10.6 Platforms and File Types
Every export format from both XGRIDS pipelines, how to create each file, typical sizes, compatible platforms, and a decision guide for matching deliverable requirements to the correct export path.
2 Pipelines, Different Output Universes
LixelStudio outputs point clouds. LCC Studio outputs 3D Gaussian Splat models. These are fundamentally different data types that go to fundamentally different downstream platforms. A client asking for "the scan in Revit" could mean either, and the answer depends entirely on which pipeline you used and what they plan to do with it in Revit.
Point clouds from LixelStudio integrate directly into the existing AEC software stack: Revit, AutoCAD, Navisworks, Leica Cyclone, and any software that reads E57, LAS/LAZ, or RCP. Gaussian Splat models from LCC Studio go to a newer, parallel universe of visualization, XR, and game engine platforms, plus the LCC for BIM plugin for Revit specifically. They do not substitute for point clouds in traditional AEC workflows.
File size estimates marked with ~ are working approximations. XGRIDS does not publish per-format file size benchmarks. The sizes in the tables below are derived from published compression ratios and field experience with a 20-minute single-scene scan at Standard quality. Actual sizes vary with quality setting, Max Gaussian Splats, point density, environment complexity, and coloring. Run one test export at your target settings to calibrate for your specific environment before committing to a delivery plan.
LixelStudio Export Formats
LixelStudio processes raw scan data from the K1 and L2 Pro into colored, georeferenced point clouds. PortalCam data cannot be processed in LixelStudio. All formats carry intensity, color (RGB), and trajectory data. The coordinate system is set during processing, not during export. All exports carry the coordinates configured at project setup.
| File Type | Created By | How to Export | ~Size (20 min) |
What It Is | Compatible Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.las |
LixelStudio | File > Export > LAS. No prerequisites. | ~10 to 20 GB | Industry standard uncompressed point cloud. Full RGB, intensity, GPS time, coordinates. | ArcGIS, QGIS, Global Mapper. CloudCompare. Leica Cyclone. Autodesk Recap (import). Virtually all point cloud viewers and processing tools. |
.laz |
LixelStudio | File > Export > LAZ. No prerequisites. | ~1 to 4 GB | Losslessly compressed LAS. 80 to 90% smaller with identical data quality. Should be the default for delivery. | Same platforms as LAS. Preferred for file transfer and archiving. CloudCompare, ArcGIS, Leica Cyclone, Bentley. |
.e57 (unstructured) |
LixelStudio | File > Export > E57. No prerequisites. | ~10 to 20 GB | ASTM-standardized point cloud. No embedded panoramic imagery in this export path. | FARO Scene, Leica Cyclone, Trimble RealWorks. Bentley iTwin. Hexagon HxDR. Any E57-compatible viewer. |
.e57 (structured) |
LixelStudio | Tools > LAS to E57. Requires: completed coloring, Output Panorama enabled during processing, correct pose file. | ~15 to 30 GB | Structured E57 merging point cloud with panoramic photos along the scan trajectory. Different output than the direct E57 export. | BubbleView in Autodesk Recap. Revit and Navisworks with panoramic context. BIM workflows requiring scan-position imagery. |
.rcp / .rcs |
LixelStudio | Tools > LAS to RCP. Up to 10 LAS files per operation. Filenames must be 20 characters or fewer. | ~10 to 20 GB (combined) | Autodesk Recap Project. Produces an .rcp index file and a data folder. Both must be delivered together or the point cloud will not load. | Autodesk Revit (direct attach). AutoCAD, Civil 3D. Navisworks. Recap 2020+. Horizontal/Vertical Slice tools also export to RCP directly. |
.ply (point cloud) |
LixelStudio | File > Export > PLY. No prerequisites. | ~10 to 20 GB | Standard XYZ + RGB point data. Not Gaussian Splat data. Same extension as LCC Studio PLY but fundamentally different contents. | CloudCompare. MeshLab. Open-source point cloud tools. |
.obj (textured) |
LixelStudio | Application > Mesh. Select result data folder with colored LAS and panoramic images. | ~500 MB to 2 GB | Textured 3D mesh with color baked from panoramic imagery. Not a point cloud. Polygon geometry with texture map. | 3ds Max, Maya, Blender. Unreal/Unity. SketchUp, Rhino. Most 3D visualization software. |
.osgb |
LixelStudio | Application > Mesh. Same workflow as OBJ, select OSGB format. | ~500 MB to 2 GB | OpenSceneGraph Binary. Textured mesh for large-scale geographic visualization. Less commonly requested than OBJ. | OpenSceneGraph viewers. Large-scale terrain and city model platforms. |
.dxf |
LixelStudio | 2D Drawing / Plane Draw > Export. Vector linework traced on the point cloud viewport. | < 10 MB | 2D CAD vector linework. AI-Extract generates initial contours for manual refinement. 2D output only, not 3D geometry. | AutoCAD, BricsCAD, any DXF-compatible CAD platform. Floor plan linework. Section and elevation drawings. |
Revit workflow note: Revit does not natively open LAS or E57 directly. The recommended path is to import into Autodesk Recap first, then attach the Recap project (.rcp) to Revit. Exporting directly to RCP from LixelStudio skips the Recap conversion step. For the freshest compatibility, verify the Recap version matches the Revit version before beginning a large project.
LAS filename limit. LAS filenames must be 20 characters or fewer before running LAS to RCP or LAS to E57 conversion. Longer filenames cause the conversion to fail, hang, or crash silently. Shorten filenames before starting any conversion.
Coordinate system is set during processing, not during export. RTK, PPK, and GCP settings configured during project setup determine the coordinate system of all output files. Export tools pass through these coordinates without modification. There is no separate coordinate system or EPSG configuration in any export dialog.
LCC Studio Export Formats
LCC Studio processes raw scan data from the K1, L2 Pro, and PortalCam into 3D Gaussian Splatting models. The format you choose determines file size, downstream software compatibility, and what visual fidelity is preserved. The Portability setting during reconstruction affects which formats are available at export. Choose before processing.
| File Type | Created By | How to Export | ~Size (20 min) |
What It Is | Compatible Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.lcc (folder) |
LCC Studio | Project card > ... > Export > LCC. Free and Premium tiers. Produces a folder, not a single file. |
~300 MB to 1 GB (total folder) | XGRIDS proprietary compressed 3DGS. Multi-file folder export: .lcc metadata (2 KB), data.bin (model), index.bin (spatial index), collision.lci (collision mesh), environment.bin (skybox), and thumbnail. The .lcc file is a pointer that resolves companion files from the same directory. 70 to 90% smaller than equivalent PLY. | LCC Studio (free to download). LCC for BIM plugin (Revit 2025/2026). Unreal Engine and Unity (via XGRIDS SDK). XGRIDS web publish link. SuperSplat (v2.12+, native .lcc import). |
.ply (3DGS) |
LCC Studio | Project card > ... > Export > PLY. Premium license required ($2,500/yr). |
~1.5 to 10 GB | Open standard 3DGS format. Single file. 5 to 10x larger than LCC. The universal format for third-party Gaussian Splat tools. | SuperSplat, 3DVista, Splat Labs, Volinga, Gauzilla Pro, Nubigon. Community 3DGS plugins for Unreal/Unity. VOLUMA, QuarkXR, Splatter.app, Arrival Space. Any open-source 3DGS viewer. |
.usdz |
LCC Studio | Project card > ... > Export > USDZ. Requires: firmware 3.0+, single-scene, Portability Off. |
~1 to 5 GB | USD container preserving Gaussian ellipsoid data. The only export with 3 prerequisites. If any condition is unmet, the option is grayed out. | NVIDIA Omniverse. USD-compatible digital twin pipelines. |
| 3D Tiles | LCC Studio | Project card > ... > Export > 3D Tiles. Requires absolute coordinates (RTK/GCPs). Max 4M Gaussian points. |
~500 MB to 3 GB | OGC 3D Tiles 1.1 for WebGIS. The only export with a point count ceiling. Indoor scans without RTK/GCPs are not eligible. | Cesium (web and native). Esri ArcGIS. Any OGC 3D Tiles 1.1 WebGIS platform. |
.obj (mesh) |
LCC Studio | Export from LCC Studio Editor. Triangular mesh derived from Gaussian Splat reconstruction. | ~200 MB to 1 GB | Polygon mesh without texture. Geometry only, no RGB color. Use only when the downstream platform requires polygons and cannot read 3DGS. | 3ds Max, Maya, Blender. Unreal/Unity (static mesh). Any OBJ-compatible tool. |
| Collision Mesh | LCC Studio | Exported from the LCC Studio Editor. | ~50 to 200 MB | Simplified collision geometry for physics interaction. Required when avatars or objects need to collide with scan geometry. | Unreal Engine collision volumes. Unity physics colliders. XR spatial boundaries. |
| Web Publish | LCC Studio | Project card > Publish. Requires internet and active XGRIDS account. | N/A (hosted) | Uploads to XGRIDS cloud and generates a shareable URL. No software install required for viewers. Password protection available. | Any modern browser on desktop, tablet, or smartphone. |
LCC export is a folder, not a single file. LCC Studio exports a directory containing: the .lcc metadata file (2 KB, named after the project), data.bin (the Gaussian Splat model, typically the largest file at hundreds of MB), index.bin (spatial index, 1 KB), collision.lci (collision mesh), environment.bin (skybox data), thumb.jpg (preview thumbnail), and an assets subfolder (imported 3D overlays, if any). The .lcc file is always 2 KB. It is a pointer that resolves companion files from the same directory. Moving the .lcc file without its companions produces: "Key file missing [data.bin,index.bin], check resource directory and try again."
To deliver an LCC model to a customer or collaborator: Zip the entire export folder and send the zip. The recipient unzips, navigates into the folder, and opens the .lcc file. LCC Studio (free to download and install) resolves the companion files from the same directory automatically. LCC Studio's Free tier provides full Viewer, Editor, measurement, annotation, color grading, cropping, and web publish tools at no cost.
ATIS.cloud upload workflow. From the LCC export folder, zip the data.bin, index.bin, and the .lcc file (rename .lcc to meta.lcc per ATIS documentation) into one zip per project. Upload via the ATIS.cloud project interface. ATIS detects the XGRIDS LCC format and begins conversion automatically.
PLY export requires Premium. The Free/Basic tier exports LCC format only. If a client or platform requires PLY, you must have the Premium license ($2,500/yr). Verify the recipient's format requirements before committing to a delivery platform that does not support LCC.
PLY means two different things. LCC Studio exports .ply files containing Gaussian Splat data (millions of oriented ellipsoids). LixelStudio exports .ply files containing standard point cloud data (XYZ + RGB points). Same file extension, fundamentally different contents. Delivering the wrong one to a client who asked for "a PLY" is a common mistake. Confirm which pipeline the recipient expects.
USDZ Export Conditions
USDZ is the only LCC Studio format with multiple prerequisites that must all be satisfied before the export option is visible in the interface. If any condition is not met, the USDZ option remains grayed out.
3D Tiles has a 4 million Gaussian point ceiling. Models reconstructed above this point count cannot be exported as 3D Tiles. If WebGIS delivery via Cesium or ArcGIS is a firm deliverable requirement, set Maximum Gaussian Splats at or below 4 million during reconstruction. This also limits model detail and VRAM requirements. Decide before processing, not after.
Which Format for Which Deliverable
If the client or project requirement is already known, use the table below to confirm the export path before quoting or processing.
Deliverable requirement → format to export
SuperSplat, Volinga, Gauzilla Pro, Nubigon
Splat Labs, 3DVista, ATIS.cloud
LCC for BIM Plugin (Autodesk Revit)
The LCC for BIM plugin brings 3D Gaussian Splat models directly into Revit. It does not replace a traditional point-cloud-to-BIM workflow. It adds a second, parallel path that enables AI-assisted element extraction from the 3DGS model using the Spatial Recognition data generated during LCC Studio processing.
What the Plugin Does in Revit
Once installed, the plugin adds an LCC Module to the Revit Add-ins tab. The primary workflow is: import an LCC model via the LCC Project Wizard, view it in the LCC Viewer panel embedded in Revit, then use the Modeling Tools or 2D Canvas to generate Revit elements from the scan data.
The LCC for BIM plugin requires Revit 2025 or 2026. This is confirmed in the LCC for BIM User Manual v1.1.0 (October 2025). If the project requires Revit 2024 or earlier, use the LixelStudio point cloud pipeline with an RCP or E57 export instead.
Third-Party Platform Support
The following platforms and tools have confirmed LCC format compatibility or official partnership status as of December 2025. This list reflects the LCC Ecosystem document from XGRIDS. Check xgrids.com for the current partner list as new integrations are added regularly.
Application Tools
- AutodeskLCC for Revit Plugin (Revit 2025/2026)
- EsriArcGIS integration confirmed; announced Nov 2025
- NVIDIAOmniverse integration via USDZ
- Prevu3D
- Lightwheel
Display Platforms
- VOLUMA
- QuarkXR
- Splatter.app
- Arrival Space
- Teleport
- Nucleus
- Bizztech
Editing Tools
- SupersplatOpen-source, native .lcc support (v2.12+)
- Volinga
- Gauzilla Pro
- Nubigon
Platform Support
- Unreal EngineLCC SDK at developer.xgrids.com
- UnitySDK; Quest3 and Pico XR supported
- WebGLCesium integration via XGRIDS SDK
Developer resources: XGRIDS publishes SDK documentation for Unreal Engine, Unity, and WebGL integration at developer.xgrids.com. This includes the LCC format specification, integration examples for Quest 3 and Pico XR devices, and the Cesium WebGL integration guide.
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