Which data format is used for LiDAR point clouds with metadata?

• A. LAS/LAZ
• B. E57
• C. PLY
• D. OBJ/FBX

Answer: (C)

Per-point metadata in LiDAR data hinges on how a format allows extra attributes to be attached to each point. PLY is built around per-vertex properties, so you can define x, y, z plus any number of additional fields—such as intensity, color, normal vectors, timestamps, classifications, or other custom attributes—for every point. This flexibility makes it ideal when a point cloud needs to carry rich, varied metadata alongside the geometric coordinates, and you can choose ASCII for readability or binary for efficiency.

Other formats have different strengths but aren’t as straightforward for attaching arbitrary per-point metadata. LAS/LAZ are excellent for standardized LiDAR fields and efficient compression, but adding nonstandard per-point metadata isn’t as portable or flexible. E57 can store extensive scan data and metadata, but it tends to be more complex to work with and less universally adopted for simple per-point attribute extensions. OBJ/FBX are geared toward meshes rather than raw point clouds, so they don’t natively support the same flexible per-point metadata approach.