.PCD, .PLY, .LAS, .LAZ pointclouds

Overview

This option allows you to upload point clouds as episodes to the platform without any annotations. All items from the input directory and its subdirectories will be uploaded to a single dataset. Supported formats are .pcd, .ply, .las, and .laz, and they are imported natively without conversion. If you need to preserve the directory structure, you can use the Import Pointcloud Episodes application from the Supervisely Ecosystem.

Format description

Supported point cloud episode formats: .pcd, .ply, .las, .laz. With annotations: No Supported annotation format: Not applicable. Grouped by: Any structure (will be uploaded to a single dataset).

Why native LAS/LAZ/PLY import matters

For point cloud episodes, Import Wizard loads .las, .laz, and .ply frames natively.

PCD is a simpler point cloud format. LAS / LAZ and many PLY variants can keep more useful source information per frame, so native import helps preserve the original sequence data.

Practical advantages for multi-frame projects:

• More source attributes preserved across the sequence: LAS / LAZ can keep LiDAR-specific fields such as intensity, return information, and classification. PLY can keep RGB, normals, and custom properties. Native import avoids simplifying those frames through an intermediate conversion step.

• No conversion-related data loss: when episodes are converted to PCD, source-specific fields may be lost or reduced. Native import keeps the original frame content intact.

• Smaller files can improve sequence loading: formats such as LAZ can be significantly smaller than converted PCD, which reduces transfer size and helps large multi-frame projects open faster.

• Faster project startup: there is no pre-conversion pipeline before frame mapping and sequence upload.

• Immediate benefit from WebGPU rendering upgrades: preserved attributes and dense frames can be rendered directly in the optimized pipeline, which is designed for large scenes and high point counts.

Input files structure

Example data: download ⬇️ Example data with related images: download ⬇️

Recommended directory structure:

📦 folder (with related images)          📦 folder
├── 📂 pointcloud                          ├── 📂 pointcloud
│   ├── 📄 0000000000.pcd                  │   ├── 📄 0000000000.pcd
│   ├── 📄 0000000001.ply                  │   ├── 📄 0000000001.ply
│   ├── 📄 0000000002.las                  │   ├── 📄 0000000002.las
│   └── 📄 0000000003.laz                  │   └── 📄 0000000003.laz
├── 📂 related_images                      └── 📜 frame_pointcloud_map.json
│   ├── 📂 0000000000_pcd
│   │   ├── 🖼️ 0000000000.png
│   │   └── 📜 0000000000.png.json
│   ├── 📂 0000000001_ply
│   │   ├── 🖼️ 0000000001.png
│   │   └── 📜 0000000001.png.json
│   ├── 📂 0000000002_las
│   │   ├── 🖼️ 0000000002.png
│   │   └── 📜 0000000002.png.json
│   ├── 📂 0000000003_laz
│   │   ├── 🖼️ 0000000003.png
│   │   └── 📜 0000000003.png.json
└── 📜 frame_pointcloud_map.json                   

Frames mapping file structure:

📜 frame_pointcloud_map.json

{
    "0": "0000000000.pcd",
    "1": "0000000001.ply",
    "2": "0000000002.las",
    "3": "0000000003.laz"
}

Format LAS/LAZ/PLY

In Import Wizard, LAS/LAZ/PLY files are imported natively without conversion.

Useful links

• [Supervisely Ecosystem] Import Pointcloud Episodes