Questions
Frequently asked questions
The things people ask after the basics. If your question isn't here, ask us — there are two of us and we both answer.
Files and formats
What file formats can Swyvl open in a browser?
Point clouds (LAS, LAZ, E57, PTX, PTS, XYZ, PLY), orthomosaics and DEMs (GeoTIFF), 3D Tiles, BIM models (IFC), CAD drawings (DXF), 3D meshes (GLB, glTF, OBJ, FBX, STEP, IGES), Gaussian splats (PLY, SPZ, KSPLAT, .splat and XGRIDS LCC/LCC2), 360° photos and video, drone video with GPS sidecars, standalone DJI SRT flight logs, vector data (GeoJSON, KML, KMZ, SHP, GPX), PDFs and images.
How large a file can I upload to Swyvl?
Up to 100 GB per file. Files are uploaded straight from your browser to storage in parallel chunks, and an interrupted upload resumes rather than starting again. Very large files are processed on dedicated machines with real disk rather than in a short-lived container.
Do I need to convert my point cloud before uploading?
No. Upload the LAS, LAZ or E57 your processing software exported. Swyvl converts it to COPC so it streams in the browser, and keeps your original file unchanged and downloadable.
Can Swyvl open an XGRIDS LCC or LCC2 scan?
Yes. Upload the LCC2 package as a ZIP, or drop the unzipped folder contents in and Swyvl reassembles the scene from the manifest. Both SOG and SPZ tile compressions are supported.
Does the storage limit reset every month?
No. Storage is an ongoing limit, not a monthly allowance — it is how much you hold at one time, and deleting files frees it up again. Only the files you upload count toward it; the browser-ready versions Swyvl generates from them (tiled orthomosaics, converted point clouds, video renditions) do not count against your plan.
What happens if I go over my storage limit?
On a paid plan you can go over. The amount held above your plan is billed at $0.05 per GB per month, or you can switch overage off in settings, in which case uploads pause until you free space. The Free plan is a hard cap at 5 GB with no overage charges.
What happens to a file Swyvl cannot open?
It is stored and stays downloadable, and the file card tells you why there is no viewer for it and what to upload instead. Nothing is rejected or deleted.
Sharing and clients
Can my client upload files back to me through a share link?
Not through a share link today. Invite them to the workspace as an editor and they upload straight to the site, with every upload logged against their name. Editors can be removed when the job ends and the files stay with the site.
Can clients comment on the scan?
Yes. Pin a note to the exact spot on a point cloud, orthomosaic, 3D Tiles model or XGRIDS scan, with a sketch if you want one, and the clients you invite by email reply on it in the browser, free, with no account to set up. Public and password-protected links are view-only: visitors see the notes but cannot reply. How notes work.
Can I password protect a share link?
Yes. Passwords are enforced on the server, not in the browser, with lockout after repeated failed attempts. You can also restrict a link to named people, or leave it open to anyone with the URL. All three can be changed after the link has gone out.
Can I put my own branding on what the client sees?
Yes, on paid plans. Your logo and colors appear on the share link, so it looks like your deliverable rather than a third-party tool. The free plan carries a small Swyvl footer.
How do we share a scan with a client whose IT locks down their machines?
Send a share link. It opens in any browser with nothing to install and no plugin, so there is nothing for IT to approve. The usual snag is a corporate web filter that blocks generic file-sharing hosts; in the Australian region Swyvl serves file bytes from its own domain for exactly that reason, and can do the same in other regions on request.
Can I send the point cloud, the orthomosaic and the 360 photos in one link?
Yes. A share link covers a site, so everything you upload to that site can go out on one link: point clouds, orthomosaics, 3D models, XGRIDS scans, 360 photos, video, drawings and PDFs. Each file opens in its own viewer and the client moves between them with a filmstrip. You can add files to a link after it has been sent.
Can I give the client the map without handing over the original photos?
Yes. Set the link to view-only and the client can look at everything in the browser without downloading a file, and you choose which files each link includes, so the source photos can stay out of it altogether.
Does the link still work next year?
Yes. Share links do not expire. A client who needs the delivery for a dispute or an audit a year later opens the same link, and the activity log of who opened what is kept for two years.
What happens to a share link if I stop paying?
Your workspace becomes read-only rather than being deleted. Existing links keep working and your files stay where they are.
Measuring in the browser
Can I measure in Swyvl?
Yes. Every 3D and map viewer has a measurement pill along the bottom with four tools: Point (a coordinate), Distance (point to point or along a path), Area and Height (the vertical difference between two points). They work on orthomosaics and other GeoTIFFs, 3D Tiles, LAS/LAZ/E57 point clouds, XGRIDS LCC scans, Gaussian splats and vector maps, with nothing to install.
How accurate are the measurements?
Every measurement carries a badge that says which frame its numbers are in. Georeferenced means the file sits on a named coordinate system, so lengths and positions are real-world and can be checked against control. True scale means lengths are real meters but the file has no map position. Indicative means the file carries no verified scale, as with a Gaussian splat, so treat the number as a rough size rather than a dimension. The badge describes the frame, not the quality of the capture: a measurement is only as good as the survey behind it.
Can my client measure on a share link?
Yes. The same tools appear on share links, on every plan. A client's measurements change nothing in your delivery. Your team can save a measurement as a note, pinned to the spot with its value, and clients you invite by email can reply to it. Saved measurements and notes.
Data, security and where things live
Where is my data stored?
In the region you choose when you create your organization: Australia, US East, US West, United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Japan or Singapore. Your files are stored in the region you choose. Some processing and display steps, such as rendering map tiles and preparing downloads, can run on Swyvl's servers outside your region.
Can I change my data region later?
No. The region is fixed when the organization is created, which is what makes the residency commitment meaningful. If you need a different region, talk to us before you start uploading.
Do you train AI models on my data?
No. Swyvl works out which viewer a file needs from the file itself, with no AI involved. AI runs only in optional features you start, such as session summaries and the support chat, on names and metadata, never on the contents of your scans. Your data is not used to train models.
Can I get my data back out?
Yes. Every original file you uploaded stays downloadable in the format you uploaded it, and derived versions are open standards — COPC, COG, 3D Tiles, GeoJSON — not proprietary formats.
Is Swyvl SOC 2 certified?
Not yet certified. Swyvl's controls are aligned to SOC 2 and ISO 27001 and mapped in a control register, and SOC 2 Type I is the first certification target. In place today: passwordless sign-in with optional two-factor authentication, row-level access control on every table, an append-only audit log kept for two years, encryption in transit and at rest, file storage in the region you choose, a published subprocessor list, and access-review, personnel, change-management and secrets policies. A supplier security questionnaire is available on request.
Try it with your own file.
The free plan needs no credit card, and the free browser viewers need no account at all.
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