--- title: ArcGIS CityEngine Reviews meta_title: 'ArcGIS CityEngine Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 22 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how ArcGIS CityEngine works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 4.2 review_count: 22 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-08-07' parent_category: name: CAD & PLM url: https://www.g2.com/categories/cad-plm --- # ArcGIS CityEngine Reviews **Vendor:** Esri **Category:** [Urban Planning and Design Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/urban-planning-and-design) **Average Rating:** 4.2/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 22 ## About ArcGIS CityEngine Esri CityEngine is 3D modeling software for quickly creating large urban environments. The environments you choose to create can be based on real-world data or can be completely conceptual. CityEngine saves you time by using rules to automatically create the urban environment based on your input. You can import 3D models you've created in other software to create context around them and export your entire environment into visualization tools, game engines and VR experiences. ## ArcGIS CityEngine Reviews ### 1. Solid Simulation Software **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Gary C. | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 23, 2018 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** CityEngine allows the user to create planning simulations and visualizations by easily integrating rule-based scenarios with GIS layers. This has really helped us to show users how a proposal will look and to compare different proposals. The growing links to VR are very welcome. **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** The learning curve is steep and the software is not intuitive. Since it does not integrate well with other ESRI products, moving models, for example, between ArcGIS Pro and CityEngine are cumbersome and result in the loss of a lot of the symbology and textures from an ArcGIS Pro model. While the VR support is becoming better, there is a great lack of information and support for this. **Recommendations to others considering ArcGIS CityEngine:** Document the project structure- assetts get buried, repeated, and lost. Moving a project then becomes a hunt for missing models. Needs better integration with ArcGIS Pro. We model in Pro because the tools are better, then can't duplicate the models, as well, in CityEngine. We spend twice the time creating models. **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** We are examining the use of CityEngine models and simulation in the areas of planning. We have created multiple VR experiences to show downtown redevelopment options as well as the construction of new buildings on our campus. ### 2. Design a city or two. **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Architecture & Planning | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 17, 2018 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** CityEngine allows urban developers the opportunity to define 3D modeling. Why create a building when you can envision an ecosystem that lives, breathes, and shows your ideas of the future for an area. **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** With less than 11 years in the 3D modeling software market there are others who have the same or better approaches to mapping a brown space for a project. CityEngine will have to prove to clients they are able to provide many, if not all, aspects to the design experience **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** CityEngine is allowing clients to formal an area and make ideal proposals for the space and lots made available for an given project. Buildings and models can be created quickly, effective, and changed to fit any setting. ### 3. High tech modeling **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Architecture & Planning | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 07, 2018 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** Advance 3D technology is the top in the industry. It is fairly easy to use and represents the real world well. the 3D satellite imagery and terrain is also very accurate. **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** I enjoyed most of this program but the variety of images or 3D models use capsule expand more and include more detail in the future. Otherwise this program is high quality. **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** Business problems include adjusting models and improving while using a program that is simple to use. Also, the amount of time it takes to build a model is critical in order to make use of time. This program is very interactive which saves on time. ### 4. My honest review for city engine. **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 19, 2018 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** It's CGA editing feature is very advanced. It's detailed reporting is very nice and one other great feature is importing and direct linking to GIS data. **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** Unstable integration to other software is it's major drawback. It's collaboration function is not good. **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** It's helps me alot. Thanks to city engine . ### 5. Great software **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Consumer Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 18, 2018 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** Setup and diagnostic process. Although I did like organizing properties **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** Downloads were slower than I would usually prefer. **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** Organization and spreadsheets were very helpful ### 6. Good visualization app **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Mingwei S. | Traffic EIT, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 09, 2018 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** I like the interface design and the commands are intuitive. **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** I don’t like the collaboration function and the rendering can be better **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** I am not sure. ### 7. Seems like an awesome planning/modeling software. **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Government Administration | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 16, 2018 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** I love the ability to truly be able to see, plan, and manipulate GIS data with spacial representation. **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** I haven't used this software enough to be overly critical. It does seem to take some basic knowledge of Esri software to be able to fully utilize the software. **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** Adding spacial modeling to our planning and zoning conversations. ### 8. Excellent for fast city planning rough draft and final draft **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Apparel & Fashion | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 19, 2018 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** Access to satellite landscape geodata maps for desire project location and transition the data to other 3D Applications. Generate City in few minutes **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** Unstable Integration to other Software or Game Engines is a major drawback. This could be among other reasons why many potential users out there avoid the Software package. Other big firms do use it with their custom "Scripts" to avoid features limitations. **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** Cityengine made it very easy to create a 3D visualizations using existing data. ### 9. City Engine For Campus Modeling **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Higher Education | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 22, 2017 **What do you like best about ArcGIS CityEngine?** CGA is straight forward and extremely logical. You can easily incorporate higher level algorithms for colors based on 3D properties. If you have a Adobe CS textures can be easily customized. Although some of the desired capabilities arent quite what I would like them to be, data can be easily manipulated in ArcMap to work around the existing constraints. Ex: Vector derived BaseMaps as Terrains. **What do you dislike about ArcGIS CityEngine?** Hardware requirements, many of my friend work for various companies/municipalities who's budgets wont support the hardware requirements. **Recommendations to others considering ArcGIS CityEngine:** Depending on your current needs ArcGIS Pro may be a better more straight forward option. City Engine is easier to customize but Pro has a much smaller learning curve and many 3D GP Tools. Plus if you find you need a more robust modeling software in the future you can easily move your work from Pro to CityEngine. **What problems is ArcGIS CityEngine solving and how is that benefiting you?** We are using it for below grade modeling of pipe networks and tunnel systems. In the future we hope to integrate project plans from the Planning Office with the existing campus. ## ArcGIS CityEngine Discussions - [What are the system requirements for CityEngine?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/system-requirements-7bd7ef04-09ae-4da9-9b4d-06eb8f244811) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [What exactly is procedural modeling?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/procedural-modeling-2bf52bf5-0cb9-4a42-abd9-f000a3c5b23c) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [What is CGA?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/procedural-modeling) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [Can I use CityEngine to generate 3D buildings out of LiDAR data?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/capabilities-c46c9eee-74ae-4628-aefe-479010904657) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [Does CityEngine support the creation of 3D KML files?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/capabilities-4b2d36fd-4c4d-4ff6-852e-3a74e63e5630) - 1 comment, 1 upvote - [View ArcGIS CityEngine pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/arcgis-cityengine/reviews?filters%5Bnps_score%5D%5B%5D=4§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-08-14+01%3A36%3A08+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=82a88697-9459-4ff6-80f5-6fe89274e8d6&secure%5Btoken%5D=fcec992eda927ce01e759cdc5bfee65a829099b86a28854c79d58d5dfe39d6b7&format=llm_user) ## ArcGIS CityEngine Features **Design** - Sculpting - Topology - Drawing - Brush Variety - Effects **Plan** - Documentation - Sequence - Annotate - Collaborate **Plan** - Documentation - Sequence - Annotate - Collaborate **Move** - Animate - Render - Views **Design** - 3D Modeling - 3D Rendering - Drawing - Editing **Design** - 3D Modeling - 3D Rendering - 2D Modeling - Editing **Store & Manage** - Pipeline - Controls - Template library **Construction** - Fabrication - Reinforcement - Clash Detection - Grading - Earthwork **Analysis** - Sustainability - Liveability - Movement **Engineering** - Hydraulic engineering - Hydrologic engineering - Transportation engineering - Structural engineering **Generative AI** - AI Text-to-Image - AI Text-to-3D **Additional Functionality** - Mechanical - Process Control - Access Controls/Permissions - Product Data Management - Configurable Workflow - Manufacturing Design Data - Collaboration Tools - 3D Imaging - Data Import/Export - Civil - Customizable Fields - Data Capture and Transfer - Design Management - Version Control - Presentation Tools - Configuration Management - Document Generation - Compliance Management - Change Management - Electrical - Mechatronics - Project Management - AI Copilot - Design Analysis - CAD Tools - Document Management - Bills of Material - Generative AI - Visual Analytics - Data Visualization - File Management - Reporting/Analytics - Project Templates - Content Library ## Top ArcGIS CityEngine Alternatives - [SketchUp](https://www.g2.com/products/sketchup/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (1,299 reviews) - [Civil 3D](https://www.g2.com/products/civil-3d/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (290 reviews) - [Autodesk InfraWorks](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-infraworks/reviews) - 4.2/5.0 (36 reviews)