Needle vs. Godot vs. Galacean Engine

See how Needle, Godot, and Galacean Engine compare across key features and capabilities for usage on the web and creating XR experiences for designers, developers and teams.

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Web-first runtime integrated with Unity and Blender plugins, complemented by Needle Cloud for optimization and hosting.
Needle
A feature of the free and open-source Godot Engine, allowing projects to be compiled to WebGL and Wasm for browser deployment, though with some limitations.
Godot
An open-source, TypeScript-based engine from Ant Group, designed with a mobile-first philosophy for performant web apps, offering code-first or editor workflows.
Galacean Engine
Core Platform & Workflow
Solution Type
3D Engine
Cloud Platform
Authoring Tool
Optimization Tool
Web Component
Needle
Solution Type: 3d-engine, cloud-platform, authoring-tool, optimization-tool, web-component
A comprehensive suite including a runtime engine, cloud services for optimization/hosting, authoring via Unity/Blender plugins, and embeddable web component output.
3D Engine
Authoring Tool
Godot
Solution Type: 3d-engine, authoring-tool
Allows exporting projects made in the Godot Editor to run in browsers using WebGL/Wasm.
3D Engine
Authoring Tool
Galacean Engine
Solution Type: 3d-engine, authoring-tool
An open-source engine with an accompanying visual editor, focused on mobile web performance.
Made for the web
Needle
Made for the web: Yes
Built from the ground up for the web, focusing on fast loading, efficient rendering, and cross-platform web deployment.
Godot
Made for the web: No
Web is an export target, not the primary design focus. Performance and features may lag behind native builds.
Galacean Engine
Made for the web: Yes
Explicitly designed with a mobile-first philosophy for high performance on the web.
Typical Workflows
Unity Editor
Blender Editor
Code
HTML
Asset Upload
Needle
Typical Workflows: Unity Editor, Blender Editor, Code, HTML, Asset Upload
Primary workflow involves using Unity or Blender as the authoring environment, exporting scenes and logic. Custom scripts (TypeScript/JavaScript) extend functionality.
Standalone Editor
Code
Godot
Typical Workflows: Standalone Editor, Code
Development uses the integrated Godot Editor, with scripting primarily in GDScript or C#.
Standalone Editor
Code
Galacean Engine
Typical Workflows: Standalone Editor, Code
Supports both direct coding using TypeScript and development via the Galacean Editor.
Use with Unity
Needle
Use with Unity: Yes
Deep integration with Unity Editor via dedicated plugin, allowing export of scenes, C# scripts (transpiled), materials (Shader Graph), animations, and components.
Godot
Use with Unity: No
Separate engine and workflow.
Galacean Engine
Use with Unity: No
Separate engine and workflow.
Use with Blender
Needle
Use with Blender: Yes
Integration with Blender via addon, supporting export of scenes, materials, animations, and custom logic nodes.
Godot
Use with Blender: Yes
Godot has strong glTF import capabilities, making Blender a good companion tool.
Galacean Engine
Use with Blender: No
Imports glTF assets exported from Blender.
Interactivity Building Blocks
Needle
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Includes a rich set of components for common interactions, animations, and UI elements.
Godot
Interactivity Building Blocks: No
Limited built-in components, though components are available in the Godot Asset Library.
Galacean Engine
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Offers components for common 3D interactions using engine-toolkit.
Extensible with Coding
Needle
Extensible with Coding: Yes
Uses TypeScript with full IDE support in both Unity and standalone projects.
Godot
Extensible with Coding: Yes
GDScript, C#, or visual scripting, with some limitations in web export.
Galacean Engine
Extensible with Coding: Yes
Uses TypeScript/JavaScript with an entity-component system.
Engine Capabilities
Physically-Based Rendering
Needle
Physically-Based Rendering: Yes
Supports Physically Based Rendering (PBR), custom shaders (via Unity Shader Graph export), lighting, and post-processing effects.
Good
Godot
Physically-Based Rendering: Good
Supports PBR materials, global illumination (SDFGI, VoxelGI - limitations on web), and various post-processing effects, although web export uses the less feature-rich Compatibility renderer.
Good
Galacean Engine
Physically-Based Rendering: Good
Supports PBR materials, shadows, and various effects via core engine and extension libraries.
Component System
Needle
Component System: Yes
Leverages the component-based architecture of Unity/Blender, extended with custom web-specific components.
Godot
Component System: Yes
Uses a node-based scene structure, which functions similarly to an ECS.
Galacean Engine
Component System: Yes
Built around an Entity-Component-System architecture.
Built-in Networking
Needle
Built-in Networking: Yes
Built-in real-time networking for multiplayer and collaborative applications.
Godot
Built-in Networking: Yes
Includes high-level networking APIs, but web exports have constraints (e.g., no UDP, rely on WebSockets/WebRTC).
Galacean Engine
Built-in Networking: No
Requires external libraries for networking capabilities.
Timelines and Sequencing
Needle
Timelines and Sequencing: Yes
Supports timeline-based sequencing, complex animations, animator state machines, blending, and more.
Godot
Timelines and Sequencing: No
Animation state machines are supported via AnimationTree and AnimationPlayer, however there is no dedicated timeline/sequencing tool.
Limited
Galacean Engine
Timelines and Sequencing: Limited
Basic animation system but limited timeline or sequencing tools.
Animation Controls
Needle
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports complex animations authored in Unity (Animator, Timeline) or Blender and exports them for the web.
Godot
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports Godot's AnimationPlayer, AnimationTree, and related nodes.
Galacean Engine
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports skeletal animation, blend shapes, and an animation state machine.
Animated Materials
Needle
Animated Materials: Yes
Supports material animations, shader graph, and procedural material effects.
Godot
Animated Materials: Yes
AnimationPlayer can animate material properties as well.
Galacean Engine
Animated Materials: Yes
Supports material animation and shader effects, with focus on mobile performance.
Audio Playback
Needle
Audio Playback: Yes
Supports spatial audio configured via Unity/Blender components.
Godot
Audio Playback: Yes
Includes Godot's audio engine capabilities.
Galacean Engine
Audio Playback: Yes
Basic audio support.
Video Playback
Needle
Video Playback: Yes
Supports video textures and playback controlled via components.
Godot
Video Playback: Yes
Supports video playback using the VideoStreamPlayer node.
Galacean Engine
Video Playback: Yes
Supports video textures via extension libraries.
Physics Integration
Needle
Physics Integration: Yes
Integrates with physics engines, configured via Unity/Blender components.
Godot
Physics Integration: Yes
Includes Godot's built-in 2D and 3D physics engines.
Galacean Engine
Physics Integration: Yes
Includes physics integration (e.g., @galacean/engine-physics-physx).
glTF 3D Support
Excellent
Needle
glTF 3D Support: Excellent
Uses glTF as its core runtime format and supports import of various formats (FBX, USD, VRM etc.) which are converted.
Excellent
Godot
glTF 3D Support: Excellent
Godot prioritizes glTF as its primary 3D interchange format.
Galacean Engine
glTF 3D Support: Yes
Built around the glTF standard as the primary asset format.
Custom User Interfaces
Needle
Custom User Interfaces: Yes
Facilitates creation of UI using standard HTML/CSS and frontend frameworks, integrated with the 3D scene.
Godot
Custom User Interfaces: Yes
Features a comprehensive set of Control nodes for building complex UIs.
Galacean Engine
Custom User Interfaces: Yes
Built-in 2D UI system but limited options for HTML/CSS integration.
Web Integration & Deployment
Web Component
Needle
Web Component: Yes
Exports projects as standard web components (<needle-engine> tag) for easy embedding into any HTML page or web application.
Godot
Web Component: No
Web exports are typically embedded via iframe or JavaScript loader.
Galacean Engine
Web Component: Yes
Can be embedded and controlled within standard web pages.
PWA Support
Needle
PWA Support: Yes
Being web-native, Needle Engine projects can be easily included in Progressive Web Apps for offline capabilities and installation.
Godot
PWA Support: Yes
Web exports can be configured as Progressive Web Apps.
Galacean Engine
PWA Support: No
Mobile-first design makes it well-suited for PWAs.
HTML/CSS Integration
Excellent
Needle
HTML/CSS Integration: Excellent
Designed to seamlessly integrate with HTML, CSS, and frontend frameworks (React, Vue, Svelte etc.), allowing blending of 2D UI and 3D content.
Difficult
Godot
HTML/CSS Integration: Difficult
Interaction between the Godot Wasm instance and the webpage requires JavaScript bridging.
Galacean Engine
HTML/CSS Integration: Yes
Integrates into standard web development workflows.
Host Anywhere
Needle
Host Anywhere: Yes
The core runtime can be self-hosted on any static server. Needle Cloud features (optimization, hosting, analytics) require the cloud service.
Limited
Godot
Host Anywhere: Limited
Requires hosting for the exported files (Wasm, pck, JS). Servers need specific configuration (Cross-Origin Isolation headers for threading).
Galacean Engine
Host Anywhere: Yes
Deployable on static web servers.
Asset Hosting
Needle
Asset Hosting: Yes
Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized assets.
Godot
Asset Hosting: No
Requires external hosting for exported build files.
Galacean Engine
Asset Hosting: No
Requires external hosting for assets.
App Hosting
Needle
App Hosting: Yes
Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized applications.
Godot
App Hosting: No
Requires external hosting for exported build files.
Galacean Engine
App Hosting: No
Not a hosting platform; requires external hosting.
Performance & Optimization
Engine Size
Medium
Needle
Engine Size: Medium
Optimized runtime aims for minimal footprint, size depends on included features.
Medium/Large
Godot
Engine Size: Medium/Large
Wasm builds can be substantial, though generally smaller than Unity.
Small/Medium
Galacean Engine
Engine Size: Small/Medium
Aims for a lightweight runtime suitable for mobile web.
Loading Performance
Excellent
Needle
Loading Performance: Excellent
Rapid development cycles and fast loading times through optimized runtime and asset handling.
Moderate/Slow
Godot
Loading Performance: Moderate/Slow
Loading times depend on project size and optimization efforts.
Fast
Galacean Engine
Loading Performance: Fast
Optimization for fast loading on mobile is a key design goal.
Runtime Performance
Excellent
Needle
Runtime Performance: Excellent
Designed for efficient rendering performance across desktop, mobile, and XR devices.
Moderate/Variable
Godot
Runtime Performance: Moderate/Variable
Web export performance can be lower than native builds due to browser constraints and translation overhead.
High
Galacean Engine
Runtime Performance: High
Targets high runtime performance, especially on mobile devices.
Smart Asset Optimization
Excellent
Needle
Smart Asset Optimization: Excellent
Needle Cloud provides significant automated optimization: LOD generation, mesh optimization, extensive texture compression (Basis Universal, WebP, JPG, PNG) and resizing options.
Godot
Smart Asset Optimization: Yes
Offers export options for texture compression (VRAM compression) and other settings.
Basic
Galacean Engine
Smart Asset Optimization: Basic
Supports optimized formats like glTF with Draco/Basis, relies on external tools for complex optimization.
Mesh and Texture LODs
Excellent
Needle
Mesh and Texture LODs: Excellent
Supports automatic mesh simplification, level-of-detail generation and automatic texture compression with multiple quality levels.
Godot
Mesh and Texture LODs: No
No automatic generation of simplification levels, no web-specific optimizations.
Galacean Engine
Mesh and Texture LODs: No
No automatic simplifciation or LOD generation.
XR Support (AR/VR/Spatial)
VR Support (WebXR)
Needle
VR Support (WebXR): Yes
Supports VR headsets via the WebXR standard.
Godot
VR Support (WebXR): Yes
WebXR support is available but requires custom code.
Limited
Galacean Engine
VR Support (WebXR): Limited
Primary focus is 2D/3D mobile web, not immersive VR.
AR Support (WebXR)
Needle
AR Support (WebXR): Yes
Supports markerless WebAR on compatible Android devices via the WebXR standard.
Godot
AR Support (WebXR): Yes
AR capabilities via WebXR are available.
Limited
Galacean Engine
AR Support (WebXR): Limited
Primary focus is 2D/3D mobile web, AR support might be basic or via extensions.
AR Support (iOS)
Needle
AR Support (iOS): Yes
Supports interactive markerless WebAR on iOS devices via WebXR.
Godot
AR Support (iOS): No
Quick Look is not supported.
Limited
Galacean Engine
AR Support (iOS): Limited
Focus is not primarily on AR.
AR Support (visionOS)
Needle
AR Support (visionOS): Yes
Explicit support for creating spatial computing experiences deployable on visionOS.
Godot
AR Support (visionOS): No
Not directly supported via web export.
Galacean Engine
AR Support (visionOS): No
Not a target platform.
AR Tracking Types
Surface
Image
Needle
AR Tracking Types: Surface, Image
Supports World Tracking via the WebXR standard on compatible devices. Image tracking is supported on iOS AR but requires a device-specific flag for Android AR.
Limited (WebXR)
Godot
AR Tracking Types: Limited (WebXR)
Tracking capabilities depend on the WebXR implementation in the browser.
N/A
Galacean Engine
AR Tracking Types: N/A
Not AR-focused.
Ecosystem & Support
Official Support Availability
Needle
Official Support Availability: Yes
Dedicated support available for licensed users.
Godot
Official Support Availability: No
Support is primarily community-based. Commercial support providers exist.
Galacean Engine
Official Support Availability: No
Support is community-driven, backed by Ant Group's development.
Learning Resources
Needle
Learning Resources: Yes
Extensive documentation, tutorials, live samples, and active community support.
Godot
Learning Resources: Yes
Good official documentation, tutorials, and a growing number of community resources.
Good
Galacean Engine
Learning Resources: Good
Offers documentation, examples, and official toolkits.
License
Commercial
Needle
License: Commercial
Commercial license required for full features and deployment. Free evaluation available.
Open Source
Godot
License: Open Source
Free and open source under the MIT license.
Open Source
Galacean Engine
License: Open Source
Available under the permissive MIT license.

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