CPB CONTRACTORS
SURVEY WORKING GROUP — PROPELLER UPLOAD GUIDE
PROPELLER AERO PLATFORM GUIDE

Uploading Design Files &
Pre-Processed Data

A quick walkthrough of getting your plans and externally processed survey data into Propeller — CPB Survey Working Group

Why It Matters

  • Uploading a design file turns it into a layer you can view against your survey data
  • Uploading pre-processed data brings in high-resolution terrain models and imagery for deeper analysis
  • Enables fast volume calculations, cut/fill analysis, and progress tracking — all in one view

Uploading a Design File

  1. 1Click Upload, then select Designs from the dropdown
  2. 2Drag and drop your file, or browse your computer to add it
  3. 3Once uploaded, it appears in the Designs panel — toggle it on or off any time

Files in a non-design format land in Outputs → Files instead.

Propeller upload menu showing Surveys, Designs, Media, Walkthrough, Points, Connections

What Design Formats Are Supported

Accepted formats

DXF (ASCII) IFC KML / KMZ LandXML PDF

Limits to know

500 MB max file size 1M+ face meshes won't render
Upload designs dialog listing supported files and size limits

Uploading Pre-Processed Data

TIN surface DEM surface Orthophotos GeoTIFF (local CRS) Point clouds
Drop files or folders screen with orthophoto tiles previewed on a map

Rules for Building a 3D Model

  1. 1Requires a DEM and an orthophoto GeoTIFF, uploaded together
  2. 2Orthomosaic must be 4-band RGB + Alpha, not 5-band
  3. 3DEM needs 32-bit floating-point sampling to avoid a stepped surface
  4. 4Both files must match the site's coordinate reference system (CRS)
  5. 5Multiple GeoTIFFs need unique file names
Upload files to site dialog accepting tiff and tif GeoTIFF files

From Upload to Submit

  1. 1Click Upload → choose a Pre-processed option
  2. 2Drag and drop, or browse for your files, then click Next
  3. 3Name the dataset and set its capture date
  4. 4Review the summary — click any card to edit — then Submit

Only one orthophoto and one DEM are supported per upload. Local-grid sites should double-check the CRS matches before submitting.

Add detail step showing survey name and capture date fields, with progress tracker above
Summary screen reviewing dataset details before clicking Submit

Stay Put While It Uploads

  1. !Don't close or navigate away — that cancels the upload
  2. ↻A dropped connection resumes automatically once you're back online
  3. ✓A confirmation pop-up means it's safe to leave the page

Still stuck? Reach the support team through the question mark in the bottom-left of your portal.

Upload progress bar at 62 percent with a warning not to close the tab
Upload complete confirmation with a checkmark and Go to Viewer button
1 / 8