DSM from LAS Point Cloud

Usage Instructions

This tool is used to convert LAS format LiDAR point cloud files into digital surface model raster data.

This tool performs rasterized sampling on the point cloud data in the LAS file to generate a continuous raster surface representing ground elevation information. Users can specify the insertion point, data unit, sampling type, cell assignment method, void fill strategy, and coordinate system conversion parameters to control the accuracy and completeness of the output DSM. This tool is suitable for directly extracting elevation information from LAS point cloud files and generating digital surface models for applications in terrain analysis, hydrological analysis, urban planning, etc.

This tool is available starting from SuperMap iDesktopX 2026.

Parameter Descriptions

Parameter Name Parameter Description Parameter Type
Point Cloud File Path: Path to the LAS format point cloud data file to be converted to DSM. String
Data Coordinate Unit:
(Optional)		 Coordinate unit of the original LAS point cloud data. Default value is Meter. Options include Meter and Degree. DataUnit
Target Datasource Datasource to store the resulting DSM dataset. Datasource
Result Dataset Name
(Optional)		 Name of the resulting DSM raster dataset. Default value is dsm. String
Sampling Type
(Optional)		 Defines the resolution (number of rows and columns) of the resulting raster. Options: Cell Size, Longest Edge Cell Count. Default value is Cell Size. This setting determines the meaning of the sampling value:
  • Cell Size: The sampling value indicates the side length of each cell;
  • Longest Edge Cell Count: The sampling value indicates the number of cells along the longest edge of the resulting raster.
 SamplingType
Sampling Value
(Optional)		 Determines the resolution (number of rows and columns) of the resulting raster based on the sampling type. When the sampling type is Cell Size, this value represents the side length of a single cell in meters; when the sampling type is Longest Edge Cell Count, this value represents the number of cells along the longest edge. Default value is 0.1. Double
Cell Assignment
(Optional)		 Specifies how to calculate the elevation value of a cell based on the point cloud data within the sampling range. Default uses Maximum Value Interpolation. Options are described below:
  • Mean Value Interpolation: Takes the arithmetic mean of the elevation values of all points in the sampling range.
  • Minimum Value Interpolation: Takes the minimum elevation value of the points in the sampling range.
  • Maximum Value Interpolation: Takes the maximum elevation value of the points in the sampling range.
  • Nearest Neighbor Interpolation: Takes the elevation value of the point closest to the sampling center.
  • Inverse Distance Weighted Interpolation: Computes the interpolated result based on the elevation values of all points in the sampling range, weighted by the inverse distance.
 CellAssignmentType
Void Fill
(Optional)		 Sets the fill method for empty cells in the resulting raster. This parameter works with the Void Fill Threshold to control the interpolation range. Default uses Simple Fill. Options are described below:
  • None: Keeps empty cells as NoData; no filling is performed.
  • Simple Fill: Fills empty cells using the nearest valid cell value.
  • Linear Fill: Performs bilinear interpolation based on surrounding valid cells; if interpolation conditions are not met, falls back to Simple Fill.
  • Natural Neighbor Fill: Uses natural neighbor interpolation to compute the value of empty cells.
 VoidFillType
Void Fill Threshold
(Optional)		 Sets the search window size for interpolating empty cells. Value range is an integer from 0 to 63. When set to n, the actual search window is a rectangular area of (n+1)×(n+1) cells. Interpolation is performed only if valid cells exist within this window, to avoid erroneous filling of large no-data areas. Default value is 5, meaning a 6×6 window centered on the current empty cell. The specific interpolation method is determined by the "Void Fill" parameter. Integer
Feature Class
(Optional)		 Specifies the source point cloud classes used to generate the DSM. Multiple classes are separated by commas. For example: 2,6,9 (2 for ground points, 6 for building points, 9 for water points). If left blank, all point cloud classes participate in DSM generation by default. String
Target Coordinate System
(Optional)		 Specifies the coordinate system of the resulting DSM raster data. Can be set by entering an EPSG code or a coordinate system file.
The coordinate system file only supports *.prj and *.xml files generated by functions like Export Coordinate System in iDesktopX.		 String
Insertion Point X
(Optional)		 Sets the X or longitude coordinate value of the geographic reference origin of the data. Default is 0.0. Double
Insertion Point Y
(Optional)		 Sets the Y or latitude coordinate value of the geographic reference origin of the data. Default is 0.0. Double
Insertion Point Z
(Optional)		 Sets the Z or elevation coordinate value of the geographic reference origin of the data. Default is 0.0. Double
Source Coordinate System
(Optional)		 Coordinate system of the original LAS point cloud data. Supports setting by EPSG code or coordinate system file. Default is planar coordinate system.
The coordinate system file only supports *.prj and *.xml files generated by functions like Export Coordinate System in iDesktopX.		 String
Target Coordinate System
(Optional)		 Specifies the coordinate system of the resulting DSM raster data. Can be set by entering an EPSG code or a coordinate system file.
The coordinate system file only supports *.prj and *.xml files generated by functions like Export Coordinate System in iDesktopX.		 String
Conversion Method
(Optional)		 Specifies the coordinate conversion method when the coordinate system of the LAS dataset is inconsistent with the target coordinate system. Default is Geocentric Translation (3-para). Options include:
1. Geocentric Translation (3-para): For geocentric three-parameter coordinate transformation.
2. Molodensky (3-para): Molodensky three-parameter transformation method.
3. Abridged Molodensky (3-para): Simplified Molodensky three-parameter transformation method.
4. Position Vector (7-para): A seven-parameter transformation method.
5. Coordinate Frame (7-para): Geocentric seven-parameter transformation method.
6. Bursa-Wolf (7-para): A commonly used seven-parameter transformation method.
7. MolodenskyBadekas (10-para): A ten-parameter spatial coordinate transformation model.
8. China_3D_7P (7-para): For transformation between different coordinate systems and the China Geodetic Coordinate System 2000 (CGC2000). Suitable for coordinate transformation of control points between geodetic coordinate systems with different Earth ellipsoid datums at the national and provincial ellipsoid surfaces of 3 degrees and above. The method involves three translation parameters, three rotation parameters, and one scale parameter, also considering the differences in semi-major axes and flattening of the two Earth ellipsoids corresponding to the two geodetic coordinate systems.		 CoordSysTransMethod
Projection Transformation Parameter
(Optional)		 Sets parameters for the projection transformation of the data, including scale difference, rotation angle, offset, rotation origin, etc. The specific parameter values are specified by the Build Coordinate System Transformation Parameter tool. CoordSysTransParameter

Output Results

Parameter Name Parameter Description Parameter Type
Generate DSM The resulting digital surface model raster dataset from the transformation. DatasetGrid