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

Overview

This option allows you to upload point clouds 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 Pointclouds PCD application from the Supervisely Ecosystem.

Format description

Supported point cloud 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

Import Wizard loads .las, .laz, and .ply files natively.

PCD is a simpler point cloud format. LAS / LAZ and many PLY variants can store richer source data, so native import helps preserve more of the information already present in your files.

Practical advantages:

• More source attributes preserved: LAS / LAZ can contain intensity, return information, classification, GPS time, and other LiDAR-specific fields. PLY can contain RGB, normals, and custom per-point properties. With native import, these attributes do not need to be flattened into a simpler intermediate representation.

• No data loss from PCD conversion: when point clouds are converted to PCD, some source-specific fields may be dropped, remapped, or normalized depending on the conversion path. Native import avoids that lossy step.

• Smaller files can speed up the workflow: some source formats, especially compressed LAZ, can be much smaller than converted PCD. That reduces upload volume, download volume in the labeling tool, and time spent opening dense scenes.

• Faster time to first annotation: skipping conversion removes an entire preprocessing stage before import.

• Immediate benefit from rendering improvements: once the data is loaded, the WebGPU pipeline can use preserved attributes such as RGB and Intensity while keeping interaction smooth on dense scenes.

Input files structure

Example data: download ⬇️

Recommended directory structure:

📦 folder
├── 📄 item_01.pcd
├── 📄 item_02.ply
├── 📄 item_03.las
├── 📄 item_04.laz
├── 📄 item_05.pcd
├── 📄 item_06.ply
├── 📄 item_07.las
├── 📄 item_08.laz
├── 📄 item_09.pcd
└── 📄 item_10.ply

Format LAS/LAZ

In Import Wizard, LAS and LAZ files are supported natively, so no conversion to PCD is required.

Coordinate handling

In Import Wizard, Supervisely preserves source coordinates as provided in the input file.

Coordinate shift is applicable only when using the Import LAS format app, where LAS/LAZ files are converted to PCD. This app is optional and is not required for Auto Import Wizard.

Example log entry:

Applied coordinate shift for filename: X=1234567.89, Y=9876543.21, Z=123.45

Format PLY

In Import Wizard, PLY files are supported natively, so no conversion is required.

If you use the Import Pointcloud PLY app, files are converted from PLY to PCD during import. This app is optional and is not required for Auto Import Wizard.

Useful links

• [Supervisely Ecosystem] Import Pointclouds PCD

• [Supervisely Ecosystem] Import LAS format

• [Supervisely Ecosystem] Import Pointcloud PLY