Needle vs. Spline vs. RapidPipeline

See how Needle, Spline, and RapidPipeline 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 web-based, real-time collaborative 3D design tool focused on creating interactive web experiences without requiring coding knowledge. Exports self-contained web packages or specific formats.
Spline
A specialized commercial tool (Cloud & CLI) focused on advanced, automated 3D model optimization and conversion for web and other platforms.
RapidPipeline
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
Cloud Platform
Authoring Tool
Web Component
Spline
Solution Type: 3d-engine, cloud-platform, authoring-tool, web-component
An online platform for 3D design and animation, with direct export options for web integration.
Optimization Tool
Cloud Platform
RapidPipeline
Solution Type: optimization-tool, cloud-platform
A dedicated tool for optimizing 3D assets, available as a cloud service or command-line interface (CLI).
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.
Spline
Made for the web: Yes
Focuses on creating optimized interactive experiences specifically for the web, with tools to analyze and improve performance.
RapidPipeline
Made for the web: Yes
Its core purpose is to produce assets highly optimized for web and AR/VR delivery.
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.
Web Editor
Spline
Typical Workflows: Web Editor
Primarily a visual design tool where scenes and interactions are built using a graphical interface. Logic is handled through an event/state system.
Asset Upload
CLI
RapidPipeline
Typical Workflows: Asset Upload, CLI
Operates as an automated step in a content pipeline via API, CLI, or web interface.
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.
Spline
Use with Unity: No
Exports glTF/USDZ which can be imported into Unity, but there is no direct integration or specific workflow.
RapidPipeline
Use with Unity: Yes
Can optimize assets destined for use in Unity projects.
Use with Blender
Needle
Use with Blender: Yes
Integration with Blender via addon, supporting export of scenes, materials, animations, and custom logic nodes.
Spline
Use with Blender: No
Can import formats like glTF (often exported from Blender) and export glTF, but no direct integration.
RapidPipeline
Use with Blender: Yes
Can optimize assets exported from Blender (or other DCC tools).
Interactivity Building Blocks
Needle
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Includes a rich set of components for common interactions, animations, and UI elements.
Spline
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Visual design tool with built-in interactive components for common behaviors like drag, hover, click interactions.
N/A
RapidPipeline
Interactivity Building Blocks: N/A
Not an authoring platform, focused on asset optimization.
Extensible with Coding
Needle
Extensible with Coding: Yes
Uses TypeScript with full IDE support in both Unity and standalone projects.
Limited
Spline
Extensible with Coding: Limited
Visual event system allows for creating interactive behaviors without coding. Limited JavaScript API for exported scenes.
N/A
RapidPipeline
Extensible with Coding: N/A
Offers command-line interface and API for scripting optimization workflows, not for runtime interactivity.
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
Spline
Physically-Based Rendering: Good
Supports PBR materials through a layer-based system, lighting (directional, spot, point), shadows, and post-processing effects.
RapidPipeline
Physically-Based Rendering: Yes
Aims to preserve PBR material appearance during optimization.
Component System
Needle
Component System: Yes
Leverages the component-based architecture of Unity/Blender, extended with custom web-specific components.
Spline
Component System: Yes
Features a 'Component' system allowing reuse of objects and their properties, aiding in creating design systems within Spline, but differs from traditional ECS architectures.
N/A
RapidPipeline
Component System: N/A
Not applicable.
Built-in Networking
Needle
Built-in Networking: Yes
Built-in real-time networking for multiplayer and collaborative applications.
Spline
Built-in Networking: No
Supports real-time collaboration within the editor but does not provide features for runtime networking or multiplayer experiences in exported applications.
N/A
RapidPipeline
Built-in Networking: N/A
Not applicable.
Timelines and Sequencing
Needle
Timelines and Sequencing: Yes
Supports timeline-based sequencing, complex animations, animator state machines, blending, and more.
Spline
Timelines and Sequencing: Yes
Includes timeline-based animation system for keyframe animation and sequencing.
RapidPipeline
Timelines and Sequencing: No
Does not preserve sequencing data from source formats that support sequencing.
Animation Controls
Needle
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports complex animations authored in Unity (Animator, Timeline) or Blender and exports them for the web.
Spline
Animation Controls: Yes
Supports keyframe animation, state-based transitions, and interactive events to trigger animations.
Preserves Animation
RapidPipeline
Animation Controls: Preserves Animation
Aims to preserve skeletal animations during the optimization process.
Animated Materials
Needle
Animated Materials: Yes
Supports material animations, shader graph, and procedural material effects.
Spline
Animated Materials: Yes
Supports material animation through the timeline system and visual animation tools.
RapidPipeline
Animated Materials: No
Preserves animations from source files but does not support animated materials.
Audio Playback
Needle
Audio Playback: Yes
Supports spatial audio configured via Unity/Blender components.
Spline
Audio Playback: Yes
Supports adding sounds to scenes, including positional audio and background music.
N/A
RapidPipeline
Audio Playback: N/A
Not applicable.
Video Playback
Needle
Video Playback: Yes
Supports video textures and playback controlled via components.
Spline
Video Playback: Yes
Supports using videos as textures on 3D models.
RapidPipeline
Video Playback: No
Not applicable.
Physics Integration
Needle
Physics Integration: Yes
Integrates with physics engines, configured via Unity/Blender components.
Spline
Physics Integration: Yes
Includes built-in physics simulation capabilities for creating dynamic interactions.
N/A
RapidPipeline
Physics Integration: N/A
Not applicable.
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.
Spline
glTF 3D Support: Yes
Can import and export models in glTF format for interoperability with other tools.
RapidPipeline
glTF 3D Support: Yes
Strong support for glTF as both input and output format, along with many others (FBX, OBJ, USDZ, etc.).
Custom User Interfaces
Needle
Custom User Interfaces: Yes
Facilitates creation of UI using standard HTML/CSS and frontend frameworks, integrated with the 3D scene.
Limited
Spline
Custom User Interfaces: Limited
UI elements are typically created using 3D text and objects within the scene itself; no dedicated 2D canvas UI system.
N/A
RapidPipeline
Custom User Interfaces: N/A
Not applicable.
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.
Spline
Web Component: Yes
Exports can be embedded using iframe or Javascript code snippets, including a React component export and a generic web component ('spline-viewer') for better performance with multiple embeds. The authoring tool itself is not web component based.
RapidPipeline
Web Component: No
Not applicable.
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.
Spline
PWA Support: No
Spline exports can be included within a PWA, but Spline itself doesn't provide specific features for PWA development.
N/A
RapidPipeline
PWA Support: N/A
Not applicable.
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.
Good
Spline
HTML/CSS Integration: Good
Designed to be easily embedded into HTML pages using generated code snippets (iframe or JavaScript).
N/A
RapidPipeline
HTML/CSS Integration: N/A
Not applicable.
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.
Spline
Host Anywhere: Yes
Exports are self-contained web packages deployable on static servers. Spline also offers hosting for public URL embeds.
RapidPipeline
Host Anywhere: No
Assets can be downloaded and hosted elsewhere, but the built-in viewer can only be hosted on the platform.
Asset Hosting
Needle
Asset Hosting: Yes
Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized assets.
Spline
Asset Hosting: Yes
Spline hosts scenes shared via Public URLs. Exported code/files can be self-hosted.
RapidPipeline
Asset Hosting: Yes
The cloud service processes assets and can also serve them with a basic viewer.
App Hosting
Needle
App Hosting: Yes
Needle Cloud provides managed hosting and CDN delivery for optimized applications.
Spline
App Hosting: Yes
Scenes can be hosted directly on Spline's servers.
RapidPipeline
App Hosting: No
Does not allow hosting full web applications.
Performance & Optimization
Engine Size
Medium
Needle
Engine Size: Medium
Optimized runtime aims for minimal footprint, size depends on included features.
Medium/Large (includes runtime)
Spline
Engine Size: Medium/Large (includes runtime)
Exports include the Spline runtime, which can increase the initial download size compared to solutions using shared runtimes or minimal frameworks. Size depends on scene complexity and export settings.
N/A
RapidPipeline
Engine Size: N/A
Not applicable.
Loading Performance
Excellent
Needle
Loading Performance: Excellent
Rapid development cycles and fast loading times through optimized runtime and asset handling.
Moderate
Spline
Loading Performance: Moderate
Loading times depend heavily on scene complexity, polygon count, texture sizes, and the included runtime. Optimization tools are provided, but complex scenes can experience noticeable load times.
Good
RapidPipeline
Loading Performance: Good
Significantly reduces asset file sizes, leading to faster load times in target applications.
Runtime Performance
Excellent
Needle
Runtime Performance: Excellent
Designed for efficient rendering performance across desktop, mobile, and XR devices.
Good (scene dependent)
Spline
Runtime Performance: Good (scene dependent)
Performance is generally good for well-optimized scenes but can degrade with high polygon counts, complex materials, numerous objects, or intensive interactions, especially on lower-end devices.
Good
RapidPipeline
Runtime Performance: Good
Reduces mesh complexity and draw calls, improving rendering performance in target engines.
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.
Limited (Internal)
Spline
Smart Asset Optimization: Limited (Internal)
Provides tools like polygon reduction guidance, material asset reuse, geometry compression on export, and image quality controls, but lacks explicit support for advanced texture compression formats like Basis Universal or Draco geometry compression visibility.
Excellent
RapidPipeline
Smart Asset Optimization: Excellent
State-of-the-art features: advanced mesh decimation, texture baking/compression (including Basis Universal), UV unwrapping, draw call reduction, LOD generation.
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.
Spline
Mesh and Texture LODs: No
Focuses on optimization but does not have a dynamic LOD system.
RapidPipeline
Mesh and Texture LODs: Yes
Core functionality is generating optimized meshes and textures with multiple LOD levels.
XR Support (AR/VR/Spatial)
VR Support (WebXR)
Needle
VR Support (WebXR): Yes
Supports VR headsets via the WebXR standard.
Spline
VR Support (WebXR): No
Does not directly export WebVR experiences. Requires exporting models (e.g., glTF) and using a VR-capable framework.
N/A
RapidPipeline
VR Support (WebXR): N/A
Optimizes assets for use in VR applications.
AR Support (WebXR)
Needle
AR Support (WebXR): Yes
Supports markerless WebAR on compatible Android devices via the WebXR standard.
Spline
AR Support (WebXR): No
Does not directly export WebAR experiences. Exports USDZ for AR Quick Look on iOS, but full WebAR requires external frameworks.
N/A
RapidPipeline
AR Support (WebXR): N/A
Optimizes assets for use in AR applications.
AR Support (iOS)
Needle
AR Support (iOS): Yes
Supports interactive markerless WebAR on iOS devices via WebXR.
Limited
Spline
AR Support (iOS): Limited
USDZ files compatible with AR Quick Look on iOS can be exported from the web app. Also provides native Swift embeds for iOS apps.
N/A
RapidPipeline
AR Support (iOS): N/A
Optimizes assets for use in AR applications.
AR Support (visionOS)
Needle
AR Support (visionOS): Yes
Explicit support for creating spatial computing experiences deployable on visionOS.
Limited
Spline
AR Support (visionOS): Limited
USDZ files compatible with AR Quick Look on iOS can be exported from the web app. Also provides native Swift embeds for iOS apps.
N/A
RapidPipeline
AR Support (visionOS): N/A
Optimizes assets (e.g., to USDZ) suitable for visionOS.
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
Spline
AR Tracking Types: Surface
Primarily through USDZ export for object placement in AR Quick Look.
N/A
RapidPipeline
AR Tracking Types: N/A
Not applicable.
Ecosystem & Support
Official Support Availability
Needle
Official Support Availability: Yes
Dedicated support available for licensed users.
Spline
Official Support Availability: Yes
Official support channels are typically available for paid subscribers, while community support is available for all users via Discord.
RapidPipeline
Official Support Availability: Yes
Support provided as part of the commercial offering.
Learning Resources
Needle
Learning Resources: Yes
Extensive documentation, tutorials, live samples, and active community support.
Good
Spline
Learning Resources: Good
Offers official documentation, tutorials (text and video), a library of templates/examples, and an active community forum/Discord server.
Moderate
RapidPipeline
Learning Resources: Moderate
Documentation and use case examples available.
License
Commercial
Needle
License: Commercial
Commercial license required for full features and deployment. Free evaluation available.
Commercial
Spline
License: Commercial
Spline is a proprietary tool with free and paid subscription tiers offering different feature sets and usage limits.
Commercial
RapidPipeline
License: Commercial
Requires a commercial license for use.

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