XGRIDS Pro Guide™ / Module 8: LixelStudio

8.5 Export Formats and Delivery

Select the correct export path, configure format-specific settings, and deliver point cloud, mesh, and vector data that recipients can open and use without rework.

Section 1

Two Export Paths

LixelStudio provides two distinct ways to produce output files. Choosing the wrong path is a common source of failed or unusable deliverables.

Direct Export (File > Export)

Exports the selected point cloud data to a file. Available formats: LAS, LAZ, PLY, and unstructured E57. This path requires no prerequisites beyond having processed point cloud data loaded in the project. Select the point cloud, choose export directory and filename, select format, and click Export.

Conversion Tools (Tools Menu)

Specialized conversion tools that transform LAS data into formats with additional structure or bundled assets. Each tool has specific prerequisites and produces different output than direct export.

Tool

Function

Prerequisites

LAS to RCP (Section 6.7)

Converts up to 10 LAS files to RCP format for AutoCAD and Recap 2020+

Processed LAS data. Filenames must be 20 characters or shorter.

LAS to E57 (Section 6.8)

Converts LAS to E57 with embedded panoramic photos and pose data

Colored point cloud with completed coloring. Panoramic photos output enabled during processing. Corresponding pose data file. Filenames must be 20 characters or shorter.

Mesh (Section 8.4)

Generates textured 3D mesh models from point cloud and panoramic data

Colored LAS result data under 50 GB. Panoramic images in result data folder. Upsampled (Point Cloud Enhancement) chunks from L2 Pro cannot be used.

Additional export-capable tools include Horizontal Slice and Vertical Slice (export as LAS or RCP), Clipping Box (export as LAS), 2D Drawing / Plane Draw (export as DXF), and Data Recording (export annotation CSV and report documents). These tools are covered in 8.4 Quality and Editing.

v3.5 added .ilas format support for exporting internally processed point cloud data. This format is referenced in the v3.5 release notes but is not yet documented in the LixelStudio user manual. If you need .ilas output, check the current LixelStudio version's File > Export menu for availability.

Section 2

Format Reference

The correct format is determined by what the recipient needs to do with the data. Delivering a format the recipient cannot open is not a completed deliverable.

Cross-pipeline comparison with file sizes and platform compatibility: This page covers LixelStudio export procedures. For the full side-by-side comparison of both LixelStudio and LCC Studio formats, including typical file sizes, compatible platforms, and a decision guide for matching deliverables to export paths, see 10.6 Platforms and File Types.

Format

Export Path

Primary Use

Key Constraints

LAS

Direct export (File > Export). Supports versions 1.1 through 1.4.

GIS platforms, CloudCompare, Recap Pro, general point cloud software.

Filename must be ≤20 characters if the file will be used in downstream LAS to RCP or LAS to E57 conversion.

LAZ

Direct export (File > Export).

Archiving, delivery over limited bandwidth. Same data as LAS, losslessly compressed.

Not all platforms support LAZ directly. Verify recipient software before delivering.

PLY

Direct export (File > Export).

General 3D tools, research, custom processing pipelines.

No built-in coordinate system metadata. Requires manual georeferencing in downstream tools if absolute coordinates matter.

E57 (unstructured)

Direct export (File > Export).

Point cloud interchange where panoramic data is not required.

Does not include panoramic photos or structured scan positions. For E57 with embedded panoramic data, use the LAS to E57 conversion tool instead.

E57 (with panoramic data)

Conversion tool: LAS to E57 (Section 6.8).

BIM platforms with BubbleView support (Revit, Navisworks, AutoCAD). Combines point cloud with panoramic imagery along the acquisition path.

Requires colored point cloud, panoramic photo output, and pose data. Filename must be ≤20 characters. See Section 3 for the full procedure.

RCP

Conversion tool: LAS to RCP (Section 6.7). Built into LixelStudio.

Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks. Native Autodesk point cloud index format. Compatible with Recap 2020+.

Maximum 10 LAS files per conversion. Produces an .rcp index file and a data folder. Both must be transferred together. Filename must be ≤20 characters.

OBJ / OSGB

Application tool: Mesh (Section 8.4).

Textured 3D mesh models for visualization, BIM reference, or presentation. OBJ includes texture.

Source LAS data must be under 50 GB. Requires panoramic images in the result data folder. L2 Pro upsampled (Point Cloud Enhancement) chunks cannot be used as mesh input.

DXF

2D Drawing tool: Plane Draw / AI-Extract (Section 7).

2D vector line work for CAD. Floor plans, section drawings, vector contours extracted from point clouds.

Introduced in v3.5. AI-Extract parameters (Ground Sampling Distance, Point Cloud Simplification, Snap to 90°, Min. Points per Segment, Max. Extension Length) affect output quality.

Coordinate system is determined during processing, not during export. The coordinate transformation settings configured in 8.2 Single Scan (RTK, GCP, or both) determine the coordinate system of the output data. Export tools pass through these coordinates. There is no separate EPSG or coordinate system configuration in the export dialogs.

Section 3

LAS to E57 Conversion

The LAS to E57 tool (Section 6.8) merges LAS point cloud data with panoramic photos captured along the acquisition path, producing an E57 file compatible with BubbleView in BIM platforms. This is a different operation from the direct E57 export in File > Export, which produces an unstructured E57 without panoramic data.

Three prerequisites must be met before the LAS to E57 tool will produce usable output. If any prerequisite is missing, the conversion will fail or produce an incomplete file.

1. Colored point cloud with completed coloring. The coloring step in project processing must have finished successfully.

2. Panoramic photos output. The "Output Panorama" option must have been enabled during project processing configuration. This cannot be added after processing completes.

3. Corresponding pose data. The pose CSV file must be present in the result data folder.

The pose file selection is critical and LixelStudio does not validate your choice. Selecting the wrong file produces output that appears to complete but contains incorrect coordinate data.

Absolute coordinates (RTK or GCP): Select pose_no_offset.csv.

Relative coordinates (no RTK, no GCP, local frame only): Select the standard pose file (pose.csv).

Procedure

Verify the LAS filename is ≤20 characters. If the filename exceeds this limit, the conversion will fail, hang, or crash. Shorten the filename before starting.
Click the point cloud data in the data layer to select it.
Click LAS to E57 in the data conversion tools.
Select the correct pose file corresponding to the colored point cloud. pose_no_offset.csv for absolute coordinates. Standard pose file for relative coordinates.
Select the panoramic photo output interval. This controls how panoramic images are sampled along the trajectory in the E57 output.
Click Confirm and wait for conversion to complete.
Verify the output file exists and has a reasonable file size. A zero-byte or missing file indicates a failure.

Source material conflict: The LixelStudio v3.5.1.0 manual (Section 6.8) describes this tool's output as "structured E57." The v3.5 release notes describe it as "an unstructured E57 standard format file compatible with BubbleView." Both are official XGRIDS sources. The functional behavior (merging point cloud with panoramic photos along the acquisition path) is consistent across both descriptions. The terminology difference may reflect a documentation update that was not propagated to the manual header.

Section 4

LAS to RCP Conversion

LixelStudio includes a built-in LAS to RCP conversion tool (Section 6.7). This converts up to 10 LAS files per operation into RCP format for use in AutoCAD and Recap 2020+. You do not need Autodesk ReCap Pro to perform this conversion.

Procedure

Verify all LAS filenames are ≤20 characters. Filenames exceeding this limit will cause the conversion to fail, hang, or crash.
Open the LAS to RCP tool. Optionally click Import External Data to add LAS files beyond those already loaded in the project (up to 10 total).
Choose the output path.
Click Confirm and wait for conversion to complete.

The conversion produces two outputs: an .rcp data index file and a corresponding data folder. Both must be copied together when transferring to another machine or delivering to a client. If only the .rcp file is transferred, the point cloud will not load.

Pro Tip: The Horizontal Slice and Vertical Slice tools also support direct export to RCP format, which is useful when delivering floor-specific or section-specific data to Autodesk users. Slices can be exported as LAS or RCP from within the slicing tool without needing a separate conversion step.

Section 5

Mesh Export (OBJ / OSGB)

The Mesh tool (Application > Mesh, Section 8.4) generates textured 3D models from point cloud and panoramic data. Output formats are .obj and .osgb. The resulting mesh includes texture derived from the panoramic imagery captured during scanning.

Requirements

Requirement

Details

Device compatibility

L1, L2: External panoramic coloring result data. K1, L2 Pro: Internal coloring with panoramic photo output.

Data size limit

Post-processed colored LAS result data must be under 50 GB.

Panoramic images

Must be present in the result data folder. Verify before starting. If missing, the Mesh tool has no texture source.

Upsampled data restriction

Point Cloud Enhancement (upsampled) chunks from L2 Pro cannot be used as mesh input.

Procedure

Click Mesh in the Application menu.
Select the scanned result data folder (the folder containing colored LAS data and panoramic images from processing). You do not need to load the result point cloud into the project first.
Select the export path and format (.obj or .osgb).
Wait for mesh generation to complete. View the result in software such as MeshLab or any OBJ/OSGB-compatible viewer.

Section 6

Downstream Integration

Full platform compatibility reference: For every downstream platform that accepts XGRIDS output, including both the point cloud and 3DGS pipelines, third-party hosting platforms, and the LCC for BIM Revit plugin, see 10.6 Platforms and File Types. The section below covers LixelStudio-specific integration notes for the most common delivery targets.

Autodesk Platforms (Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks)

RCP files produced by LixelStudio's built-in converter are compatible with Recap 2020 and later. E57 files can also be imported directly into Revit or converted to RCP via ReCap Pro if additional indexing options are needed.

When importing into Revit, the coordinate system of the point cloud must align with the Revit project's shared coordinates. Coordinate alignment is configured in the Revit project settings, not in LixelStudio. Establish shared coordinates in Revit before importing.

XGRIDS also offers LCC for Revit, a Revit add-in for importing LCC (Lixel CyberColor) 3DGS models directly into Revit with AI-assisted BIM modeling tools. LCC for Revit is part of the LCC Studio ecosystem covered in Module 9, not LixelStudio. If the deliverable requires photorealistic 3DGS visualization within Revit, see Module 9 for that workflow.

2D CAD (DXF)

DXF files exported from the 2D Drawing / Plane Draw tool can be opened in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, and other DXF-compatible CAD platforms. The AI-Extract feature produces vector contours that can be manually refined within LixelStudio's drawing tools (Line, Polyline, Arc, Rectangle, Split, Trim, Delete) before export. See 8.4 Quality and Editing for Plane Draw details.

Filename Checklist Before Export

Pre-Export Verification

LAS filenames ≤20 characters if the file will be used in LAS to RCP or LAS to E57 conversion. Filenames exceeding this limit cause the conversion to fail, hang, or crash.
Correct pose file identified if using LAS to E57: pose_no_offset.csv for absolute coordinates, standard pose file for relative coordinates.
Panoramic images present in result folder if using LAS to E57 or Mesh. Check before starting the tool.
Coloring completed successfully if using LAS to E57. The colored point cloud must exist.
Output disk has sufficient free space. Large exports (E57, mesh) can produce files comparable in size to the source LAS data.
Recipient software confirmed. Verify the recipient can open the format you plan to deliver. RCP requires Autodesk software. LAZ support varies by platform.

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