Point Cloud Manager ( Modeling )

Documentation in progress.

Tool summary :

  • Opens the Point Cloud Manager , which lets you import, manage, and manipulate E57 point clouds.

  • You can move, color, delete, or toggle the visibility of the scans within each imported point cloud group.
  • After the model is imported, you can select points from the cloud when the ' Point Clouds ' selection filter is active. This is useful, for example, when measuring between such points using the Ruler tool.

Also see :

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  To open the Point Cloud Manager window :

Method 1 : Click the Point Cloud icon, which is pictured above. The icon can be taken from the group named ' Navigate -- Navigation Mode ' and placed on a toolbar (classic) or the ribbon (lightning).

Method 2 : If " Modeling layout style " is ' Classic ', you can use the menu system to choose Model > Reference Model Tools > Point Cloud Manager .

Method 3, 4 or 5 : Point Cloud Manager can also be configured to be invoked using a keyboard shortcut , the context menu , or a mode . For the lightning interface, this configuration is done using Customize Interface .

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" Delete "

Press the " Delete " button associated with a point cloud scan " Name " to remove it from your current Job . You may also use this to remove an entire group of scans.

  • Removing a point cloud means removing all of its scans. However, that doesn't remove any scans that you may have created from it -- you may
  • If all of the point cloud scans are currently present in the 3D model, a dialog prompts you to confirm the removal of all of them; that is, of the entire cloud group. Clicking " Yes " removes all the scans in the cloud group that the selected name belongs to. If you click " No ," another dialog asks you to confirm the deletion of only the single scan whose " Name " the button is associated with.
  • Names are listed in this format: [cloud group name]:[cloud scan name]:[cloud scan description] . So "pump.e57:pump2_5" is the pump2_5 scan of the pump.e57 group. If this scan is part of a point cloud that you imported from a file, the cloud group name is the also the originating file name.

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" Transform "

This window is named Point Cloud E57 Options or Transform Point Cloud . The " Auto translate... " option shown here applies only to the Point Cloud E57 Options window.

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" Properties "

Press the " Properties " button associated with a cloud scan " Name " to open a Point Cloud Properties dialog that lists properties of the scan the button is associated with.

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" Color "

When this box is checked ( ) and " Visible " is checked for a particular scan, all points of the scan are displayed in the color that is specified here. Tip: You can click the color swatch next to the check box to define a red - green - blue color mix using your operating system's color picker.

When the box is not checked ( ) for a particular scan, the points are displayed using the colorization, if any, provided by the imported E57 file.

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" Visible "

Checking the box associated with a particular point cloud scan " Name " displays that scan in the 3D model.

Unchecking the box associated with a particular point cloud " Name " turns off the display of the point cloud scan. In other words, the scan is made invisible.

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The " Name " column :

  • The items listed in this column on the Point Cloud Manager window are scans from point clouds that have been added as using Import New File
  • Names are listed in this format: [cloud group name]:[cloud scan name]:[cloud scan description] . If the point cloud was imported from a file, the cloud group name is the same as the originating file's name. If the scan was created by a user, the group name is "Limited-volume." not all scans have description fields.
  • Scans that have been removed -- by pressing the " Delete " button -- are not listed.

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" Quick Visibility " :

Press " All " to check ( ) the " Visible " setting for every point cloud scan " Name ."

Press " None " to uncheck ( ) the " Visible " setting for every point cloud scan " Name ." This makes the model invisible

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" Create "

Press the " Create " button to create a new cloud point scan out of one or more selected points from any point cloud that has already been imported into the 3D model. These instructions assume that you are already in Modeling , have previously imported a point cloud file, and have opened the Point Cloud Manager window. Be aware that:

  • You select points for the new scan by using a selection window, which may be sized to create a clipped copy of the selected point cloud.
  • Creating a new scan increases the number of points in the 3D model.
  • The new scan is added to the "Limited-volume" point cloud group. If no points are selected, no point cloud scan will be created.

1 : Before creating a scan :

1a (recommended) : Switch to a plan view. To create a new scan, the originating view must be a plan view; however, the program can reorient you to a plan view in the next step.

1b (optional) : Turn depth checking off or on to suit your purposes. You can only select scans whose points are visible in your current view, so you may turn it off, for example, to exclude a scan's points from the to-be-created scan

2 . Press the " Create " button.

A possibility : You are not in a plan view oriented so that its Y-axis is perfectly vertical and its X-axis is perfectly horizontal, relative to your computer screen. In that case, an alert opens. Click " Yes " to let the program reorient you to a plan view, or click " No " to cancel the creation of a new cloud point scan.

3 . Locate- Pan -Return mouse bindings become active. The status line prompts, "Locate area that will bound limited-volume."

bindings

Alternative 1 : Drag your mouse pointer diagonally across the screen while holding down the left mouse button ( Locate ) to form an area box around the rectangular area whose points you want copied into the to-be-created point cloud scan. Release the mouse button and go on to step 4.

Alternative 2 : Right-click ( Return ) to end the Create operation without adding a new point cloud scan to the model. Do not continue.

4 . A Cloud Properties window opens for the Limited Volume group. Make the choices that you want on this window, then press " OK ."

This window is named Limited-volume Cloud Properties .

Tip: You can enter a " Lower... " and an " Upper elevation " to further limit the selection of points that you made in step 3.

5 . A point cloud scan is added to the 3D model. On the Point Cloud Manager window, a new entry is added belonging to the cloud group "Limited-volume."

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The " Import New File " button :

1 . Before pressing the " Import New File " button, an E57 file needs to be placed in a folder that your workstation has access to.

2 . Press the " Import New File " button.

3 . A selection window opens. Navigate to the folder that contains the file you want to import, then select the file. You can only select an " E57 (.e57, .E57) " file -- no other file type or extension is supported.

4 . The Point Cloud E57 window opens. Make the choices that you want on this window, then press " OK ."

This window is named Point Cloud E57 Options .

" Auto translate " is enabled by default. You may uncheck it to apply your own translations.

5 . A progress bar is displayed while the point cloud is being imported from the file you selected.

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The " Refresh List " button :

Pressing the " Refresh List " button updates the information that is shown on the Point Cloud Manager window. It brings the Point Cloud Manager window into the same state it would be in if you were to " Close " the window then choose Model > Reference Model Tools > Reference Model to reopen it again. For example, if another user in a multi-user environment has imported a E57 point cloud into your current Job by clicking Import New File , you can " Refresh List " to add the scans from that point cloud group to the list.

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The " Close " button :

The " Close " button closes the Point Cloud Manager window. Choices you have made on the window will continue to be applied to a point cloud even after the window is closed. For example, if you assigned a color to a scan, that scan will continue to be displayed in that assigned color after you press " Close ."

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  The Limited-volume Cloud Properties window

The Limited-volume Cloud Properties window names and creates bounds for a scan that you " Create ."

Cloud name: A string added to the scan's " Name " by which it is listed in the Point Cloud Manager window. In the example above, the to-be-created scan will be called "Limited-volume: Cloud name : east corner."

Cloud description: A string added to the scan's " Name " by which it is listed in the Point Cloud Manager window. In the example above, the to-be-created scan will be called "Limited-volume: Cloud name: east corner ."

Lower elevation: 0 or a +/- distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This defines the lower boundary of the selection you make when you " Create " a point cloud scan. Points beyond the upper and lower boundaries will not be included in the to-be-created scan.

Upper elevation: 0 or a +/- distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This defines the upper boundary of the selection you make when you " Create " a point cloud scan. Points beyond the upper and lower boundaries will not be included in the to-be-created scan.

" OK " closes the Cloud Properties window and applies the choices you made to it.

" Cancel " ends the " Create " operation without generating a point cloud scan.

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  The Point Cloud E57 Options and Transform Point Cloud windows

X translation: 0 or a +/- distance (in the primary dimension " Units " or other units ). This option can be used to adjust the global X axis coordinate of the point cloud. If you " Auto translate to origin ( )," this option is disabled -- grayed out .

Entering a positive distance results in that amount being added to the X coordinate information that is in the E57 file.

Entering a negative distance results in that amount being subtracted from the X coordinate information in the file.

Y translation: Same as " X translation ," except that the translation will be done with respect to the global Y axis .

Z translation: Same as " X translation ," except that the translation will be done with respect to the global Z axis . You should only use Z translation if you want the point cloud to be brought to a higher or lower elevation.

Auto translate to origin: or .

When this box is checked ( ), The coordinates of the point cloud scans is adjusted automatically so that an appropriate amount is added or subtracted from the X-, Y-, and Z-axes when the point cloud is imported in order to insert the cloud proximate to the 0,0,0 global coordinate. Check this when, for example, a point cloud's origin is based on a survey benchmark that is at a great distance from the scanned objects.

When the box is not checked ( ), The " X... ," " Y... ," and " Z translation " options are enabled.

Rotation (degrees) : X and/or Y and/or Z rotations can be entered.

Plan View Isometric   Elevation Views
Tip: To tell which global axis is which in a particular Modeling view, you can add an axes box to your toolbar.

These are global axes . For example, the Z axis is the elevation axis. It is oriented vertically.

Entering a positive number of degrees to " X " or " Y " or " Z " rotates the point cloud counterclockwise about that axis. A negative number rotates it clockwise about the axis.

" OK " closes the transform window and applies the choices you made to it.

" Cancel " ends the " Import New File " (or " Transform ") operation without generating (or regenerating) any point cloud scans.

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