To theme point clouds

Point Cloud Themes allow you to compare point cloud distributions by elevation, classification, single color, intensity, elevation and intensity together, or the direction that a face is pointing. Adjust point size and density for point cloud data using application options.

  1. Click to open the Point Cloud Themes Palette.
  2. Click (Add a New Theme).
  3. In the Theme Parameters groups, do the following:
    • Enter a name for the theme.
    • Select an analysis type. For details, see the "Advanced Tips" section below.
    • Indicate the Number of Rules.

      A higher number of rules results in a smoother transition between colors.

  4. If you are theming by elevation or classification, under Color Range, select a predefined Palette Type or specify the Color From and Color To settings.

    If you specify the beginning and end colors, InfraWorks 360 creates a color ramp between the first color in the theme (Color From) and the Color To selection. The Preview area displays the color ramp.

  5. To change any individual color in the theme, double-click its color bar and specify a different color.

Advanced Tips

The following analysis types are available:

Normal

The term “normal” refers to the direction that a face is pointing, orthogonal to its surface. The direction of the normal indicates the front, or outer surface of the face. Since an individual point cloud “point” doesn’t really have a face, the normal for each point in a point cloud is derived from other points that have a planar relationship with that point (for example, the points in a wall.)

The Normal theme shows which points are aligned by displaying colors assigned to the X, Y, Z values associated with the direction of the normal for the point.

You cannot specify the colors for this type of theme.
Elevation Themes by height. Minimum and maximum values are determined automatically, based on the point cloud data. You can adjust them if needed.
Single Color If you select Single Color, no further options are available.
Classification Themes by the classification IDs in the point cloud's associated data. This option is available only if the point cloud has been classified.
Intensity Themes by intensity of points in the point cloud data (normalized intensity values).
Elevation + Intensity Themes by intensity of points in the point cloud data and associated height values. These themes will typically use different colors than the elevation theme because saturation is different with the addition of the intensity.