---
title: "Understanding the UI and Settings"
slug: "understanding-the-ui"
updated: 2026-03-06T12:56:37Z
published: 2026-03-06T12:56:37Z
canonical: "knowledge.navvis.com/understanding-the-ui"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.navvis.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Understanding the UI and Settings

This page explains the main interface and configuration options in NavVis SiteMaker. It walks you through the key tabs - Project, Datasets, Settings, and Activity Log, and shows how to use them to manage processing projects from start to finish. You’ll learn how to create and open projects, monitor and filter dataset processing, tune point cloud output (format, resolution, filtering mode, coloring), adjust post‑processing and web‑processing parameters, and track progress and errors in the activity log.

## Project Tab

The Project Tab is the default startup page when you open SiteMaker on your desktop.

- **New Project**: Click to create a new SiteMaker processing project
- **Recent Projects**: Choose between recent projects
- **Open Project**: Open existing SiteMaker project on the desktop (.ini file)
- **Change Project Settings**: Change the current project’s dataset locations or configuration files

A step-by-step guide is available [here](/v1/docs/a-processing-walkthrough).

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/image(36).png)

## Datasets Tab

The Datasets tab provides you with an overview of your project’s processing status.

Here you can:

- View each dataset’s ID, Name, Quality map for the Recorded dataset, and your data’s processing Status.
- Select one or more datasets in the project, and start the data processing on selected data.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/image(37).png)

The dataset list in the **Datasets** tab summarizes information for each Dataset. From here, you can also:

- Open any of the dataset logs ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/datasets-tab-image-uedoid8d.png)).
- Browse the dataset files ( ![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/datasets-tab-image-ea7vb0xf.png)).
- Open the quality map in the image viewer by clicking the dataset's thumbnail.

### Filtering by Processing Status

You can filter datasets by their processing status:

1. From the **Datasets** tab, click the **Filter** button at the top left of the tab to open a checkbox list to the left of the datasets list.
2. Select or filter for the datasets using the checkboxes. They have three possible states to define the processing status:
  1. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/datasets-tab-image-hz0w8di5.png): This processing step must be completed
  2. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/datasets-tab-image-x5qauiu5.png): This processing step must be absent
  3. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/datasets-tab-image-bnsqhscw.png): This processing step is irrelevant (both present and absent are accepted)

## Settings Tab

The Settings tab allows you to adjust the settings used for processing. If no changes are made, a default configuration will be used.

### Point Cloud Settings

Point cloud settings impact the quality of your project. Learn more about the different kinds of point cloud settings [here](/v1/docs/detailed-point-cloud-options).

The following Point cloud file formats are supported by NavVis:

**LAS, PTS, XYZ, PLY, E57**

- When processing in a terminal, the point cloud data generated using NavVis System Software is written by default in the `PLY `format.
- When processing with NavVis SiteMaker, select the format from the UI. The default format in SiteMaker is `.e57`.

Both formats are supported by a variety of tools and can store XYZ coordinates, Normals, and color information. Users can convert point clouds using the tool**`nv_pcp`.

Select the following options when working with Point clouds.

1. In NavVis SiteMaker, click the **Settings** tab.
2. From the Point Cloud section, color point clouds by selecting **Colorize point clouds**. To remove the color from point clouds, deselect this option.

#### Setting the Point cloud Resolution

The default point cloud resolution is 1cm. This is a good trade-off between memory efficiency and processing speed on the one hand, and high point cloud resolution on the other.

1. In NavVis SiteMaker, click the **Settings** tab.
2. From the **Resolution** field, use the up or down arrow buttons to increase or decrease the point cloud resolution.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/working-with-point-clouds-image-u7gyul1e.png)

#### Setting the Filtering Mode

The point cloud mode of the point clouds generated during post-processing defaults to `Sharp-Edges`.

1. In NavVis SiteMaker, click the **Settings** tab.
2. Under the Point Cloud section, select a point cloud mode from the **Filtering mode** drop-down list.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/working-with-point-clouds-image-9q6x0ukl.png)

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:**The point cloud mode of the point clouds generated during post-processing defaults to `Sharp-Edges`.
> 
> 1. In NavVis SiteMaker, click the **Settings** tab.
> 2. Under the Point Cloud section, select a point cloud mode from the **Filtering mode**drop-down list.

#### Setting the Point cloud Format

The default point cloud format in SiteMaker is .e57.

1. In NavVis SiteMaker, click the **Settings** tab.
2. Under the Point Cloud section, you can choose one of the other supported formats from the **Format** drop-down menu.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/working-with-point-clouds-image-jkojz5mo.png)

## Post-Processing Settings

The following settings can be adapted for post-processing:

- **Reprocess Dataset** and overwrite existing data: Allows you to ignore prior processing results and overwrites all previous data of datasets selected.
- **Control Points**: Add a control point file in .txt or .csv format.
- **Point Cloud**: Allows adapting coloring, filtering mode, preset, resolution, and format of the point cloud.
- **Panoramic images**: Allows to disable panorama generation, floor-filling, or select a custom operator mask.
- **Advanced Settings**: custom arguments for processing. For details please check [Custom Arguments](/v1/docs/custom-arguments)

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/image(38).png)

## Web-Processing Settings

For web-processing, the number of CPU threads used can be adapted. A default **Number of Threads** is already automatically set with the same count of your CPU threads.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/image(39).png)

## Activity Log Tab

You will automatically be redirected to the **Activity Log** tab, once you start processing.

All background processing events will be logged within this view. When one or more datasets have been processed successfully, the dataset name listed on the left **Progress**bar will turn green. The dataset name will be colored in red if processing fails. If the dataset was processed but errors remain, it will appear in yellow.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/image(40).png)

---

### FAQ

#### What is the Project Tab in SiteMaker?

The Project Tab is the default startup page when you open SiteMaker on your desktop, allowing you to create new projects, access recent projects, open existing projects, and change project settings.

#### How can I view the processing status of my datasets?

You can view the processing status of your datasets in the Datasets tab, where you can see each dataset's ID, Name, Quality map, and processing Status.

#### Can I filter datasets by their processing status?

Yes, you can filter datasets by their processing status using the Filter button in the Datasets tab.

#### What point cloud file formats are supported by NavVis?

NavVis supports the following point cloud file formats: LAS, PTS, XYZ, PLY, and E57.

#### Is it possible to change the point cloud resolution in SiteMaker?

Yes, you can adjust the point cloud resolution in the Settings tab of SiteMaker.

#### What happens in the Activity Log tab during processing?

In the Activity Log tab, all background processing events are logged, and the status of each dataset is indicated by color: green for success, red for failure, and yellow for errors.

#### Can I reprocess datasets and overwrite existing data?

Yes, you can choose to reprocess datasets and overwrite existing data in the post-processing settings.

#### Does SiteMaker allow for web-processing settings adjustments?

Yes, you can adapt the number of CPU threads used for web-processing in SiteMaker.

A dataset is a piece of a site, the result of a continuous recording with a NavVis mapping device or the result of an imported point cloud. Datasets can contain panoramic images and point clouds.

A three-dimensional representation of an environment, made up of many points. A point is defined by x, y and z coordinates, and it may or may not contain RGB, an intensity value, and normals.

User Interface

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.