The Tool Desk
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Pixyz’s core technology converts complex CAD, BIM and other 3D engineering data into optimized assets for real-time applications. Unity now sells that portfolio as Unity Asset Transformer, rather than as Pixyz.
Unity’s Pixyz deal, in context
The acquisition was not a 2026 transaction. Unity said it completed the purchase during its second quarter of 2021. Its August 2021 earnings-call materials and Q2 results release name Metaverse Technologies, Inc. as the acquired company and identify it as the provider of Pixyz.
Unity did not disclose a purchase price in those materials. There is therefore no substantiated valuation to report. The available evidence also does not establish transaction terms beyond the acquisition through Metaverse Technologies.
#1 Best Overall
- 【Industrial-Grade Accuracy】Achieve single-frame accuracy up to 0.03 mm and volumetric accuracy of 0.03 mm + 0.05 mm x L(m), faithfully reproducing the finest surface details and complex geometries with exceptional consistency. Full-Field Structured Light accuracy reaches 0.08 mm; VCSEL mode delivers 0.10 mm @ 300-500 mm and 0.20 mm @ 500-800 mm. Engineered to meet the demanding requirements of 3D printing, reverse engineering, and precision modeling applications.
- 【Ultra-Fast Scanning & Robust Frame Rate】Multi-line Laser mode delivers up to 105 fps with NVIDIA GPU acceleration. Full-Field Structured Light mode achieves up to 5,000,000 points/s. The high frame rate ensures a smooth, uninterrupted scanning experience, especially suited for rapidly capturing large objects and complex scenes, significantly boosting overall workflow efficiency.
- 【AI-Powered & Photo-Grade Retopology】 AI object segmentation (Windows only) identifies your target in one click, tracks it throughout the scan, and auto-filters background noise — delivering clean data and streamlining post-processing. The patented 3D Gaussian Splatting converts point cloud and RGB data into true-to-life 1:1 photorealistic models; import photos from your phone or camera to apply real textures, then export in splat format for gaming, animation, and VR.
- 【All-Weather Outdoor Scanning】Multi-line Laser mode operates reliably up to 50,000 lux; with an outdoor filter attached, scanning remains stable in lighting conditions of up to 100,000 lux; VCSEL mode operates reliably in up to 100,000 lux ambient light. Designed to overcome lighting challenges, it provides consistent all-weather performance for construction sites, archaeological digs, and industrial fieldwork.
- 【5 Scanning Modes】NIR band supports Full-Field HD Scanning (markerless, fine structured light), Hybrid HD Scanning (dual projectors, fast high-quality modeling), and VCSEL Rapid Scanning (high-density pattern, fast markerless capture). Blue light band supports 30-Cross Laser Lines Scanning (handles high-reflectivity metals & dark objects) and Single-Line Deep Hole Scanning (captures from deep holes & narrow grooves). Five modes for comprehensive indoor and outdoor coverage.
Timeline: partnership, acquisition and rebrand
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| March 6, 2018 | Unity announced a strategic partnership with PiXYZ Software, combining Unity’s real-time 3D platform with PiXYZ’s CAD-import and data-preparation tools. Unity partnership announcement |
| Q2 2021 | Unity said it acquired Metaverse Technologies, Inc., the provider of Pixyz. Q2 results release |
| July 24, 2024 | Pixyz Scenario Processor was succeeded by Pixyz SDK, according to Unity’s product update. |
| September 3, 2024 | Standalone Pixyz Plugin licensing was discontinued; the renamed plugin became part of Unity Industry. |
| 2025–2026 | Unity moved the portfolio to the Asset Transformer brand. Unity’s current page says existing products, workflows and licenses remain supported. |
What Pixyz actually does
CAD systems describe exact engineering geometry—such as parametric or BRep/NURBS surfaces—while real-time engines generally render triangle meshes. A factory assembly can also contain millions of parts, manufacturing detail, deep product hierarchies and metadata that are useful to engineers but impractical to display interactively without preparation.
Pixyz was the conversion and optimization layer between those systems. Its workflows can:
Rank #2
- EASY TO USE FOR BEGINNERS – Perfect for entry-level users, DIY creators, and 3D printing enthusiasts. Quick start, with simple practice giving optimal scan results.
- SMOOTH WIRELESS SCANNING – WiFi6-powered Ferret Pro ensures fast, stable scanning. Works with Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS for flexible cross-platform use.
- HIGH-PRECISION 3D MODELS – Capture detailed 3D models with full-color 24-bit scanning and anti-shake technology. Offers up to 0.1mm accuracy with full-color scanning. Ideal for objects from 50mm to 2000mm. Not suitable for very small or highly detailed items like jewelry or precision parts.cccc
- VERSATILE OUTPUT & ENVIRONMENT – Export in OBJ, STL, or PLY. Works reliably in most settings, including outdoor light (<30,000 lux). Avoid reflective, transparent, or very dark surfaces for best results.
- LIGHTWEIGHT & PORTABLE – Weighing just 105g, carry and scan anywhere—home, studio, or on the go. Compact, convenient, and ready for travel.
- Import CAD, DCC, mesh, BIM and point-cloud datasets.
- Tessellate exact CAD geometry into polygonal meshes.
- Repair, orient and simplify geometry through decimation.
- Remove hidden geometry and generate levels of detail.
- Preserve hierarchy, materials, colors, metadata and product-manufacturing information where the workflow supports them.
- Automate repeatable preparation with presets and Python scripting.
Unity’s current Asset Transformer page claims support for more than 70 formats, including CATIA, JT, STEP, IFC, PVZ, NWD, USD and glTF. That is Unity’s product-page claim, not an independent compatibility test; customers should verify the exact application and file-version combinations they use.
Why Unity wanted the technology
The strategic value was industrial data ingestion. Unity had a real-time engine, but industrial customers often started with enormous engineering assemblies rather than game-ready assets. Pixyz reduced the work required to turn those assemblies into interactive content for:
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Rank #3
- 【High Accuracy & Fast Scanning】The Creality CR-Scan Ferret Pro 3D scanner delivers up to 0.1mm accuracy, 0.16mm resolution, and 30FPS scanning speed. It captures detailed dimensional data and complex shapes smoothly, creating highly realistic 3D models with ease.
- 【WiFi6 Wireless Transmission】Featuring advanced WiFi6, this handheld 3D scanner offers speeds 3x faster than WiFi5. The high bandwidth ensures stable, efficient data transfer for high-precision scanning and smoother workflow.
- 【Outdoor Scanning & Flexible File Export】Powered by upgraded optical technology and intelligent algorithms, the scanner delivers reliable performance in outdoor environments with ambient light up to 30,000 lux. Export models in OBJ, STL, or PLY formats for seamless integration with 3D printing, design, and reverse engineering workflows. For optimal results, avoid scanning highly reflective, transparent, or extremely dark surfaces.
- 【Anti-Shake Tracking】Equipped with one-shot 3D imaging, the Ferret Pro improves tracking accuracy and scanning success rates. Even with hand movements or quick object shifts, it ensures smooth, error-free scanning—perfect for beginners.
- Ferret Series Performance requirements: Windows: i5-Gen8 CPU or later Windows 10/11 (64-bit), RAM: >8GB, Software: >V2.3.0 Mac OS: M1/M2/M3/M4 series, macOS 11.7.7+ or Intel i5-Gen8+, RAM: >8GB Android: OS: Android 10.0+, RAM: >8GB, Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, App: V2.0.2 iOS: Model: iPhone 11+, iOS 15+, RAM: >4GB
- Automotive and aerospace visualization.
- Manufacturing configurators and sales experiences.
- Architecture, engineering and construction models.
- AR and VR training.
- Simulation and digital-twin projects.
Unity’s 2018 announcement specifically described design and engineering, training, customer-facing product experiences, data-center automation and desktop preparation as target workflows. The acquisition gave Unity a specialized CAD-to-real-time pipeline instead of leaving customers to build or license that conversion layer separately.
What Unity acquired—and what it did not
The careful description is that Unity acquired Metaverse Technologies, Inc., provider of Pixyz. The primary materials do not justify saying Unity purchased a separately named legal entity called “Pixyz Software,” nor do they disclose a price. Pixyz was an established specialist before Unity’s involvement; Unity did not create the technology from scratch.
Rank #4
- AI Visual Tracking
- 0.05mm Accuracy
- 0.10mm Resolution
- Scan ranges from 15mm to 1500mm
- Intelligent Pre and Post Data Processing - JMStudio scanning software integrates scanning, editing, and optimizing into one seamless process.
Pixyz is also not a replacement for CAD authoring software. It prepares and optimizes data for visualization and real-time use; engineering teams still need their CAD, PLM or BIM systems for design intent and authoring.
What Pixyz is called now
| Former name | Current Unity name | Primary role |
|---|---|---|
| Pixyz Plugin | Unity Asset Transformer Toolkit | Unity Editor package for importing and preparing CAD, BIM and 3D data inside Unity. |
| Pixyz Studio | Unity Asset Transformer Studio | Standalone interactive application for importing, converting, optimizing and exporting data, with Python automation. |
| Pixyz SDK (formerly Scenario Processor) | Unity Asset Transformer SDK | Automation and batch-processing component for on-premises or private-cloud pipelines. |
Unity’s current product page states that the Pixyz-to-Asset-Transformer naming change does not invalidate existing products, workflows or licenses. Older tutorials and documentation may still use the Pixyz names, so map the legacy name to the current product before following setup or licensing instructions.
Best Value
- HIGH ACCURACY & FASTER: Boasting an impressive accuracy of up to 0.1mm, a resolution of 0.16mm, and a scanning speed of 30FPS, the Creality CR-Scan Ferret SE 3D scanner demonstrates outstanding performance in capturing extensive dimensional data and intricate details to shape highly realistic models smoothly and quickly
- ANTI-SHAKE TACKING: CR-Scan Ferret SE 3D scanner equipped with the new one-shot 3D imaging technology, this advanced feature enhances tracking efficiency and significantly increases the success rate of scans , ensures smooth, error-free scanning results even with shaky hands or rapid movements, ideal for beginners
- COLORFUL & VIVID TEXTURES: The CR Scan Ferret SE color 3D scanner built-in with the 2MP high-resolution color camera, captures intricate details and colored 3D models in their original colors, vividly bringing every intricate detail to life
- FLEXIBLE SCANNING RANGE: Provides a flexible scanning range of 150mm to 2000mm and a single capture range of up to 560*820mm, easily and efficiently handles the scanning of medium to large objects
- SCAN BLACK/METAL OBJECTS WITHOUT SPRAYING: The Ferret SE is optimized for scanning black or metal objects, it doesn't required you to use a white powder or spray to create a contrasting surface for black objects, much easier and faster to help you to finish your work
Current products, prices and licensing
| Product | Best fit | Current commercial information |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Transformer Toolkit | Teams already building in Unity and wanting CAD/BIM preparation in the Editor. | Unity says it is included with Unity Industry. The product page also displays a US$1,350-per-seat annual pricing signal; confirm how that figure applies to the required Unity Industry plan. |
| Asset Transformer Studio | Artists and technical teams doing hands-on conversion and optimization outside the Editor. | US$2,450 per seat annually on Unity’s Studio page. Unity checkout shows a seven-day trial signal: checkout page. |
| Asset Transformer SDK | Repeatable batch processing, private-cloud or on-premises deployment. | Pricing is sales-led; Unity does not publish a list price. |
Unity advertises a 30-day Unity Industry trial that includes the Toolkit. Historical licensing also matters: Unity announced that standalone Pixyz Plugin licensing would end beginning September 3, 2024. Customers with fewer than two Scenario Processor nodes received a six-month grace period from July 24, 2024 through January 24, 2025, after which the two-node minimum applied or Unity Cloud Automation could be considered.
How to choose among the products
Choose Toolkit when Unity is the destination
Toolkit is designed for a Unity-centered workflow: import source data, apply preparation rules and continue building the application in the Editor. It is a poor fit if you need a renderer-agnostic pipeline and do not otherwise need Unity Industry.
Choose Studio for interactive preparation
Studio suits technical artists and designers who need to inspect assemblies, make optimization decisions and export prepared assets. Its annual seat price makes it harder to justify for occasional, basic mesh conversion.
Choose SDK for production automation
SDK is aimed at pipeline engineers processing many files or embedding conversion into a controlled on-premises or private-cloud service. It is usually excessive for a one-off manual conversion.
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Strong candidates
- A manufacturer preparing large assemblies for a product configurator.
- An automotive team generating optimized vehicle variants for interactive review.
- A training group converting machinery or BIM data for VR.
- A Unity developer who receives CAD rather than FBX, glTF or other game-ready assets.
Likely poor fits
- Small game teams whose assets are already optimized.
- Organizations seeking a complete CAD authoring environment.
- Occasional users unable to justify annual specialist-software licensing.
- Teams whose source format, revision or metadata requirements are not supported.
Checks to make before buying
- Test the exact inputs. Confirm the CAD, BIM, PLM and point-cloud formats and application versions you actually receive.
- Define the output. Decide whether you need Unity-native import, FBX, glTF, USD or another export target.
- List information that must survive. Include part IDs, hierarchy, materials, PMI, animations and metadata—not just visual shape.
- Benchmark your largest assembly. Measure import time, memory use, output size and runtime performance with representative data.
- Set an optimization policy. Decimation, mesh merging, hidden-geometry removal and LOD generation can improve performance but remove detail needed for inspection or training.
- Confirm deployment and security. Ask Unity about private-cloud or on-premises operation, support, node limits, floating licenses and automation terms.
- Calculate total cost. Include Unity subscriptions, engineering time, infrastructure and data-cleanup work—not just the displayed seat price.
Important limitations and common mistakes
- CAD conversion is not lossless engineering behavior. Tessellation produces renderable meshes; it does not preserve every parametric operation as an interactive CAD model.
- Large assemblies may need preprocessing. Unity recommends interactive preprocessing in Studio or automated preprocessing through SDK before importing heavy results into Unity.
- Over-optimization can damage the use case. A model that looks fine in a configurator may no longer support a maintenance-training or inspection requirement if critical detail is removed.
- Do not confuse the products. Toolkit, Studio and SDK target Unity-integrated, interactive and automated workflows respectively.
- Do not treat a case study as a guarantee. Unity’s reported customer improvements are specific to those projects and are not universal processing-time promises.
What remains unknown
Unity’s cited 2021 materials do not disclose the acquisition price, detailed integration milestones, employment arrangements or standalone financial terms. Current compatibility, deployment and support conditions can also vary by format, version and contract, so those details should be confirmed directly before a production purchase.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Unity Q2 2021 financial results
- Unity Q2 2021 earnings call
- Unity–PiXYZ 2018 partnership announcement
- Unity Asset Transformer
- Asset Transformer Studio
- Pixyz licensing FAQ
- Unity’s 2024 Pixyz update
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
