CloudScope
The fastest free online point cloud viewer.
Drop any XYZ or PLY file and inspect it in 3D. Rotate, zoom, color by elevation — all in your browser. Your files never leave your device.
Built for LIDAR, photogrammetry and 3D survey
No more waiting for CloudCompare to open or paying for expensive desktop software just to preview a scan.
100% private
Your point cloud is parsed and rendered in your own browser. We never receive, store, or see your file.
Color by elevation
Automatic terrain gradient (blue = low, red = high) or use the RGB colors embedded in the file.
Fast 3D rendering
WebGL-powered. Handles hundreds of thousands of points smoothly, even on older hardware.
Stats panel
See point count, XYZ bounds, and dataset dimensions at a glance. Perfect for verifying a scan.
Works everywhere
Pure web app — no installation. Any modern browser on desktop, tablet or mobile.
Truly free
No signup, no trial, no watermark, no upsell. Built by SurveyingPedia as a gift to the community.
Supported formats
XYZ / TXT / CSV / PTS
ASCII files with one point per line. Format: X Y Z [R G B]. Separators: space, comma or semicolon.
PLY (ASCII + binary)
Stanford triangle format. Reads position + color attributes from both ASCII and binary variants.
LAS / LAZ (coming)
LIDAR industry standard. Not yet supported directly — convert to PLY or XYZ with CloudCompare (free) for now.
Frequently asked questions
Is CloudScope really free?
Yes. No signup, no trial, no credit card. It will stay free forever. Part of the SurveyingPedia free software collection.
Does my file get uploaded?
No. Point cloud parsing and rendering happen entirely in your browser using WebGL. We never receive, store, or see your file.
How large a point cloud can I view?
Up to several million points depending on your device. Browsers handle ~500K points smoothly on most laptops, up to 2M+ on a desktop GPU.
Can I open LAS/LAZ files?
Not directly yet. Use CloudCompare (free) to convert to PLY or ASCII XYZ first. We plan native LAS support in a future release.
What’s the difference between elevation color and RGB color?
Elevation color applies a blue-to-red gradient based on the Z coordinate — useful for terrain analysis. RGB color uses the actual R/G/B values if your file includes them (photogrammetry output typically does).
Who built this?
CloudScope is built and maintained by SurveyingPedia, the open encyclopedia for surveying professionals.
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