Convert E57 to PCD (Free)
Also converts OBJ, GLB, PLY, WRL, X3D, glTF from the same file.
Runs in your browser. No upload, no signup, nothing to install.
Also from Innerscene: Circadian Lab, a free lighting calculator for room illuminance, melanopic EML, and glare.
How to convert E57 to PCD
- 1
Open your .e57 file
Drag it onto the viewer above, or click "Open an E57 File". Files up to 200 MB open directly; the parse runs in a worker so the page stays responsive.
- 2
Click Download PCD
Once the file is open, the Download PCD button sits at the bottom right of the viewer. The Export menu in the toolbar has every other format.
- 3
Download
The .pcd is written in the browser and saved straight to your downloads folder. No queue, no email, no watermark.
What survives the conversion
A file conversion is a translation, and formats do not carry the same things. Here is exactly what moves from E57 into PCD, and what does not.
| Geometry | Kept | Both formats store points, so the shape transfers directly. |
|---|---|---|
| Colors and materials | Kept | PCD carries per-vertex color, which is at least what E57 stores, so the colors come across. |
| Layers and structure | Dropped | PCD is a single flat body with no layers or named parts. Everything merges into one object. If you need the structure, export to GLB, Rhino .3dm instead. |
| Units and scale | Dropped | PCD stores no unit. Coordinates are written in meters, so set the import unit to meters if the destination asks. |
| Map coordinates | Kept | PCD gets the survey coordinates back: easting, northing and height in meters, Z up, the convention scanners write. |
What the PCD writer emits: PCD 0.7, binary data, fields x y z rgb with PCL’s packed colour, in meters. A georeferenced cloud is written on its own map grid, in the grid’s unit, with coordinates as doubles when a float could not hold them.
The source: ASTM E57 Point Cloud (.e57)
Every scan in the file, cartesian or spherical, placed by its registration pose, with RGB or intensity and one layer per scan, read by range and sampled evenly to the device’s point budget. Panoramas and photos in the file are not drawn.
The target: PCD Point Cloud (PCL) (.pcd)
The Point Cloud Library’s own format, read by PCL, Open3D, ROS and CloudCompare.
Opens in: PCL, Open3D, ROS, CloudCompare, MeshLab.
Your file never leaves your computer
Both the E57 parser and the PCD writer are JavaScript and WebAssembly running in your own browser tab. There is no upload step, no server-side conversion queue, and no copy of your file anywhere but your machine. That matters for drawings under NDA, for client work, and for anything you would not email to a stranger.
Free to Use, No Signup
There are no accounts and no watermarks on this converter. If it saved you time, the one thing we ask is a mention: a post, a link from your blog or course page, or a reply to someone asking how to open a file.
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Hear about new formats
Occasional emails when the viewer learns a new format or gets a new tool.
Frequently asked questions
▶Is this E57 to PCD converter free?
Yes. No signup, no watermark, no per-file limit and no paid tier. Innerscene.
▶Is my E57 file uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is read with the browser file API and converted in the same tab. Nothing is sent to a server unless you explicitly click Share, which is a separate, opt-in feature.
▶Will my colors and materials survive the PCD export?
PCD carries per-vertex color, which is at least what E57 stores, so the colors come across.
▶Do layers and named parts carry into the PCD file?
PCD is a single flat body with no layers or named parts. Everything merges into one object. If you need the structure, export to GLB, Rhino .3dm instead.
▶Will the PCD open at the right size?
PCD stores no unit. Coordinates are written in meters, so set the import unit to meters if the destination asks.
▶How large an E57 file can I convert?
Up to 200 MB, and the ceiling adapts to how much memory your device reports. The conversion runs on your own hardware, so a desktop with plenty of RAM will handle more than a phone.
▶Can I convert PCD back to E57?
Not here. We read E57 and write PCD, but not the reverse. the universal 3D viewer
▶Which browsers does it work in?
Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. No plugin and no extension.
Convert E57 to something else
Convert something else to PCD
Or start from the universal 3D viewer.