topic Re: Why does the "Generate floor plans from point clouds" tool only work with LAS files? in ArcGIS Indoors Questions

Why does the "Generate floor plans from point clouds" tool only work with LAS files?

Marc_Graham — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 07:31:50 GMT

Hi,

You already have the "Import Indoor Images" tool that requires e57 files. E57 is the standard for the majority of indoor scanners that you might use as a source for "Generate floor plans from point clouds" . So why introduce the additional step of converting to LAS? Your tools should be consistent.

Or you could extend the lasd file format to support e57 files as well which would mean you could feed them into anything that support las datasets.

Thanks,

Marc

Re: Why does the "Generate floor plans from point clouds" tool only work with LAS files?

JasonHine123 — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 00:49:40 GMT

Hi @Marc_Graham --

Thanks for your question! Yes, as of the current release (version 3.4) ArcGIS Pro supports the LAS file format for exchanging point cloud data. The Generate Floor Plan From Point Cloud tool uses some of the tools from ArcGIS Pro's LAS Dataset toolset "under the hood" during processing.

The Import Indoor Images tool supports the E57 file format for images (LAS doesn't support image data). The ability to store point cloud data and oriented images together in a single E57 file make it especially attractive for indoor GIS use cases, and I've heard as much from ArcGIS Pro users and scanning device vendors alike, so you're not alone in your opinion here!

The more Esri hears from the GIS Community about an idea, the more priority it's likely to receive. I'd encourage you to submit an idea to the ArcGIS Indoors Ideas Exchange or the ArcGIS Pro Ideas Exchange so that others in the community can find and promote your idea. (Note: I searched both those places but wasn't able to find any existing entries mentioning "E57"). You can also check with your Esri Account Manager -- they can be a strong advocate for customers' voices.

Re: Why does the "Generate floor plans from point clouds" tool only work with LAS files?

AKRRMapGuy — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 23:23:27 GMT

I know this is an old thread, but yeah, this is still a huge issue for me right now too.

Re: Why does the "Generate floor plans from point clouds" tool only work with LAS files?

JasonHineEsri — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:39:24 GMT

Hi @AKRRMapGuy --

Sorry to hear this has been an issue for you. I checked the two Ideas Exchange sites mentioned in my original response, but was still unable to find any mention of E57. Esri *does* listen to the GIS community (but don't take my word for it!), so I'd again suggest raising the idea there...

As I'm sure you know, LAS and E57 files can be quite large and take up a lot of disk space. Esri added more support for LAZ (compressed LAS) at ArcGIS Pro 3.6 (and that started as a community member Idea, too). It's not the E57 support you're looking for, but it might make the point cloud storage and data transfer in your workflows a little more reasonable.

Re: Why does the "Generate floor plans from point clouds" tool only work with LAS files?

Marc_Graham — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 22:18:27 GMT

https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-indoors-ideas/support-e57-files-in-the-quot-generate-floor-plans/idi-p/1678906