Is there a difference between RCS and RCP links in Revit?

2026-09-29

Technical Support

Issue:

Is there any difference between linking point clouds through RCP (ReCap project) and RCS (ReCap scans) directly in Revit?

Causes:

RCP is a ReCap project file, usually collecting several RCS files.
RCS file holds point cloud data from one scanner location or unified point cloud data from several sources.

Solution:

Both RCS and RCP files can be successfully used in Revit, and there is no functional difference in most situations for unified clouds.
Linking RCS files directly can allow for less complex folder structure and data sharing.
RCP files can allow for more granular control over Visibility Overrides when a point cloud contains RCP files or Scan Regions:

Scan location visibility

One link is created for multiple scan locations (especially for structured point clouds), making managing links easier.
Screen of differecen between RCS and RCP in Revit view control

Screen of differecen between RCS and RCP in Revit view control

Regions

Linking an RCP file allows Regions to be displayed, and a separate Override can be applied based on them.

Screen of Scan Regions visible in visability override window in Revit

Note: Linking RCS and RCP files from the same project might result in different coordinates for the point cloud in Revit, as RCP files can contain additional translation (Updated Origin).

Products:

Revit;