Importing Point Cloud Data

You can import and work with large terrain files (huge clouds of points generated by a photographic scanning recorded by a plane or a drone).

The denser the cloud is, the larger the file to import is. Point cloud data can not be imported on the cloud. It can only be imported on a local file storage.

Only one representation reference for point cloud can be instantiated under a PLM Reference (product or part). When missing, the Import command handles the creation of this representation.

  1. From the top bar, select Add > Import > Import Point Cloud.
    The Import Large Cloud of Points dialog box appears.
  2. From the Point Cloud section of the action bar, click Import Point Cloud .
  3. In the Source area, select the file Format from the list (Ascii, XYZ, Lidar, PTX, PTS, E57).

    The batch import supports all these formats.

  4. In the Source box, choose whether a single file (File on disk) or all the files from a directory are to be imported (Directory on disk).
  5. Choose the Location and Filename of the file to be imported.

    You can select:

    • A single file by clicking File on disk.
    • Several files by clicking Directory on disk. All the clouds of points of this directory are imported. The directory can contain files with different source Coordinate Reference System (CRS: coordinate system in which the points are defined. CRS must be a cartesian projection system).

    A preview displays information about the point coordinates, with the lower and upper point, and the span between points. A message in red may appear indicating that the point cloud is geolocated but the Coordinate Reference System reference is missing.

  6. In the Target area, if the Context (level in which the point cloud is to be inserted) is not displayed, select it.
  7. Optional: To view the imported point cloud origin, consult the property field that indicates where the process files are located. If the files are missing or not found, open and edit the folder location manually.
  8. Optional: Click to display the CRS information.
  9. Click Import.

    The conversion process starts and can take some time.

    When the conversion process ends:

    • A new representation reference for the point cloud is added in the tree, at the same level as the 3D Shape. It contains the required information to retrieve the data stored in the directory or in the database after conversion. It cannot be UI Activated.

      When there is no parent product, the Import command aborts, and a message is displayed.

      When a read-only representation reference for the point cloud already exists, you need to create a new revision and restart the import command.

      When a writable representation reference for the point cloud already exists, it is replaced with the new one.

    • The point cloud is displayed in the 3D area. You cannot modify or activate it by double-clicking it. However, you can navigate by moving, rotating, and zooming the viewpoint at the required location as for any CAD model. In this case, the representation is part of a complete CAD structure. The large point cloud is visualized simultaneously with other CAD representations.
    • You can also measure the distance between two entities.

  10. Save your product.
    Several files have been generated on the local file system and act as a cache. When the save operation is triggered, all those files are sent to the database (if this option has been chosen). When data are opened next time, they are directly read from the cache (if present) and displayed without any additional action.
  11. To update a point cloud, relaunch the Import command in the context that already contains the PLM representation.

    When validating the import, a message prompts you to validate the replacement. The existing content of the representation is deleted and replaced by the result of the conversion of the newly selected point cloud. The previous content is lost.

    If you want to keep track of previous content, create a new version of the representation and update the content of this new version. Two versions of the point cloud exist. Choose the version you need in a given context.