Point cloud file formats

Formats for the millions of measured points that laser scanners, lidar and photogrammetry produce. Each point has a position and often a colour, an intensity or a classification.

Formats

.E57

ASTM E57 3D imaging data

The ASTM standard for laser scans and their photos, in checksummed pages with XML.

.LAS

LAS lidar point cloud

The ASPRS standard for lidar points, with returns, intensity and classification.

.LAZ

Compressed LAS point cloud

A LAS lidar file with its points losslessly compressed by LASzip.

.PCD

Point Cloud Data

The Point Cloud Library’s format: a text header of fields, then the points.

.PTS

Leica text point cloud

A text point cloud: a count, then one line per point with intensity and colour.

.XYZ

Text point cloud

The plainest point cloud: one line of X, Y and Z per point, often with extra columns.