Exporting the point cloud

Owned by Omar Lamrani
Last updated: Apr 22, 2021
3 min read

Version française

Menu: File / Export to


This function allows the user to export the contents of the point cloud to a single file. If the project contains many files (more than one source file), it is also possible to export the point cloud to multiple files. Please note that only the visible points will be exported; therefore if the user wants to export only ground points, the other classes must be hidden before exporting. 

Available formats include:

  • .LAS and .LAZ
  • .E57
  • .CSV
  • .PTS
  • VisionLidar365
  • .RCP

The .LAS, .LAZ, .E57, .CSV and .PTS formats generate a point cloud in the specified format, while the VisionLidar365 option generates all necessary files to view the point cloud in a HTML browser. It has been designed mainly to run on a server, however VisionLidar provides an application to view the files locally. The RCP format will generate all the files needed for a ReCap project to run efficiently, thus creating the .RCP and the support subfolder with all the required files.


The .LAS, .LAZ, .E57, .CSV et .PTS point cloud file formats can export files according to the number of files imported or as one single file for a project containing multiple source files. When different files are generated, it can either be named from the project name followed by an increment or by its original scan name. Furthermore, for the .CSV file, the user may select the order of the columns and their separator. such as:

X: The X coordinate of the point

Y: The Y coordinate of the point 

Z: The Z coordinate of the point

P: The default PCode 

C: The class of the point

I: The intensity of the point

F: The intensity of the point in a float value

RGB: The red, green and blue color values of the point

N: The tile incremental number in which it was treated

S: The scan value in which it was ordered in the project

KML: The normal value of the point


You can put only the columns that you wish to export.




As for the VisionLidar365 format, it is primarily generated to be put on a VisionLidar365 server, thus creating not only the .html file that you named but also three other files and 2 subfolders in the same folder in which your .html file is. The "libs" subfolder contains all the libraries for it to work as a web service and the "chrome_local.bat", "civetweb.exe" and "start.bat" are files to simulate a server on your local PC. The .html file will be the web page to view your point cloud and inside the "point cloud" subfolder is the VisionLidar365 project which is in another subfolder with the same name as the .html file. So basically, in the same folder you can have as many .html files and point clouds as needed and only one lib subfolder, "chrome_local.bat", "civetweb.exe" and "start.bat" files. To start viewing the project, you will need to launch the "start.bat" which will open your default browser with the address "Localhost:8080", (you might need to allow your firewall to launch the process) and select the .html file you want to see. There will be an empty command window in your taskbar, it is the mock server running. It is important to note that you cannot share the .html file over the internet with this method, it only simulates a server locally on your computer.

VisionLidar automatically creates an extraction when simplifying the point cloud, It is therefore possible to export points visible within an extraction, or even exporting points visible within a fence. This becomes useful if a simplified version of the point cloud is needed. See point cloud simplification for more information.

Remember that to update an existing project, you can only export the annotations, spherical images or measurements if needed, but for a new VisionLidar365 project, at least the point cloud must be exported.