Autodesk ReCap Pro
ReCap Pro is a reality capture and point cloud processing software that enables architects, engineers, and construction professionals to turn laser scans and drone-captured photos into accurate 3D models. It bridges the gap between physical site conditions and digital design workflows.
Capture Real-World Conditions
ReCap Pro allows users to import, register, and clean laser scan data from terrestrial scanners or UAV-captured photogrammetry. Create high-resolution 3D point clouds and meshes that serve as a precise foundation for renovation, construction, and documentation projects.
Scan-to-BIM and Design Integration
Seamlessly integrate point cloud data with Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Navisworks. Use ReCap Pro to align scanned data with BIM models, detect deviations, and design with confidence using true-to-life site conditions.
Cloud Collaboration and Photo-to-3D
Upload drone images or ground photos to the ReCap cloud service to generate textured 3D models and orthophotos. Easily share and collaborate with stakeholders using web-based viewing and annotation tools.
Key Features
- Register and clean laser scan data into high-resolution point clouds
- Generate 3D meshes, orthophotos, and flythroughs from reality data
- Photo-to-3D processing via ReCap cloud services
- Accurate measurement, tagging, and annotation tools
- Full integration with Revit, Civil 3D, AutoCAD, and Navisworks
- Support for drone, laser scanner, and mobile LiDAR input
Who Uses ReCap Pro?
ReCap Pro is ideal for architects, surveyors, civil engineers, contractors, and facility managers working on renovations, infrastructure projects, site validation, and digital twins. It provides the accuracy and context needed to move confidently from field to model.
⚠️ CRITICAL HARDWARE NOTES:
Windows Only: The ReCap Pro desktop application is Windows Only. There is no native macOS version for desktop.
Storage Speed: Unlike standard CAD, ReCap performance is almost entirely dependent on Disk Speed. You must use a high-speed NVMe SSD. Using a standard Hard Drive (HDD) will make indexing point clouds excruciatingly slow.
RAM Hungry: Point clouds consume massive amounts of memory. 32 GB is the realistic starting point for production work.
📷 System Requirements: Autodesk ReCap Pro (2023–2026)
| Operating System (OS) |
2023-2024: Windows 10 (64-bit)<br>2025-2026: Windows 10 or Windows 11
|
Windows 11 (Professional / Enterprise)<br>(Windows 11 is optimized for large file I/O operations)
|
| Processor (CPU) |
2.5 GHz 64-bit processor |
Intel Core i7 / i9 or AMD Ryzen 7 / 9<br>Speed: 3.0 GHz+ (Base)<br>Cores: 8+ Cores<br>(High clock speed is required for viewing; Multi-core is required for "ReCap Photo" mesh generation)
|
| Memory (RAM) |
16 GB (Viewing small scans only)
|
32 GB (Standard Scanning Projects)<br>64 GB+ (City-scale scans, drone photogrammetry, or high-density terrestrial lidar)*
|
| Graphics (GPU) |
4 GB VRAM<br>OpenGL 3.3 compliant
|
8 GB – 12 GB+ VRAM<br>DirectX 12 compliant<br>(NVIDIA RTX series recommended for rendering billions of points smoothly)
|
| Disk Space |
30 GB (Installation)
|
SSD (NVMe Solid State Drive)<br>Critical: You need at least 100 GB+ of high-speed scratch space for importing and indexing raw scan data.
|
| Display |
1920 x 1080 True Color |
3840 x 2160 (4K)<br>(High resolution helps significantly when identifying noise vs. detail in a point cloud)
|
| Connectivity |
Internet connection |
High-Speed Broadband<br>(Required for uploading photos to the cloud for ReCap Photo processing)
|
| Framework |
.NET Framework 4.8 |
.NET 8 (For 2025/2026 versions) |
🍏 Advice for Mac Users (macOS)
The ReCap Pro desktop application does not run on macOS.
| macOS (Desktop) |
❌ Not Supported
|
There is no installer for Mac. |
| iPadOS (Mobile) |
✅ Supported
|
ReCap Pro for mobile runs on iPad Pro. It is designed to connect to scanners (like the Leica BLK360) for field registration and viewing. This is the only native Apple option.
|
| Parallels Desktop |
⚠️ Limited
|
You can run ReCap Pro on M1/M2/M3 Macs via Parallels.<br>Warning: Fine for viewing scans. However, importing/indexing huge raw files (e.g., 50GB+) is very slow due to the virtualized file system, and ReCap Photo may fail to process local meshes.
|
| Boot Camp |
✅ Recommended
|
(Intel Macs Only) Installing native Windows is the most stable method for heavy point cloud processing on Apple hardware. |
💡 Performance Advice for ReCap Users
The "Indexing" Bottleneck:
When you import raw data (e.g., .fls, .ptx, .zfs), ReCap "indexes" it into .rcp/.rcs format.
This process reads and writes to the disk simultaneously.
Do not index files located on a Network Drive (NAS) or external USB 2.0 drive. Copy the raw files to your internal NVMe SSD first, index them there, and then move the finished project to the server.
RAM vs. Cloud Size:
If you load a project with 100+ scan stations, ReCap tries to keep the spatial index in RAM.
With only 16 GB RAM, the system will constantly swap data to the SSD, causing the viewport to freeze when you rotate the model. 64 GB RAM provides a buttery-smooth experience.
ReCap Photo (Photogrammetry):
If you use the "Photo-to-3D" feature:
Cloud Processing: Relies on internet speed.
Local Processing: Relies heavily on CPU Core Count and NVIDIA CUDA Cores. Do not attempt local processing on an integrated graphics card (Intel Iris/UHD).
2026 Trends:
Newer versions of ReCap are leveraging DirectX 12 more aggressively to display massive datasets. An NVIDIA RTX 40-series card is highly recommended for future-proofing.
