Supported file formats
Swyvl supports all common spatial and media formats used in surveying and drone operations. Files are classified automatically on upload — no configuration needed.
Point clouds
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LAS | .las | Industry-standard lidar format, all versions |
| Compressed LAS | .laz | Lossless compressed LAS — recommended for large scans |
| E57 | .e57 | Common output from FARO, Leica, and Z+F scanners |
Viewed in Potree — an in-browser 3D point cloud viewer with orbit, pan, zoom, and measurement tools.
3D models
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OBJ | .obj | Wavefront OBJ with optional MTL texture |
| glTF | .gltf, .glb | GL Transmission Format — preferred for web delivery |
Viewed in Three.js — full orbit, pan, and zoom controls.
Geospatial
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| KMZ | .kmz | Keyhole Markup (zipped) — common from DJI, survey software |
| KML | .kml | Keyhole Markup — vectors, paths, overlays |
| GeoTIFF | .tif, .tiff | Georeferenced raster — orthomosaics, elevation models |
KMZ/KML viewed in CesiumJS (globe). GeoTIFF viewed in Leaflet (2D slippy map).
3D Tiles
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3D Tiles | .zip | ZIP archive containing a top-level JSON + tile data |
Upload your 3D Tiles directory as a ZIP file. Swyvl extracts it automatically and loads it in the CesiumJS viewer. The ZIP must contain a top-level JSON file at the root or one folder deep.
Gaussian splats
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Splat | .splat | Raw Gaussian splat capture |
| SPZ | .spz | Compressed Gaussian splat format |
Viewed in the 3D splat viewer — photorealistic renders from structure-from-motion captures.
360° panoramas
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Equirectangular image | .jpg, .jpeg, .png | 360° still from Ricoh Theta, Insta360, GoPro Max, or similar |
| Equirectangular video | .mp4, .mov | 360° video from 360° cameras |
Swyvl detects equirectangular files from known 360° cameras automatically and opens them in the 360° viewer. Click and drag to look around. If a GPS track is embedded, a minimap overlay is shown.
Media
| Format | Extension | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| JPEG | .jpg, .jpeg | Photos, site images, drone stills |
| PNG | .png | Screenshots, annotated images |
| WebP | .webp | Modern compressed images |
| MP4 | .mp4 | Drone video — H.264 recommended |
| MOV | .mov | QuickTime video |
| WebM | .webm | Web-native video |
.pdf | Survey reports, plans, specifications |
File size limits
There is no maximum file size. Files under 100 MB upload as a single request. Files over 100 MB use multipart upload automatically — the file is split into chunks and uploaded in parallel:
| File size | Chunk size | Concurrency |
|---|---|---|
| 100 MB – 1 GB | 16 MB | 3 concurrent |
| 1 GB – 5 GB | 64 MB | 3 concurrent |
| Over 5 GB | 128 MB | 5 concurrent |
Unsupported formats
Files in unsupported formats can still be uploaded and downloaded — they just won’t have an in-browser viewer. They appear with a generic file icon and a download button.
If you need a format that isn’t supported, contact support — we add new formats regularly.