To Work With Creating Point Clouds From Scan Files

Convert Scan Files to Point Clouds

Use this procedure to convert scan files to a format that can be inserted into your drawing.

1. Click Insert tab Point Cloud panel Create Point Cloud. At the Command prompt, enter POINTCLOUDINDEX.
2. In the Select Scan File dialog box, find and select one or more files that you want to use to create point clouds.

   You can choose the following formats: LAS, XYB, FLS, FWS, XYZ, TXT, ASC, PTG, PTS, PTX, CLR, and CL3.

3. In the Create Point Cloud File dialog box, enter the settings for the imported point cloud, including
   • Whether to merge the files. If you import more than one file, you can merge them by selecting Merge All Scan Files Into a Single Point Cloud.
   • Where to store the point cloud files. Under Save New Point Cloud(s), browse to the location if needed.
   • What point cloud file format to use. You can select the Autodesk format (PCG) or Ambercore (ISD).

     With PCG files, you can import such properties as color, intensity, normals, and custom attributes.

4. Click the Create (or Merge) button to start the process, which can take minutes or hours, depending on the file size.

   The dialog box is minimized, so you can continue to work while the scan is in progress.

   When the process is complete, the Status column in the table changes to "Click to Attach."

5. To attach the new point cloud file to the current drawing, do one of the following:
   • Click the "Click to Attach" message.
   • Click the link in the balloon message on the task bar.

View Status of Background Point Cloud Creation

• While point cloud creation is in process, hover the pointing device over the point cloud icon in the drawing status bar.
  

Cancel a Point Cloud Creation Process

While the raw point cloud scan files are being indexed, do one of the following:

• Right-click point cloud icon in the drawing status bar and select Cancel Point Cloud Creation.
• In the Create Point Cloud File dialog box, click Cancel.