About Point Clouds
Point clouds are created by 3D scanning devices that measure a large number of points on the surface of an object. The output of the scan is a point cloud that is saved as a data file. The point cloud represents the set of points that the device has measured. Before a point cloud can be attached in Navisworks, it must first be indexed with Autodesk ReCap point cloud software. For detailed information on indexing scan files and using Autodesk ReCap, refer to the Autodesk ReCap help.
In addition to indexing, you can use ReCap to view, edit, and manage your point cloud project files.
The Navisworks Factory ribbon includes three Point Cloud related commands:
- Autodesk ReCap: Launches Autodesk ReCap to create or edit point cloud project files.
- Attach: Inserts an indexed point cloud file into the current layout.
- Real View: Controls Real View indicator and label display.
To launch ReCap, click the Autodesk ReCap command on the Factory ribbon.