New Project Wizard

Start PointFuse and select Create New Project.

The wizard can import a point cloud, create a mesh model, and convert that to a classified mesh model.

When the wizard finishes, you see the results in the viewport and in the Project Explorer on the left.

Workflow Selection

 

 

  1. Select a workflow (the option you chose determines how many of the subsequent steps you do):
  • Point Cloud
    View the point cloud to crop out a segment and/or test different mesh creation settings.

You can do the other steps later, from the Workflow Wizard .

  • Visualization
    Create a mesh model to visualize your point cloud data more easily. A point cloud is created in the project so that you can view it.

This workflow includes the option to Export mesh models from the wizard.

  • Digital Construction
    Create a classified mesh model, a recommended step for coordination and as-built modelling workflows. It imports the point cloud, creates a mesh, applies your classification template and runs an auto-classification of large planar surfaces.
  • Space Management
    Produce an LOD 200 BIM model from your point cloud. It imports the point cloud, creates a mesh model, applies your classification template and runs an auto-classification of large planar surfaces. You will then need to perform some validation and classification before running the Space tool.
  1. Click Next.

New Project Setup - to Import Point Cloud

  1. All the workflows start with New Project Setup dialog:

  1. Specify a Project Name and optionally a Project Folder.
  • If you leave Create New Project Folder checked, it creates a subfolder in the Project Folder, called the Project Name.
  • If you uncheck it, the folder with the Project Name you specify will be created at the same level as the Project Folder.
  1. Click Next.

  2. Navigate to point cloud data in the left panel, and drag and drop to the import panel on the right. If you select multiple point clouds you can click chevron to import them into a single scan folder or double chevron to import them to a single folder. You can remove or delete point clouds and folders (and their child folders) by right clicking, and rename by selecting the name and pressing F2.
  1. You can click Transform to open a dialog to change the rotation and offset of the source point cloud and to change its units (except for LAS or LAZ files) or Transform All to apply the same set of transformations to all of them.

The Units are those used when the point cloud was created, not the units in your PointFuse project.

Note: For LGS import, you also get the option to define which UCS to use when importing the file. Note that the option can’t be changed once imported.

  1. To combine multiple point clouds into a single scan, import them in the same folder and check Unify Point Clouds.

  1.  Click Next or Finish, depending which workflow you chose.
    If Finish, you can do other steps later, from the Workflow Wizard .

       

Create a Mesh Model - to Visualize Point Cloud and Optionally Export It

  1. The point cloud is listed in the Create Mesh Model dialog, with options to select resolution to match the source data.

  2. Choose a Scanner Type and Level of Detail. For visualization, choose a low Level of Detail. If you are building a classified mesh model or BIM model, choose a higher one.

  3. If you selected the Visualization workflow, you can check Export Output Mesh Models.

Optional:

  • Click Advanced to configure individual processing values, using custom processing profiles. This is described in the User Guide help.

  • If the point cloud has RGB or intensity data, you can select Generate Textures and Maximum Texture Resolution. This may increase processing time.
  • Adjust the Supertile settings.
  1. Click Next or Finish, depending which workflow option you chose.
  2. If you selected the Visualization workflow and checked Export Output Mesh Models, you see the Export Option dialog:
  • Whether or not you can select and embed textures depends on the Export Type you select.
  • Use the fields in the Scene section to specify whether to Merge Surfaces and to define the Coordinate System, the Up Axis, whether to recenter the Origin, and where the Bound should be in the export.
  1. Click Finish to create and export the model.

Set up Classification - for Classified Mesh Model

  1. The dialog highlights the Building level.
    Select the Building Story to see or amend the BIM Classifications:



Optional:

  • Create the site hierarchy, with one story for each different floor elevation. For example, click a Building and select Add Story.

  • To choose a different classification template, select a story and then select Load from Template.
    If you have multiple stories, you can select Load from Template (All Stories).
    In the Template Selector dialog, select a template, optionally edit it, and click OK to return to the main wizard.

  1. Click Next or Finish, depending which workflow option you chose.

Next Steps

  1. The final page tells you to classify and merge walls, doors, and windows to layers for each building story when the wizard finishes:

  2. Click Finish.
  3. PointFuse processes the data, then displays the Wizard Complete screen.
  4. Click OK to see the classified mesh model in the viewport and the point cloud, mesh model, and classified mesh model listed in the Project Explorer.

Next Steps - Classify and Merge Surfaces

See: