There are two data types in Carlson Point Clouds. These are Instrument data and Processed data. Within each data type there are various items and objects that can be added, edited or created. These Data types and items are organized into a tree structure and each can be manipulated by right clicking to bring up a menu specific to that item type. The menu options presented when an item is right-clicked will depend on what the item is. There are several functions that are shared among multiple object types. These common functions are discussed under Data Objects. This section deals with Processed Data objects. The following data types are considered Processed Data:
Clouds can be created several ways and can contain up to one billion points when using the Pointools cloud engine.
A contour item consists of several contour polylines that have been extracted from a mesh or cloud. Contour objects can only be viewed in 3D mode. Contour objects can be drawn to the CAD engine. Contour extraction is done through the Action Tab of the project manager.
There are three kinds of point item types in Carlson Point Clouds:
Control Points and Target Points are Instrument Data and are discussed in the Instrument Data section.
Coordinate points are points extracted from the final registered data sets and are a sub-item of the Processed Data folder.
Grids are a rectangular representation of a TIN. They are created from Cloud scenes or imported. For more information about creating Grids see Create Grid under the Action Tab
Layers allow the user to control visibility and color for entities drawn in the Point Cloud scenes. For additional information see Layer Properties Manager under Common Utilities.
Meshes are used to extract profiles, sections and can be exported as TIN files for use with other Carlson modules. For more information about meshes see Meshes under Processed Data.
Planes may be created as part of the process of Contour extraction, Sections and/or Profiles. Planes may also be created by right-clicking Planes on the Project tree and selecting Add > New. Planes created from the Project Tree will need to be edited to establish location and normal direction. To edit a Plane double click it in the project tree or right-click it and select edit. Planes created by extracting data can also be edited.
Plane extraction may also be initiated by selecting Plane from the Extract Panel of the Action Tab. These planes are a best fit of cloud or scan point data based on user entered parameters.
Polylines are usually extracted from the registered data working through the Action tab, but they can also be imported or manually entered with the Import and Add commands. If you Add a polyline it will appear under Polylines in the project tree. To edit the new polyline you can double click it or right-click it and select Edit.
Polyline > Import opens the file selection dialog. Users can select TXT, PLN or CL files to import. The Edit option brings up the Polyline Editor; see the documentation on the Polyline Editor for more information.
A profile consists of a set of height values and distances taken along a polyline extracted from a cloud, scan or mesh. Profiles can be viewed in 2D and 3D mode and drawn to the CAD engine. Additionally, profiles can be extracted to the .PRO file format. Profile extraction is done through the Action Tab of the project manager.
A sections object consists of a list of profiles taken at set intervals or distances along a polyline. Section extraction is done using the Action Tab in the project manager. Sections can only be viewed in 3D mode and can also be drawn to the CAD engine. Additionally, sections can be extracted to the .SCT file format.
Scene objects maintain a list of objects that are in the scene, graphics properties for those objects, and camera information for the scene. If a scene is closed and then reopened, these properties should still be the same.