ReCap Workstation Guide: What Computer Do You Need for Autodesk ReCap Pro?

ReCap Pro is where a laser scan or a set of photographs becomes a point cloud that Revit, Civil 3D, Navisworks or AutoCAD can use. Importing, registering and indexing a scan project is the heaviest routine job most design offices ever ask of a computer: hundreds of gigabytes of raw scan data are read, aligned, cleaned and rewritten into a project of thousands of files, and the whole process can run for hours. Where most design software leans on the processor or the graphics card, ReCap leans on storage first, memory second, and a machine specified for Revit will often stall on a registration that a correctly specified machine finishes before lunch. This guide is written by Modena Technologies, Africa's only Autodesk Platinum Partner and an Autodesk Authorised Training Centre, and by Modena Computers, which builds and stress-tests workstations in Cape Town. We run our own reality capture service, have processed a single project of more than 3,500 scans, and specify ReCap hardware for our clients and for ourselves.

The guide covers what Autodesk officially requires and why it is not where to start, how ReCap Pro actually uses each component, the thresholds we work to when we specify a machine, and which Modena Computers configuration suits which kind of ReCap user, from viewing and cleaning registered projects to registering thousands of scans and meshing them. We have deliberately avoided naming processor and graphics card models so that the principles stay useful as components change. The exact parts in each configuration are on the Apollo and Vulcan product pages.

What Autodesk officially requires, and why it is not enough

Autodesk publishes one requirements article covering every version of ReCap Pro and ReCap Photo, with a recommended and a minimum tier for each. These are the current figures.

	ReCap Pro minimum	ReCap Pro recommended	ReCap Photo recommended
Processor	2GHz or faster 64-bit	2GHz or faster 64-bit	Multiple high-end or server-class processors
Memory	8GB	16GB	32GB (16GB minimum)
Graphics	OpenGL 3.1 device with 256MB	OpenGL 3.3 "workstation-class" card with 1GB or more	NVIDIA card with DirectX 11; 4GB minimum
Display	1280 x 1024	1600 x 1050 or higher	Not specified
Storage	Not specified	Not specified	Not specified
Operating system	64-bit Windows 10 or higher	Same	Same

Read that table for what it is: the specification needed to install ReCap and open a project. It carries no release year, it has not changed in substance for several years, and it says nothing about storage, which is the component ReCap depends on most. Autodesk's support articles are where the real guidance lives, and for ReCap they are unusually specific. When a workstation "becomes progressively slower while registering and processing large scan projects", Autodesk's diagnosis is that it "does not provide sufficient storage resources for ReCap Pro temporary processing files", because "ReCap Pro creates large temporary files during import, registration, and Scan to Mesh operations". Its prescription is a second drive for projects, solid-state drives for both, free space of at least double the project size for local meshing, and keeping everything local, because "ReCap Pro is optimized to process and index point cloud data from local storage locations". On the processor, Autodesk says plainly that "ReCap is not yet fully multi-threaded". This guide is built on those statements rather than on the table.

How ReCap Pro uses a computer

A ReCap project is not one file. It is a project descriptor, an indexed scan file for every scan position, the RealView panoramas for each position, and a support folder of thousands of small files, and during import, registration, indexing and meshing ReCap also writes large temporary files to the Windows temp location. Every one of those operations is dominated by reading and writing to disk, often in many small random operations rather than one large stream. That is why Autodesk's performance guidance for ReCap is almost entirely about storage, why it says network bandwidth "alone is not the deciding factor" and that even a 10Gbit network "can respond much slower than a local SSD", and why a machine with a single, nearly full drive slows to a crawl after ten minutes of registration no matter how fast its processor is.

Memory comes second. The scans being registered, the index being built and the point cloud being displayed all occupy RAM, and a project of hundreds of scans needs a great deal of it. When memory runs out, Windows pages to the same drive ReCap is already hammering with temporary files, and the two problems compound. The processor comes third: registration, indexing and feature extraction use several cores, but Autodesk's own words are that ReCap is not fully multi-threaded, so a fast mainstream processor with a moderate number of cores outperforms a slow processor with many. The graphics card displays the point cloud and the panoramas, and benefits from memory for dense clouds on large screens, but it does not process the scans.

Two further points shape the specification. Autodesk's standard remedy for a project that will not process is decimation on import, which trades point density for a dataset the machine can handle; a well-specified machine lets you keep more of the data you paid to capture. And Scan to Mesh, which turns a point cloud into a mesh, can run in Autodesk's cloud or, since ReCap Pro 2026, locally; Autodesk recommends the cloud for large projects and high density, and warns that local meshing needs free disk space of at least double the project size.

Storage: two fast drives, and plenty of room

This is the section that decides a ReCap workstation. Autodesk's guidance is explicit: install Windows and ReCap on the system drive, store active projects and scan data on a separate drive, use solid-state drives for both, point ReCap's temporary files at a drive with enough free capacity, archive completed projects off the working drive, and never process from a network location. Scan data arrives in the hundreds of gigabytes for a building and in terabytes for a site or a plant, and ReCap needs working room on top of that.

Our recommendation is two NVMe drives as the normal layout for anyone who registers and indexes scans rather than only viewing them. The first, 1TB, carries Windows, ReCap and the temporary files. The second carries the active projects and raw scan data, and 2TB is the sensible starting point for it, because Autodesk wants at least double the project size free for local meshing and a drive running near full slows down. Read and write speeds of around 2,000MB/s are a reasonable floor for both. Our Max configurations ship with a 2TB primary drive, and we fit a second NVMe drive to any configuration on request; for a ReCap workstation we would always suggest it. Completed projects belong on a server or an external drive, not on the working drive.

If you receive scan data from a surveyor or deliver point clouds to a client, a fast external drive or a 10Gbit network port is also worth specifying, because copying a terabyte over gigabit Ethernet takes most of a morning.

Memory: sized by the number of scans

Autodesk's recommended column says 16GB, and that figure is the clearest sign that the table is not written for production work. Registering and indexing a project holds the scans, the index and the display in memory together, and a project of a few hundred scans will use far more than 16GB. Running Revit or Civil 3D alongside with the point cloud linked, which is how most scan-to-BIM work is actually done, adds the host application's own demand on top.

The thresholds we use are these. 32GB is the floor; it covers opening, viewing, cleaning and exporting projects that are already registered, and linking the resulting point cloud into Revit, Civil 3D or Navisworks. 64GB is for registering and indexing projects of dozens to a couple of hundred scans, and for Scan to Mesh run locally. 96GB or more is for projects in the hundreds to thousands of scans, for photogrammetry in ReCap Photo, and for registering while Revit or Civil 3D is open with the point cloud. If you are unsure, watch the memory figure in Windows Task Manager during a registration; if it passes 70% of what you have, the next project will need more.

Memory in matched pairs running in dual channel is how every configuration we sell is built, and all Modena Computers workstations can be upgraded to 192GB later, which matters for ReCap because scan projects grow with every new scanner generation.

Processor: fast cores, not many cores

Autodesk's requirement of a 2GHz processor is a floor, not advice. The useful statement is the other one: "ReCap is not yet fully multi-threaded". Import, registration, indexing and feature extraction use several cores, so a processor with a moderate core count finishes those jobs faster than a dual-core, but the gains flatten well before the core counts of workstation and server processors, and those processors run at lower clock speeds that slow everything else ReCap does, from navigating the point cloud to cleaning it. A current mainstream desktop processor with high sustained single-core speed and eight or more cores is the right choice.

Clock speed is not comparable across processor generations. A newer processor completes more work per cycle than an older one at the same frequency, so compare processors on current single-core benchmarks rather than on GHz alone. The base clock is what the processor holds through an hour-long registration; the turbo figure is what it reaches briefly when cool.

Vulcan's tuned processor and higher core count both help ReCap: the faster sustained clock speeds the single-threaded parts of the pipeline, and the extra cores shorten registration and indexing. For an office that registers scans every week rather than every quarter, that difference is measured in hours.

Graphics: display, not processing

ReCap uses the graphics card to display the point cloud and the RealView panoramas, and that is all. The "workstation-class" wording in Autodesk's table is a legacy of a time when OpenGL support separated professional cards from consumer ones; it no longer does, and a current consumer card with a stable driver displays dense point clouds without difficulty. Autodesk's advice to use High-Performance graphics settings for ReCap is about making sure the dedicated card, rather than the processor's integrated graphics, is doing the work.

Our thresholds: 8GB of graphics memory is the floor for any new ReCap workstation, and it is enough for most registration and cleaning work. 12GB keeps dense point clouds smooth at full density on a 4K display and when the cloud is linked into Revit or Civil 3D alongside. 16GB is only worth it if the same machine also runs visualisation software or photogrammetry. Every configuration in our range starts at 8GB. You do not need a professional-series card, and we fit one only where another application or a client's policy requires it.

Cooling and sustained performance

Cooling is the part of a workstation that spec sheets leave out, and for ReCap it matters in two places. A registration or indexing run holds the processor at high load for an hour or more, and if the cooler and case cannot carry the heat away the processor drops its clock speed to protect itself and the run takes longer. Less obviously, the drives work just as hard: an NVMe drive writing temporary files continuously for an hour will throttle if it is not cooled, and a throttled drive is the one bottleneck a ReCap user cannot see in Task Manager.

A substantial air cooler with good case airflow will hold a non-overclocked processor at its rated speed indefinitely, and that is how we build Apollo. Processors tuned above their standard settings need a large liquid cooler to sustain the gain, which is why Vulcan uses a 360mm radiator. We mount NVMe drives under heatsinks with airflow across them, and a power supply rated well above the system's actual draw runs cooler, quieter and longer. Every Modena Computers workstation runs under sustained full load before it leaves Cape Town, so throttling, instability and noisy fans are found on our bench rather than three hours into a registration.

Why a gaming PC is not a ReCap workstation

A gaming PC is built to one brief: frame rate at a given price. ReCap is the application that brief serves worst, because the component a gaming PC spends on, the graphics card, is the one ReCap needs least, and the components ReCap needs most are the ones a gaming PC economises on. The typical result is 16GB of memory, often in a single stick, which is Autodesk's recommended figure and nowhere near enough for registration; one 1TB drive carrying Windows, the games and whatever else, with no separate project drive and no room for temporary files; a processor chosen for gaming frame rates; a compact case with the airflow of a compact case; and a power supply sized to the exact components in it.

None of those compromises shows on a spec sheet. They show fifteen minutes into the first real registration, when the drive fills with temporary files, the memory fills with scans, Windows starts paging to the same drive, and the machine becomes unresponsive, which is exactly the symptom Autodesk's support article describes. A well-specified gaming PC can run ReCap, but it was not specified for ReCap, and the support line has not heard of an RCS file. A workstation built for ReCap starts from the size of the projects you process, is built with the storage layout Autodesk recommends, is tested under the loads you will put on it, and comes with a warranty and support from people who register scans themselves.

Which Modena Computers workstation for which ReCap user

We build two models in three configurations each. Apollo uses a standard processor with a high-performance air cooler; Vulcan uses a tuned processor with a 360mm liquid cooler, more cores and faster storage. Both carry a four-year warranty and lifetime hardware support, both are built to order in Cape Town, and both are delivered anywhere in South Africa. For any configuration below that will register and index scans, add a second NVMe project drive; we fit it on request.

The first question is whether the machine will process scans or only use the results. A designer who links registered point clouds into Revit or Civil 3D is well served at the Standard level. Anyone who imports, registers and indexes scans belongs in the middle of the range or above, with the second drive.

Configuration	Memory	Graphics memory	Suits
Apollo Standard	32GB	8GB	Viewing, cleaning and exporting registered projects; linking point clouds into Revit, Civil 3D or Navisworks
Apollo Pro	48GB	8GB	Registering and indexing small to medium projects of a few dozen scans, with a second project drive
Apollo Max	64GB	12GB	Medium to large projects, local Scan to Mesh, dense clouds on a 4K display; 2TB primary drive, add a project drive
Vulcan Standard	32GB	8GB	Fastest registration and indexing for small to medium projects where the point cloud is then handed on, with a second project drive
Vulcan Pro	64GB	12GB	Large projects registered regularly, local Scan to Mesh, Revit or Civil 3D open with the point cloud alongside; add a project drive
Vulcan Max	96GB	16GB	Projects in the hundreds to thousands of scans, photogrammetry in ReCap Photo, several heavy applications at once; 2TB primary drive, add a project drive

If your work goes beyond this, for example terabyte-scale scan archives or photogrammetry at the upper end of ReCap Photo's range, we build custom specifications up to 192GB of memory, 32GB of graphics memory and multiple NVMe drives. Tell us what you work on and we will specify the machine for it.

See all configurations and current prices Request a custom spec

Frequently asked questions

Is a gaming PC good enough for ReCap Pro?

Not for processing scans. A gaming PC spends on the graphics card, which ReCap barely uses, and economises on memory and storage, which ReCap depends on. A single nearly full drive and 16GB of memory are exactly the conditions under which Autodesk says a workstation becomes unresponsive during registration. If you buy one for ReCap, insist on 32GB or more in two sticks and a second NVMe drive for projects.

How much RAM does ReCap Pro need?

Autodesk's recommended figure is 16GB, which is enough to open projects, not to register them. We specify 32GB as a floor for viewing, cleaning and exporting, 64GB for registering and indexing projects of dozens to a couple of hundred scans, and 96GB or more for projects in the hundreds to thousands of scans, photogrammetry, or Revit and Civil 3D open alongside.

Why does ReCap need two drives?

Because ReCap writes large temporary files during import, registration and meshing, and reads and writes thousands of small project files at the same time. Autodesk's own guidance is to keep Windows and ReCap on one SSD and active projects and scan data on another, with free space of at least double the project size for local meshing. A single drive that fills up is the most common cause of a ReCap workstation grinding to a halt.

Does ReCap Pro use the graphics card?

Only to display the point cloud and panoramas. Processing runs on the processor, memory and storage. A current dedicated card with 8GB is enough for most work and 12GB keeps dense clouds smooth on a 4K display; a professional-series card is not needed despite the legacy "workstation-class" wording in Autodesk's table.

Does ReCap Pro use multiple cores?

Partly. Autodesk says ReCap "is not yet fully multi-threaded". Registration, indexing and feature extraction use several cores, but the gains flatten well before the core counts of workstation and server processors, which also run at lower clock speeds. A fast mainstream processor with eight or more cores is the right choice.

Should I mesh locally or in the cloud?

Autodesk recommends cloud processing for large projects and high-density meshes, which uses Autodesk's servers and your subscription's tokens rather than your machine. Local Scan to Mesh, available since ReCap Pro 2026, suits smaller areas and avoids waiting in a queue, but it needs free disk space of at least double the project size and enough memory to hold the cloud. A machine specified for registration handles local meshing of moderate areas comfortably.

Should I buy a laptop or a desktop for ReCap Pro?

A desktop for processing. A laptop is useful on site for checking scans and starting a registration, but its single drive, limited memory and lower sustained processor speed make it a poor place to register a large project. Many scanning teams use a laptop in the field and a desktop in the office for the heavy processing.

Can I upgrade a Modena Computers workstation later?

Yes. For ReCap the upgrades that matter are memory, which can be increased to 192GB, and storage, where a second or larger NVMe drive can be added at any time. The graphics card can also be replaced, and the four-year warranty and lifetime hardware support continue.

Next step

Browse the Modena Computers workstations to see the current configurations and prices, or contact us with the size of your scan projects, how often you register, and what you run alongside ReCap, and we will tell you which configuration fits, or build one that does. If you would rather not process scans in-house at all, our reality capture service can scan, register and model for you.