Point Cloud Academy Archive - Pointcab

How to import your point cloud into Origins from Trimble X9

Freddie — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 13:43:42 +0000

HOW TO IMPORT YOUR POINT CLOUD FROM TRIMBLE X9 INTO ORIGINS

Struggling to import your point clouds from your Trimble X9 laser scanner into PointCab Origins?
Don’t worry, we’ll fix that with one setting.

Empty results from X9 point cloud data in Origins?

What’s the cause of the problem?

Trimble scans contain empty rows and columns, creating a “checkerboard pattern” in the data.

This can cause points to be removed by the neighborhood filter, which eliminates points that are too far apart.

Don’t worry, we’ll fix that now!

Easy fix: Change your import settings

How to change the settings?

Select the desired e57 scans.
Go to “Advanced“ → “Single point filter distance” and set the value to 0.0.

The result:

Fixed!

With the correct settings, the data from the Trimble X9 scanner is displayed properly.

In both the standard top view and the panorama, everything now appears as it should.

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How to Work with Georeferenced Point Clouds in Archicad

Nicole — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:41:13 +0000

Point in Case

How to Work with Georeferenced Point Clouds in Archicad

Contents

The Questions that sparked this Post
What Is Georeferencing – And Why It Matters in Archicad
The Challenge: Large Coordinates vs. Modeling Performance
The “Trick”: Temporary Translation Instead of Permanent Transformation
Bonus Tip: Forgot Your Transformation Settings?

Real-world support cases explained – one point cloud at a time.

In this series, we take a closer look at real questions and challenges that come up when working with point cloud data. Each post is based on an actual support case and breaks down what happened, why it happened, and how to solve it, step by step.

But we don’t stop at troubleshooting. Along the way, we explain the background behind the tools, terms, and technologies involved.

The Questions that sparked this Post

A user asked us a great question:

Is there a way to reverse the transformation applied to a project in Origins, especially if I want to maintain georeferencing for modeling in Archicad?

She mentioned seeing a “trick” referenced in one of our webinars, but couldn’t find it again. Since this topic comes up regularly – especially with BIM workflows – here’s a detailed guide for anyone modeling in Archicad with georeferenced point clouds.

What Is Georeferencing – And Why It Matters in Archicad

Before diving straight into our solution, a little background info on georeferencing might be in order:

Georeferencing is the process of aligning spatial data (like point clouds) with real-world geographic coordinates, such as UTM or Gauß-Krüger systems. When a point cloud is georeferenced, every data point corresponds to a precise location on Earth. This is critical in AEC workflows for aligning scan data with GIS, survey data, or construction site coordinates.

In theory, this georeferenced data should integrate seamlessly into CAD or BIM software. But in practice, large coordinate values (often in the millions) can break things.

The Challenge: Large Coordinates vs. Modeling Performance

Point clouds in georeferenced coordinate systems often contain large values far from the origin (0,0,0). CAD tools like Archicad and Revit don’t handle these large coordinates gracefully. This can lead to:

Laggy or unresponsive modeling
Display glitches
Broken geometry or snapping issues
Inaccurate scaling or alignment

So how do you preserve georeferencing and maintain smooth modeling in Archicad?

The "Trick": Temporary Translation Instead of Permanent Transformation

Here’s how to maintain georeferencing while still working in a performant local coordinate system:

1. Avoid Full Alignment with Rotation
When transforming your project in Origins, don’t use full rotation/alignment unless absolutely necessary. Instead, use the Align Tool to apply a translation – a shift in position and rotation around the Z-axis. The rotations around the X and Y axes should be avoided. Enter these parameters as the Survey Point in Archicad.

Pro tip: Use round, memorable shift values.
Example: If the original X coordinate is 3,500,357.000, shift it to 0 or another clean number to simplify your local modeling.

2. Document the Shift

PointCab Origins automatically stores transformation values in the Align Protocol. Take a screenshot or note the exact shift values, so you can later reverse the transformation. These values will be crucial when re-georeferencing the model.

3. Model in Archicad Locally
Now that your point cloud is positioned near the origin, you can safely and efficiently model in Archicad. Performance improves, and modeling tools behave as expected – without distortion caused by large coordinates.

4. Re-Apply Georeferencing for Export
After modeling, reverse the initial translation.
This brings your model back to its true georeferenced location, ensuring your IFC, DWG, or BCF exports are correctly aligned in the real world

Bonus Tip: Forgot Your Transformation Settings?

No worries. Origins allows you to:

Create an Align transformation but not apply it right away. This shows you what changes would be made — which you can then reverse.
Alternatively, applying the same transformation twice can sometimes restore the original state (especially for pure translations).

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One Scan, 900 Files?!

Nicole — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 09:00:25 +0000

Point in Case

One Scan, 900 Files?!

Contents

The Question That Sparked This Post
Structured vs. Unstructured Point Clouds
What Origins Is Actually Doing
What the User Saw
How do I handle this?
Final Thoughts

Real-world support cases explained – one point cloud at a time.

But we don’t stop at troubleshooting. Along the way, we explain the background behind the tools, terms, and technologies involved.

The Question That Sparked This Post

“I imported just one scan… why do I have over 900 files now?”

If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and no, PointCab isn’t secretly duplicating your data. This exact situation came up in a recent support case, and it gave us the perfect opportunity to explain what’s really going on behind the scenes.

Our customer imported a single E57 scan exported from Riegl’s RiSCANpro into PointCab Origins. The result:

Over 900 .lsd files created
More than 700 tiles visible in the Top View
And this was just one scan from a 30-scan project

The scan didn’t seem huge, so where did all those files come from? Let’s just say: it’s not a bug – it’s a feature. And a smart one at that.

The Key Context: Structured vs. Unstructured Point Clouds

Before diving into what happened, it helps to understand how point clouds are stored and why that matters when you import them into PointCab Origins.

Structured Point Clouds

Come directly from scanners in their native formats
Include metadata like scan positions and orientations
Organized into scan stations or lines, each with a defined perspective
Ideal for clean segmentation and accurate scan-to-scan alignment

Structured Point Clouds

Formats like E57, LAS, or LAZ (especially when exported generically)
Contain just the point data – no scan position, no segmentation
All points are merged into a single cloud, with no “origin story”
Often include stray points far outside the area of interest

Unstructured formats are great for software compatibility and flexibility, but they don’t tell the full story. That means software like Origins needs to rebuild structure to make the data usable. We explain this in more detail in our webinar on Structured vs. Unstructured Point Clouds, including why this difference affects file handling and performance.

What Origins Is Actually Doing

Now with this info in mind, let’s get back to the case at hand.

Origins doesn’t just render point clouds – it structures them so you can work with them efficiently.

Here’s what happens during import:

Origins breaks the entire point cloud into a 3D grid of cubes, known as an octree.
Each cube becomes a separate .lsd file, whether it contains thousands of points or just one.
These cubes are the foundation for views like the Top View, Section Views, and more.
If even one point lies far away from the main area, Origins generates all the intermediate cubes between that point and the rest of the data.

It’s kind of like paving a road to a remote cabin. You can’t just teleport there. Every step along the way needs to exist so the full path is usable.

What the User Saw

To understand the issue, we loaded the scan and pressed “B” in the Top View to toggle tile boundaries. The view showed:

A scan area stretching around 500 meters wide
And approximately 350 meters tall

So while the actual structure being scanned may have been compact, stray points – likely captured by the long-range scanner – extended the dataset much farther. And every bit of that range had to be included in the cube structure.

Is this a Problem and if so, how do I handle this?

Is this a problem? Not really.
Origins handles large numbers of .lsd files efficiently. Most of them are very small in size, and they don’t slow down performance unless the scan range is extremely large or your hardware is struggling.

That said, a tighter Region of Interest can improve load times and keep your project folder cleaner, especially if you’re working with multiple scan areas or collaborating with others.

If you prefer a leaner project folder or faster loading times, you can reduce the number of files by tightening your import area:
Import your scans into Origins as usual.

Use the point cloud export tool to select a focused Region of Interest.
Export just that area as a new point cloud.
Re-import the reduced file into a new PointCab project.

This keeps your file count – and disk space – under control while preserving all the data you actually need.

Final Thoughts

When a single scan suddenly turns into hundreds of files, it’s not Origins misbehaving – it’s Origins doing the hard work of organizing your data so you can actually use it.

If you’re ever unsure what’s going on behind the scenes, or want help optimizing your workflow, our support team is always happy to help. And if you want to better understand structured vs. unstructured data, check out our webinar on the topic.

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Der Beitrag One Scan, 900 Files?! erschien zuerst auf Pointcab.

How Accurate Is My Laser Scanner Really? – A Practical Evaluation Using Point Cloud Software

Nicole — Wed, 14 May 2025 11:40:07 +0000

How Accurate Is My Laser Scanner Really?

A Practical Evaluation Using Point Cloud Software

Nicole
May 14, 2025
1:40 pm

Inhalt

Objective
Indoor Test
Analysis with Origins
Outdoor Test
CloudCompare
Conclusion

As part of a student project at HTW Dresden, Jannes, a student of Geomatics, set out to answer a key question: How accurate is the Lixel L2 Pro mobile laser scanner from XGRIDS really? Together with Laserscanning Europe, he developed a comprehensive testing setup to evaluate the absolute geometric accuracy of the scanner in both indoor and outdoor environments. The tools PointCab Origins and CloudCompare played a central role in analysis, visualization, and validation.

Objective:
Reliable Accuracy Through Comparison and Validation

The project investigated:

Indoor and outdoor precision of the L2 Pro
Comparison with a FARO Focus as a reference device
Influence of control points (GCPs) on accuracy
Point cloud comparison using CloudCompare
Distance and section analyses with PointCab Origins

The main question:
Does the scanner meet the ±3 cm accuracy claimed by the manufacturer – and under what conditions?

Indoor Test:
Controlled Conditions for Clear Results

In a hall at HTW Dresden, the L2 Pro was tested first without, then with, four control points. Faro checkerboard targets with known 3D coordinates were used to calculate spatial distances.

Results:

Without control points: Ø 9.2 mm deviation
With control points: Ø 5.3 mm deviation
Accuracy improvement through GCPs: ≈ 4 mm

Vertical accuracy – often problematic with mobile scanners – was also analyzed. In contrast to the smaller K1, the L2 Pro showed no significant vertical deviations, even in critical zones.

Analysis with PointCab Origins:
More Than Just Visualization

For evaluation, Jannes used PointCab Origins – especially for:

Section views
Distance measurements
Elevation differences

In several sections at 5 mm resolution, barely any deviations were found between the L2 Pro cloud and the FARO reference. Only at highly reflective surfaces (e.g., ventilation ducts), deviations of up to 2.9 cm appeared – still within specification.

Sebastian Zell, managing director of a Berlin-based specialist in architectural surveying, also underlines the importance of PointCab Origins for quality assurance:

“We use PointCab Origins to reliably and visually verify whether our point clouds are correctly registered – especially on large-scale projects.”

PointCab Origins proved invaluable in this project too: the software enables users to identify deviations at a glance – a key advantage for safe handover to CAD or BIM.

Watch the related video (GERMAN):
👉 Die perfekte Registrierung – Interview 1/3 | Punktwolken Software, Zielmarken, 3D-Laserscanner

Outdoor Test:
Accuracy in Real-World Conditions

A 600 m loop was scanned using the L2 Pro to evaluate how the distribution of GCPs (Ground Control Points – permanently surveyed points in the field) affected results:

Scenario 1: GCP spacing < 100 m
→ RMSE horizontal: 2.6 cm | vertical: 0.4 cm
Scenario 2: GCP spacing > 100 m
→ RMSE horizontal: 3.2 cm | vertical: 1.2–1.5 cm
Scenario 3: Poorly distributed GCPs
→ RMSE vertical: up to 14 cm

Conclusion: a strategic and dense placement of GCPs is essential for overall accuracy – especially for mobile scanners using SLAM technology.

CloudCompare: Making the Numbers Visible

CloudCompare was also used alongside PointCab Origins to:

Directly compare point clouds (Cloud-to-Cloud Distance)
Visualize deviations using color mapping
Distinguish differences in mm and cm ranges

Result: The L2 Pro point cloud stayed well below the 3 cm tolerance across large areas, often under 1.5 cm – confirming its suitability for precise as-built documentation.

Conclusion:
Quality Requires Verification – And the Right Tools

The project clearly shows: modern scanners like the L2 Pro can produce highly accurate results with the right workflow. But it’s only through tools like PointCab Origins and CloudCompare that the true reliability of the data becomes clear and measurable.

PointCab Origins offers:

Visual validation via intuitive section views
Direct distance and elevation comparisons
Confidence before CAD or BIM handover

If you aim for precision, you must not only capture your data – but verify it.

Want to keep up with the latest pointCab news?

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As-built – what does it mean?

Nicole — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 13:17:26 +0000

AS-BUILT – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Contents

As-built documentation vs. construction drawing –
what is the difference?

Starting as early as possible:
Documentation of construction progress

How is as-built documentation created?

“As-built” – anyone involved in architecture and the construction industry will sooner or later come across this term. It is almost always linked with documentation. But what does as-built documentation actually comprise? How is it created and what is it needed for? There is no legal or regularitory definition of the term. Even within the industry, there may be different opinions when it comes to the definition and scope of a as-built documentation. Despite this, or rather precisely because of this, we will try to clarify all the questions surrounding as-built documentation in this article.

As-built documentation vs. construction drawing - what is the difference?

As-built documentation is documentation of the actual state of a building or construction project. A construction drawing, on the other hand, shows the planned state of a project. Anyone who has already been involved in a construction project knows that there can be considerable differences between the planning and the result. In order to obtain realistic documentation of the project, it is necessary to carry out as-built documentation in addition to the construction drawing.

Starting as early as possible: Documentation of construction progress

So does it make sense to simply create as-built documentation after the project is finished? Of course, the finished project should be fully documented. However, it is even better to start much earlier. Especially with larger projects, it is advisable to document the various stages of the construction progress. There are several reasons for this. On the one hand, it allows all those involved to be kept up to date on the progress of construction.

Even more important, however, is the reconciliation with the construction drawing and the planning. This allows potential complications to be identified at an early stage and rescheduled accordingly. After each construction stage, costs can be adjusted if necessary, new permits obtained, materials replaced, the structural analysis calculated and much more. This makes it easier to avoid nasty surprises and cost explosions.

Of course, final as-built documentation should also be carried out after the project has been completed and it is also worth recording existing structures. This is because subsequent conversion measures or installations can be planned and carried out on the basis of the as–built documentation. It also provides important information for disaster control and emergency services if required.

How is as-built documentation created?

The purpose of as-built documentation is clear so far. The next question that now arises is how it is actually created and what exactly it should contain. Regardless of whether the construction progress is to be documented or a project that has already been completed, the first step is to take measurements. Nowadays, depending on the size of the project, this is done using laser scanning and/or drone flights.

If you work with a laser scanner, it puts out a point cloud that must first be processed and evaluated using special software. Point clouds can also be generated from drone flights using special software such as Pix4D. Our Origins software can be used to quickly create sections, floor plans and much more from the point cloud data. The processed data can then be imported into the CAD system, where a model of the project is created.

But a reality capture and a simple 3D model are often not sufficient for as-built documentation. Depending on the requirements, further information must be included in the documentation and there is also a lot to consider when creating the 3D model.

For instance, the level of detail, or LOD for short, plays an important role in 3D modelling. For example, should the valves of water systems be modelled down to the smallest detail or is it sufficient to roughly represent them in the correct position and orientation? Such questions should already be clarified and discussed with the modeller before the documentation is created. The modeller can determine in a personal conversation which LOD level is required for your project. There is no industry standard for the accuracy of as-built documentation. This is not least due to the fact that a higher degree of accuracy is associated with additional costs, which of course one does not want to bear if it is not needed for the project in question.

Another point that must be taken into account is additional information. For example, should the material of the floor, doors, windows, etc. also be documented? Which window model is used? Should invoices and static certificates be stored? These questions must also be clarified and the scope must be determined before preparing as-built documentation.

Ultimately, the scope and accuracy of as-built documentation always depends on your individual requirements. In general, however, it can be said that at least a rough digital reality capture by means of laser scanning is always useful.This way, errors can be avoided in the construction phase and possible subsequent construction work can be implemented more easily.

Do you have any further questions about as-built documentation or point cloud evaluation?
Then write to usor call us under: +4971539295930.

Our support team will be happy to advise you!

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What are point clouds?

Nicole — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 08:14:33 +0000

WHAT ARE POINT CLOUDS?

Here’s an easy-to-understand introduction to the topic of point clouds. We answer the following questions:
Basics: What is a point cloud and how is it created?
What are point clouds used for?
How to work with point clouds?
Point cloud registration
Importing, processing, and passing on point cloud data

Basics: What is a point cloud and how is it created?

A point cloud can best be explained with the help of a gadget that reached the peak of its popularity in the 00s and is now primarily used for presentations: the laser pointer. The laser pointer can be used to illuminate a precise point in a straight line. If you know exactly where the laser pointer is located in the room, you can also exactly locate the point that is being illuminated. After all, the laser beam is straight as a die and thus makes it possible to calculate the exact position of the point in space in relation to the origin (the laser pointer). Geodetic points in surveying are also measured according to this basic principle, only it’s a little more complex. Instead of a laser pointer, special tachymeters are used for this purpose.

And what does this have to do with point clouds? Quite simple. In addition to total stations, laser scanners have been used more and more frequently for surveying in recent years. These also work in the same way as our laser pointer, except that they can measure thousands or even millions of points simultaneously.

Taken together, all the measured points constitue the point cloud. They contain an incredible amount of information because every single point in the point cloud has its own X, Y, and Z coordinates. If we scan a staircase with a laser scanner, for example, we can use the resulting point cloud to determine exactly how straight the individual steps are, where the steps are worn and how high the deviation from the construction standard is. Accordingly, laser scanners and the point clouds they produce are always used when you want to accurately document existing structures, for example to digitize, measure or modify them.

What are point clouds used for?

For the design and optimization of production parts, for example in the automotive industry, very high-resolution hand-held scanners are usually used. They can capture even the smallest details and deviations. This allows a digital twin to be created on the PC. With the help of the twin, new prototypes can then be created and improvements digitally simulated and tested.

In the construction industry and as-built documentation of buildings, various scanners are used. Depending on the object, mostly terrestrial or mobile laser scanners, sometimes even drones. They are used to scan buildings for a variety of reasons, e.g. to plan an extension or renovation, to optimally position new equipment in production buildings, or to document the construction progress of various building projects.

These are just a few examples of applications. Point clouds are used wherever objects need to be precisely captured and digitized. Depending on the area of application, different laser scanners are used. They can produce different accuracies and point cloud sizes.

How to work with point clouds?

How to work with point clouds depends above all on what goal you are pursuing. As already mentioned, different laser scanners are used for different areas of application. The same applies to the software used to evaluate the point clouds. Our software solution, Origins, for example, is mainly used when existing buildings or landscape structures are to be digitally captured.

Regardless of which hardware and software solutions are used, there is an important step between the acquisition and the evaluation of the point cloud data: the registration.

Point Cloud Registration

During registration, individual scans or individual “sections” that were captured with the laser scanner are merged into a point cloud. If you want to register a complete building, for example, you often set up the laser scanner in the different rooms and scan them. Of course, in the end, you don’t only want to have individual scans of the different rooms. You prefer simply one large point cloud in which all the scans are available and linked together. To achieve this, you have to register the scans.

Behind the registration usually stands a rather complicated mathematical process. The accuracy of the data produced by the registration depends on how well the laser scanner captured the environment on site and how reliable the registration software used is.

Fortunately, this process has become easier and easier in recent years. If you use a mobile laser scanner, for example, you often no longer have to make individual scans. You can simply walk through or around the object with the scanner. With this type of scanner, registration is also usually fully automatic and provided together with the hardware. The user does not need much know-how. The disadvantage here, however, is that mobile laser scanners are currently often not able to deliver as precise results as terrestrial laser scanners, i.e. scanners that are set up stationary and take individual scans one after the other.

There are different methods to register a point cloud. The best known are cloud-to-cloud registration, target-based registration, or plane-to-plane registration. Which method to use depends on many different factors, e.g. the laser scanner used, the desired accuracy, or your own preferences. Especially for newcomers, it is, therefore, advisable to have the scanning and registration carried out by experts. They not only register the point cloud but also “clean” it in most cases during the registration process. This means, for example, that duplicate scans or “noisy” areas of the point cloud are removed or the point cloud is professionally “thinned out” to reduce the file size.

Importing, processing, and passing on point cloud data

If you receive registered point cloud data, there is usually one more stumbling block to overcome before you can take measurements and create digital 3D models from the data – importing the data.

There is not just one file format for point clouds. In general, each laser scanner works with its own file format. Different software for processing are often using their own formats as well. As a result, there is hardly any software that can import all native file formats from the different laser scanners and processing software. We are very proud that our Origins (Pro) software can read and import over 25 different point cloud formats and export over 20 different formats (point cloud formats and others). However, even though we provide one of the greatest diversities on the market, it still doesn’t represent all native data formats. So what is the best way to deal with the different file formats?

Open exchange formats such as .las, .laz, .e57 or .xyz offer a solution to this problem. These file formats were developed by independent parties to solve the problem of data transfers. The .e57 format in particular has virtually become the industry standard. Almost all registration software of the laser scanner manufacturers can output the format and processing software for point clouds can also read the format. Therefore, in most cases, the surveyor will hand over the point cloud in .e57 format.

The disadvantage here is that the .e57 format, in contrast to the native formats, is less well compressed. Therefore it requires more storage capacity in comparison. However, the large amounts of data are normally no problem for point cloud software. After all, they were developed specifically for the processing and evaluation of point clouds. They can be used to carry out measurements and other evaluations. With Origins for example, you can also create automatic floor plans that can be vectorized and much more.

However, if you want to create a 3D model from the point cloud, you need to employ a BIM or CAD software. These were not originally developed to handle point cloud data. Accordingly, many of these software still have major problems processing the data. Some CAD software, such as Autodesk Revit or AutoCAD, cannot read .e57 or other common point cloud formats. In order to use these software, the data must be converted again into the Autodesk formats .rcp or .rcs. Other CAD software cannot read point cloud data at all or can only import small amounts of data at once, which means that the point cloud has to be “split” again and imported in parts. These are all very tedious and time-consuming tasks.

To avoid this effort, the data is often first pre-processed in a point cloud software and then further processed in the CAD software. For example, Origins (Pro) can be used to create floor plans and vector lines, which can then be transferred to the CAD software in the correct position and with all the important 3D information in .dfx or .dwg format. These formats can be processed by almost any CAD software and require much less storage capacity than the entire point cloud. Of course, there are now also plugins for the most common CAD software that can transfer the 3D information from the point cloud software directly to the CAD software.

In conclusion, it can be seen that the acquisition and processing of point clouds, right up to the creation of a 3D model, still requires a great deal of expertise and know-how. Especially the amount of data and the data exchange between the different systems is still a challenge. Fortunately, a lot has already been done in recent years to simplify this process, also known as scan-to-BIM. We are also working every day to be able to import more data formats into our software and to simplify the handling so that even beginners can work with point clouds.

Questions?

Would you like to find out more about point clouds or our Software in a personal meeting or do you have another request?
Here you can find the right contact person directly.

TALK TO AN EXPERT

Just fill out the form below and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Der Beitrag What are point clouds? erschien zuerst auf Pointcab.

Point Clouds in BricsCAD

Nicole — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 10:49:05 +0000

EASY POINT CLOUD MODELING IN BRICSCAD

Point clouds in BricsCAD? Easy as can be with our new 4Brics plugin.

Nicole
June 8, 2021
12:49 pm

PointCab 4Brics - Why a BricsCAD point cloud plugin?

As you may know, we already developed point cloud plugins for Revit and Archicad. Now, we are happy to announce that we have also developed a plugin that will simplify the modeling of point clouds in BricsCAD. The decision to develop a BricsCAD plugin was an easy one. For months, more and more customers approached us and asked for us to develop a BricsCAD solution. Those who know our team know that we always try to implement customer requests as quickly as possible and try to respond to all requests. So it’s not surprising that we got to work right after the first requests came in.

How was the plugin developed?

We are developers and point cloud professionals. We are not BricsCAD experts and we openly admit to that. This is the reason why, when developing our BricsCAD plugin, we did what we always do in such cases – consult the expertise of our customers. Therefore we spent months studying the BricsCAD software and the workflow of our BricsCAD users. Special mention must be made here of Sebastian Zell, who has been massively involved in all stages of development, from conception to beta testing. The result is a plugin that perfectly matches the workflow of our BricsCAD customers and the architecture of the BricsCAD software.

What can the plugin do and how are point clouds modeled in BricsCAD with it?

Our 4Brics plugin helps you to transfer 3D information from Origins to BricsCAD in the correct position and in real-time. This way you don’t have to export the entire point cloud or individual orthophotos first and then import them into BricsCAD. As already mentioned, we have adapted our plugin to the architecture and structure of the BricsCAD software. That is why there is the function to fix axes. In principle, single or multiple axes can be fixed, depending on what is needed at the moment. For example, the x and y-axis can be fixed if heights are to be determined. Measurements are generally made with the 3D point tool in Origins. No matter whether lines, surfaces, or individual objects from your own templates are to be transferred – simply click on the desired element in Origins and it will be transferred to BricsCAD in the correct position. As usual, the 3D point tool can be used in the standard views, layouts & sections, or panoramic views. No matter which view you use, the information from the point cloud is always transferred correctly to BricsCAD. In addition to the transfer of 3D point cloud data, we have also implemented other functions that make your work in BricsCAD easier. For example, our multilines tool allows you to create several individual lines one after the other without interruption. Preparing your data for other CAD software is also done with just a few clicks. For example, you can transfer the data from your user coordinate system to the world coordinate system or flatten the heights. This way the data can also be read into CAD software like Revit or ArchiCAD.

If you want to learn more, take a look at our overview video or visit our online shop.

Der Beitrag Point Clouds in BricsCAD erschien zuerst auf Pointcab.

PointCab Origins 4.0 – a Review

Nicole — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 13:11:24 +0000

PointCab Origins 4.0 – A Review

Karol Argasińsk: BIM Manager and freelance surveyor

On April 07, 2021 we officially released our new Origins 4.0 version. One week before, on March 31 our developers presented in a webinar what the new version has to offer.

Karol Argasiński, a long-time PointCab user and beta tester, took this opportunity to write a review of our new version for Lidar News. Read his take on the update here.

Of course, you can decide for yourself what you think of Origins 4.0

In this in-depth webinar, our developers show you the most important changes we’ve made to the new version. You can find all the features listed on our changelog.

Der Beitrag PointCab Origins 4.0 – a Review erschien zuerst auf Pointcab.

Point Cloud Academy Archive - Pointcab

How to import your point cloud into Origins from Trimble X9

HOW TO IMPORT YOUR POINT CLOUD FROM TRIMBLE X9 INTO ORIGINS

Empty results from X9 point cloud data in Origins?

Easy fix: Change your import settings

The result:

Want to keep up with the latest pointCab news?

How to Work with Georeferenced Point Clouds in Archicad

Point in Case

How to Work with Georeferenced Point Clouds in Archicad

The Questions that sparked this Post

What Is Georeferencing – And Why It Matters in Archicad

The Challenge: Large Coordinates vs. Modeling Performance

The "Trick": Temporary Translation Instead of Permanent Transformation

Bonus Tip: Forgot Your Transformation Settings?

Want to keep up with the latest pointCab news?

One Scan, 900 Files?!

Point in Case

One Scan, 900 Files?!

The Question That Sparked This Post

The Key Context: Structured vs. Unstructured Point Clouds

What Origins Is Actually Doing

What the User Saw

Is this a Problem and if so, how do I handle this?

Final Thoughts

Want to keep up with the latest pointCab news?

How Accurate Is My Laser Scanner Really? – A Practical Evaluation Using Point Cloud Software

How Accurate Is My Laser Scanner Really?

A Practical Evaluation Using Point Cloud Software

Objective: Reliable Accuracy Through Comparison and Validation

Indoor Test: Controlled Conditions for Clear Results

Analysis with PointCab Origins: More Than Just Visualization

Outdoor Test: Accuracy in Real-World Conditions

CloudCompare: Making the Numbers Visible

Conclusion: Quality Requires Verification – And the Right Tools

Want to keep up with the latest pointCab news?

As-built – what does it mean?

AS-BUILT – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

As-built documentation vs. construction drawing - what is the difference?

Starting as early as possible: Documentation of construction progress

How is as-built documentation created?

What are point clouds?

WHAT ARE POINT CLOUDS?

Basics: What is a point cloud and how is it created?

What are point clouds used for?

How to work with point clouds?

Point Cloud Registration

Importing, processing, and passing on point cloud data

Questions?

TALK TO AN EXPERT

Point Clouds in BricsCAD

EASY POINT CLOUD MODELING IN BRICSCAD

Point clouds in BricsCAD? Easy as can be with our new 4Brics plugin.

PointCab 4Brics - Why a BricsCAD point cloud plugin?

How was the plugin developed?

What can the plugin do and how are point clouds modeled in BricsCAD with it?

PointCab Origins 4.0 – a Review

PointCab Origins 4.0 – A Review

Objective:
Reliable Accuracy Through Comparison and Validation

Indoor Test:
Controlled Conditions for Clear Results

Analysis with PointCab Origins:
More Than Just Visualization

Outdoor Test:
Accuracy in Real-World Conditions

Conclusion:
Quality Requires Verification – And the Right Tools