Insert an indexed point cloud file into a Revit project.
An .rcp format file is a project file that groups together multiple .rcs scan files. The result of indexing a raw format file is an .rcp file and one or more .rcs files.
Note: You can use Autodesk® ReCap™ to convert scan file data (raw format) to a point cloud format that can be viewed and edited in other products, such as
Revit. For more information on Autodesk ReCap, visit
Autodesk Recap Help.
Tip: To improve performance and reduce network traffic in a worksharing environment, point clouds should be linked from a local location.
- Create a custom folder on the local workstation called PointClouds, following this example: C:\Users\Username\Documents\PointClouds.
- Because it is a relative link, when all users store a copy of the point cloud in this folder on their machine, Revit references it when loading links to a worksharing host model, even though the username differs from machine to machine.
- Open the Revit project.
- Click Insert tab
Link panel
(Point Cloud).
- Specify the file or files to link, as follows:
- For Look in, navigate to the location of the file(s).
- For Files of type, select one of the following options:
- Point Cloud Projects (*.rcp): Pick an indexed point cloud project file with .rcp extension. An .rcp is an aggregation of multiple .rcs point cloud files.
- Point Clouds (*.rcs): Pick an indexed point cloud file with .rcs extension.
- For File name, select the file(s) or specify the file name(s).
Tip: Press the Ctrl or Shift key to select multiple files.
- For Positioning, select:
- Auto - Center to Center: Revit places the center of the point cloud bounding box at the center of the bounding box of the model. If most of the model is not visible, this center point may not be visible in the current view. To make the point visible in the current view, set the zoom to Zoom View to Fit. This function centers the view on the Revit model.
- Auto - Origin to Origin: Revit places the point cloud's world origin, i.e., (0,0,0) point, at the Revit project origin that can be seen as a project base point in the site plan. If your Project North is rotated, Revit will also rotate the point cloud so that the point cloud's north direction (0,1,0) maps to the current Project North. It makes sense to use this option if your point cloud is sampled with respect to the known point and known direction in your model or on your site. Note that if you use the "Origin to Origin" option to insert a point cloud that is stored with respect to a geographical/surveyor coordinate system, it is likely that the cloud will display very far away from the rest of the model.
- Auto - By Shared Coordinates:
Revit assumes that the coordinates in the point cloud file are specified in the shared coordinate system used in your model. As a result, the point cloud origin will be placed at the origin of the shared coordinates that can be accessed through the Survey Base Point. The point cloud will be oriented so that the north direction in the cloud file (0,1,0) will be mapped to the True North of the
Revit model.
Note: By default, project origin and shared (survey) origin are in the same location. When you link a point cloud file, the end result of selecting Auto - Origin to Origin and Auto - By Shared Coordinates will be identical.
- Auto - Origin to Last Placed: Revit places the next imported point cloud consistently with the previously imported point cloud. This option becomes enabled after you insert one point cloud. You can move this first cloud, for example, to align it properly with the model elements. If you have additional point clouds created on the same site and in the same coordinate system as the first one, it is recommended to use this option to insert the additional point clouds. New point clouds will then be correctly placed with respect to the first one.
- Click Open.
Revit retrieves the current version of the point cloud file and links it to the project.
The cloud is visible in all views except drafting and schedule views.