Use data obtained from LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scanning to create point cloud objects in AutoCAD Civil 3D.
The LiDAR technology is used to obtain the terrain elevation data. Airborne and terrestrial LiDAR sensors are used for scanning the earth surface. The resulting data is stored in files called point clouds. A point cloud is a collection of 3D data that represents ground, vegetation, building models, water, and other natural and man-made objects.
Point cloud data is commonly stored in binary LAS (.las), text ASCII XYZ (.xyz), and a number of other file formats. The LAS format is a public file format for point cloud data exchange and is a standard established by ASPRS ().
In AutoCAD Civil 3D, you can stylize the point cloud data using the LiDAR classification scheme to filter data on more specific features of the scanned area. The following table lists the default LAS classification values according to the ASPRS LAS specification:
| 0 | Created, never classified |
| 1 | Unclassified |
| 2 | Ground |
| 3 | Low Vegetation |
| 4 | Medium Vegetation |
| 5 | High Vegetation |
| 6 | Building |
| 7 | Low Point (noise) |
| 8 | Model Key-point (mass point) |
| 9 | Water |
| 10 | Reserved for ASPRS Definition |
| 11 | Reserved for ASPRS Definition |
| 12 | Overlap Points |
| 13-31 | Reserved for ASPRS Definition |