Introduction
There are various types of point clouds and ways to read them into FME. This article will cover three methods of reading in point clouds. A complete list of supported point cloud formats is available on the Integrations page.
FME can read point cloud data from three basic types of formats:
- True point cloud file formats, where the components (x, y, z etc.) are defined in the file. For example, LAS or Mojang Minecraft
- True point cloud database formats, where the point cloud is stored in a database format. For example, Oracle Spatial Point Cloud
- Delimited text files of XYZ data where the fields containing components need to be defined when adding a reader to FME
The data used in this tutorial can be downloaded from the Files section.
Video
This video was recorded using FME 2015.1. The interface may be different, but the concepts are the same.
Files
- readingpointclouddata.zip (42.4 MB)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Reading a File-Based Point Cloud (LAS) with FME
The LAS reader can be used to read LAS files (.las), compressed LAS zip files (.laz), Esri LAS Datasets (.lasd), and compressed Esri LAS Dataset files(.zlas). When reading data in LAS format (ASPRS Lidar Data Exchange Format), the components such as x, y, z, intensity, etc. are defined in the format, so it is not necessary to specify these when adding the reader.
If you are reading in one of the Esri LAS datasets (.lasd or .zlas), a licensed version of Esri ArcGIS or ArcPro, as well as Esri ArcGIS 3D Analyst Extension, needs to be on the same machine as FME. For more information, see the documentation.
1. Add Reader and Set Format
In a new FME Workbench workspace, click the Reader button in the Toolbar and set the format:
- Format: ASPRS Lidar Data Exchange Format (LAS)
2. Select Datasets
Next to the Dataset field, click on the ellipsis and browse to a LAS file, or use the drop-down arrow found to the right to select multiple files or a directory of LAS files. Compressed .laz files or files with a zipped extension can also be selected for this reader.
In this example, we will read in all of the .laz files contained within a folder. Click on the drop-down next to the Dataset box, and click Select Multiple Folders/Files.
In the Select File dialog, click on Add Folders, then browse to and select the downloaded data folder that you downloaded. Once added, FME will list four possibilities of file extensions that could have been in the folder. The folder only contains .laz files, so click on the other three (.las, .zlas, and .lasd) and click Remove.
Now there should only be a .laz file shown. Click OK to add the datasets.
3. Set Coordinate System
The last step before we can add the reader to the workspace is adding a coordinate system.
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In the Add Reader dialog, click the Parameters button and set the coordinate system:
• Coordinate System: UTM83-10
Click OK to add the reader to the workspace.
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In the Add Reader dialog, set the coordinate system:
• Coordinate System: UTM83-10
Click OK to add the reader to the workspace.
As of FME 2025.2, the Coordinate System parameter is now configured within the Parameters dialog of each reader/writer format. For more information, including details about the change and affected transformers, please see Coordinate System Parameter Location Change.
4. View or Continue Workspace
Now that the reader has been added, you can view the point cloud as outlined in the Viewing and Inspecting Point Clouds article. Additionally, you can continue working on your workspace. For more information on various point cloud transformers, see the other articles in the Getting Started with Point Clouds tutorial or Tutorial: Point Cloud Transformations.
Reading a Database Point Cloud Format (Oracle Spatial Point Cloud) with FME
Point clouds can be read from an Oracle Database using the Oracle Spatial Point Cloud reader. Reading from this format allows you to specify a Search Envelope in the reader parameters to optimize reading a specific area. To use the Oracle Spatial Point Cloud format, you must have an Oracle client library installed. For more information on working with Oracle in FME, please see the Tutorial: Getting Started with Oracle article series.
1. Open FME Workbench and Add Reader
In a blank workspace in FME Workbench, click the Reader button in the Toolbar and set the reader format:
- Format: Oracle Spatial Point Cloud
2. Add Database Connection
Next to the Connection field, click on the drop-down and select an already made Oracle connection or add a new database connection.
For information on how to connect to an Oracle database, please see Viewing and Inspecting Oracle Data.
3. Set Parameters
Now click on the Parameters button.
In the Oracle Spatial Cloud Parameters dialog, click on the ellipsis next to Tables. Then in the Select Table dialog, select the point cloud table you want to read in. Once the table is selected, click OK.
In the Dimension/Component Map section, x, y, and z values should already be filled in; these are the minimum requirements for reading a point cloud. Optionally, you can add in other components such as intensity, return, angle, etc. For a full list of point cloud components, please see the point cloud documentation. In this example, we’ve added intensity and return.
It is also always a good idea to set the coordinate system which can be selected in the Spatial section.
In summary, set the following parameters when adding an Oracle point cloud:
- Tables
- Component
- Coordinate System
If you do not have a point cloud table in your Oracle database, please see Writing Point Clouds.
5. View or Continue Workspace
Now that the reader has been added, you can view the point cloud as outlined in the Viewing and Inspecting Point Clouds article. Additionally, you can continue working on your workspace. For more information on various point cloud transformers, see the other articles in the Getting Started with Point Clouds tutorial or Tutorial: Point Cloud Transformations.
Reading an XYZ File as a Point Cloud with FME
FME includes a flexible Point Cloud XYZ reader for reading text data, which includes, at a minimum x, y, z columns, and possibly other components such as intensity, classification, etc. This reader makes it possible to read many types of data into a point cloud, even if this was not the initial purpose of the data. When adding a reader for XYZ files, it is necessary to define the delimiter and component fields as shown in the steps below. The example dataset can be downloaded from the Files section.
1. Add Reader and Set Format
In a new FME Workbench workspace, click the Reader button in the Toolbar and set the format:
- Format: Point Cloud XYZ
2. Select Dataset
Next to the Dataset field, click on the ellipsis and browse to the downloaded zip file containing .xyz files.
- Dataset: /XYZ.zip
3. Set Coordinate System
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Click the Parameters button to set the coordinate system:
• Coordinate System: UTM83-10
Click OK to add the reader to the workspace.
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Set the coordinate system to UTM83-10:
• Coordinate System: LL84
4. Set Parameters
One last step before we can finish adding the reader, we need to double-check and, possibly, modify the parameters. In the Point Cloud XYZ Parameters dialog (accessed by clicking the Parameters button), we can set the Separator Character, Lines to Skip, and the Data Type. The example dataset is clean, and the auto method works for the Separator Character, so click OK twice to add the reader.
5. View or Continue Workspace
Now that the reader has been added, you can view the point cloud as outlined in the Viewing and Inspecting Point Clouds article. Additionally, you can continue working on your workspace. For more information on various point cloud transformers, see the other articles in the Getting Started with Point Clouds tutorial or Tutorial: Point Cloud Transformations.
Additional Resources
Tutorial: Getting Started with Point Clouds
Viewing and Inspecting Point Clouds
Data Attribution
The .laz datasets used here originates from open data made available by the City of Vancouver, British Columbia. It contains information licensed under the Open Government License - Vancouver. The .xyz datasets originate from open data made available by Map West Virginia.