions bought once, no subscriptionprice on request source
Free useThe free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid editionFree demo on request

Feature by feature

"Not stated" means we could not find it in Hexagon / Leica Geosystems's documentation, not that it is missing. Each of Hexagon GeoCloud's cells links to where we read it.

CapabilityNeurones 3DHexagon GeoCloud
Runs fully offlineYesNo account, no internet connection, no telemetryNoBrowser-based platform; data is uploaded to it source
One-time licence availableYesBought once; no subscriptionNoUsage-based account billed annually source
Opens LAS/LAZ and E57YesLAS, LAZ, COPC, E57, PLY, PCD and more; a 127.8 M point E57 opens in about 22 sPartlyImports E57, LGS, LGSx and LAS; LAZ is not listed; exports E57, LAS and PTS source
Scan registrationPartlyCloud-to-cloud alignment (ICP and graph matching, no initial placement needed), RMS shown with the inlier shareIn the cloudAuto-registration of up to 20 BLK2GO (B2G) scans source
AI point cloud classificationYesFour trained models ship in every build: indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape; a confidence per pointIn the cloudSeven models from Cyclone 3DR (indoor, indoor construction, outdoor, outdoor construction UAV, plant, rail, road); processing uses the subscription quota source
SegmentationYesUnsupervised segmentation, primitive decomposition, components, roomsIn the cloudClasses used to segment and filter the point cloud source
Automatic floor plansYesAutomatic, dimensioned, with sections and elevationsNot stated
DXF / CAD drawingsYesDXF R2000, SVG and PDF; no DWGAdd-onInto AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks and BricsCAD through the CloudWorx plug-ins source
DTM / DSMYesDTM, DSM, CHM, slope, aspect, hillshade on one gridNot stated
Contour linesYesContours that cannot crossNot stated
Change detectionYesM3C2 with a 95 % level of detection; cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-BIM deviationIn the cloudScan vs BIM deviation heatmaps source
MeshingYesPoisson and clean meshing; the clean mesh is closed, not edge-manifoldIn the cloudAuto-meshing, including multi-sensor meshes; OBJ export source
Gaussian splatsYesOpens PLY and SPZ splats, converts them to points, meshes them; does not train splatsNot stated
ReportsYesSelf-contained HTML reports with provenanceNot stated
Scripting / SDKYesEngine & SDK edition: Python package and headless command linePartlyUpload and download can be integrated via API with third-party field software source

Where Neurones 3D is stronger

  • Classification, meshing and change detection run on your own computer, with no upload and no usage quota; GeoCloud processing happens on Hexagon’s servers and consumes the subscription allowance.
  • Bought once with no subscription; GeoCloud is a usage-based account billed annually.
  • Automatic floor plans and DXF drawings are written by the application itself; GeoCloud reaches CAD through the CloudWorx plug-ins.
  • Opens LAZ and COPC as well as LAS and E57; LAZ is not in GeoCloud’s list of supported formats.

Where Hexagon GeoCloud is stronger

  • Browser access and sharing with unlimited users, including secure links for clients and subcontractors.
  • Seven classification models, including plant, rail and road, and multi-sensor cloud meshing without local hardware.
  • Direct streaming into Cyclone 3DR and into AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks and BricsCAD through CloudWorx, plus field integrations with Leica Captivate, iCON and Infinity.

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 Hexagon GeoCloud: Teams that need to share point clouds and meshes in the browser with clients and subcontractors, and stream them into Cyclone 3DR or CAD through CloudWorx.

Questions

Is Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR) free?

Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR): price on request. Free use: Free demo on request. Neurones 3D’s free viewer opens, views and runs every process; writing results out needs a paid edition bought once.

Does Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR) work offline?

Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR): no. Browser-based platform; data is uploaded to it. Neurones 3D: yes. No account, no internet connection, no telemetry.

Can Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR) classify point clouds with AI?

Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR): in the cloud. Seven models from Cyclone 3DR (indoor, indoor construction, outdoor, outdoor construction UAV, plant, rail, road); processing uses the subscription quota. Neurones 3D: yes. Four trained models ship in every build: indoor, aerial LiDAR, powerline, streetscape; a confidence per point.

What is the best alternative to Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR)?

Choose Neurones 3D if your data must stay on your own computer, if you prefer to buy once rather than pay by usage, or if you need automatic floor plans, terrain grids and contours produced locally from LAS, LAZ, E57 or splat files. Choose Hexagon GeoCloud if your priority is sharing point clouds and meshes in the browser with many people, if you already work with Leica field software, Cyclone 3DR or CloudWorx, and if cloud classification and meshing without local processing hardware suit your projects.

How this comparison was made

Written by the maker of Neurones 3D, so read it as such. Hexagon GeoCloud (formerly Leica Reality Cloud Studio, HxDR)'s column comes only from Hexagon / Leica Geosystems'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:

More comparisons

CompareNeurones 3D vs Flaimonthly or annual subscription with processing units; on-premise and embedded on annual licence CompareNeurones 3D vs Lidarvisormonthly or yearly subscription with a hectare allowance, plus credit packs CompareNeurones 3D vs Mach9 Digital Surveyornot published CompareNeurones 3D vs Pointlymonthly subscription, per-point API pricing, or annual on-premise licence All toolsPoint cloud software comparedEvery tool in one table, and how it was checked

About

Why Neurones 3D exists.

Standing inside a 43.5 million point indoor laser scan rendered by Neurones 3D

I have spent years working with point clouds, and for most of them the software got in the way. I wanted one tool I would actually reach for every day: fast enough to enjoy, honest about what it does, and calm to use.

Neurones 3D started in Python, the way most of my research does. It worked, but it was heavy, and heavy tools quietly discourage you from opening them. So I rebuilt everything in Rust, from the file readers to the renderer, with one rule: stay frugal. A single small file, no cloud, no telemetry, billions of points on a laptop that is ten years old. In an age where every tool reaches for a data center, I wanted the opposite.

The goal is simple to say and hard to earn. One package that carries you from capture to understanding to deliverable, without exporting to five other programs along the way. Load a scan, a splat, a building, a phone video. See it, classify it, measure it, and send out something real. Together, in one place.

This is the tool I always wanted. I hope it becomes yours too.

Dr. Florent Poux 3D Geodata Academy

Get Neurones 3D

Free tier, no account, one 15 MB file. We send the download link to your inbox.

Check your inbox

We sent a confirmation to your address. Click the link inside and the download follows right after. The link stays valid for 72 hours.

If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", that is SmartScreen meeting a build that is not code-signed yet, not a virus: choose More info, then Run anyway. Check the file's fingerprint first if you like.

Double opt-in, no spam. Your address never leaves 3D Geodata Academy. Privacy.

Cookie settings

Choose what this site may store in your browser. Strictly necessary items are always on, because the feature you asked for does not work without them. Everything else is off until you switch it on. Your choice is kept in this browser for six months.

Strictly necessaryAlways on

Needed for a feature you use. Never used to track you.

NameKindWhat it is forKept
n3d_boardCookie, HttpOnlyA random voter token set by the board (roadmap), so one browser counts as one vote.12 months
n3d-feedback-draftLocal storageA draft of the feedback form, so a refresh does not lose your message. It never leaves your browser and is cleared when you send.Until sent
n3d_consentLocal storageThis choice.6 months
Analytics

None in use today. If a measurement tool is ever added, it stays off until you allow it here.

Media

None. Nothing on this site embeds a player or media from another company.