Needle vs. Spline vs. Verge3D

See how Needle, Spline, and Verge3D 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 commercial toolkit for creating interactive 3D web experiences directly from Blender, 3ds Max, or Maya using visual scripting (Puzzles).
Verge3D
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.
3D Engine
Authoring Tool
Framework
Verge3D
Solution Type: 3d-engine, authoring-tool, Framework
A toolkit comprising a WebGL-based engine and tools for exporting/adding interactivity (Puzzles) from DCC software.
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.
Verge3D
Made for the web: Yes
Generates optimized output suitable for web deployment, mostly for product visualization use cases.
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.
DCC Integration
Visual Scripting
Verge3D
Typical Workflows: DCC Integration, Visual Scripting
Workflow centers around preparing scenes in Blender, 3ds Max, or Maya, then adding interactivity using the Puzzles visual 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.
Spline
Use with Unity: No
Exports glTF/USDZ which can be imported into Unity, but there is no direct integration or specific workflow.
Verge3D
Use with Unity: No
Does not integrate with Unity.
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.
Verge3D
Use with Blender: Yes
Offers excellent, tight integration with Blender as a primary authoring tool.
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.
Verge3D
Interactivity Building Blocks: Yes
Visual Puzzles system provides building blocks for common interactions and behaviors without coding.
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.
Verge3D
Extensible with Coding: Yes
Supports JavaScript programming alongside or instead of the visual Puzzles 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
Spline
Physically-Based Rendering: Good
Supports PBR materials through a layer-based system, lighting (directional, spot, point), shadows, and post-processing effects.
Verge3D
Physically-Based Rendering: Yes
Leverages three.js features like PBR, aiming to accurately reproduce materials and lighting from the DCC tool.
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.
Verge3D
Component System: No
Logic is primarily driven by attaching Puzzles to objects imported from the DCC scene.
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.
Limited
Verge3D
Built-in Networking: Limited
Networking features can be implemented via JavaScript/Puzzles using external services, but not built-in.
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.
Verge3D
Timelines and Sequencing: No
Sequencing can be programmed using Puzzles, but no dedicated sequencing tools.
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.
Verge3D
Animation Controls: Yes
Imports and controls animations created in the host DCC application (Blender, Max, Maya).
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.
Verge3D
Animated Materials: No
Supports dynamic material changes through Puzzles, but no animation clips for 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.
Verge3D
Audio Playback: Yes
Supports audio playback, including positional audio, controlled via Puzzles.
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.
Verge3D
Video Playback: Yes
Supports video textures controlled via Puzzles.
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.
Verge3D
Physics Integration: Yes
Physics can be enabled and controlled via Puzzles visual scripting.
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.
Verge3D
glTF 3D Support: Yes
Uses glTF as an intermediate format and exports glTF-based web applications.
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.
Verge3D
Custom User Interfaces: Yes
UI can be created using HTML elements manipulated by Puzzles.
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.
Verge3D
Web Component: Yes
Can be embedded into web pages, often via iframe or direct script inclusion.
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.
Verge3D
PWA Support: Yes
Web apps created with Verge3D can be packaged as 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.
Good
Spline
HTML/CSS Integration: Good
Designed to be easily embedded into HTML pages using generated code snippets (iframe or JavaScript).
Verge3D
HTML/CSS Integration: Yes
Puzzles allow interaction with HTML elements, enabling integration with web page UI.
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.
Verge3D
Host Anywhere: Yes
Applications can be hosted on standard static web servers.
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.
Verge3D
Asset Hosting: No
Requires external hosting for the application files and assets.
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.
Verge3D
App Hosting: No
Requires external hosting for the application files and assets.
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.
Medium
Verge3D
Engine Size: Medium
Based on three.js plus the Verge3D framework and Puzzles runtime.
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.
Moderate/Fast
Verge3D
Loading Performance: Moderate/Fast
Aims for good loading performance, depending on scene complexity.
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.
High
Verge3D
Runtime Performance: High
Leverages three.js for efficient WebGL rendering.
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.
Verge3D
Smart Asset Optimization: No
Optimization relies on export from DCC tools.
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.
Verge3D
Mesh and Texture LODs: No
Basic support carried over from authoring tools, but no dynamic LOD system.
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.
Verge3D
VR Support (WebXR): Yes
Supports VR experiences via WebXR, controllable with Puzzles.
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.
Verge3D
AR Support (WebXR): Yes
Supports AR via WebXR on compatible Android devices.
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.
Verge3D
AR Support (iOS): Yes
Supports AR via WebXR on iOS, including object placement.
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.
Verge3D
AR Support (visionOS): No
No USDZ/QuickLook support.
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.
Surface
Verge3D
AR Tracking Types: Surface
Supports World Tracking via WebXR.
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.
Verge3D
Official Support Availability: Yes
Support is included with the commercial license.
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.
Good
Verge3D
Learning Resources: Good
Offers documentation, tutorials, and example applications.
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
Verge3D
License: Commercial
Requires purchasing a license (Freelance, Team, Enterprise tiers).

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