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Creating a Project
A project in Lidarvisor is a container for one LiDAR dataset and all the products generated from it (classified point cloud, terrain models, vectors, reports). This page explains how to create a project by uploading your data.
Supported File Formats
Lidarvisor accepts the following file types for point cloud data:
| Format | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| LAS | .las | The standard LiDAR point cloud format. Contains 3D coordinates and attributes for each point. |
| LAZ | .laz | A compressed version of LAS. Same data, smaller file. Recommended for faster uploads. |
| COPC | .copc.laz | Cloud-Optimized Point Cloud. A modern format designed for efficient streaming. |
A survey delivered as several tiles — multiple LAS, LAZ, or COPC files covering one area — can be uploaded together into a single project. See Uploading a Tiled Survey below.
Point clouds produced by photogrammetry (drone imagery processed in tools like Metashape, Pix4D, or RealityCapture) are accepted in the same formats. Mark them as photogrammetric when you process — see Processing Your Data for how they are handled.
You can also optionally add an orthophoto (aerial image) to your project:
| Format | Extension | Description |
|---|---|---|
| GeoTIFF | .tif / .tiff | A georeferenced image file. You can upload up to 100 TIFF files per project, with a combined maximum of 5 GB. |
File Size Limits
The maximum file size depends on your subscription plan:
| Plan | LAS Limit | LAZ Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | 5 GB | 1 GB |
| Lite | 10 GB | 2 GB |
| Premium | 25 GB | 5 GB |
| Advanced | 50 GB | 10 GB |
Why is the LAZ limit lower? LAZ is a compressed format — a LAZ file typically expands to about five times its size as LAS. The LAZ limit is the LAS limit divided by five, so both formats allow roughly the same amount of actual data.
For a multi-tile upload, the limit applies to the combined size of all the tiles — there is no separate per-tile allowance.
Step-by-Step: Create a Project
1. Open the Create Project Panel
Click the Create a project button in the top toolbar. A panel will slide open on the right side of the screen.
2. Name Your Project
Type a name for your project. This can be anything that helps you identify it — for example, the site name, date, or client name.
3. Select Your LiDAR File(s)
Click the file picker labeled "LiDAR file(s) — .las, .laz, .copc.laz" to browse for your point cloud, or drag and drop it into the area. You can select a single file, or multi-select several tiles if your survey was delivered pre-split — see Uploading a Tiled Survey below. The selected files are listed with their count and total size.
4. (Optional) Add an Orthophoto
If you have aerial imagery of the same area, check the Add an orthophoto (optional) box. A second file picker will appear where you can select one or more TIFF files.
An orthophoto is not required for processing, but it provides a satellite-like image layer that you can overlay on your point cloud in the viewer, and it improves the results of some detections (roads, water).
5. (Optional) Add an Area of Interest
If you only want to process part of the surveyed area, check the Add an area of interest (optional) box and upload a boundary file. Processing will be cropped to your boundary, and credits are counted on that area only. See Cropping to an Area of Interest below for details.
6. Click "Import project"
Lidarvisor will begin uploading your file. You will see a progress bar showing the upload status.
What Happens During Upload
Upload — Your file is sent to Lidarvisor's cloud servers. The upload is resumable: if your internet connection drops, the upload will automatically resume from where it left off when you reconnect. You can also manually pause and resume the upload. In a multi-tile project, the tiles upload one after another, each with its own progress.
Merging (multi-tile projects only) — Your tiles are merged into a single point cloud. You will see a "Merging tiles..." step in the progress messages.
Tiling — Once the upload finishes, Lidarvisor converts your point cloud into a format optimized for 3D viewing (called "3D Tiles"). This allows you to explore even very large datasets smoothly in the browser.
Metadata extraction — The platform reads your file to determine its geographic location, coordinate system, number of points, area, and other properties.
When these steps are complete, your point cloud appears in the 3D viewer and you can start exploring it.
Uploading a Tiled Survey
Aerial LiDAR surveys often arrive from the provider split into flightline or grid tiles. You do not need to merge them on your own machine — select all the tiles together in the LiDAR file picker and Lidarvisor merges them for you on the server.
The rules for a tile set:
- Up to 50 tiles per project.
- Same format: all
.las, all.laz, or all.copc.laz— mixed sets are refused before any upload starts. - Same coordinate system: all tiles must share the same EPSG code. A mismatched set is refused up front, before you spend time uploading.
- Unique filenames: two tiles cannot share the same name.
- The combined size counts toward your plan's file size limit.
How it works:
- Tiles upload one at a time, each with per-tile progress. A tile that fails can be retried without re-uploading the ones that already finished, and an interrupted upload resumes where it left off.
- After upload, the tiles are merged into one point cloud. From then on, your project behaves exactly like a project created from a single file: one point cloud in the project tree, one set of statistics (size, point count, area) computed from the merged cloud, and all processing results produced from the merged cloud.
- The project's area — and therefore its credit cost — is measured on the merged point cloud.
Cropping to an Area of Interest (AOI)
An area of interest is a boundary polygon that restricts processing to a sub-area of your point cloud. It is useful when your LiDAR file covers more ground than you actually need — a whole flight when you only care about one parcel, for example. Processing is cropped to the boundary before it starts, which saves time, and credits are counted on the AOI area instead of the whole file.
To add one at project creation, check Add an area of interest (optional) and upload a boundary file. Supported formats:
| Format | How to upload |
|---|---|
| KML / KMZ | Single file (e.g. drawn in Google Earth) |
| GeoJSON | Single file (.geojson or .json) |
| Shapefile | Either a single .zip, or multi-select the loose sibling files together: .shp + .shx + .dbf + .prj |
You can also set an optional buffer — an outward expansion of your boundary, entered in meters or feet (up to 10,000 m). Use it to include a margin around your shape, such as a skirt around a parcel boundary or a forest plot. 0 means no buffer.
A few things to know:
- The AOI crop is applied at processing time. Until then, the full point cloud is uploaded and shown in the viewer.
- If you skip this at creation, you can still crop the point cloud later from the crop icon in the viewer toolbar — as long as processing has not started.
- The AOI works the same on single-file and multi-tile projects.
Coordinate Systems (EPSG Codes)
Every LiDAR file is captured in a specific coordinate system — a set of rules that defines how X, Y, Z numbers translate to real-world positions on Earth. Coordinate systems are identified by an EPSG code (a standardized number, like EPSG:32632 for UTM Zone 32N in Europe).
Automatic Detection
Lidarvisor automatically reads the coordinate system from your file's metadata. In most cases, this works without any input from you.
In a multi-tile project, the coordinate system is read from each tile. All tiles must share the same system — a mixed set is refused before the upload starts. If none of the tiles declare a coordinate system, you are asked to choose one once, and your choice applies to the whole set.
Manual Selection
If the coordinate system cannot be detected automatically (for example, if the file was created without proper metadata), Lidarvisor will ask you to specify it. You have two options:
Search by EPSG code — If you know the EPSG code, search for it in the table that appears. You can filter by name, code, or region.
Auto-detect by location — If you do not know the EPSG code, switch to the "Auto-detect" tab and enter an address or GPS coordinates of the survey area. Lidarvisor will suggest the most appropriate coordinate system for that location.
Tip: If you are unsure which coordinate system your data uses, ask the person who collected the LiDAR data, or check the documentation that came with the dataset.
Files with Local Coordinates
Some LiDAR files use "local" or "arbitrary" coordinates — X and Y values that are not tied to a standard geographic reference. Lidarvisor detects this situation and will prompt you to provide a reference location so the data can be placed correctly on the map.
Finding Free LiDAR Data
Don't have your own LiDAR data yet? Lidarvisor provides a link to a guide on finding free, open-source LiDAR datasets. You can find it in the Create a project panel — look for the "Find free LiDAR data" button below the file picker.
Many countries and regions publish free aerial LiDAR data that you can download and upload to Lidarvisor to try the platform.
Managing Your Projects
Viewing Your Projects
Click My projects in the top toolbar to see a list of all your projects. Each project shows:
- Its name
- Its status (Uploading, Tiling, Processing, Ready, Error)
- A View button to load it in the 3D viewer
Click the arrow next to a project name to expand it and see details from the LAS file header (number of points, area, etc.).
Renaming a Project
Click the pencil icon next to a project name in the project list, or next to the project name in the left panel when the project is loaded.
Deleting a Project
Click the trash icon next to a project in the project list. A confirmation dialog will appear. Deleting a project removes all associated data — the original file, all processed results, and all generated deliverables. This action cannot be undone.
Loading a Project
Click View next to any project to load it in the 3D viewer. The project's assets will appear in the left panel (the project tree), and the point cloud will be displayed in the viewer.
Upload Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Upload seems stuck | Check your internet connection. The upload is resumable — it will continue automatically when the connection is restored. You can also try pausing and resuming manually. |
| My survey came as many separate tiles | Select them all together in the LiDAR file picker (up to 50 tiles of the same format) — Lidarvisor merges them into one point cloud for you. See Uploading a Tiled Survey. |
| "All tiles must be the same format" or "must share the same coordinate system" | Your tile set mixes formats (e.g. .las with .laz) or coordinate systems. Re-export the odd tiles so the whole set matches, or upload only the matching subset. |
| One tile failed during upload | Retry just that tile from its row in the list — tiles that already finished are not re-uploaded. |
| "File too large" error | Your file exceeds the size limit for your plan. Consider compressing LAS to LAZ using a free tool like LASzip, or upgrade your plan. |
| "Storage limit reached" | You have used all available storage on your plan. Delete old projects you no longer need, or upgrade your plan. |
| "Project limit reached" | Freemium accounts are limited to 5 projects. Delete an old project or upgrade to Premium or Advanced for unlimited projects. |
| Point cloud does not appear after upload | The tiling step may still be in progress. Check the status indicator in the project list. If it shows an error, try creating a new project with the same file. |
| Point cloud appears in the wrong location | The coordinate system (EPSG code) was likely detected incorrectly or your file uses local coordinates. Delete the project and re-upload it — when prompted, manually select the correct EPSG code or use the auto-detect-by-location feature. If you are unsure of the correct code, ask the person who collected the data or check your drone/sensor software settings. |
| Not sure how many credits I need before uploading | Upload the file first — Lidarvisor calculates the area automatically during metadata extraction. You will see the exact credit cost before confirming processing. Uploading itself does not consume credits. |
Preparing Files from Common Drones
If you just collected LiDAR data with a drone and are not sure how to get a LAS or LAZ file, here are common workflows:
| Drone / Sensor | Software | How to Export LAS/LAZ |
|---|---|---|
| DJI Zenmuse L1 / L2 | DJI Terra | Process the flight, then export as LAS or LAZ from the point cloud panel |
| Livox Mid-360 / Avia | Livox Viewer or Livox Mapping | Convert recorded data to LAS using the built-in export tool |
| ROCK Robotic R3Pro | ROCK Cloud / PCMaster | Download the processed LAS file from your ROCK dashboard |
| YellowScan | YellowScan CloudStation | Export the processed trajectory as LAS |
| RIEGL miniVUX / VUX | RiPROCESS | Export point cloud as LAS from the project |
| Emlid / generic PPK drone | Emlid Studio + CloudCompare | Post-process the trajectory, then export the georeferenced point cloud as LAS |
Tip: If your drone software does not directly export LAS/LAZ, you can often export to a text file (CSV with X, Y, Z columns) and convert it to LAS using the free tool CloudCompare.
Next Step
Your data is uploaded and visible in the viewer. Let's learn how to explore it. Head to The 3D Viewer.