Extract text from LiDAR and well log files (LAS)
To convert LAS data files to another format, you need LAStools or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "LiDAR Data Exchange File" file type, you need software like LAStools or a similar tool.
The .las file extension represents two completely different, highly specialized formats. Primarily, it is an ASPRS LAS file, an industry-standard binary format used to store 3D point cloud data generated by LiDAR optical remote sensing. These files contain x, y, and z coordinates alongside GPS timestamps and light intensity metrics. Alternatively, a .las file can be a Log ASCII Standard file created by the Canadian Well Logging Society. This version stores geophysical well log data in plain text for the oil and gas industry.
Viewing and editing .las files is notoriously frustrating without specialized, expensive software. LiDAR .las files are uncompressed and often reach hundreds of megabytes or even gigabytes in size, requiring heavy GIS tools like ArcGIS or LAStools to process. They are impossible to open in standard web browsers. Similarly, well log .las files require complex petrophysical software like JewelSuite or OpenWorks for proper 3D rendering.
To bypass these limitations, convert your file based on your goal. For LiDAR archiving and transferring, convert to LAZ, which uses lossless compression to shrink file sizes by up to 90%. For cross-platform 3D editing or CAD use, convert to XYZ or OBJ. If you have a CWLS well log .las file and need to review the data manually, convert it to CSV or XLSX to easily read the logs in Microsoft Excel.
Convert.Guru analyzes your LAS file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted LAZ, LSA, E57, ZIP, ZLAS, RCP, CSV, TXT, PLY, LASD, RCS, PDF and XLSX files.
If you want to convert LAS file to RCP, LAZ, CSV, PLY, DWG, DEM, E57, KML, SHP, KMZ, GPX or GEOJSON, you can use LAStools or similar software from the "LiDAR Point Cloud Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF, KML or IMG files to LAS, try LAStools or another comparable tool in the "LiDAR Point Cloud Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our LAS converter.