Choose a point cloud format for your next step.
Choose by what the receiving application needs, and keep the source file when its scan structure or metadata matters. The table below describes this website’s behavior, not every capability of each format.
E57: select the scans you need
After uploading E57, select one or more scans and import them into a working cloud. Stored scan poses are applied. Combining scans does not register unaligned scans, remove duplicates or reproject coordinates. PLY retains RGB and intensity only when every selected nonempty scan supplies the respective valid attribute under the importer rules. Scan boundaries, images and other E57 metadata are not carried into the output.
LAS and LAZ: keep geospatial context separately
Both inputs are normalized to a PLY working cloud. The site retains XYZ, intensity, classification and RGB when present; 16-bit RGB is reduced to 8-bit. CRS metadata, GPS time, return information and extra dimensions are omitted from the processed output. No coordinate-system conversion is performed. LAZ is compressed, so the PLY download may be substantially larger than the upload.
PLY: a working point cloud with supported attributes
Choose PLY when you need supported colors, normals or scalar properties and your receiving application can read them. The site writes binary PLY. It accepts point-cloud PLY files, not mesh faces or list properties. A PLY result can continue through cropping and subsampling in the same session. Check Data & processing details for the properties actually retained.
XYZ: three coordinate columns
The XYZ download contains X, Y and Z separated by whitespace, one point per line, with no header. It omits colors, normals, intensity, classification, units and CRS information. Record units and the reference system separately when sharing it. Twelve written decimal places are output formatting, not a claim of additional measurement accuracy. XYZ can be previewed and downloaded here but cannot be uploaded or used for a further operation.
Keep the original as well as the working result
Download original upload returns the source unchanged during the session. Keep it when another application needs metadata or scan structure that this workflow drops. Conversion output is a working derivative rather than a lossless replacement for the source. Files are temporary: download what you need before the two-hour session expires.
| Format | Upload | Processed output and limits |
|---|---|---|
| E57 | Yes; choose scans | PLY or XYZ; scan structure and metadata omitted |
| LAS / LAZ | Yes | PLY or XYZ; no LAS/LAZ export |
| PLY point cloud | Yes | Binary PLY with supported properties, or XYZ |
| XYZ | No | Three coordinate columns only |
Common questions
Which output should I use to keep colors?
Choose PLY and review retained properties. XYZ output has no color columns. E57 colors must meet the common-attribute rules across the selected scans.
Can conversion align scans or change the CRS?
No. E57 stored poses are applied, but this is not registration. None of these conversions reprojects coordinates or changes their units.
Which format gives the smallest file?
There is no fixed answer across these inputs and outputs. Size depends on encoding, point count and attributes. Compare the selected result’s actual file size; XYZ is not necessarily smaller than binary PLY.