Viewers
Swyvl includes several browser-based viewers. The correct viewer is selected automatically based on file type — no configuration required.
Viewer overview
| File type | Viewer | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Point cloud | Potree | LAS, LAZ, E57 |
| 3D model | Three.js | OBJ, GLB, GLTF |
| Geospatial | CesiumJS | KMZ, KML |
| 3D Tiles | CesiumJS | ZIP (tileset.json) |
| Orthomosaic | Leaflet | GeoTIFF |
| 360° image | 360° viewer | JPG, PNG (equirectangular) |
| 360° video | 360° viewer | MP4, MOV (equirectangular) |
| Image | Image viewer | JPG, PNG, WebP |
| Video | Video player | MP4, MOV, WebM |
| Document | PDF viewer | |
| Gaussian splat | Splat viewer | SPLAT, SPZ |
Potree — point cloud viewer
Formats: LAS, LAZ, E57
Potree renders large point clouds in the browser using an octree structure that streams only the detail needed for your current view. It can handle billion-point clouds.
Controls:
- Left drag — orbit
- Right drag / middle drag — pan
- Scroll — zoom
- Double-click — set orbit centre
Tips:
- If the point cloud appears as a small dot when first opened, zoom in with scroll — Potree starts with the full bounding box visible
- Use the measurement tools in the toolbar for distances and areas
- Adjust point size in the sidebar if points appear too dense or too sparse
Three.js — 3D model viewer
Formats: OBJ (+ MTL), GLB, GLTF
Full orbit, pan, and zoom controls. Textures, materials, and lighting are applied automatically from the file.
Controls:
- Left drag — orbit
- Right drag — pan
- Scroll — zoom
Tips:
- GLB is preferred over OBJ for delivery — it embeds textures in a single file
- For OBJ with an MTL texture file, upload both files to the same session; Swyvl links them automatically
CesiumJS — geospatial viewer
Formats: KMZ, KML, 3D Tiles (ZIP)
CesiumJS renders data on a 3D globe with an OpenStreetMap base layer. No API key is required for the base viewer.
Controls:
- Left drag — rotate globe
- Right drag — zoom
- Middle drag / scroll — zoom
- Double-click — fly to location
Optional API keys: For higher-quality imagery (Cesium Ion terrain, Bing satellite), add a CesiumJS API key at Settings → Workspace → Viewer API keys.
Leaflet — orthomosaic viewer
Formats: GeoTIFF (.tif, .tiff)
Displays georeferenced rasters as a tile layer on an interactive 2D slippy map. Supports large orthomosaics via tiled rendering.
Controls:
- Drag — pan
- Scroll / +/− buttons — zoom
- Double-click — zoom in
360° viewer
Formats: Equirectangular JPG, PNG (images), MP4, MOV (video)
Renders 360° panoramic images and video in an interactive spherical view. Click and drag to look around. Scroll to zoom.
Swyvl automatically assigns the 360° viewer to equirectangular files from cameras such as the Ricoh Theta X and similar 360° cameras. If you have a 360° image that opens in the standard image viewer instead, contact support.
Controls:
- Click and drag — look around
- Scroll — zoom in/out
- Double-click — reset view
GPS map overlay: If the file contains GPS metadata, a minimap can be shown alongside the 360° view. Use the map toggle in the toolbar.
Gaussian splat viewer
Formats: SPLAT, SPZ
Renders Gaussian splat captures — photorealistic 3D scenes captured via photogrammetry. Full orbit and zoom controls.
Image viewer
Formats: JPG, PNG, WebP
Pan and zoom with full-resolution viewing. Metadata (EXIF GPS, capture date) is shown in the sidebar where available.
Video player
Formats: MP4, MOV, WebM
Standard HTML5 video player with playback controls. MP4 with H.264 encoding is recommended for maximum browser compatibility.
PDF viewer
Formats: PDF
Multi-page PDF viewer with page navigation, zoom, and download.
No viewer available
If a file shows “No viewer available”:
- The format may not be supported for in-browser viewing — the file can still be downloaded
- The file may still be processing — wait 60 seconds and refresh
Viewer API keys
Some viewers support third-party imagery providers. Keys are optional and configured per workspace.
| Service | Viewer | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Cesium Ion | CesiumJS | Cesium World Terrain + Bing imagery |
| Mapbox | Leaflet | High-res satellite + street maps |
| MapTiler | Leaflet | Alternative tile provider |