Needle vs. Reality Composer Pro vs. Galacean Engine

See how Needle, Reality Composer Pro, 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
Apple's advanced visual authoring tool integrated with Xcode for creating 3D scenes and spatial computing experiences for Apple platforms (especially visionOS) using RealityKit.
Reality Composer Pro
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.
Authoring Tool
Reality Composer Pro
Solution Type: authoring-tool
A visual editor for creating RealityKit scenes, tightly integrated with Xcode for Apple platform development.
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.
N/A (Native Apple)
Reality Composer Pro
Made for the web: N/A (Native Apple)
Optimized exclusively for performance on Apple hardware (iOS, macOS, visionOS).
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
Reality Composer Pro
Typical Workflows: Standalone Editor
Provides a visual interface within Xcode for assembling scenes, materials, and basic behaviors. Complex logic requires Swift code.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Use with Unity: No
Direct competitor/alternative for native Apple development.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Use with Blender: No
Primarily consumes USDZ format. Assets from Blender need conversion.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Provides components for common AR interactions and behaviors integrated with the broader Apple ecosystem.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Extensible with Coding: Yes
Can be extended with Swift programming, but only for Apple platforms.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Physically-Based Rendering: Yes
Leverages RealityKit's USD-based rendering engine optimized for Apple platforms.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Component System: Yes
Built on RealityKit's Entity Component System.
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.
Via Native Frameworks
Reality Composer Pro
Built-in Networking: Via Native Frameworks
Networking is handled using standard Apple frameworks (e.g., Network.framework).
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Timelines and Sequencing: Yes
Supports timeline-based animation and sequencing through OpenUSD.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports creating and controlling animations within RealityKit scenes.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Animated Materials: No
Material properties can't be animated, but some shader-based animations are possible.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Audio Playback: Yes
Leverages RealityKit's spatial audio features.
Galacean Engine
Audio Playback: Yes
Basic audio support.
Video Playback
Needle
Video Playback: Yes
Supports video textures and playback controlled via components.
Reality Composer Pro
Video Playback: Yes
Supported via RealityKit.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Physics Integration: Yes
Integrates with RealityKit's physics simulation capabilities.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
glTF 3D Support: No
Focuses on OpenUSD content; glTF requires manual conversion.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Custom User Interfaces: Yes
Integrates with SwiftUI for creating user interfaces in spatial contexts.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Web Component: No
Strictly for native Apple platform development.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
PWA Support: No
Not applicable.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
HTML/CSS Integration: No
Operates entirely within the native Apple ecosystem.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Host Anywhere: No
Tool is part of the Xcode development environment.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Asset Hosting: No
Assets are bundled with the application.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
App Hosting: No
Not a hosting platform; used for creating applications.
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.
N/A (OS Framework)
Reality Composer Pro
Engine Size: N/A (OS Framework)
RealityKit is part of the operating system.
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.
Fast
Reality Composer Pro
Loading Performance: Fast
Benefits from native code and tight OS integration.
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.
High
Reality Composer Pro
Runtime Performance: High
Optimized for high performance on Apple silicon.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Smart Asset Optimization: Yes
Works with the optimized USDZ format. Includes Object Capture (photogrammetry) for model creation.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Mesh and Texture LODs: No
No automatic LOD management or simplification.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
VR Support (WebXR): No
Not supported.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
AR Support (WebXR): No
Not supported.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
AR Support (iOS): Yes
Creates content for ARKit/RealityKit apps on iOS/iPadOS.
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.
Reality Composer Pro
AR Support (visionOS): Yes
A primary tool for developing spatial computing experiences for visionOS.
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.
Surface
Face
Object
Reality Composer Pro
AR Tracking Types: Surface, Face, Object
Leverages the full capabilities of ARKit (World, Image, Face, Body, Object, Location Anchors, etc.).
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.
Reality Composer Pro
Official Support Availability: No
Community support available through the Apple Developer Program.
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.
Excellent
Reality Composer Pro
Learning Resources: Excellent
Extensive resources including official documentation, WWDC session videos, tutorials, and sample code.
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.
Free
Reality Composer Pro
License: Free
Included free as part of Apple's developer tools.
Open Source
Galacean Engine
License: Open Source
Available under the permissive MIT license.

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