---
title: "How to know if an .e57 file has normals"
slug: "how-to-know-if-an-e57-file-has-normals"
tags: ["How to ..."]
updated: 2025-03-04T13:02:11Z
published: 2025-03-04T13:02:11Z
canonical: "knowledge.navvis.com/how-to-know-if-an-e57-file-has-normals"
---

> ## Documentation Index
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# How to know if an .e57 file has normals

## Introduction

### Purpose

Determine if an .e57 file has Normals.

## Procedure

Open the file in CloudCompare and click on one of the scans contained in the file.

- If the file has normals, you will see the entry ‘Normals**’**in the properties table of the CC Object section and a check box to control visibility.
- If this option is not visible, it means the file does not have normals.

Alternatively:

1. Extract the XML portion of the .e57 file using the utility e57xmldump available [here](http://www.libe57.org/data.html).
2. If the file has normals, you will see information about the normals for each scan position in the XML.

Normals are perpendicular to the tangent plane line at a particular point on the surface. They yield especially useful information about a curved surface's characteristics but conversely can tell us much about the planarity of a flat or angular surface also. Normals can tell us the rate of change of curvature when a surface has an angular departure and tell us just how perfectly flat something is.