A point cloud is, at its simplest, a list of XYZ coordinates that together describe the surface of an object or a building. The list can be a few thousand points (a scanned chair) or several billion (a whole industrial plant). What you do with that list is where it gets interesting: you can measure, you can compare against a model, you can extract a digital twin, you can spot a 5 mm sag on a structural beam.
Definition: a point cloud, technically
Looking only for the strict glossary meaning, point attributes and the difference between density and accuracy? Open the concise point cloud definition. This guide keeps the broader intent: creation, formats, professional uses, viewing and sharing.
A point cloud is a discrete set of data points in space. Each point position has a set of Cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z), and may carry several extra attributes depending on the scanner.
- X, Y, Z: the mandatory Cartesian coordinates that locate the point in 3D space.
- RGB color: captured when the scanner embeds a camera. Produces a realistic-looking cloud.
- Surface normals: the direction the surface faces at that point, useful for meshing and lighting.
- Intensity: how strongly the laser pulse returned. Reveals materials (concrete, metal, vegetation).
- Timestamp: when the point was captured, key for mobile mapping and 4D analysis.
- Classification: a label (ground, vegetation, building) added in post-processing, common in outdoor LiDAR.
Data anatomy
What a single 3D point contains
One 3D point
X Y Z
Required: Coordinates X, Y and Z place the point precisely in three-dimensional space.
RGB color
Appearance: Adds the color captured by a camera.
Normals
Orientation: Describe the direction of the local surface.
Intensity
Return: Records the strength of the returned laser signal.
Timestamp
Time: Associates the point with its capture time.
Classification
Meaning: Identifies ground, vegetation, buildings or other classes.
Custom fields
Project data: Stores additional attributes required by the workflow.
Two notes for newcomers. First: a point cloud is not the same thing as a 3D model. A model has surfaces, edges, semantics. A point cloud is just the dots. You can convert dots to surfaces ("meshing") or compare dots to a designed model ("scan vs BIM", called "as-built"), but the raw cloud is geometry without semantics.
Heads up: two unrelated meanings
Do not confuse the 3D point cloud (LiDAR, photogrammetry, AEC, surveying, industry) with the 2D scatter plot used in statistics, which is also called nuage de points in French. Same name, completely different topic. This article only covers the 3D one.
How point clouds are created
Capture methods
Three sensor families, one common 3D output
LiDAR
Measures: Laser pulse travel time delivers direct distance measurements.
Photogrammetry
Reconstructs: Overlapping photographs reveal common features and camera positions.
Depth cameras
Captures: Phones, RealSense and Kinect estimate depth for every image pixel.
Point cloud
Common output: A collection of XYZ coordinates enriched with optional attributes.
1. LiDAR (laser scanning)
A LiDAR scanner emits a laser beam, measures how long the beam takes to return, computes the distance, and records a point. Repeat that millions of times per second, sweeping the field of view, and you get a point cloud. Static terrestrial scanners (used in surveying and AEC) deliver millimeter accuracy. Mobile mapping scanners (mounted on a backpack, a vehicle, a drone, an autonomous robot) trade some accuracy for speed and coverage.
Many scanner manufacturers share the professional market, each with its own range, native file format and workflow:
- FARO, Leica (Hexagon), NavVis, Riegl
- Trimble, Viametris, Matterport, etc.
- A platform that handles all of them natively (no manual format wrangling) saves real time on mixed-fleet operations. ATIS.cloud supports every scanner brand out of the box.
2. Photogrammetry
Take many overlapping photos of a scene from different angles, run them through photogrammetry software (Agisoft Metashape, RealityCapture, ContextCapture, Pix4D, OpenDroneMap), and the software triangulates 3D points from the images. The result is a colored point cloud, sometimes denser than LiDAR, sometimes less accurate, depending on lighting and surface texture. Drone photogrammetry is now the dominant method for large outdoor sites (quarries, agriculture, archaeology, infrastructure).
3. Other sources (depth cameras, smartphones, simulation)
Depth cameras (Intel RealSense, Microsoft Kinect generations, Apple's iPhone Pro / iPad Pro LiDAR sensor), structured-light scanners and even simulated point clouds (in Unity, Unreal, robotics training) all produce data of the same family. The geometry conventions are the same; the accuracy and the file size differ massively.
| Method | Typical accuracy | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terrestrial LiDAR | Millimeter | AEC, surveying, industry, heritage | Static, slower on large outdoor sites |
| Mobile LiDAR (backpack, vehicle, drone) | Centimeter | Large coverage, infrastructure, mapping | Lower accuracy than terrestrial |
| Drone photogrammetry | Centimeter | Quarries, agriculture, archaeology, large outdoor | Lighting and texture dependent |
| Depth cameras / smartphone LiDAR | Centimeter to decimeter | Indoor scenes, prototyping, small objects | Not survey-grade |
Swipe the table horizontally to see all columns.
We work with five scanner brands across our projects. Having one platform that reads all of them natively, without conversion scripts, is a productivity gain we hadn't anticipated, and it's now one of our biggest daily time-savers.
Common point cloud file formats
Pick the right format and you spend your time on the project, not on conversion. Pick the wrong one and you ship the wrong file to your client. Here are the formats you will encounter, what they are good for, and whether they are open or proprietary.
| Format | Open / proprietary | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| E57 | Open (ASTM E2807) | Default interchange across the industry |
| LAS | Open (ASPRS) | LiDAR reference, outdoor and aerial |
| LAZ | Open (compressed LAS) | Same as LAS, 80-90% lighter to ship |
| RCS / RCP | Proprietary (Autodesk Recap) | Autodesk workflows. ATIS.cloud reads/writes them without an Autodesk license |
| LGSx | Proprietary (Leica Hexagon) | Hexagon ecosystem (Cyclone, etc.) |
| PLY, OBJ, PCD, PTS, XYZ | Open (legacy / research) | Still encountered, less standard in production AEC |
Swipe the table horizontally to see all columns.
- E57: open ASTM standard (E2807). The default interchange format across the industry; supported by most scanners and most software. Good first choice when you do not control downstream tooling.
- LAS: open standard from the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS). The reference format for LiDAR data, particularly outdoor / aerial.
- LAZ: a compressed LAS (typically 80 to 90 percent smaller). Same content, much lighter to ship. Open and widely supported.
- RCS / RCP: native Autodesk Recap formats. Read and written natively by ATIS.cloud without an Autodesk license required, which is unusual on the market.
- LGSx: proprietary Leica Hexagon format. The Hexagon ecosystem is migrating progressively from "Leica" to the "Hexagon" naming.
- PLY, OBJ, PCD, PTS, XYZ: legacy or research formats, still encountered, less standard in production AEC workflows.
« Test ATIS.cloud with your own scan: E57, LAS, LAZ, RCS, RCP or LGSx up to 1 TB. 14-day free trial, no credit card. »
Ready to try it?
Try for freeWhat professionals do with a point cloud
Different industries reach for the same point cloud for very different reasons. Same dots, different deliverables. Six sectors account for nearly all professional usage:
| Industry | What they do with the cloud | Typical deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Surveying & topography | Document existing site, compute volumes | As-found drawings, DTM, DSM, stockpile volumes |
| AEC & BIM | Scan vs BIM (called "as-built"), scan-to-BIM | As-built model, clash reports, deviation maps |
| Industry | Document plant, monitor deformation, plan retrofits | Digital twin, VR walkthroughs, retrofit drawings |
| Heritage & archaeology | Archive monuments, plan restorations | Millimeter archive, restoration plans, digital exhibits |
| Infrastructure | Inspect bridges, tunnels, highways, railways | Clearance reports, defect tracking, maintenance plans |
| Forestry & agriculture | Estimate biomass, count plants, analyze terrain | Biomass reports, yield maps, terrain models |
Swipe the table horizontally to see all columns.
- Surveying and topography: deliver as-found drawings, volumes (stockpiles, excavations), DTM and DSM
- AEC and BIM: scan an existing building, compare scan vs BIM model (called "as-built"), feed scan-to-BIM workflows
- Industry: document a plant, monitor structural deformation, plan retrofits, train operators in VR / digital twin environments
- Heritage and archaeology: archive a monument with millimeter accuracy, plan a restoration, build digital exhibits
- Infrastructure: bridge inspection, highway maintenance, railway clearance checks, tunnel monitoring
- Forestry and agriculture: forest biomass estimation from aerial LiDAR, plant counts, terrain analysis
- Drone and surveying SaaS: serve scans to clients via secure link, with measurement and annotation in the browser
How to view and share a point cloud
Once a scan is captured, two questions decide what tooling fits: how big is the file, and who needs to see it.
- Small to medium files, desktop, internal use: CloudCompare (open source) or Autodesk Recap (commercial). Install, open, work.
- Large files or external sharing: a managed SaaS that streams the cloud in the browser. No install for your client, no oversize email, no expired WeTransfer link.
- Mixed-fleet operations: prefer a platform that reads all common formats natively (E57, LAS, LAZ, RCS, RCP, LGSx), so you do not maintain conversion pipelines.
ATIS.cloud is the platform we build for that exact use case: scans up to 1 TB per file (5 TB of total workspace), native support for every scanner brand, formats E57, LAS, LAZ, RCS, RCP, LGSx, secure link sharing, sovereign hosting in 22+ countries, 14-day free trial without credit card.
« I share my scan and the model with the contractor in the same browser session. No more sending 4 GB files by WeTransfer. »
Ready to try it?
Try for freeA point cloud is a list of XYZ coordinates that describe the surface of an object or a building, captured by LiDAR or photogrammetry. The common professional formats are E57, LAS, LAZ, RCS, RCP and LGSx. Pros use point clouds in surveying, AEC, industry, heritage, infrastructure and forestry. To view and share with clients in a browser, a managed SaaS like ATIS.cloud handles up to 1 TB per file across every native scanner brand, with a 14-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
A point cloud is a list of XYZ coordinates (sometimes with color, normals or classification) that describes the surface of an object or a building, typically captured by a 3D laser scanner (LiDAR) or by photogrammetry from a series of overlapping photos.
No. A point cloud is just the dots: geometry without semantics. A 3D model has surfaces, edges and meaning (a wall is a wall, a door is a door). You can convert a point cloud into a mesh, or compare a point cloud to a BIM model ("scan vs BIM", called "as-built"), but they are different objects with different uses.
Three main routes. (1) LiDAR: a laser scanner sweeps the scene, measures distances, records points. Static terrestrial for AEC and surveying, mobile (backpack, vehicle, drone, robot) for larger areas. (2) Photogrammetry: many overlapping photos run through software like Agisoft Metashape, RealityCapture, ContextCapture or OpenDroneMap. (3) Depth cameras and smartphones (iPhone Pro / iPad Pro have a LiDAR sensor) for smaller-scale captures.
E57 (open ASTM standard, default interchange), LAS and LAZ (open ASPRS standards, LAZ is a compressed LAS, both common for LiDAR), RCS and RCP (Autodesk Recap native, ATIS.cloud reads and writes them without an Autodesk license), LGSx (proprietary Leica Hexagon). Older formats like PLY, OBJ, PCD, PTS, XYZ still appear but are less standard in production.
From a few MB (a small object scan) to several hundred GB or even multiple TB (a full industrial plant or a city block aerial survey). The LAZ format reduces LAS files by 80 to 90 percent. ATIS.cloud handles files up to 1 TB per file, and up to 5 TB of total workspace, which covers nearly all professional scenarios.
Upload the scan to a managed SaaS that streams it in the browser, then send a permissioned link. Your client opens it in a browser, looks, measures, comments. ATIS.cloud is built for this: 14-day free trial, no credit card, secure link sharing with controlled expiration and share history, accepts E57, LAS, LAZ, RCS, RCP and LGSx files up to 1 TB.
Related articles
Scan-to-BIM services or in-house software?
An external provider, desktop software or ATIS.cad in your browser: compare three ways to turn survey data into a usable BIM model.
Point Cloud Definition: What It Is (3D, Simply)
A precise 3D point cloud definition: coordinates, attributes, point records, differences from meshes and BIM, cloud types, density and accuracy.
How to Create a Point Cloud: Methods and Steps
How to create a point cloud step by step: laser scanning, photogrammetry, or mobile mapping, then registration, cleaning, export, and sharing.