The Quick Answer
If the finished product is a mesh or a surface model, for 3D printing, CNC, archiving, visual effects or cleaning up scans for another tool, Geomagic Wrap is the right choice. If you need an editable CAD part that your engineers can change by dimension and send to SOLIDWORKS, NX, Creo or Inventor, choose Geomagic Design X.
Both are Geomagic products and both start from the same scan data. The difference is what you need at the end: a clean, accurate copy of the shape, or a CAD model rebuilt with design intent. The details below come from Geomagic's own product documents, as of October 2026.
Two Tools, One Starting Point
Geomagic Wrap: clean meshes and exact surfaces
Geomagic Wrap turns point clouds, probe data and imported files such as STL and OBJ into clean polygon meshes and NURBS surface models. Its Remesh tool rebuilds clean polygons from rough scan data, its polygon tools fill holes, smooth and patch until the model is watertight, and its Exact Surfacing tools fit NURBS patches over the shape, with control over patch layout, surface quality and continuity. The surface model then exports to STEP, IGES, Parasolid and other CAD formats.
Geomagic Design X: scan to editable CAD
Geomagic Design X combines history-based CAD with scan processing. Instead of fitting a surface over the scan, you rebuild the part from features such as extrudes, revolves, sweeps and lofts, fitted to the scan and checked against it at every step with the Accuracy Analyzer. The result is a parametric model with a full feature tree, which Live Transfer sends to SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, Creo, AutoCAD or Inventor.
The difference in one example
Scan a cast bracket. Wrap gives you an accurate, watertight copy of it, every casting mark included, ready to print or to keep as a record. Design X gives you the bracket as an engineer would have modelled it: flat faces, true cylinders and a hole you can move by changing one dimension.
Side by Side
| Feature | Geomagic Wrap | Geomagic Design X |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Clean, mesh and surface scan data | Reverse engineer scans into editable CAD |
| What you get | Polygon meshes and NURBS surface models | Parametric solids and surfaces with a full feature history |
| List price (USD) | US$3,332 a year or US$9,996 perpetual | From US$1,900 a year (Go), US$4,190 (Plus) or US$7,280 (Pro) |
| File import | Point clouds, probe data and meshes (STL, OBJ and more), including native files from dozens of scanner brands | More than 60 formats, including point clouds, meshes and CAD |
| Scanner support | Any scanner, digitizer or camera that exports XYZ or ASCII data | Direct control of handheld scanners in every edition; arms, trackers and structured light scanners in Plus and Pro |
| Mesh tools | Point cloud editing, Remesh, hole filling, smoothing, patching and watertight models | Healing Wizard, remesh, hole filling and smoothing in every edition; the full repair suite in Pro |
| Surfacing | Exact Surfacing, with full control over NURBS patch layout, surface quality and continuity | Auto Surface and mesh fit in every edition; patch fitting and boundary fit in Pro |
| CAD features | Extracts curves and sharp feature lines from the mesh, for use in your CAD software | Extrude, revolve, sweep and loft solids with a parametric history; modelling wizards and AutoSketch in Pro |
| Colour scans | Edits colour and saves it as texture maps for colour 3D prints | Colour and texture editing in Design X Pro |
| Automation | Scripting and macros for repeat processing | Batch processing in Design X Pro |
| Output | Meshes (STL, OBJ, PLY and more) and surfaces (STEP, IGES, Parasolid and more) | Live Transfer to SOLIDWORKS, NX, Creo, AutoCAD and Inventor, plus STEP, IGES and other neutral formats |
| Education licences | Available | Design X Pro only |
Choose Wrap When
- The mesh is the finished product. 3D printing, rapid prototyping, CNC milling, visualization and archives all use the mesh or surface model directly, with no CAD rebuild needed.
- Your shapes are organic or one of a kind. Artifacts, anatomy, sculpture and freeform parts, where the goal is to keep the full surface rather than reduce it to features.
- Your scans are rough. Remesh and the polygon tools turn noisy, incomplete data into clean, watertight models, often as the prep step before Design X or Control X.
- You work with colour scans. Wrap edits colour data and saves it as texture maps, for colour 3D prints, film and games.
- You process the same kind of scan again and again. Scripting and macros run every scan through the same routine, the same way.
Choose Design X When
- You need a part your engineers can edit. Legacy parts with no drawings, worn tooling and redesigns, where the model must change by dimension.
- The model goes into your CAD system. Live Transfer sends the model, feature tree included, to SOLIDWORKS, NX, Creo, AutoCAD or Inventor.
- Your parts are mechanical. Flat faces, cylinders, holes and fillets, where Design X rebuilds the design intent instead of copying every scan imperfection.
- Accuracy has to be shown. The Accuracy Analyzer compares the model with the scan at every step of modelling.
Price alone can mislead. Design X Go has a lower starting price than Wrap, but Go is built for CAD solids: it does not include colour and texture editing or batch processing, and its mesh and surfacing tools are lighter than those in Plus and Pro. Choose by what you need at the end, not by the price tag.
Can a Team Use Both?
Yes, and many do. They are separate licences that hand off cleanly: Wrap cleans and aligns a difficult scan, and Design X turns the clean mesh into CAD. Design X has its own mesh tools for routine scan data, so Wrap earns its place when scans are noisy, incomplete or organic, or when part of the work ends as a mesh rather than CAD. If you are weighing Design X, our guide to Design X Go, Plus and Pro explains which edition fits which work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Wrap make a STEP file?
Yes. Wrap exports its NURBS surface models to STEP, IGES, Parasolid and other CAD formats. The surface follows the scanned shape closely, but it is not a parametric model with a feature tree. If you need to change the part by editing dimensions, model it in Design X. Our guide to STL to STEP explains the difference.
Does Design X include mesh tools?
Yes. Every edition includes the Healing Wizard, remesh, hole filling and smoothing. Plus adds defeature, trim and shrink wrap, and Pro adds the full repair suite. For routine scans that is enough. Wrap is for scans that need more work, or for jobs that end as a mesh.
Which one costs more?
At list price, Wrap is US$3,332 a year or US$9,996 perpetual. Design X runs from US$1,900 a year for Go to US$7,280 a year for Pro. See our Geomagic price list for Canada for every product, and ask us for a quote in Canadian or US dollars.
Are education licences available?
Yes, for Wrap and for Design X Pro. Design X Go and Plus are not eligible. Schools can also buy a Design X and Control X suite: see Geomagic Education Suites.
Do you offer training for both?
Yes. Our Wrap course runs 2 days and our Design X course runs 3 days, both on-site at your facility and built around your own scan data.
Product details are from Geomagic's product documents as of October 2026 and can change with new releases. Ask us for the current details before you buy.