ROCK Desktop Processing Error Triage!

There are a number of reasons why ROCK Desktop users may receive a notification about an error when processing their LiDAR data. Here are common sources of processing errors, how to check for them, and how to request support from ROCK.



  • The version of ROCK Desktop that is being used is not the most recent.  If a new version of ROCK Desktop is released there will be a notification when you open the program.  Please be sure you are using the most up to date version of ROCK Desktop.  
  •  The LiDAR unit used for data collection did not have the most recent firmware installed prior to data collection.  You can check the firmware of your LiDAR unit by opening the file "acquisition-config.json" in a Text Editor (the .json file will be found in the folder created for your mission).  You can then check this against the most recent firmware version available through your ROCK Cloud Account.  If needed follow these instructions for updating the firmware on your R3Pro or R2A LiDAR unit.  You may need to re-fly your survey area if your firmware was not up to date.  
  • The USB drive used to save data may be more than 90% full, and therefore all of your survey data could not be saved.
  • The USB drive used to save your data was not properly formatted prior to data collection.  Please verify if your USB drive for your R3Pro or R2A LiDAR unit was properly formatted before your data was collected.  You may need to re-fly your survey area if your USB drive was not formatted correctly.  
  • Calibration flights were not flown following ROCK procedures.  Calibration flights are critical to being able to process your data, and if they were not flown in the correct manner and order you will need to re-fly your survey.  Details for flying your calibration flights with an example video can be found in the How to Fly LiDAR article.  If your calibration flights were not flown correctly, you will need to re-fly your survey area.      
  • When landing your drone, if the horizontal speed exceeded 3 m/s in the horizontal direction, processing in ROCK Desktop may be blocked.  Verify with the pilot if the horizontal speed of the drone was greater than 3 m/s, and if it was, you will need to re-fly your survey area.  
  • If your LiDAR unit was not shut down correctly after data collection, you may be blocked from processing in ROCK Desktop, and you may need to re-fly your survey area.
  • If the data transfer from your USB drive to the computer was not complete, this could also be the source of a processing error in ROCK Desktop.  Please double check that all of the data generated from your mission has been transferred to your computer.  
  • If you are trying to process LiDAR data in ROCK Desktop from shared folders like OneDrive you will blocked from processing.  Please move the data onto your local computer and try processing again.  

If you have checked all of these common sources of error and are still unable to process your LiDAR data in ROCK Desktop, please reach out to ROCK Support for further assistance.