las-laz-js 0.1.0 → 0.2.0

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,46 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 0.2.0 (2026-10-21)
+
+Reads LAZ.
+
+- LAZ (LASzip) point formats 0–3 and 6–8 (item versions 2 and 3; version 4 unchecked), with extra bytes, are read by `openLas` /
+  `readPoints` / `chunks` / `readPointsToScratch` and the worker exactly as LAS is: each chunk
+  is decompressed into plain LAS records, then decoded by the same code, so every option works
+  the same. Plain JavaScript, translated from laz-rs (Apache-2.0); the package licence is now
+  `MIT AND Apache-2.0` (see `NOTICE`).
+- Checked against an independent encoder: fixtures compressed by PDAL decode to exactly PDAL's own
+  decompression, and real files to exactly their LAS twins (1 M points), or to PDAL's decompression
+  (10 M points).
+- `reader.laz` describes the compression. Wave-packet LAZ items, LASzip item version 1 and files
+  without a chunk table are `UNSUPPORTED`; a LAZ cut short is `TRUNCATED`. `COMPRESSED_LAZ` is
+  no longer thrown.
+- Breaking: `strideFor` (deprecated in 0.1.1) is removed.
+- Demo: reads LAZ, and shows its compression.
+
+## 0.1.1 (2026-10-21)
+
+Fixes from the 0.1.0 review. No breaking changes.
+
+- `maxPoints` keeps exactly that many of the points that pass the filters, spread over the whole
+  file. It used to keep only the start of a file, and with filters set could return nothing.
+- Streamed chunks are coloured by one rule for the whole file, so windows no longer show seams
+  (new `createChunkColourizer`; `colourize` gains `eightBit`).
+- Opening a LAS 1.4 file no longer reads its EVLRs to the end of the file: a big EVLR has
+  `bytes: null` until `readEvlrBytes(i)`. VLRs and EVLRs report `length`.
+- Browser bundlers (esbuild, webpack, Vite) can bundle the package; the lazy Node import no
+  longer stops them.
+- `readPoints` and `writeLas` peak near the size of what they return (a 69 MB read peaked at
+  233 MB, now 74 MB); Node files are read into one reused window buffer.
+- `dedupe` is about 7 times faster.
+- `createLasWriter` works with OPFS scratch writers and Node file handles, and with
+  `writePoints` calls made without waiting.
+- A custom `{ size, read }` source that returns a short read is `TRUNCATED`, never fewer points.
+- Point formats 6–10 write their coordinate system as WKT, as LAS 1.4 requires; an EPSG code
+  alone is refused for them.
+- `strideFor` is deprecated (the reader no longer uses it) and goes in 0.2.0; `countKept` is new.
+- Demo: bounds, dedupe, colour range, return and intensity histograms; safe on big files.
+
 ## 0.1.0 (2026-10-21)
 
 First release: read and write ASPRS LAS.

package/LICENSE-APACHE

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+Apache License
+Version 2.0, January 2004
+http://www.apache.org/licenses/
+
+TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR USE, REPRODUCTION, AND DISTRIBUTION
+
+1. Definitions.
+
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+
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+"Contribution" shall mean any work of authorship, including the original version of the Work and any modifications or additions to that Work or Derivative Works thereof, that is intentionally submitted to Licensor for inclusion in the Work by the copyright owner or by an individual or Legal Entity authorized to submit on behalf of the copyright owner. For the purposes of this definition, "submitted" means any form of electronic, verbal, or written communication sent to the Licensor or its representatives, including but not limited to communication on electronic mailing lists, source code control systems, and issue tracking systems that are managed by, or on behalf of, the Licensor for the purpose of discussing and improving the Work, but excluding communication that is conspicuously marked or otherwise designated in writing by the copyright owner as "Not a Contribution."
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+
+3. Grant of Patent License. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, each Contributor hereby grants to You a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable (except as stated in this section) patent license to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell, import, and otherwise transfer the Work, where such license applies only to those patent claims licensable by such Contributor that are necessarily infringed by their Contribution(s) alone or by combination of their Contribution(s) with the Work to which such Contribution(s) was submitted. If You institute patent litigation against any entity (including a cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that the Work or a Contribution incorporated within the Work constitutes direct or contributory patent infringement, then any patent licenses granted to You under this License for that Work shall terminate as of the date such litigation is filed.
+
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+
+You may add Your own copyright statement to Your modifications and may provide additional or different license terms and conditions for use, reproduction, or distribution of Your modifications, or for any such Derivative Works as a whole, provided Your use, reproduction, and distribution of the Work otherwise complies with the conditions stated in this License.
+5. Submission of Contributions. Unless You explicitly state otherwise, any Contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the Work by You to the Licensor shall be under the terms and conditions of this License, without any additional terms or conditions. Notwithstanding the above, nothing herein shall supersede or modify the terms of any separate license agreement you may have executed with Licensor regarding such Contributions.
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+
+END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

package/NOTICE

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+las-laz-js
+Copyright (c) 2026 Brent Buffham (https://kirra-design.com). MIT licence (see LICENSE).
+
+The LAZ decoder in src/laz/ is a JavaScript translation of laz-rs
+(https://github.com/laz-rs/laz-rs), which is itself a Rust port of LASzip
+(https://laszip.org) by rapidlasso. Those files are licensed under the
+Apache License, Version 2.0 (see LICENSE-APACHE), not the MIT licence:
+
+  (c) 2007-2015, martin isenburg, rapidlasso - fast tools to catch reality
+  (c) 2014, Uday Verma, Hobu, Inc.
+  (c) 2019-2023, Thomas Montaigu
+
+Changes: translated from Rust to JavaScript by Brent Buffham, 2026. Each
+translated file names the laz-rs source it came from in its header.

package/README.md

@@ -1,18 +1,22 @@
 # las-laz-js
 
-A JavaScript reader and writer for ASPRS **LAS** point clouds (LAZ to follow), published on npm
-as `las-laz-js`. Plain ES modules, no dependencies, runs in the browser and in Node — and built
-for files far larger than memory.
+A JavaScript reader and writer for ASPRS **LAS** point clouds, and a reader for **LAZ**
+(LASzip-compressed LAS), published on npm as `las-laz-js`. Plain ES modules, no dependencies,
+runs in the browser and in Node — and built for files far larger than memory.
 
 **Status: early (0.x).** It works and is tested, but the API may still change before 1.0.
 
 - Working: `openLas` reads the header, VLRs / EVLRs and coordinate system of LAS 1.0–1.4;
   `readPoints` and `chunks` decode every point format (0–10) a window at a time, with filters
   and thinning; `colourize` colours points; `writeLas` writes LAS 1.0–1.4.
-- Big files: a 1.1 GB, 34-million-point cloud reads in about 2 seconds in Node, and is never held
-  in memory whole.
-- Also: a ready-made module Worker (`las-laz-js/worker`) and a Three.js demo.
-- Not yet: reading LAZ (0.2.0) and writing LAZ (0.3.0).
+- LAZ: point formats 0–3 and 6–8, with extra bytes, read exactly like LAS — the same calls, the
+  same options, decoded chunk by chunk in plain JavaScript (no WebAssembly).
+- Big files: a 1.1 GB, 34-million-point LAS reads in under a second in Node, and a 10-million-point
+  LAZ decodes at about 1.8 million points a second; neither is held in memory whole (see LAZ below
+  for the one exception).
+- Also: a ready-made module Worker (`las-laz-js/worker`) and a
+  [Three.js demo](https://brentbuffham.github.io/las-laz-js/).
+- Not yet: writing LAZ (0.3.0).
 
 ## Install
 
@@ -24,9 +28,13 @@ Node 22 or newer, or any current browser. No dependencies.
 
 ## Demo
 
-Drop a LAS file onto the page and it is read locally (never uploaded), in the library's Worker,
-and streamed into a Three.js viewer. The side panel runs every library function.
-Run it locally with `npm run demo`, then open http://localhost:8080/.
+Try it in the browser: **https://brentbuffham.github.io/las-laz-js/**
+
+Drop a LAS or LAZ file onto the page. It is read locally (never uploaded), in the library's
+Worker, and streamed into a Three.js viewer. The side panel shows the header, VLRs, coordinate
+system and LAZ compression; reads with class, return, bounds, thinning and dedupe filters;
+colours by RGB, intensity, elevation or class; lists point statistics; and saves the points back
+out as LAS. To run it locally: `npm run demo`, then open http://localhost:8080/.
 
 ## Reading
 
@@ -37,7 +45,10 @@ var las = await openLas(file);           // File / Blob, ArrayBuffer, Uint8Array
 las.header;   // { versionMajor, versionMinor, pointFormat, pointCount, bounds, scale, offset,
               //   software, systemId, creationDay, creationYear, pointsByReturn, compressed, ... }
 las.crs;      // { kind: "geokeys" | "wkt" | null, epsg, wkt?, keys? } — parsed, never reprojected
-las.vlrs;     // [{ userId, recordId, description, bytes }]
+las.vlrs;     // [{ userId, recordId, description, start, length, bytes }]
+las.evlrs;    // the same; an EVLR over 64 KiB (waveform data) has bytes: null until
+              //   await las.readEvlrBytes(i) — opening never reads it
+las.compressed; las.laz;   // true for LAZ; its compressor, chunk size and items (else null)
 
 var pts = await las.readPoints({
 	fields: ["x", "y", "z", "classification", "red", "green", "blue"],
@@ -60,12 +71,31 @@ red green blue nir`. Fields a point format does not hold are left out. `scanAngl
 degrees for every format.
 
 Filters run on the raw record before it is decoded, so a filtered-out point costs a byte read.
+`maxPoints` keeps exactly that many of the points that pass the filters, spread evenly over
+the whole file; with filters set it first counts the passing points, which reads the file twice.
+
+## LAZ
+
+A LAZ file is opened and read with the same calls as LAS. Each LASzip chunk (50,000 points in
+most files) is decompressed into the plain LAS records it holds, then decoded exactly as a LAS
+window is — so every option above works the same, and reading a LAZ gives the same columns as
+reading the LAS it was compressed from.
+
+- Read: point formats 0–3 (LASzip point-wise, item version 2) and 6–8 (layered, item version 3),
+  with extra bytes. Item version 4 follows laz-rs but has not been checked against a real file
+  (it differs from 3 only with several scanner channels).
+- Not read: wave-packet items (formats 4, 5, 9, 10 in LAZ), item version 1 (LASzip before 2011),
+  and files without a chunk table (an unfinished write). Each is refused with `UNSUPPORTED`,
+  naming what it found — never garbage points.
+- A LAZ file cut short is `TRUNCATED`.
 
 ## Files bigger than memory
 
-`openLas` reads only the header and the VLRs. Points are read in windows of whole records
-(64 MiB by default, `openLas(file, { windowSize })`), so memory holds one window plus what you
-keep.
+`openLas` reads only the header and the VLRs. Points are read in windows (64 MiB of records by
+default, `openLas(file, { windowSize })`; for LAZ, whole chunks adding up to about that much
+decompressed), so memory holds one window plus what you keep. One exception: a LAZ written
+point-wise without chunks (LASzip before 2.0, rare) is one chunk, so its window is the whole
+decompressed file.
 
 ```js
 for await (var chunk of las.chunks({ fields: ["x", "y", "z"] })) {
@@ -87,23 +117,28 @@ Returns a `Uint8Array`, three bytes per point. LAS colour is 16-bit and is scale
 except in files that store 8-bit values in the 16-bit fields (a common writer bug), which are
 detected and used as they are instead of turning almost black. Elevation uses a blue → cyan →
 green → yellow → red ramp; intensity a greyscale over the 2nd–98th percentile; classification
-the usual LiDAR-viewer colours (ASPRS defines the codes, not colours).
+the usual LiDAR-viewer colours (ASPRS defines the codes, not colours). For streamed chunks,
+`createChunkColourizer` keeps one rule for the whole file, so windows match.
 
 ## Writing
 
 ```js
 import { writeLas, createLasWriter } from "las-laz-js";
 
-var bytes = await writeLas(pts, { version: "1.4", pointFormat: 7, crs: { epsg: 28350 } });
+var bytes = await writeLas(pts, { version: "1.2", pointFormat: 3, crs: { epsg: 28350 } });
+var v14 = await writeLas(pts, { version: "1.4", pointFormat: 7, crs: { wkt: las.crs.wkt } });
 
-var w = await createLasWriter(sink, { version: "1.2", pointFormat: 3, scale, offset });  // sink: { write(bytes, position) }
+var w = await createLasWriter(sink, { version: "1.2", pointFormat: 3, scale, offset });
+// sink: an OPFS writer from openScratchSyncWriter, a Node FileHandle, or any { write(bytes, position) }
 await w.writePoints(batch1); await w.writePoints(batch2);
 await w.close();   // patches the header totals
 ```
 
 A version and point format that do not go together (format 6 in LAS 1.2) are refused, never
 silently changed. Scale and offset are chosen from the bounds when not given. `crs.epsg`
-writes a GeoKey record; `crs.wkt` a WKT record.
+writes a GeoKey record; `crs.wkt` a WKT record. Point formats 6–10 must carry WKT (LAS 1.4), so
+an EPSG code alone is refused for them — the library has no projection database to turn a code
+into WKT. Writing LAZ arrives in 0.3.0.
 
 ## In a Worker
 
@@ -120,21 +155,25 @@ The protocol is documented in `src/workers/workerProtocol.js` and can be driven
 ## Errors
 
 Every failure is a `LasError` with a stable `code` (`ERROR_CODES`) and, for byte-level problems,
-the file `offset`: `NOT_LAS`, `UNSUPPORTED_VERSION`, `UNSUPPORTED`, `COMPRESSED_LAZ`,
-`TRUNCATED`, `BAD_HEADER`, `BAD_VLR`, `INVALID_ARGUMENT`, `ABORTED`, `TOO_MANY_POINTS`.
-A file shorter than its header promises is `TRUNCATED`, never garbage points.
+the file `offset`: `NOT_LAS`, `UNSUPPORTED_VERSION`, `UNSUPPORTED`, `TRUNCATED`, `BAD_HEADER`,
+`BAD_VLR`, `INVALID_ARGUMENT`, `ABORTED`, `TOO_MANY_POINTS`. A file shorter than its header
+promises is `TRUNCATED`, never garbage points. (`COMPRESSED_LAZ` is kept for 0.1 callers but is no
+longer thrown: LAZ is read.)
 
 ## Scope
 
 Reprojection is out of scope (the coordinate system is reported, not changed). Waveform
-formats 4, 5, 9 and 10 have their point fields read; the waveform data itself is not. COPC,
-EPT and E57 are not read.
+formats 4, 5, 9 and 10 have their point fields read from LAS; the waveform data itself is not.
+COPC, EPT and E57 are not read.
 
 ## Provenance
 
 The LAS reader, writer and big-file handling come from [Kirra](https://kirra-design.com),
-Brent Buffham's blast-design app, rewritten as a standalone library. The LAZ codec (0.2.0) is
-being ported from [laz-rs](https://github.com/laz-rs/laz-rs), used under its MIT licence.
+Brent Buffham's blast-design app, rewritten as a standalone library. The LAZ decoder in
+`src/laz/` is a JavaScript translation of [laz-rs](https://github.com/laz-rs/laz-rs) by Thomas
+Montaigu, itself a Rust port of [LASzip](https://laszip.org) by Martin Isenburg (rapidlasso).
+It is checked against an independent encoder: the test fixtures were compressed by
+[PDAL](https://pdal.io), and every record must equal PDAL's own decompression.
 Formats are written to the ASPRS LAS 1.4 R15 specification; see `docs/LAS_FORMAT_NOTES.md`.
 
 ## Development
@@ -144,11 +183,16 @@ npm test               # node --test, every test
 npm run test:coverage  # with the coverage gate
 npm run demo           # the demo on http://localhost:8080/
 npm run check:private  # before every push: no private sample details in the repo
+node _dev/makeLazFixtures.mjs   # remake test/fixtures/laz with PDAL (needs PDAL 2.x)
 ```
 
 Private sample files go in the gitignored `samples/` folder, or are listed by path in
-`samples/paths.txt`; the sample tests compare each file with its own header.
+`samples/paths.txt`; the sample tests compare each file with its own header, and each LAZ with a
+LAS twin (same count and bounds) field by field.
 
 ## Licence
 
-MIT © Brent Buffham
+`MIT AND Apache-2.0`. The library is MIT © Brent Buffham (`LICENSE`). The LAZ decoder in
+`src/laz/`, translated from laz-rs / LASzip, is under the Apache License 2.0 (`LICENSE-APACHE`,
+`NOTICE`). Both are permissive: use, change and ship it in open or closed software, keeping the
+notices.

package/package.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
 	"name": "las-laz-js",
-	"version": "0.1.0",
-	"description": "Zero-dependency JavaScript reader and writer for ASPRS LAS point clouds (LAZ to follow), for the browser and Node, built for files larger than memory.",
+	"version": "0.2.0",
+	"description": "Zero-dependency JavaScript reader and writer for ASPRS LAS point clouds, and reader for LAZ (LASzip), for the browser and Node, built for files larger than memory.",
 	"type": "module",
 	"exports": {
 		".": "./src/index.js",
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@
 		"src",
 		"README.md",
 		"LICENSE",
+		"LICENSE-APACHE",
+		"NOTICE",
 		"CHANGELOG.md"
 	],
 	"sideEffects": false,
@@ -36,7 +38,7 @@
 		"threejs"
 	],
 	"author": "Brent Buffham (https://kirra-design.com)",
-	"license": "MIT",
+	"license": "MIT AND Apache-2.0",
 	"repository": {
 		"type": "git",
 		"url": "git+https://github.com/brentbuffham/las-laz-js.git"

package/src/LasReader.js

@@ -17,9 +17,12 @@ import { NodeFileSource } from "./io/NodeFileSource.js";
 import { parseHeader } from "./format/LasHeader.js";
 import { parseVlrs, parseEvlrs } from "./format/LasVlr.js";
 import { parseCrs } from "./format/LasCrs.js";
-import { decodeRecords, resolveFields } from "./read/decodeRecords.js";
-import { windows } from "./read/windows.js";
-import { makeKeep, strideFor } from "./filter/filters.js";
+import { decodeRecords, resolveFields, columnType } from "./read/decodeRecords.js";
+import { windows, lazWindows } from "./read/windows.js";
+import { findLazVlr } from "./laz/LazVlr.js";
+import { readChunks } from "./laz/chunkTable.js";
+import { createChunkDecoder } from "./laz/decompressChunk.js";
+import { makeKeep, countKept } from "./filter/filters.js";
 import { dedupe } from "./filter/dedupe.js";
 import { openScratchSyncWriter } from "./io/ScratchBinaryFile.js";
 
@@ -32,12 +35,27 @@ function memorySource(bytes) {
 	} };
 }
 
+// A caller's own { size, read } source: every read must hand back exactly
+// the bytes asked for, or a short read would silently drop points
+function checkedSource(src) {
+	function check(got, a, b) {
+		if (got instanceof ArrayBuffer) got = new Uint8Array(got);
+		if (!(got instanceof Uint8Array)) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.INVALID_ARGUMENT, "source.read(" + a + ", " + b + ") must return a Uint8Array or ArrayBuffer");
+		if (got.length !== b - a) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.TRUNCATED, "source.read(" + a + ", " + b + ") returned " + got.length + " bytes, not " + (b - a), a + Math.min(got.length, b - a));
+		return got;
+	}
+	var out = { size: src.size, read: async function (a, b) { return check(await src.read(a, b), a, b); } };
+	if (typeof src.readInto === "function") out.readInto = async function (a, b, t) { return check(await src.readInto(a, b, t), a, b); };
+	if (typeof src.close === "function") out.close = function () { return src.close(); };
+	return out;
+}
+
 async function toSource(source) {
 	if (source instanceof Uint8Array) return memorySource(source);
 	if (source instanceof ArrayBuffer) return memorySource(new Uint8Array(source));
 	if (typeof source === "string") return NodeFileSource.open(source);
 	if (source && typeof source.slice === "function" && typeof source.size === "number" && typeof source.read !== "function") return new BlobSource(source);
-	if (source && typeof source.size === "number" && typeof source.read === "function") return source;
+	if (source && typeof source.size === "number" && typeof source.read === "function") return checkedSource(source);
 	throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.INVALID_ARGUMENT, "openLas needs a File / Blob, ArrayBuffer, Uint8Array, file path or { size, read } source");
 }
 
@@ -59,14 +77,29 @@ export async function openLas(source, opts) {
 	}
 	var evlrs = [];
 	if (header.numberOfEvlrs > 0 && header.evlrStart > 0 && header.evlrStart < src.size) {
-		var evBytes = await src.read(header.evlrStart, src.size);
-		evlrs = parseEvlrs(new MemorySource(evBytes), 0, header.numberOfEvlrs).map(function (e) {
-			return Object.assign({}, e, { start: e.start + header.evlrStart });
-		});
+		evlrs = await walkEvlrs(src, header.evlrStart, header.numberOfEvlrs);
 	}
 	return new LasReader(src, header, vlrs, evlrs, (opts && opts.windowSize) || DEFAULT_WINDOW);
 }
 
+// EVLRs sit after the points and can be huge (waveform data): read each
+// 60-byte header, keep the bytes of small and coordinate-system records,
+// and leave the rest on disk for readEvlrBytes.
+var EVLR_EAGER = 65536;
+async function walkEvlrs(src, start, count) {
+	var out = [], pos = start;
+	for (var i = 0; i < count; i++) {
+		if (pos + 60 > src.size) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.BAD_VLR, "EVLR " + (i + 1) + " starts past the end of the file", pos);
+		var e = parseEvlrs(new MemorySource(await src.read(pos, pos + 60)), 0, 1, true)[0];
+		if (pos + 60 + e.length > src.size) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.BAD_VLR, "EVLR " + (i + 1) + " runs past the end of the file", pos);
+		e.start = pos + 60;
+		e.bytes = e.length <= EVLR_EAGER || e.userId === "LASF_Projection" ? new Uint8Array(await src.read(e.start, e.start + e.length)) : null;
+		out.push(e);
+		pos += 60 + e.length;
+	}
+	return out;
+}
+
 /**
  * A LAS file opened for reading. Create with openLas().
  */
@@ -83,17 +116,48 @@ export function LasReader(src, header, vlrs, evlrs, windowSize) {
 	this.crs = parseCrs(vlrs.concat(evlrs));
 	/** True for LAZ (compressed points). */
 	this.compressed = header.compressed;
+	/** The parsed LASzip VLR of a LAZ file (compressor, chunk size, items), else null. */
+	this.laz = null;
+	if (header.compressed) { try { this.laz = findLazVlr(vlrs); } catch (e) { this.laz = null; } }   // a bad VLR fails on read, not open
 }
 
-LasReader.prototype._check = function () {
-	var h = this.header;
-	if (h.compressed) {
-		throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.COMPRESSED_LAZ, "this file is LAZ (compressed); reading LAZ points is supported from las-laz-js 0.2.0");
-	}
-	var end = h.offsetToPointData + h.pointCount * h.recordLength;
-	if (end > this._src.size) {
-		throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.TRUNCATED, "the header promises " + h.pointCount + " points ending at byte " + end + " but the file is " + this._src.size + " bytes", this._src.size);
+// How to read this file's points: the windows, and how to turn one into raw
+// LAS records (a LAS window is read as it is; a LAZ window is a run of whole
+// chunks, decompressed into the scan's buffer). Built once per reader.
+LasReader.prototype._plan = async function () {
+	if (this._planned) return this._planned;
+	var h = this.header, src = this._src, len = h.recordLength;
+	var plan;
+	if (!h.compressed) {
+		var end = h.offsetToPointData + h.pointCount * len;
+		if (end > src.size) {
+			throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.TRUNCATED, "the header promises " + h.pointCount + " points ending at byte " + end + " but the file is " + src.size + " bytes", src.size);
+		}
+		var list = windows(h, this._windowSize);
+		plan = {
+			list: list,
+			// a source that can fill one reused buffer gets one (no bytes outlive a window)
+			bufferSize: typeof src.readInto === "function" && list.length ? list[0].end - list[0].start : 0,
+			records: function (win, buf) { return buf ? src.readInto(win.start, win.end, buf) : src.read(win.start, win.end); }
+		};
+	} else {
+		var vlr = findLazVlr(this.vlrs);
+		if (!vlr) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.BAD_VLR, "this LAZ file has no LASzip VLR (user \"laszip encoded\", record 22204), so its points cannot be decompressed");
+		var decode = createChunkDecoder(vlr, len);
+		var lazList = lazWindows(await readChunks(src, h, vlr), len, this._windowSize);
+		plan = {
+			list: lazList,
+			bufferSize: lazList.reduce(function (m, w) { return Math.max(m, w.count * len); }, 0),
+			records: async function (win, buf) {
+				var packed = await src.read(win.start, win.end);
+				var view = new DataView(buf.buffer, buf.byteOffset, buf.byteLength);
+				win.chunks.forEach(function (c) { decode(packed, c.start - win.start, c.end - win.start, c.count, view, (c.firstRecord - win.firstRecord) * len, win.start); });
+				return buf.subarray(0, win.count * len);
+			}
+		};
 	}
+	this._planned = plan;
+	return plan;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -104,32 +168,45 @@ LasReader.prototype._check = function () {
 LasReader.prototype.chunks = async function* (opts) {
 	opts = opts || {};
 	if (opts.dedupe) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.INVALID_ARGUMENT, "dedupe needs every point at once: use readPoints, not chunks");
-	this._check();
+	yield* this._scan(opts, null);
+};
+
+// The window loop behind chunks and readPoints. into(win, n) -> { cols, at }
+// makes decodeRecords write straight into readPoints' result columns.
+LasReader.prototype._scan = async function* (opts, into) {
 	var h = this.header;
+	var plan = await this._plan();
 	var keep = makeKeep(opts, h);
-	var stride = strideFor(h.pointCount, opts.maxPoints);
-	var cap = opts.maxPoints > 0 ? opts.maxPoints : Infinity;
 	var fields = resolveFields(h, opts.fields);
-	var list = windows(h, this._windowSize);
+	var list = plan.list;
+	var buf = plan.bufferSize ? new Uint8Array(plan.bufferSize) : null;
+	var thin = null;
+	if (opts.maxPoints > 0) {
+		// Thin the points that pass the filters; with filters set, count them first (a second read)
+		var passing = keep ? await this._countPassing(plan, buf, keep, opts.signal) : h.pointCount;
+		if (passing > opts.maxPoints) thin = { total: passing, target: opts.maxPoints, acc: 0 };
+	}
 	var kept = 0;
-	for (var w = 0; w < list.length && kept < cap; w++) {
+	for (var w = 0; w < list.length; w++) {
 		if (opts.signal && opts.signal.aborted) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.ABORTED, "read aborted");
 		var win = list[w];
-		var bytes = await this._src.read(win.start, win.end);
-		var cols = decodeRecords(bytes, h, { fields: fields, keep: keep, stride: stride, firstIndex: win.firstRecord, localOrigin: opts.localOrigin, float32: opts.float32 });
-		if (kept + cols.count > cap) cols = trim(cols, fields, cap - kept);
+		var bytes = await plan.records(win, buf);
+		var cols = decodeRecords(bytes, h, { fields: fields, keep: keep, thin: thin, localOrigin: opts.localOrigin, float32: opts.float32, into: into ? into(win) : null });
 		kept += cols.count;
-		if (typeof opts.onProgress === "function") opts.onProgress(kept >= cap ? 1 : (w + 1) / list.length, "read " + kept + " points");
+		if (typeof opts.onProgress === "function") opts.onProgress((w + 1) / list.length, "read " + kept + " points");
 		yield cols;
 	}
 	if (opts.signal && opts.signal.aborted) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.ABORTED, "read aborted");
 };
 
-function trim(cols, fields, n) {
-	var out = { count: n };
-	fields.forEach(function (f) { out[f] = cols[f].slice(0, n); });
-	return out;
-}
+LasReader.prototype._countPassing = async function (plan, buf, keep, signal) {
+	var n = 0;
+	for (var w = 0; w < plan.list.length; w++) {
+		if (signal && signal.aborted) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.ABORTED, "read aborted");
+		n += countKept(await plan.records(plan.list[w], buf), this.header.recordLength, keep);
+	}
+	return n;
+};
 
 /**
  * Read the selected points into one set of columns.
@@ -142,22 +219,25 @@ LasReader.prototype.readPoints = async function (opts) {
 	var chunkOpts = Object.assign({}, opts);
 	delete chunkOpts.dedupe;
 	var fields = resolveFields(h, opts.fields);
-	var acc = null, n = 0;
-	for await (var c of this.chunks(chunkOpts)) {
-		if (!acc) {
-			acc = {};
-			var guess = Math.max(c.count, 1024);
-			fields.forEach(function (f) { acc[f] = new c[f].constructor(guess); });
-		}
-		if (n + c.count > acc[fields[0]].length) {
-			var size = Math.max(n + c.count, acc[fields[0]].length * 2);
+	// Allocate once when the count is known (no filters: every point, or
+	// maxPoints of them; filters + maxPoints: at most maxPoints), so the
+	// peak is the result itself. Filters alone: grow by doubling.
+	var filtered = !!makeKeep(opts, h);
+	var cap = !filtered ? (opts.maxPoints > 0 ? Math.min(opts.maxPoints, h.pointCount) : h.pointCount)
+		: (opts.maxPoints > 0 ? Math.min(opts.maxPoints, h.pointCount) : 0);
+	var acc = {}, n = 0;
+	fields.forEach(function (f) { acc[f] = new (columnType(f, opts))(cap || 1024); });
+	function into(win) {
+		// A known cap is never exceeded, so it never grows; filters alone grow by doubling
+		if (!cap && n + win.count > acc[fields[0]].length) {
+			var size = Math.max(n + win.count, acc[fields[0]].length * 2);
 			fields.forEach(function (f) { var g = new acc[f].constructor(size); g.set(acc[f].subarray(0, n)); acc[f] = g; });
 		}
-		for (var i = 0; i < fields.length; i++) acc[fields[i]].set(c[fields[i]], n);
-		n += c.count;
+		return { cols: acc, at: n };
 	}
+	for await (var c of this._scan(chunkOpts, into)) n += c.count;
 	var out = { count: n };
-	fields.forEach(function (f) { out[f] = acc ? acc[f].slice(0, n) : new Float64Array(0); });
+	fields.forEach(function (f) { out[f] = acc[f].length === n ? acc[f] : acc[f].slice(0, n); });
 	if (opts.dedupe) out = dedupe(out, opts.dedupe, { z: !!opts.dedupeZ });
 	out.bounds = boundsOf(out, opts.localOrigin);
 	out.stats = statsOf(out);
@@ -236,6 +316,18 @@ LasReader.prototype.readPointsToScratch = async function (opts) {
 	return { count: count, fields: ids, types: types, bounds: worldBounds(b, opts.localOrigin) };
 };
 
+/**
+ * The bytes of an EVLR — big ones are not read by openLas (bytes: null).
+ * @param {number} index - into reader.evlrs
+ * @returns {Promise<Uint8Array>}
+ */
+LasReader.prototype.readEvlrBytes = async function (index) {
+	var e = this.evlrs[index];
+	if (!e) throw new LasError(ERROR_CODES.INVALID_ARGUMENT, "no EVLR " + index + " (the file has " + this.evlrs.length + ")");
+	if (e.bytes) return e.bytes;
+	return new Uint8Array(await this._src.read(e.start, e.start + e.length));
+};
+
 /** Close the underlying file (Node). */
 LasReader.prototype.close = async function () {
 	if (this._src && typeof this._src.close === "function") await this._src.close();