Reality capture + AR comparison · August 2026
OpenSurvey3D vs Trimble SiteVision
SiteVision combines Trimble GNSS, phone LiDAR, construction models, AR, and cloud collaboration. OpenSurvey3D is the open alternative for teams that want flexible positioning, three 3D capture modes, AR asset finding, local-first projects, and inspectable QA.
The short answer
Open flexibility or integrated enterprise stack?
- You use Emlid Reach or a standards-based NMEA receiver.
- You need mesh, point-cloud, and photo-scan capture in the same iOS project.
- Your AR goal is finding previously surveyed project assets.
- Local-first storage, open exports, a free app, and MIT source are priorities.
- Your organization already standardizes on Catalyst DA2, HPS2, or Trimble Connect.
- You need to place complex CAD/BIM/design content into the site view.
- Real-time tasks, reporting, and enterprise collaboration are central.
- A supported vendor stack is worth more than receiver and hosting flexibility.
Feature by feature
Where the workflows diverge
SiteVision’s published 1 cm horizontal / 2 cm vertical figure describes suitable RTK positioning with Catalyst—not a blanket specification for every point in a phone LiDAR scan.
| Capability | OpenSurvey3D | Trimble SiteVision |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | iPhone and iPad | iOS and Android |
| 3D scanning | LiDAR mesh, point cloud, and photogrammetry capture | Georeferenced, colorized LiDAR point clouds on supported Apple Pro devices |
| Positioning | Device GNSS, Emlid Reach Bluetooth, generic NMEA over Wi-Fi, built-in NTRIP | Trimble Catalyst DA2 or HPS2 with Trimble corrections and supported networks |
| AR purpose | Find stored project assets with camera pins, direction, bearing, and distance | Place designs in the real world and inspect above- or below-ground conditions |
| Measurement | Points, lines, areas, averaged occupations, stakeout, profiles, check shots | Positions, areas, slopes, volumes, cut/fill, inspection, and reporting |
| Office ecosystem | Open CAD/GIS files and a complete local project package | Trimble Connect, Trimble Business Center, and wider Trimble reality-capture stack |
| Data custody | Local-first; no account required | Cloud-enabled collaboration with Trimble Connect |
| Hardware strategy | Affordable Emlid plus generic standards-based receivers | Integrated Trimble hardware, corrections, mounts, and support |
| Source license | Free and MIT licensed | Proprietary |
AR is a family of workflows
SiteVision overlays the plan. OpenSurvey3D guides you back to the record.
SiteVision is designed to place digital designs into the real world, expose conflicts, inspect underground services, and compare proposed or as-built conditions. OpenSurvey3D turns existing project coordinates into nearby camera pins and a selected target into live direction, bearing, and distance.
Both are useful. Neither should be confused with precise numeric stakeout or an independent acceptance check.
Trimble advantage
A coherent hardware-to-cloud system.
SiteVision documents Catalyst DA2 and HPS2 support, centimeter-class RTK specifications under suitable conditions, georeferenced colorized LiDAR capture, design visualization, measurement, reporting, and Trimble Connect collaboration. That integration is the reason to choose it.
OpenSurvey3D advantage
A field record that is inspectable and portable.
Receiver state, samples, feature attributes, captures, offsets, coordinate frame, check residuals, QA reports, and exports stay in the project. The native app is free and MIT licensed; the data does not require Trimble Connect or any other account to exist.
A defensible result reports these components separately. A vendor’s receiver specification should never be silently applied to the entire reconstructed scene.
Common questions
OpenSurvey3D and SiteVision FAQ
Is OpenSurvey3D a Trimble SiteVision alternative?
It is an alternative for some iPhone field workflows: RTK-aware survey collection, phone 3D capture, AR field visualization, stakeout, QA, and CAD/GIS exports. It is not a replacement for Trimble Connect, the DA2/HPS2 hardware ecosystem, or SiteVision’s broad enterprise model workflow.
Which app is better for construction model overlays?
Trimble SiteVision is the stronger documented choice for placing and checking complex design models in AR, particularly when those models and teams already live in the Trimble ecosystem.
Which app is better for finding previously surveyed assets?
OpenSurvey3D is purpose-built for selecting a stored project feature and walking back to it with camera-view pins, direction, bearing, distance, and re-anchoring. Numeric stakeout remains the correct workflow for precise setting.
Can OpenSurvey3D use a Trimble DA2?
OpenSurvey3D currently documents Emlid Bluetooth and standards-based NMEA over Wi-Fi rather than a first-class Catalyst DA2 integration. Teams committed to the DA2/Catalyst service should treat SiteVision as the verified path unless they independently validate another connection.
Sources and disclosure
Verify the fit with first-party material.
This page is published by OpenSurvey3D and compares documented capabilities rather than claiming a controlled accuracy benchmark.
OpenSurvey3D
Scan the site. Find the asset. Keep the evidence.
Free, local-first, and MIT licensed on iPhone and iPad.