What deliverables you receive from a LiDAR survey is the question that separates an informed buyer from one who only looks at price. Two proposals can both say 'LiDAR survey' and mean very different things depending on what they deliver at the end: a raw point cloud is not the same as a complete set of AutoCAD drawings, contour lines, orthomosaic and models ready for your workflow. This article explains each format a LiDAR survey produces, what it is for, who uses it and which software opens it, so you know exactly what you are asking for and what you are comparing.
LAS / LAZ point cloud
The point cloud is the primary LiDAR product: millions of points with X, Y, Z coordinates, intensity and, after processing, a classification (ground, vegetation, buildings). It is delivered in LAS format or its compressed version LAZ, the industry standard. The classified cloud is the raw material from which all other deliverables are derived, and many engineering teams request it directly to run their own analyses.
What it is for: it is the basis for generating terrain models, measuring volumes, extracting sections and verifying any other product against the original data. Who uses it: geospatial engineers, GIS specialists and technical teams working directly with 3D data. Which software opens it: CloudCompare (free and widely used for inspecting and comparing clouds), plus AutoCAD with extensions, ArcGIS and QGIS via point-cloud tools.
Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and Surface Model (DSM)
From the classified cloud, two rasterized elevation models are generated. The DTM represents the bare-ground elevation, with vegetation and buildings already filtered out; it is the terrain as it would look if everything on top were removed. The DSM represents the complete surface including tree canopies, roofs and structures. The difference between the two, in fact, allows vegetation or building heights to be estimated.
What they are for: the DTM is the basis for contour lines, slope studies, drainage and grade design; the DSM is useful for line-of-sight analysis, shadows and above-surface volumes. Who uses them: civil and hydraulic engineers, territorial and environmental planners. Which software opens them: Civil 3D, ArcGIS, QGIS and Global Mapper, which read elevation rasters (usually GeoTIFF).
Contour lines in DWG
Contour lines derived from the DTM are delivered as vector lines in DWG format, AutoCAD's native format, at the interval the project requires (for example, every 0.5 or 1 meter). It is the deliverable most civil engineers and architects expect as the starting point of their design.
What it is for: it is the cartographic base on which the preliminary design is drawn, the works are laid out and cuts and fills are calculated. Who uses them: civil engineer, architect and infrastructure designer. Which software opens them: AutoCAD and AutoCAD Civil 3D natively, and any CAD compatible with DWG/DXF.
GeoTIFF orthomosaic
The orthomosaic is a high-resolution aerial image geometrically corrected so that each pixel is in its real position — unlike a normal photo, you can measure directly on it. It is delivered in GeoTIFF, an image format with the georeferencing embedded, so it opens already placed at its correct coordinates.
What it is for: it is the visual background of the project, it allows features, buildings, roads and boundaries to be identified, and it serves as a base for digitizing elements. Who uses it: architects, planners, cadastral and sales teams, plus the engineer. Which software opens it: QGIS, ArcGIS, Global Mapper and AutoCAD (as a georeferenced background image).
Vectorization: Shapefile and DXF
Beyond contours, many terrain elements are delivered vectorized: road edges, buildings, water bodies, networks, boundaries and points of interest. For GIS environments, the usual format is the Shapefile, which associates geometry with an attribute table; for CAD environments, the same content can be delivered in DXF, interchangeable with DWG.
What it is for: it feeds territorial analysis, cadastre, urban planning and geographic databases where each element has queryable attributes. Who uses it: urban and territorial planners, GIS specialists and municipal cadastre teams. Which software opens it: ArcGIS and QGIS for Shapefile; AutoCAD and Civil 3D for DXF.
3D mesh
The 3D mesh converts the point cloud into a continuous surface of triangles, optionally textured with the real imagery. It is the most visual and intuitive deliverable: a navigable three-dimensional model that any non-technical person understands immediately, useful for both presentation and integration into design models.
What it is for: visualization, presentation to clients or investors, and integration into BIM workflows when the project requires it. Who uses it: architects, BIM and design teams, and project communication areas. Which software opens it: Revit and other BIM platforms to integrate it into the model, plus 3D viewers and CloudCompare for inspection.
How they fit into your workflow
A well-delivered LiDAR survey is not a loose file: it is a coherent set where each format feeds a part of the process. The civil engineer starts from the DWG contours and the DTM in Civil 3D for grade design and earthwork; the GIS specialist loads the LAS cloud, the GeoTIFF orthomosaic and the Shapefiles into ArcGIS or QGIS for territorial analysis; the architect uses the orthomosaic and the 3D mesh to lay out and present; and the BIM team integrates the mesh into Revit. Everyone works from the same source data, each in the format their software opens natively.
That is why, when requesting a LiDAR quote, it pays to specify which deliverables you need and in which formats: receiving only the raw cloud is not the same as a complete, production-ready package. At Dronematic we define with you the right set of deliverables for your workflow and your software, and we deliver in industry-standard formats. Tell us which software your team uses and we will prepare a proposal with the correct formats.
