Sending point clouds: Compression and efficient file upload/download

Sending point clouds: Compression and efficient file upload/download

For all point cloud formats, it is essential to use compression (RAR, ZIP, or 7z) to significantly reduce the file size. This will greatly speed up both the upload and download process.

However, compression is not the only important factor—an efficient distribution method also plays a key role. Just like with screenshots, the files should be logically split to ensure an efficient transfer.

Why is compression and splitting important?

If we upload 100 TB as a single file, the upload will take around 2 days, as only one session is used. However, if an error occurs, the entire process is interrupted, and the upload must start over from scratch.

By compressing and splitting the files into smaller parts, the total size can be reduced by up to 60%. Additionally, this allows us to upload multiple files simultaneously—such as through 10 active FTP sessions at once—making the upload up to 10 times faster.

Even with WeTransfer, the transfer becomes much faster, and errors are minimized.

Alternative: Free software like 7-Zip can be used for efficient compression.