---
title: "Error 'scan is too small' during panorama generation from .e57 "
slug: "pano-generation-for-e57-not-working-error-scan-is-too-small"
description: "NavVis IVION rejects panorama generation from an image-less .e57 with 'Scan is too small' when the result would be under 512x512 pixels. Export the .e57 including images instead. Header size is checkable in CloudCompare."
tags: ["Error message", "panos", "Troubleshooting"]
updated: 2026-09-29T13:25:31Z
published: 2026-09-29T13:25:31Z
canonical: "knowledge.navvis.com/pano-generation-for-e57-not-working-error-scan-is-too-small"
---

> ## Documentation Index
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> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Error with .e57 panorama generation: 'Scan is too small'

### Issue description

When uploading an `.e57` without an image, IVION will attempt to generate a panorama. However, it won't be able to if certain conditions are not met.

```plaintext
Error: "Scan is too small"
```

If IVION detects that a generated panorama will not be at least 512x512 pixels in size, it will not generate a panorama and will display the error "Scan is too small". This information is read from the `.e57` scan header. First, it tries to read from the index bounds max and min; if that is missing, it reads from the spherical image width/height. This information can be checked in CloudCompare.

This solution applies to IVION.

## Troubleshooting procedure

1. Attempt to export the `.e57` including images, so that IVION can import the panoramas taken by the scanner directly.