Nest3D vs Scan2CAD – Which Scan-to-CAD Tool Fits Your Data and Deadline?

Why these two names keep appearing in “scan to cad” searches

Both products eliminate slow manual redraw, yet they start from very different data:

• Scan2CAD converts raster images, PDFs, and simple vectors into editable CAD geometry.
• Nest3D extracts measured 2-D linework directly from E57 or FLS laser scans and writes it straight into a live DWG inside AutoCAD, BricsCAD, or ZWCAD.

Many firms hold shelves of paper drawings while capturing new projects with LiDAR, so both tools land on the same shortlist. If you need a refresher on live point-cloud drafting, read the Scan-to-CAD Software guide, then come back here.

Quick verdict

Pick Nest3D when

• Your primary source is laser scans.
• You need walls, points, levels, or pipes in DWG on the same day you captured the site.
• Junior staff can click features while a senior drafter reviews.
• You want the fastest route from point cloud to clean CAD (often about sixty percent faster than slice-and-trace).

Pick Scan2CAD when

• You repeatedly receive raster plans, TIFFs, or PDFs that must become editable linework.
• Batch raster-to-vector conversion is more urgent than navigating point-clouds.

Use both when one program mixes scanned paper archives with new laser scans. Convert the archive with Scan2CAD, extract current conditions with Nest3D.

How the workflows differ

Scan2CAD

1. Open a raster file, PDF, or lightweight vector.
2. Clean the raster, set thresholds, and run vectorisation with text recognition.
3. Export a CAD file, open it in your drafting platform, and layer or scale to standard.

Nest3D

1. Load an E57 or FLS point cloud.
2. Navigate the full 360-degree panorama inside Nest3D.
3. Click walls, levels, cylinders, or run the AI engine; measured geometry appears instantly in the open DWG on your template layers.

For a detailed scan workflow see How Scan-to-CAD Works.

What are you starting from?

• Paper drawings, TIFFs, PDFs, bitmaps, or simple vectors → Scan2CAD shines. Automate digitising archives and plant schematics.
• Laser scans or point clouds (E57 or FLS) → Nest3D is purpose-built. Skip slice-and-trace, stay in panorama view, and push geometry to CAD in context.

If your office handles both, keep Scan2CAD on a flexible licence for raster work and run Nest3D every day for scans.

What must you deliver?

• Scan2CAD output is a CAD file you open later for layering and final styling. Perfect for 2-D line art but not intended for dense cloud interrogation.
• Nest3D output is live DWG linework created inside AutoCAD, BricsCAD, or ZWCAD while you extract, already using the correct layers and blocks.

Nest3D is strictly 2-D. If the job moves to BIM, import the Nest3D drawing and the original scan into your modelling tool.

Speed: A real-world example you can replicate

Mid-size interior, ten-thousand square feet, captured in E57

• Manual slice-and-trace: about eight hours for a senior drafter
• Nest3D click-and-extract: around four hours total (junior extraction plus thirty-minute QA)

Nearly four hours saved on one floor, roughly fifty-five percent faster. Teams processing similar interiors often round to “up to sixty percent faster.”

To see the full timing method, read Scan-to-CAD vs Manual Tracing.

Skills and staffing impact

Scan2CAD requires a technician who understands raster clean-up, vectorisation settings, and QA of the converted geometry. Excellent for staff who manage archives.

Nest3D lets junior team members click features while senior drafters review. You spread workload across the team rather than relying on a few costly experts.

Feature highlights

Nest3D core abilities

• Navigate E57 and FLS point clouds in full panorama.
• Click-to-extract walls, heights, cylinders, contour points, and more.
• Custom buttons drop office blocks and text in one step.
• Vertical and horizontal section planes for quick orientation.
• Absolute and relative height modes.
• Scan Manager toggles multiple clouds without slowing CAD.
• Point Data Manager and team sharing on the Team plan.

Scan2CAD core abilities

• Raster and PDF vectorisation converts pixels to CAD geometry.
• Batch processing pumps hundreds of files through overnight.
• OCR turns printed text into editable CAD text.
• Vector clean-up tools erase speckles, thicken or thin lines.
• API and scripting automates repetitive jobs in higher tiers.

Pricing snapshot

Nest3D – annual per-user licences billed yearly

• Pro plan: 79 US dollars per month
• Team plan: 99 US dollars per month and includes collaboration tools

Full rate sheet lives on the Pricing page.

Scan2CAD offers monthly, annual, and perpetual licences. Visit the Scan2CAD site for current tiers. Many firms keep a short Scan2CAD subscription for raster jobs and an ongoing Nest3D licence for daily scan work.

Frequently asked questions

Is Scan2CAD a point-cloud editor?
No. It converts raster images. You cannot navigate a 3-D cloud in Scan2CAD.

Can Nest3D convert PDFs or TIFFs?
No. Nest3D reads only E57 and FLS point clouds.

Do I need both tools?
If your backlog mixes paper archives and new scans, yes. Scan2CAD digitises the archive, Nest3D handles live scan capture.

Does Nest3D create BIM or meshes?
No. It extracts 2-D CAD. Import the drawing and scan into your BIM platform if needed.

Are outsourced scan-to-cad services still useful?
Yes, for one-off overflow or rare data types. Software wins when scan volume is steady and you need control over cost and schedule.

Ready to test them side by side?

Bring a scanned PDF and an E57 or FLS scan. In one session we will convert the PDF in a Scan2CAD style run and extract the scan with Nest3D so you can decide how each fits your tool-kit.

Start your free 14-day trial of Nest3D or book a demo now.