How to Import an E57 Point Cloud Into Revit (Step by Step)

To bring an E57 point cloud into Revit, you index it into Autodesk’s point cloud format (an .rcp project with .rcs scan files), then link that file with Insert > Point Cloud and choose a positioning option. Revit only links RCP and RCS directly. E57 counts as a raw format, so it has to be indexed first, either in Autodesk ReCap Pro or by Revit’s built-in indexer when you pick the E57 in the link dialog.

Once linked, the cloud is a reference you model against. Revit does not turn it into walls for you. Below is the full workflow, the settings that matter, and the problems that eat the most time.

What an E57 File Is, and Why Revit Wants RCP

E57 is the open, vendor-neutral exchange format for 3D scan data, published by ASTM. Almost every scanner and scanning app can write it, which is why it is the format people hand around. It stores points (and usually color and intensity) in meters, plus optional scan positions and images.

Revit does not draw raw scan files. It draws Autodesk’s indexed point cloud format:

• RCS is a single indexed scan.
• RCP is a project that groups one or more RCS files together.

Indexing reorganizes the points so Revit can stream only what a view needs. That is what keeps a model with a large cloud usable. So the job is always the same: E57 in, RCP out, RCP linked.

Before You Start

• Revit and ReCap versions. Autodesk moves menu labels between releases, so treat the names below as a guide. ReCap Pro is part of Autodesk’s AEC Collection (as of Sept 2026). If you do not have it, Revit’s own indexer still works for a single E57.
• Disk space. Indexed files can be larger than the E57. Keep them on a fast local drive, not a slow network share, while you work.
• Know your source. A terrestrial scanner, a drone, or a phone scan each put the origin and heading somewhere different. That decides which positioning option you pick later.

Step 1: Get a Clean E57

Export the E57 from wherever the scan lives. If you capture with an iPhone Pro in SiteScope, the point cloud scan exports as E57 from the app or the web app, alongside LAZ and PLY. Our iPhone LiDAR point cloud guide covers how to capture one that is worth importing.

Name the file for the project and the area, not “scan_final_2.e57”. You will see that name in Revit’s Manage Links dialog for the life of the project.

Step 2: Index the E57 in ReCap Pro

ReCap gives you the most control, and it is the right place to clean the cloud before Revit ever sees it.

1. Start a new project in ReCap Pro and choose to import point cloud files.
2. Select the E57. ReCap shows import settings before it indexes. The useful ones:
   • Decimation grid. Thins the cloud to one point per grid cell. A coarser grid makes a much lighter file. For interior as-builts, you rarely need every point the scanner recorded.
   • Range clipping. Drops points beyond a set distance from each scan position, which removes a lot of noise from far returns.
   • Color and intensity. Keep color on if the E57 carries it. It makes the cloud far easier to read in Revit.
3. Index and launch the project. Large files take a while. Let it finish.
4. Clean up. Use region selection to delete what you do not need: people who walked through, the view out a window, the parking lot through an open door. Every point you delete here is one Revit never has to draw.
5. Save the project. ReCap writes an .rcp and a support folder of .rcs files next to it. Keep them together.

The shortcut: let Revit index it

If you only need to look at a single E57, you can skip ReCap. In Revit, go to Insert > Point Cloud, set the file type to raw formats, and pick the E57. Revit asks whether to index it. Say yes, let it run, then link the .rcp it creates. You lose the cleanup step, so expect a heavier file.

Step 3: Link the Point Cloud in Revit

1. Open your Revit project and go to a 3D view or a plan view.
2. Insert tab > Link panel > Point Cloud.
3. Pick the .rcp (or .rcs).
4. Choose a Positioning option:
   • Auto - Origin to Origin. Puts the cloud’s 0,0,0 at the Revit project origin. Best when the scan uses a local coordinate system, which is true of most phone scans and many single-building scans.
   • Auto - Center to Center. Puts the center of the cloud at the center of the model. Handy to find a cloud quickly, but you will usually move it afterward.
   • Auto - By Shared Coordinates. Uses the project’s shared coordinates. Use this when the scan was registered to survey control and your project is set up the same way.
   • Auto - Origin to Last Placed. Places a new cloud relative to one you already linked. Useful for adding more scans of the same building.
5. Click Open.

The cloud comes in as a linked element. You can move and rotate it like a link, but you cannot edit individual points in Revit.

Step 4: Set Up Views So the Cloud Is Usable

• Visibility/Graphics > Point Clouds tab. Turn the cloud on or off per view, and pick a color mode. “Normal” shows the scan’s own color. Elevation and intensity modes help when color is missing or confusing.
• Section boxes and view range. A plan view cuts the cloud at the view range, so a slice at about hip height reads like a floor plan. A tight section box in 3D shows one room at a time.
• Model against it. Revit can snap to planar surfaces it detects in the cloud, so sketching walls along the scanned faces is faster than eyeballing. Check a few dimensions against the field before you trust the whole run.

Coordinates and Units Tips

• Units. E57 stores coordinates in meters. Revit handles the conversion, so an imperial project is fine. If a cloud comes in tiny or huge, the file was written with the wrong scale, and you should fix the export rather than scale the link.
• Rotation. Phone scans and many handheld scans start with whatever heading the device faced when the scan began, so the building can come in rotated. Rotate the link once so a long wall sits on the grid, then pin it.
• Elevation. A phone scan’s origin is often at the height the phone was held, which puts the floor below Level 1. SiteScope’s E57 download seats the floor at elevation zero by default. For other sources, move the link down so the scanned floor sits on your level.
• Pin it. Once the cloud is where you want it, pin the link. A stray drag on a cloud is easy to miss and hard to find later.

Common Problems and Fixes

Revit is slow or the file is huge. Decimate in ReCap, clip ranges, and delete what you do not need before you link. Turn the cloud off in views that do not need it. Keep the RCP and its support folder on a local drive.

The cloud is nowhere to be seen. It is almost always an origin mismatch. The cloud may be kilometers from the project if it was written in survey coordinates. Relink with Center to Center to find it, then position it properly, or set up shared coordinates to match the survey.

The cloud is gray or has no color. First check the view’s color mode in Visibility/Graphics. If that is set to Normal and it is still gray, the E57 may not carry RGB, or color was turned off during import. Re-export with color, or re-index with color enabled.

“Point cloud not found” on a colleague’s machine. The .rcp references the .rcs files by path. Send the .rcp and its whole support folder, and put them in the same relative location, then reload from Manage Links > Point Clouds.

The cloud looks doubled or smeared. That is a capture problem, not an import problem. Handheld scans that go back over the same area long after the first pass can write offset copies. Fix it at the source: rescan, or trim the bad section in ReCap.

Where IFC Fits Alongside the Point Cloud

A point cloud answers “what is actually there.” It does not give you walls, doors, or rooms. You still have to model those.

That is where IFC comes in. From the same SiteScope scan, you can export an IFC model with walls, doors, windows, rooms, and stories as real objects. A practical Revit setup uses both:

• Link or open the IFC as your existing-conditions model, so objects come across as objects.
• Link the point cloud to check that model against the field, and to trace the things the model does not include, such as exposed structure, soffits, or equipment.

The IFC gives you a head start. The cloud tells you where to trust it and where to adjust. If you do not need the objects, the cloud alone is still a solid survey to model from. See the full scan to BIM workflow for how the two fit together.

A Note on Phone Scans

An iPhone Pro scan is not a terrestrial scanner, and the cloud should not be treated like one. Room-scale LiDAR captures typically land within a couple of centimeters over a normal room, which suits renovation and existing-conditions work. Long runs, glass, and mirrors are where to double check. The iPhone LiDAR accuracy breakdown covers where it holds up.

If you want a point cloud, an IFC model, and a DXF from one walk of the space, you can start for free with an iPhone Pro or iPad Pro. For firm-wide setups, talk to us.

FAQ

Can Revit open an E57 file directly?

Not as-is. Revit links RCP and RCS. When you pick an E57 in the Insert > Point Cloud dialog, Revit offers to index it and creates the RCP and RCS files for you. ReCap Pro does the same job with more control over cleanup and file size.

Is ReCap Pro required?

No. It is the better tool for cleaning and decimating a cloud, and it is included in Autodesk’s AEC Collection (as of Sept 2026). For a single, reasonably sized E57, Revit’s own indexer is enough.

Which positioning option should I use for a phone scan?

Auto - Origin to Origin, then rotate and move the link so the walls sit on your grid and the floor sits on your level. Phone scans use a local coordinate system with an arbitrary heading.

Can I import LAZ or PLY instead of E57?

Revit’s indexer accepts several raw formats, but E57 is the safest choice for Autodesk tools. SiteScope exports all three, so use E57 for ReCap and Revit, and LAZ or PLY for other point cloud software.

Does linking a point cloud create walls in Revit?

No. The cloud is a reference. You model walls against it, or start from an IFC export that already contains walls, doors, windows, and rooms.