# Introducing LSD — a visual platform for data pipelines
URL: https://lsd.tools/blog/introducing-lsd
Updated: 2026-07-17

> LSD lets you build data pipelines visually — Load data in, Shape it with cached, reactive steps, and Deliver results to 3D, files, or dashboards. Every step is inspectable and re-runs automatically, so your work reproduces by construction and is easy to share.

## Why we built LSD

Data work today is scattered across notebooks, throwaway scripts, and disconnected tools. Six months later, nobody — including the author — can say which cell produced which figure. We built **LSD** to make the whole pipeline *visible*: one canvas where data flows from Load to Shape to Deliver, and every transform stays inspectable.

## Load · Shape · Deliver

- **Load** brings data in as typed entities — tables, images, point clouds, meshes.
- **Shape** transforms it with steps that cache their output and re-run automatically when inputs change.
- **Deliver** turns the result into a 3D scene, an exported file, or a published dashboard.

Because the graph is reactive, editing any upstream step updates everything downstream — no manual re-runs, no drift.

## Built to be extended

LSD is a platform, not just an app. With the `lsdtools` Python SDK you can write custom steps, UI panels, and whole packages, then publish them to the **Tool Store** for others to install. Models run as steps too — wire an ONNX model into the graph and feed its predictions downstream.

## Get started

[Download LSD](/register), open the [docs](/docs), and build your first pipeline. We'll be posting deep-dives, tutorials, and model spotlights here — [subscribe via RSS](/rss.xml) to follow along.

## FAQ
### What is LSD?

LSD (Load · Shape · Deliver) is a visual desktop platform for building data pipelines. You connect steps on a canvas; each step caches its output and re-runs when inputs change.

### Who is LSD for?

Anyone who works with data — geoscientists, ML engineers, roboticists, analysts — who wants a visible, reproducible pipeline instead of a graveyard of notebooks and scripts.

### How do I extend it?

Write steps, panels, and packages in Python with the lsdtools SDK and publish them to the Tool Store. See the docs to get started.


## References
- [Why LSD](https://lsd.tools/why)
- [Build on LSD](https://lsd.tools/docs)