Import an E57 Point Cloud Scan

Last updated 7 September 2026

Import an E57 point-cloud scan as a scene object in Backstage. The scan appears in the Scene View with its registered poses and original colours, giving you a measured reference of the physical space while you build the show.

Point data is stored inside the saved project. Reopening a project does not require the original E57 file — the .bbsm carries the whole scan.

Before you start

  • An E57 file from your 3D scanner or survey software, accessible from the server
  • A project open in Backstage

Steps

1. Open the import dialog

Right-click in the Scene Objects tree and select Import > Import Point Cloud (.e57).

2. Select the E57 file

Browse to your E57 file. Double-click it, or select it and click OK.

3. Wait for the import to finish

Large scans take time. The Log window shows progress in separate phases — decoding, deduplication, and upload — so you can tell where the import stands.

4. Check the result in the Scene View

When the import completes, a new Point Cloud object appears in the Scene Objects tree, named after the file. Select it to see its properties in the Inspector — position, rotation and scale work like any other scene object.

If the scan carried RGB colour, the points render in their original colours. Scans with intensity data only render in greyscale.

Common Mistakes

  • The point cloud does not appear after import — the scan may be far from the scene origin. Select the point cloud in the Scene Objects tree and use the Inspector's Transformation section to reposition it, or orbit the Scene View camera to find it.

  • Import fails with "Could not open file" — confirm the file is a valid E57 and that the server has read access to the path. Network paths must be reachable from the server, not just the client.

  • GPU out of memory on very large scans — extremely dense scans can exceed available GPU memory. If the import fails with a GPU memory error, downsample the scan in your survey software before importing.

Tips

  • If the E57 file contains multiple registered scans, all of them are merged into a single point cloud using each scan's recorded pose.

  • Duplicate points at similar positions are automatically removed during import, keeping the cloud clean without manual work.

  • The import is fully undoable. If the result is not what you expected, press Ctrl+Z to remove it and try again.

  • Because the point data is embedded in the project file, you can safely archive or move the original E57 after importing. The project remains self-contained.

Import Video & Audio Assets — bring video, image and audio files into the project

Supported Media Types — file formats Backstage reads natively