PointAnimate vs Smart Lidar
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PointAnimate
Visualize 3D point cloud scans with built-in animation presets. Create motion graphics and visual effects directly on your mobile device, supporting various file formats. Ideal for bringing scanned data to life with dynamic visual styles.
- 3D point cloud visualization
- Built-in animation presets
- Motion graphics creation
- Supports OBJ, PLY, LAZ, LAS, XYZ formats
- RGB color support
- Export to Files app
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PointAnimate is a creative app for viewing, editing, and turning point clouds into animated visual effects. Load a point cloud and transform it into dynamic motion graphics with flowing, swirling, distorted, and experimental effects. Designed for visual creators, PointAnimate makes it easy to explore point clouds not just as scans, but as a source for generative visuals, particle animation, and VJ-style content. Alongside the creative tools, PointAnimate also includes practical viewer features so you can prepare your point clouds before animating them. Features Viewer + Editor - View point clouds in 3D (PLY, XYZ, PTS, FBX, LAS, LAZ, E57, FBX and OBJ) - Crop and segment point clouds - Remove noise and outliers - Measure distances - Export and continue working with your creations Animation + VFX - Choose from a range of built-in point cloud animations and VFX - Fine-tune each effect with its own settings and controls - Transform points into different visual styles, including lines, contours, and vein-like structures - Rotate and reposition the point cloud to shape the final visual - Save your favorite settings as presets for quick reuse - POPs (Point Operators) on GPU - New: Stream your visuals over NDI to TouchDesigner, Resolume, OBS, and other VJ software for performance and processing. AR + Live Point Cloud - Explore slit-scan and AR-inspired effects - More effects coming soon Whether you are experimenting with point cloud art, building VJ visuals, or exploring new ways to animate 3D scans, PointAnimate gives you a unique way to create with particles and depth.
Smart Lidar
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Smart Lidar is the EagleArca digital touchpoint for capturing 3D LiDAR surveys directly on site using compatible iPhone and iPad Pro devices. The app allows field operators to quickly document the real condition of excavations, pipes, site constraints, and work progress, turning each surveyed section into a georeferenced, photographic, and consultable 3D point cloud. The workflow is simple: select the project, set the origin point, start the scan, review the result, and save the survey. When a connection is available, you can manually sync the data with EagleArca Web, integrating it into operational projects and making it available for consultation, measurements, history tracking, and comparison with the design project. Smart Lidar is designed for linear jobsites, excavations, pipe installation, inspections, and as-built activities, even in environments where connectivity is not always stable. Key features: • 3D LiDAR scans from compatible Apple devices • Capture of the real jobsite condition • Point clouds with GPS coordinates and texture • Configurable scan quality: Standard, Pro, and Ultra • Local saving of surveys • Manual online sync with EagleArca Web • Integration with EagleArca projects • Automatic photos to support documentation • Exportable output associated with the operational project Compatible devices: Smart Lidar requires a LiDAR scanner, available on iPhone 12 Pro or later Pro models and on iPad Pro models from 2020 onward.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Smart Lidar at fortnightly against PointAnimate's every 4 months. Smart Lidar also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 18.6). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
PointAnimate ships an update every 4 months, Smart Lidar fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 5, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PointAnimate | Smart Lidar |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 20 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Knoet Studio | Eagleprojects S.p.A. |
In-app purchases
PointAnimate
No in-app purchases
Smart Lidar
No in-app purchases









