A point cloud is a set of millions of individual measured points that together form a precise 3D record of a building, structure or site. Each point holds an exact position in space, and often a colour value, so the combined dataset is a measurable digital copy of what actually exists. It is produced by laser scanning or photogrammetry, and it is the raw material from which survey drawings and BIM models are made.
Think of it as the difference between a description of a room and the room itself, captured to the millimetre. Rather than a surveyor deciding which features to record by hand, a scanner measures everything within its line of sight, tens of thousands of times a second, and stores each measurement as a point. Stand back from the result and it looks like a photograph; zoom in and you can measure between any two points on it.
How a point cloud is created
Most survey-grade point clouds come from terrestrial laser scanning. A scanner is set up on a tripod and sweeps a laser across the space, recording the distance and angle to every surface it hits. Each of those returns becomes a point with a precise 3D coordinate.
Because a single scan position only sees what is in its direct line of sight, the scanner is moved and set up again from enough positions to remove shadows and blind spots. Those individual scans are then registered, meaning aligned and merged, into one coordinated cloud in a single coordinate system. Where the scanner also captures imagery, each point is given a real colour, producing a coloured point cloud that is far easier to read and navigate than raw monochrome data.
The result is accurate to within a few millimetres under good site conditions, which is well inside tolerance for building and construction work. Our 3D laser scanning surveys explain the capture process in more detail.
What is actually in a point cloud
Every point in the cloud carries a small bundle of information:
- Position as X, Y and Z coordinates, tied to a survey control or coordinate system.
- Colour as red, green and blue values, in a coloured cloud captured with imagery.
- Intensity, a measure of how strongly the laser return came back, which can help distinguish materials and surfaces.
Multiply that by tens or hundreds of millions of points and you have a dense, navigable, measurable model of the real space, with no interpretation baked in. What you do with it, and how much of it you turn into drawings or models, is a separate decision.
Point cloud file formats
A point cloud is delivered as a file your software can read, and the format matters because different design packages expect different things.
| Format | What it is | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|
| E57 | Open, vendor-neutral point cloud format | Widest compatibility across survey and design software |
| LAS / LAZ | Common point cloud formats (LAZ is compressed) | Larger and landscape-scale datasets |
| RCP / RCS | Autodesk ReCap formats | Attaching into Revit and AutoCAD |
The important practical point is that Revit and AutoCAD cannot read E57 or LAS directly. They work with Autodesk’s own RCP and RCS formats, so a registered cloud has to be indexed and converted into ReCap before it will attach cleanly into a Revit or AutoCAD project. A good survey provider hands over the cloud already prepared in the formats your team actually works in.
What you do with a point cloud
The cloud itself is rarely the final deliverable. It is the trustworthy base that other outputs are built from, all from the same capture so nothing has to be re-surveyed.
- Measure and section directly. You can take dimensions, cut sections and check clearances straight from the cloud.
- Produce 2D CAD drawings. Floor plans, elevations and sections are drawn from the cloud rather than from tape measurements, which is how a measured building survey is produced.
- Build a BIM model. The cloud is modelled into intelligent Revit elements through a scan to BIM service, giving an as-built model to design and coordinate against.
- Verify against design. Comparing the cloud to a proposed model reveals clashes and deviations before they reach site.
Because every one of these is derived from the same measured cloud, they are consistent with each other and traceable back to the capture, which is a large part of the value.
Common questions
What is a point cloud in simple terms?
A point cloud is a collection of millions of measured points that together form an accurate 3D picture of a real building or site. Each point has a precise position, and usually a colour, so the whole dataset behaves like a measurable digital copy of the space that you can view, measure and model from.
How is a point cloud created?
Most survey-grade point clouds are made by terrestrial laser scanning. A scanner records the distance and angle to every surface it can see, creating points, and it is set up from multiple positions to cover the whole space. Those scans are then registered into one coordinated cloud, with colour added where imagery is captured.
What file format is a point cloud?
Common formats are E57, an open industry-standard format, and LAS or LAZ for larger datasets. For Autodesk software the cloud is supplied as RCP or RCS, because Revit and AutoCAD cannot read E57 or LAS directly and need the point cloud converted into ReCap format to attach it.
Can a point cloud be used in Revit?
Yes, but it must be in the right format. Revit reads Autodesk’s RCP and RCS files rather than E57 or LAS, so the registered cloud is indexed and converted into ReCap first. Once attached, the cloud can be measured against and modelled into an intelligent BIM model.
How accurate is a point cloud?
Terrestrial laser scanning typically achieves accuracy in the region of a few millimetres under good site conditions. The exact figure depends on the scanner, the range to each surface, the number of scan positions and the survey control, all of which are set to suit the tolerance a project requires.
A point cloud is where reality capture begins. If your project needs an accurate digital record of an existing building or site, our 3D laser scanning surveys produce the cloud and prepare it in the formats your software expects, and our scan to BIM service turns it into an intelligent model. To decide how much detail you need modelled, see our guide to choosing a scan to BIM LOD.