snap to point not working in cad2009 64bit I ve seen some people saying that cloudworx works fine on their windows 64bit and acad2009.we have problem on 2 station with the same spec.vista business 64b8G RAMautocad 2009 64bcloudworx 4.we are unable to snap on the cloud points on the 2 machines.(all snap options enabled!)Even leica support tried a logmein123 session but they are baffled with the issue.they sent info to their software engineers but no news from them for a week now.Worstations are brand new, autocad 2009 works really well but no snap to cloud is really annoying as the fit to cloud option relies on it.Did someone had similar problem?thanksmatthieu

Re: Plant from a point cloud Ok, now that it's taken cloudworx as a good solution how about the sections? i mean: a sectin of a building show that the building isn't 'exaclty' perpendicular to my X-Y plan (and this is abvious, since no building is exactly perpendicular to the floor in every its elevation point..). This is odd during the recostruction of the building. If i take several sections of the cloud, then how i can 'fit' the acad-solid to the vatious sections??...i've tryed with the rulesurf, but i've noticed that autocad doesn't allow me to make a plane-section or a slice of the resulting mesh... Generaly i use solids but in these cases i think they doesn't fit well to what is the 'real' building... Pier

Re: Malaysia Business Information khayr mubarak, kullu aam wa anta bikhayr

Re: Malaysia Business Information Phil Marsh wrote:Noor Wira Masri, Is it possible we could get a mention in a small corner or your website to help promote laser scanning around the globe? Dear Phil Marsh, I already made a link to this forum at my web site...please drop by...sorry for the delay... Have a nice day everyone and Eid Mubarak.... http://www.kontraktorqualitytools.com.m ... &Itemid=86 Noor Wira Masri Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Re: Plant from a point cloud Hi Renzo, or ciao ho scaricato cloud cube, ora spero di riuscire ad usarlo. Ho iniziato il lavoro sul faro e considerato i documenti che chiedono ho la necessità di utilizzare un programma semplice e che 'si faccia capire'...l'esperienza con rapidform non è esattamente da raccomandare A presto (i've downloaded cloud-cube, now i've to try using it instead of rapidform. thanks)

LEGO Super Mario Cheats With 3D Scanner wii.jpg No doubt there are LEGO architects in the wild who consider this a horrible affront to blocksmithing, but this 29" tall Mario sculpt is obsessively well done. And we're not just using the "obsessively" adjective because the final product was photographed in front of what appear to be Super Mario Bros. wall decals from Blik, we use it because he over-teched it. The creator used a "NextEngine 3D scanner, modo and big pile of Lego" to get the job done. The final product? Awesome. In-progress pics are available, in case you're wondering exactly what a NextEngine 3D scanner is. (Formal apologies to anyone who thought this post was going to be about Traveller's Tales getting the Mario license.) Lego Mario designed using modo [Luxology Forums via Gizmodo] Article at: http://kotaku.com/5053940/lego-super-mario-cheats-with-3d-scanner

TCT Show - Ricoh Arena - 21-22nd October Hi, anyone going to the TCT Show this year?... List of exhibitors can be found at: http://www.tctmagazine.com/x/exhibitorlist.html TCTsidebar.gif cheers

Re: Hemispherical Targets for sale For anyone who was interested, these targets are now sold.ThanksMatt

Re: Field work proccess with HDS6000 Hi Bernoulli, The minimum number of targets which you need for the registration is 3. But anyway we always use more (5-8) to be sure to have enought identical points. It is not nesessary to level the instrument with the tilt sensor for every scan position. The tilt sensor is not a compensator. There is no effect to the registration!!! The tilt sensor can help you to recognize movements in the tripod or of course to level the scaner. There is no need to switch it of. The best resolution for plant scanning is "high". It gives you 50 mio points in 3.5 minutes for 360°. The goal is to be as fast as possible on side. You get a 3d point every 6 mm in a range of 10 meters. If you need more information feel fre to ask. Regards, Markus Ehm

Re: Volume computation With CloudCUBE 2009 http://www.cloud-cube.com we have introduce the new module named 3D UTILITIES. It is a set of tools that allows to manage surveys carried out with other topographic instruments (total station, GPS) and their integration with laser scanning surveys. With 3D UTILITIES, CloudCUBE proves to be a complete versatile software with useful additional tools, such as the possibility to perform advanced dimensional inquiries, compute volumes by intersection of 3D models, manage AutoCAD® layers in groups, etc. Regards, Renzo Contarini As follows you can see some screenshot of CloudCUBE 2009 volume computation commands:

Re: Any Cyclone Experts Out There? the closest I can think of is to do as before and make sure that the horizontal differance in scan control is set to the smallest it will allow and rather than putting 1 in but in the number of scan lines you want.in the attached image I set the diff to 0.0001 (dispays 0.000)

Re: Does This Type of Scanner Exist? How big are the floors? Does the scanner really need to be wheel mounted? Why? That will eat up your tolerance budget. What resolution data do you feel you need to capture the deflections? How fast do you need to move around? Is this a one-time test or will you need to repeat the scans for some reason (you mentioned needing 'repeatable measurements')? Remember - the best long range spherical scanners are at best +/-2mm at 1-sigma already and this is when tested statically in lab-like conditions. I believe this is a great application for spherical scanners. What better way to check floor flatness then with high density 3D data with tested accuracy (noise), it can be very fast, and very repeatable. And the analysis of the data is fairly simple - you simply compare to a flat plane. This is very easy with either PolyWorks, Geomagic, or Rapidform. Because of the error budget you noted, I'd recommend the Surphaser mid-range spherical scanner and a good set of targets for positional alignment (registration). The Surphaser can achieve very high accuracies - sub 1mm, very high resolution data, and it's VERY fast. No other scanner on the market achieves this quality of data this fast at this price point. But it doesn't have the range of most other scanners. It tops out at 38 m, which is why we call it a mid-range spherical scanner. We performed a related project inside of a huge C5 aircraft. We scanned the entire cargo area over 140-ft long using the Surphaser in nearly 20 positions. We coordinated all the data using targets (actually measured with a laser tracker). The data is amazingly clean, incredibly dense, and the entire scan process took less than a day. We then 'reverse engineered' this data into a highly accurate 3D CAD model, a much more extensive task then just checking for flatness. Here is a link to a detailed and graphical case study on this project: Direct Dimensions C5 Cargo Bay Scanning Project If any of this helps, I'd be glad to describe further and/or answer other questions.

Re: Riegl Z210i I am eager to see if they can sale it !

Re: Does This Type of Scanner Exist? All,Thanks for all yous replies.My comapny can do this in a more type of survey in a more traditional and conventional way, which is just as quick and easy. My post was just to see if there's is anything out there that can do this type of monitoring using modern, scanning equipment.All your replies are appreciated and if anybody thinks of anything else please post it here. I'll be checking in every now and again.RegardsPercy

Re: Any Cyclone Experts Out There? Thanks for your reply!We've actually sorted the second problem now I think by using software to analyse the spread of the data, basically making removing the problem of separating the data completely. I've also managed to get repeat scans using the script editor, like you suggested.However, by copy/pasting each scan line one on top of each other it recognises each as a seperate scan, which would have been good before, but now I want all the data displayed in one place in the modelspace. This means that the 2 second 'thinking time' between each line of the script will make the job take ages!Can you think of anyway to get the scanner to repeatedly scan the same vertical line over and over, as if it were scanning normally, but without moving the scan head horizontally?Thanks alot. Steve.

Volume computation I am writing a work about terrestrial laser scanning, and now i am stucked up with volume computation. I have faro Scene 4.5 and can find anywhere how to get volume. so please can anyone help? Because of my writing, if you have any good pic about volume computation in any point cloud software, i will be very thankful if you send it at my mmirtl@yahoo.com

Re: Any Cyclone Experts Out There? Hi SteveTo repeatly re scan the same scan line use the scripting function to repeat the FOV as many times as you need.The second issue is slightly more complicated and would envole splitting the scans in to seperated model spaces with each model space containing identical control but moved forward in a know direction then re combine the scans in a registration.If you are using Cyclone 6 you can colour each of the scan lines a different colour in the scanworld explorer.Hope this helps

Any Cyclone Experts Out There? Hi.The goal here is to be able to monitor movement using my scanner (Scanstation II) using Cyclone software. There are two key issues here.The first is finding a way to get the scanner to repeatedly re-scan the same area. Either a single point, small area or vertical line.The second, and this I feel is the most awkward, would be to have cyclone display each individual scan (ie each time it re-scan the same area) at an offset distance to the previous scan, lets say at 100mm further distance in the modelspace so that all the points aren't overlayed onto the pervious point data. Then the difference in distance between each set of scan data can be studied. I'm looking for patterns such as oscillations of position etc. Thanks for ANY help or advice.Steve.

Re: Does This Type of Scanner Exist? high accuracy around + - 2mm Its a very high accuracy to achieve Percy but good luck and please post the techniques used and possibly a snippet of the results

Re: Does This Type of Scanner Exist? Hi PhilIt is my understanding of your requirements that no kinetic system will fulfil your accuracy. and some form of static system is the only way forward, either with the use of a Laser scanner with some additional techniques (give me a call) or with the use of a laser tracker.

Re: Does This Type of Scanner Exist? To my knowledge this seems the closer thing. http://www.zf-laser.com/e_profilgebende.html Every mobile scanner I know, needs some external input to produce absolute positioned data (GPS + INS) and it is simply impossible to get that as much accurate as you require. With a laser tracker it would be possible to locate a static carriage with very high accuracy (even as high as some tens of microns) but... in-motion orientation is quite a harder problem. I guess you need high precision time stamp for point record and a fast-rate 3D tracking system... it means six absolute orientation parameters (three rotations and three center coordinates) for each shot. the problem seems very interesting and also expensive to solve. One dedicated solution for in-motion terrestrial LS is produced by Optech (Lynx) but is far from your aimed precision. Other implementations are based on regular terrestrial scanners bundled with many other sensors, but i don't know one able of your 2mm!... well, I would say it is just a matter of money. regards

Re: Does This Type of Scanner Exist? Hi Phil, if I understand you correclty you are looking for a scanner capturing data while driving around. Did you ever think about using a FARO Photon scanner, mounted on a remote controlled vehicle? A partner of FARO is offering this. Positioning is realized either via GPS (outside use) or via monitoring the vehicle with a robotic total station (inside use). For further details, please feel free to contact me. Best regards, Oliver Bürkler Tech. Product Manager, Laser Scanner FARO Europe GmbH & Co. KG oliver.buerkler@faroeurope.com

Re: Zfs Problem with Leica 6000 You can do the same in Cyclone

Re: .Zfs File reduce point try to import the data into Cyclone then use the reduce pointcloud function and put in 2 that would give you 25% of the data. or use the unifiy function and put in a figure off about the spacing you need.

Re: Zfs Problem with Leica 6000 Thank you for the attention Thorsten, but I have not the license of Z-F program and in secondI have download the program but I don't find this function for this specific problem.

Re: Zfs Problem with Leica 6000 Hi, In Z+F software, "Laser Control" it is possible to reduce double point scanning easily. If you have any further questions you could contact our support per mail. http://www.support@zf-laser.com Best regards Thorsten

X Y Z coordinate Leica HDS6000 I have a scanner Leica HDS6000:I have note that the fractionary part of the point in file .TXT or PTS XYZ of the file Zfs is recursive, infact some point have the same fractionary part for X o for Y o for Z! I don't know why the point in coordinate XYZ could have the same fractionary part, I think thatthe value must be continuous and not recusive!Example:If the first point have coordinate X=1.291641 Y= -1.036789 Z= -1.47261the value 0.291641 appear for else point in in Y or Z or X.....more point!!! some could explain the reason of this value?

Zfs Problem with Leica 6000 Hi we are a new member,We use a laser scanner Leica 6000 , but we have a problem.We have acquired Santo Sepolcro, but we have used a wrong setting angles sothe scan acquire double point, because the laser rotation is passed two time in thesame place.(320°X360°)Now I don't know how to reduce the numeber of the point. (1/2 Redece)I try to know how the file .zfs is implemented for to cancel thepoint with matlab or another software of elaboration, but I see thatthe file is a binary file and I don't know what's the implementetioncould you help me to know how operate?Could someno have a solution to reduce a double point of a scanning?

Re: Plant from a point cloud Hi Pierpaolo, I suggest you to try CloudCUBE 2009 (http://www.cloud-cube.com. This version can manage over 700 Million of colored points inside AutoCAD. You can extract your horizontal sections (plans) or some cross-sections directly on the points cloud or I suggest you to start to build a "light" 3D model using the CloudCUBE commands and after you can extract automatically plans, sections, elevations, renderings of point clouds, axonometric projections and 3D model cutaways. Best Regards, Renzo Contarini Virtualgeo Srl

CloudCUBE 2009 btn_freedownload.jpg CloudCUBE 2009 - Trial version is now available as a FREE DOWNLOAD and runs in fully functional evaluation mode for 30 days! http://www.cloud-cube.com

Re: CloudCube Software Hi Matt,I'm Renzo Contarini from Virtualgeo Srl company that have developed CloudCUBE software.Please use this forum or send us an e-mail (using the cloud-cube web site) and explain your problem.We use CloudCUBE on 64bit computer with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.Best Regards,Renzo Contarini

Re: Problems after creating a mesh For some reason, I haven't been able to duplicate what happened. Therefore I cannot get a screenshot. I'm sure it will happen again, and when it does, I will get a shot of it posted.

.Zfs File reduce point Hi we are a new member,We use a laser scanner Leica 6000 , but we have a problem.We have acquired Santo Sepolcro, but we have used a wrong setting angles sothe scan acquire double point, because the laser rotation is passed two time in thesame place.(320°X360°)Now I don't know how to reduce the numeber of the point. (1/2 Redece)I try to know how the file .zfs is implemented for to cancel thepoint with matlab or another software of elaboration, but I see thatthe file is a binary file and I don't know what's the implementetioncould you help me to know how operate?Could same have a solution to reduce a double point of a scanning?

Does This Type of Scanner Exist? Scanning Chaps and Chapesses,Now this bit of kit might only exist in my mind but I thought I'd throw it out there and ask if anybody knew what I'm going on about.I’m looking for some sort of scanner that can pick up concrete floor deflections, ridge and troughs etc with high accuracy around + - 2mm. It should be wheel mounted for speed and be geared towards large internal structures (warehouse factories etc.)Positional software will be needed for repeatable measurements.Can anybody out there help a troubled young man?Percy

Re: Plant from a point cloud Thanks for the reply Phill, i feel more confortable with the work knowing that i'm not doing it in the worse-bad-way . This is important also because the next job (and i mean the next for the next week ) is a lighthouse and the owner ask us a complete plant of the place and the interior and so on...(not sure for a 3D model). Thanks a lot for the suggestions Pierpaolo

Re: Riegl Z210i Looks like a great offer for anyone starting out.

CloudCube Software Has anyone tried this yet? I cant get the Trial to work on My PC, maybe because its 64bit. http://www.cloud-cube3d.com/Download/

Re: Plant from a point cloud Pierpaolo I have found that Cloudworx is the best for tasks like the one you have in front of you. I few tips would be that a polyline always draws at the same level, so if you take a section in cloudworx, use the snap tool to hit a cloudpoint and then turn the snapping off (F3) and use you eye to find the best line up the middle of the cloud. Another tip is to try to use ortho (F8) when you can. There is not much point in putting a line that is 90°00'10" when it could have been 90° anyway. When you are in ortho mode and you don't snap to a point the lines will draw at the same elevation. On a side note, attached is lisp file that I have previously posted, which I find helps me a lot when working with cloudworx. It is a very simple program that allows you to put in a line and then snap to the point to reassign the height to the end of the line (i.e. Click the corner of the wall and the click the ground near the wall to assign a height to the end.) It would be handy, for example, for doing the stairs you have in your job. Other tools like RULESURF, EXTRUDE, SLICE and UNION will come in handy later on when you begin to make a 3d model. Cheers Phill

Re: CYCLONE: error merging modelspace Matt Young wrote:Hi Pierpaolo, Im glad you have found a solution to the main problem. I know it can be frustrating sometimes. I just did a quick test with annotations to see what happens. I created a cone object in a modelspace and then added an annotation calling it 'cone-01' I exported it as a .coe (ticked selected and visible objects) Then imported it into a new database. To start with the annotation was missing but if I select the object and edit annotations then I just needed to make it visible. You should be able to select all objects in the modelspace and then make all annotations visible. This method works within cyclone. Im not sure about other software but I think that microstation or autocad should carry the annotations across with the .coe. Then you could maybe do a copy into excell from there. Hope it all works out. Matt Hi Matt, sorry i have read your message only today...i think, even if i havent tryed your solution, that if you display again the annotatione they lose their color/height properties (the color is the important one for me), anyway i'll check asap Thanks again, i'm always finding good support from you all Pierpaolo

Riegl Z210i A Riegl Z210i has been put on ebay, calibrated, serviced and with complete software and hardware (GPS/Texture/batterypack) options.: Check the link: http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=150299016723 Specs:Model Name LMS-Z210i Measurement Range for reflectivity >80% 400m for reflectivity >10% 120m Minimum range: 4m Measurement resolution: 5mm Measurement accuracy: +/-25mm (single shot) Vertical field of view: 80° Vertical angular resolution: 0.005° Vertical scan rate: 1 scan/sec to 20 scans/sec Horizontal field of view: 360° Horizontal angular resolution: 0.005° Horizontal scan rate: 0.01°/sec to 15°/sec Interface: for config & data output: Ethernet TCP/IP, 10/100 MBit/sec for config RS-232, 19.2 kBd for data output ECP parallel port Dimensions: 437mm x 210mm (Length x Dia.) Weight: approx. 13kg Power supply voltage: 11 - 18 V DC Current consumption @ 12V typ. 6.5 A max 8 A

Re: Plant from a point cloud OK so, if i've understood well your suggestion, what i'm doing isn't so bad (using cloudworx to fit the lines i draw over the point cloud section). But what do you mean with "and flatten it by projecting the points onto the section plane". Is there a way, in cyclone or cloudworx, to flatten a point-cloud-slice and obtain some kind of data that is detached from the original point cloud? The rasterize suggestion is to use less memory than having a point cloud loaded into autocad? How do you do to get an elevation view? Do you apply the same procedure? I'm really curious about doing these kind of works because i want to learn a good way to work with point clouds. Beside me and my collegues haven't much time to complete the job so it's important for us tu learn a way that take less time than others... Thanks Pierpaolo

Re: Plant from a point cloud Hi, Pierpaolo:We have had the same question during long time. From my experience it is better idea to slice the pointcloud instead of the mesh. Yes, as you noticed, sectioning the second, gives an ugly solution (the surface vs plane intersection polyline), on the contrary, If you take a slice of the cloud of a certain thicknes, and flatten it by projecting the points onto the section plane, you'll get a fuzzy but comprehensive section. Then you could draw a good-looking section overplotting a line (use a line-weight similar to your scanner's uncertainity and see how well the noise is overridden)... humans can be still much more subjectively accurate than machines.I'd suggest to rasterize the point-cloud slice in order to do some fine tunning with your favourite image processing tool and use it as a raster reference underlaying your cad work.Here you are a sampleI hope it helped, regards

Plant from a point cloud Hi there, what's a good way to obtain a plant from a point cloud? i'm working on a cloud of an altar of a church. I've tryed using Rapidform, making a mesh and then slicing it, but i don't like the result. Looking in the Image gallery i've read that most of you use cloudworx+acad to obtain the model. this means that this is a good way? Now i'm trying to do the same: in cad i draw lines and then with cloudworx i fit them with the section of the cloud. but i'm not sure this is a good and fast way... Please give me a suggestion Thanks a lot Pierpaolo

Re: Hemispherical Targets for sale Matt Young wrote:10 Hemispherical Targets made by 3D Laser Vision 9 padded bags (one lost) no magnetic bases (can be purchased from Leica) All in rough condition but can be re-painted and serviced Might save a bit of cash, and they would work well with a bit of TLC. Will Accept best offer [img] P1220003.JPG [/img] How about £25 for them all ? keith McCrory ScanTech Int

Re: Hemispherical Targets for sale Come on... Not asking a lot of money.They could be very usefull.

Re: Photon80 data images Hi David,The images look good and very lifelike.RegardsPhil

Re: Photon80 data images More from the PHOTON 80 In the Fab pointools software. barn.jpg barn2.jpg

Re: Photon80 data images Screen shots from Pointools (from Slivilaser conference demo). One scan under 7 mins plus 4 mins for photos. PHOTON 80 tree3.jpg trees1.jpg trees 1.jpg

Re: Any Photon owner out there? Hi, for a photon 80 scanner system with colour option, tripod, battery, software, and training would be around £65KRegards Dave

Re: Polyworks Maxim - if you can be more specific on what you are trying to do, I am quite sure I can help explain better the differences between PolyWorks and Geomagic and how they each specialize differently. It's hard to explain without knowing what you are trying to do, what your applications are, what type of modeling projects, features, components, etc. that you are scanning, or ultimately what your final output formats need to be. Both are very good at a common set of point processing & polygonizing functions but they differ in strengths from there depending on what you need to do. If you can describe your workflow and needs, I can help you further. Michael

Re: 3deling - new laser scnning company Right now we are working on a complete new design and layout of our site. In a month time we should be done there will be many new examples of our work.I will let you all know when you can check it. I will pass regards to Bart. Thanks for a warm welcome at the forum.Greetings from KrakowMarek

Re: Problems after creating a mesh Could you post up a screen shot which might help

Pointools Ownership Hi There's a rumor around that Pointools has been acquired by a hardware manufacturer. I've now heard this a few times this week from different sources. So I'd just like to confirm that this is not the case! Pointools has always been and still is in 100% private ownership

Re: Polyworks Thanks Michael!As for the basic comparison it says nothing to me.I will try to clarify my previous post a bit.I've tried to use both of them Geomagic and Polyworks. Every time I hear from other people that Polyworks is something huge and inconceivable, it's got so powefull capabilities so that no other software and so on. As for Geomagic they say that it's too simple and plane. But I can't understand why! When I compare their features I can't see any preference of PW (maybe ability to process large point data sets only). When I try to do the same tasks in PW and in Geomagic, in PW it takes much more time (aspecially if I use an unorganized pointcloud data got from an other source) and I don't feel it handy at all.So can anyone explane in details why PW is so good, first of all for high-precision applications=)Maxim

Problems after creating a mesh After registering my data, cleaning, and unifying my point cloud, I created a mesh.My problem is this: there is a line through the middle of my mesh that crosses in the center of my station. I haven't checked, but it looks to be running due north/south. I have had this happen before, but didn't think much of it. I just trimmed out the unwanted data, and patched it all back together until it worked. Does anyone have any experience with this happening? Any advice would be appreciated.Thanks,-Dustan

Re: Polyworks A very basic comparison is shown on our website at: http://www.dirdim.com/prod_software.htm We also have a wide variety of graphical application case studies that highlight different projects using the different softwares at: http://www.dirdim.com/port_projects.htm We use, sell, support, and train the three major point cloud processing softwares: PolyWorks, Geomagic, and Rapidform. We are very technical users of all three. They each have a strong component of our various workflows depending on the nature of the project. I would be happy to talk to you about the specific strengths of each.

Autodesk Licenses Ambercore's Point Cloud Engine Last week Autodesk quietly announced a deal to license Ambercore Software's point cloud processing software for its AEC, BIM and geospatial products. The announcement contained no details about when customers should expect to see Ambercore technology inside an Autodesk product, but we managed to catch up with Ambercore CEO Martin Sendyk and Gene Roe, Surveying & Mapping Product Manager, for Autodesk's Geospatial Business Unit to get a better idea of their plans going forward. More info can be found at....http://sparllc.com/

Re: Downwards Vertical Scanning Thanks, interesting info. Would this work with a scan station 2? That said I'd be reluctant in hooking it up upside down, the concept however looks great

Re: Any Photon owner out there? Hi,Any comment about this file from experienced users?Also, can anyone give me a rough idea of the price tag for a Photon 80 (and the price of the color option). I know I can file for a quote but before I would like to have an idea of the range to see if I can afford it. I am currently the owner of a Trimble GX 200. Its range is superior but speed is much slowerThanks

Re: Acad 2004 to Acad 2009 Matt,you are saying that cloudworx works fine onn your 64bit and acad2009.we have problem on 2 station with the samne spec.vista 64b/autocad 2009 64b/cloudworx 4.we are unable to snap on the cloud points on the 2 machines.Even leica support tried a logmein123 but they are baffled with the issue.did you had similar problem. otherwise it is great.

Re: Polyworks Hi!Can anyone make a list of pros and cons for polyworks vs geomagic?ThanksMaxim

Re: PolyWorks Great topic - we use PolyWorks hard core everyday for both close range and long range scan modeling and analysis. It's a 'toolkit' for us - meaning its loaded with capabilities and you use what you need for different projects. If anyone wants to hear/see more about its portion of our modeling/analysis workflow, check our website and/or feel free to ask questions. Below are links to additional resources that you may want to review also: http://upload.dirdim.com/upload/DDI_Graphics/DDI_3D_Scanning_Technologies_Awakening_0608.pdf http://upload.dirdim.com/upload/DDI_Graphics/DDI_SculptureReview_Formtography_Winter07.pdf http://upload.dirdim.com/upload/DDI_Graphics/DDI_SPAR_2008_Presentation_Historic_Preservation.pdf 216-williamsburg coffee house.jpg 213-clipper mill tractor building.jpg 210-awakening sculpture.jpg ps - our website at http://www.dirdim.com/port_projects.htm is loaded with many more case studies like these.

Re: Polyworks Have you tried Pointools 4 Rhino for Nurbs modelling?

Re: Polyworks Hi,I will have to model cars, airplanes, copters, etc very shortly using a Trimble GX 200. Polyworks seems to be a strong leader in converting point cloud into NURBS. I am waiting for a quote but I suspect the product is expansive (considering the fact that I have recently invested many thousands $$$ in RealWorks). However, I have seen offers on the net for Polyworks under a OEM shape that I am not familiar with. These offers are below 100$. If anyone has gone that path, I would be interested to know where is the catch and what are the drawbacks. Thanks

Re: Export objects from Cyclone to PDMS?? Hi! There's one more solution for converting objects - MCAD Interface Suite for PDMS. It allows to translate objects to AVEVA PDMS via different CAD formats. http://www.unitec.de/process/solutions/mcad2pdms.html ... but a little bit too expensive=)

Re: Just joined member skarm wrote:I am a Police officer and Forensic Surveyor attached to the Western Australia Police in Australia. We purchase a HDS 6000 last August and have been using the scanner since then we have surveyed approximately over 200 scenes in the past year. We do not know how we survived without the scanner surveying crash and crime scenes is a breeze now. Hi skarm, It's really interesting theme - using scanners in police. But in our country a lot of formal limitations for using technical means in police and other government areas. For example, Russia has it's own certification system of measuring tools to use them in official areas. I would like to ask you about the situation in Australia. Should you have special permissions or any certificate to use scanners and etc. in police for court and investigatory actions?

Re: Malaysia Business Information Noor Wira Masri,Is it possible we could get a mention in a small corner or your website to help promote laser scanning around the globe?

Re: Export objects from Cyclone to PDMS?? Hi Luke and Matt,Thanks a lot for your help. I think it will be very useful.RegardsBernoulli

Re: Downwards Vertical Scanning Follow this thread which might help viewtopic.php?f=58&t=468&p=1367&hilit=tripod#p1367

Downwards Vertical Scanning In the past I've used HDS 2500 to scan vertically down shafts etc. The 2500 has long gone, but I now find myself with some similar projects. Is any one aware of a scanner with a similar capability and spec?

Re: News of AutoCAD plug-in and Pointools Edit

Re: Texture Mapping and Registration problem with cyclone Another thing to try would be to delete the registered modelspace (as long as you have not done any work you need to keep) then recreate it this should kick Cyclone in to action.

Re: News of AutoCAD plug-in and Pointools Edit Faraz,I would be very keen to try the Beta version for 2009 when ready.We currently use Cloudworx, and it is very slow. Just looked at the 'Edit' movie as well and it is the Most innovative thing that I have seen in a long time!Matt

Re: Texture Mapping and Registration problem with cyclone Hey steven cheers for the reply,I have ticked the green tick and restarted and can see the image perfectly fine. The problem is when we register the seperate textured scans together it seems to loose the color info,any advice is appreciated,m haven't found a solution yey!cheers,Chris.

Re: Just joined member Hi Skarm,How are you finding the managment of the resulting data from these crime scene scans?Im guessing that you need to act fairly quickly in these circumstances and the 6000 is the best scanner for speed, but what are your thoughts on that side of things?Matt

Re: Export objects from Cyclone to PDMS?? Completely agree with Scanman. This method has always worked well for us.It is worth noting that AutoCad has the ability to import .coe and if you have 2009 you can import and export dgn files.I have not tried this yet, it just depends on your preference between MicroStation and AutoCad.Matt

News of AutoCAD plug-in and Pointools Edit We're pleased to announce 2 new products in the pipeline that should be available for beta testing in October. Pointools for AutoCAD 2006-2009 (Versions back to 2003 will be available later) High performance point cloud plug-in for AutoCAD enabling import of huge datasets with rapid display draw and minimal loading times. There's no 'maximum number of points' display option here, you always get all the detail as you work. Pointools Edit Advanced tools for rapid Point cloud editing, filtering and colour correction. Take a look at an early demo movie at: http://download.pointools.com/movies/PointoolsEdit.avi (49Mb) if case you need the codec to run the movie: http://download.pointools.com/movies/XviD_Install.exe (800Kb) pt-in-ac2.jpg

Just joined member I am a Police officer and Forensic Surveyor attached to the Western Australia Police in Australia. We purchase a HDS 6000 last August and have been using the scanner since then we have surveyed approximately over 200 scenes in the past year. We do not know how we survived without the scanner surveying crash and crime scenes is a breeze now.

Re: Export objects from Cyclone to PDMS?? Hi Bernoulli,PCF should help you to get some objects in but the cleanest way to get data into PDMS is via COE to Microstation and then using Implant with the resulting 3D DGN file. If you want to create PDMS objects instead of geometry only objects then tracing using centre lines is the best method.I hope this helps.Kind regardsLuke

Re: Field work proccess with HDS6000 Bernoulli There is a post on this site called "HDS6000 instructions and tips". Have a read of that for most of the good tips for scanning. I use six targets per scan, you only really need four, but it's surprising how often some goose stands in front of one or you have a handrail or something in the way. It is not nessacary to level the scanner at every scan but you need to turn the compensator off (consult your manual). I often work on a slight tilt (ie, I just chuck the scanner on the ground), you have to keep an eye on the registration, because if the compensators are on, it will come through as leveled and only do a 2d adjustment. We use the highest mode for scanning (the one under ultra high) for most plant work. See the other post for mre info. Cheers Phill

Export objects from Cyclone to PDMS?? Hello everyone,Anyone knows how to export objects from Cyclone to PDMS without using Implant??Exporting through PCF helps or no???Thanks in advanceBJ

Malaysia My Second Home Programme Dear members..., Malaysia My Second Home Programme is promoted by the Government of Malaysia to allow foreigners who fulfill certain criteria, to stay in Malaysia for as long as possible on a multiple-entry social visit pass. http://www.mm2h.gov.my/index.php The Social Visit Pass is initially for a period of ten (10) years, and is renewable. Eligibility It is open to citizens of all countries recognised by Malaysia regardless of race, religion, gender or age. Applicants are allowed to bring their spouses and unmarried children below the age of 18 as dependants. Have a nice day everyone... Regards, Noor Wira Masri Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

2008 HDS & Airborne Sensor User Conference, Oct. 27-29 With the last moments before the early registration discount disapears I thought I would share with you the current speaker list. with some of the best speakers from around the world, it's well worth checking out.For me the highlights would be (in no particular order and only a slight bias)....Alan Barrow in implementing Cyclone server and Truview portal in the rail industryLona Shaw, be amazed at the time scales for scheduling in work.David Nelmes, the use of HDS6000 and Truview in the generator market.Philip Nixon a great contibutor to this forumAnd James Jobling purser you will like this one.Get booking

Re: Malaysia Business Information Faraz wrote:ah, itu pasal dulu I kerja dalam Malaysia dan suka makanan Melayu! dah belajar bahasa sikit jugak, tapi dah lama tak cakap. Faraz Hi Faraz, Not Bad ya...Boleh TahanLah.... Actually Faraz, I have a website we just open a software section...I am interested to put your software in here http://www.kontraktorqualitytools.com.my our target market is the contractors around the world. Pls have a looks, I think this is another way to promote this new technology among the construction industry in SEA where we create the user and let them/publice aware of how people doing as-built from 2D to 3D..nowdays because Asia is too new to this technology... This hopefully will also promoting Laser Scanning as well...among the students and new user in Asia... Regards, Noor Wira Masri Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Re: Texture Mapping and Registration problem with cyclone Sounds like after you have applied the texture in the SW (un unified) you can see the RGB values as a texturemap, you need to then hit the green tick to permantly burn the data on to the points. You will need to close and re start Cyclone before you can see the colour.

Texture Mapping and Registration problem with cyclone Hey there guys, My company have been using a HDS 6000 for a number of months now and we recently purchased a monfroto panoramic kit to apply photographs to the scan data. http://software.lgshds.com/public/camera/Download.html Following the process outlined is no problem and applying the textures is no problem. We have done this for each scan successfully but when we register the seperate textured scans together it seems to loose the texture data and we end up with the normal intensity values, even when we select texture image under global color map. Is there something we are forgetting to do?? Any help would be greatly appreciated, we are anxious to test out our newly acquired pointools with some nice textured scan data! Cheers, Chris.

Re: Targets look out for the wind or you may have to buy a new Prism, Sphere and GPS antenna. LOLNo really, its not a bad idea for getting a fix on a few of points.Sometimes though the answer is not so complex.

Field work proccess with HDS6000 Hi All, I'm a HDS6000 beginner and I need a procedure to do on site an effective and quick work. I'm looking for answers about: How many targets (paper sheet targets) should I place to stich each scan to the next one beside? Topography is always a good support for making a good registration? Is it necessary to level scanner in every scans? What is the best resolution to make a plant scanning in order to use the pointcloud for modeling? I would like to have a helpful information to improve my work proccess. I hope you help me. If other issues are relevant please tell me. Thanks Regards Bernoulli

Re: Targets interesting set up, but whats with the gaffer tape

Serious Sustainability - 3D Digital Preservation Last week CyArk Founder Ben Kacyra spoke at Google's annual partner forum, Zeitgeist.Google Zeitgeist is a by invitation only event which brings together Google’s major partners and other major thinkers and doers.

Re: Targets We have tried employing something similar using a 360 degree prism... P1030594.JPG P1030595a.jpg In theory a GPS antenna could also be mounted on top of that also, if you used the double ended targets from the twin pole set, as opposed to the half-sphere.

Re: Targets We have made some targets in-house which allow an HDS target to be mounted coaxially with either a GPS antenna or a prism. They were made for some work we were doing on Morteratsch Glacier in Switzerland. When you are on a glacier then not only are all the big bits of rock out of range for target acquisition but if you fix targets to the ice and then come back the following week to re-scan the same area the targets, along with the glacier, will have moved to a new position - hence the need for the GPS.Nick

Re: INTERGEO 2008 I will be there Wednesday.

Re: NEW FARO SCENE V 4.1 Hi Sorry about the confusion, I’m just looking into this at the moment, The current version is Faro Scene 4.5, this has been distributed to UK customers but if anyone else needs a copy please contact support@faroeurope.com New features include: 3.1. New registration method – cluster registration 3.2. Slab object (walls with thickness) 3.3. Registration with pipes and multiple planes 3.4. Checkerboard paper targets 3.5. Faster and more convenient Object Markers 3.6. New and improved functionality of the Scan Manager 3.7. New and improved visualization of the 3D-View 3.7.1. Gradient background 3.7.2. Gap filling 3.7.3. Subsampling 3.8. Resolution 1/16 3.9. Better color performance 3.10. Better batch processes for scan improvements 3.11. Export into Pointools file format (POD)

Hemispherical Targets for sale 10 Hemispherical Targets made by 3D Laser Vision 9 padded bags (one lost) no magnetic bases (can be purchased from Leica) All in rough condition but can be re-painted and serviced Might save a bit of cash, and they would work well with a bit of TLC. Will Accept best offer [img] P1220003.JPG [/img]

Trimble GS200 3D scanner for sale http://www.urbica.net Urbica Ingenierie, French specialist for laser scanning in industrial and architectural project is selling it's Trimble GS200 scanner. Bought new in 2005, maintained and calibrated by Trimble every 4 to 6 months, this scanner is like new. You can easily find characteristics (precision, range, capacity) on http://www.trimble.com/gs200_ds.asp. For any information about it, you contact us Urbica phone number +33 141 503 617 carto@urbica.net and visit us at http://www.urbica.net

Urbica: Industrial scanning specialist Urbica Ingénierie is specialised in 3D laser scanning measurements in technical facilities of any dimension. Benefits of 3D laser scanning vs usual measurements -sufficiency of measurements -High accuracy (mm) -quick intervention Urbica also provide 3D modeling of installations for engineering softwares (PDMS, PDS, P&ID, Autocad, Microstation, Pro/E, 3DS, others). Intervention on site in 8 days all over the world with our industrial scanners Please visit http://www.urbica.net

Re: Success Story New 3d Laser Scanning Company Hello MarekMy company also is about to introduce mearged laserscanning and photogrammetry services into Polish market. I would really apreciate any advice You could provide, also could You tell Us some of your's achivement's in that matter? What was most interasting job You done in Poland?Regards

Re: 2008 HDS & Airborne Sensor User Conference, Oct. 27-29 Chance to Win a ScanStation2!!'Woow. Nice encouragement, but there is a catch - You have to put ball in hole in one shot!Any way - nice marketing trick.

2008 HDS & Airborne Sensor User Conference, Oct. 27-29 Dear Leica Geosystems HDS User, Early Registration ends Sept. 26th! After that, registration fees increase by $100. With just 5 weeks until the conference itself, this latest update: Registrations & Hotel Update ************************ The stock market may be bouncing up & down, but conference registration figures have continued to grow strongly. To support the expanded 2008 conference, Leica doubled its hotel room block with the Marriott (compared to 2007). Even with this doubling, the Marriott is now getting close to being sold out, so reserve your room soon if you want to stay there! Speakers Update ************** All primary speaker positions were finalized this past week, with a fantastic array of content and speakers. A couple of key back-up speaker opportunities remain, as things inevitably arise at the last moment that prevent some speakers from attending. If you're interested in a back-up position, please contact as follows: Geoff Jacobs; tel +1 925-790-2317; geoffrey.jacobs@lgshds.com. Registration fees for speakers and back-up speakers are waived. A detailed schedule of topics & speakers is planned to be published during the week of Sept. 22-26 for inclusion with the next broadcast email. Plan Contest: Contact Update ************************* Please note that there may have been a problem with the previously listed contact email address (mike.harvey@leicaus.com). To be certain that your email gets through, please use the following: michael.harvey@leicaus.com. Updated contest details are attached. HDS Workshops: Instructors Update ******************************* Many have inquired as to who the instructors will be for the hands-on workshops. Room is still available for all workshops, but please be aware that almost all workshops have sold out for prior HDS User Conferences. The list of experienced instructors is as follows: "Advanced Registration": Mike Harvey, Leica Geosystems "CloudWorx for AutoCAD and MicroStation": Tim Woodruff, Leica Geosystems "Topographic Workflows": Frank Collazo, Leica Geosystems "Plant Modeling & Phase Data management": Bruce Bowditch, Leica Geosystems and Lona Shaw, Areva "ScanStation Setup and Traversing": Karen Hughes, Leica Geosystems "Cyclone Tips & Tricks": Guy Cutting, Leica Geosystems Golf Outing: Chance to Win a ScanStation2!! ****************************************** It would take a hole-in-one, but a lucky golfer can win a ScanStation2! Details are attached. Updated Coordinator Contacts ************************ HDS Conference: Angelique Ortega (+1 925-790-2318; HDSconference@lgshds.com) "HDS Plan Contest": Mike Harvey (+1 615-585-0689; michael.harvey@leicaus.com) Golf tourney (Sat., Oct. 25th): Joel Hurt (+1 925-790-2371; joel.hurt@lgshds.com) Airborne Sensor Conference: Helen Rencher (+1 303-799-9453 x1900; helen.rencher@leicaus.com) Register this week to save on your registration! Best regards, Geoff Jacobs ***************************************************************** Geoff Jacobs, Sr. Vice President, Strategic Marketing Leica Geosystems HDS, San Ramon, CA Phone +1 925 790 2317, Mobile +1 925 785 7757 E-Mail: geoffrey.jacobs@leica-geosystems.com *****************************************************************

Re: 3deling - new laser scnning company say hello to Bart from me and hope to see some of your recent work on the gallery soon.

Re: 3deling - new laser scnning company interesting.

Re: 3deling - new laser scnning company Hi Marak, There looks lots of good quailty modelling services available on your website, well done !

Re: Leica Geosystems HDS Cyclone V6.0 Has anyone been using this new version then and can share your thoughts and comments...? Maybe even a quick review !

Re: INTERGEO 2008 see you all on the wednesday

Re: INTERGEO 2008 Faraz,I am not attending personally but I think Met Surveys Directors will be at the event so I will get them to drop by your stand and say hello.Is anyone else attending.....?

Re: INTERGEO 2008 We'll be there! Come visit us on stand 135 in Halle 5, we look forward to welcoming you

3deling - new laser scnning company 3Deling is based in London and Krakow (Poland) company specializing in 3D Laser Scanning and Point Cloud processing. We have expertise in wide range of project including buildings, heritage buildings,streets, plants, tunnels etc. We provide high quality 2D drawings, 3D models, ortho-images, visualisations and movies. For more information and samples of our work please contact... or visit http://www.3deling.com page the company has access to mid range faro scanner

LFM Server 3.93 Product Release Dear LFM User, LFM software has been in extensive and continual development for more than a decade. It has now found widespread acceptance as the optimum tool for handling large point cloud data sets, enhancing the benefits that high resolution data brings. Serving the existing conditions market, LFM software brings high density laser scan data of plant and structures into the office-based CAD environment. LFM can dynamically link with class leading 3D CAD design packages, Microstation ™, AutoPLANT™, AutoCAD™, PDS™, SPR™, PDMS™, AVEVA Review, allowing users to view and use laser scanned data in their own familiar CAD environment. LFM allows seamless use of the data from capture, to initial processing and registration, through to final delivery to the client. LFM also allows detailed as-built 3D models to be made from the data. It can be used across a wide range of applications, from offshore oil and gas, to onshore refining, general process, construction and architectural and heritage. Please find attached a document that outlines the new features and benefits of LFM Server 3.93. Some of these include Exact Clashing, Selective Clashing, Clash - Snapshot Reviewer, and improved CAD links. All these new features aid in making LFM Server 3.93, a more productive tool focused towards engineering applications. Please feel free to email feedback to support.vision@zf-uk.com. For our customers with current lease and maintenance agreements this software will be available for download from the 15th September 2008. To download LFM Server 3.93, please visit us at our new and improved website.... http://www.zf-uk.com/downloads LFM Server 3.93 is available for download

INTERGEO 2008 INTERGEO 2008 – the driving force for your business INTERGEO is the world’s largest event and communication platform for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. The trade fair and conference cover all the key trends that crop up along the entire value-added chain – from geo-based information surveys and data processing to integrated applications. International driving force for the industry. Today, geoinformation provides the basis for management decisions in matters relating to politics, welfare and business. As the fulcrum of a dynamic international market, INTERGEO has links with all areas, providing impetus for innovations and driving the integration of geo-based solutions in new lines of business, too. mediadaten_en.pdf Source: http://www.intergeo.de/2008_en/englisch/index.php

GeoWorld 8 Now in its 16th highly successful year, the newly branded Leica Geosystems GeoWorld 8 Roadshow is coming to a venue near you! At GeoWorld 8 you’ll have a unique opportunity to learn about new innovations from Leica Geosystems, as well as attend our exciting new conference sessions designed to help your business grow. Leica experts will be on hand to answer all your technical questions, and you’ll find it’s the perfect place to catch up with industry peers and suppliers. Attendance is free, with lunch and refreshments provided. But places are limited, so please make sure you reserve your seat today! Source: http://www.geoworldroadshow.co.uk

Re: NEW FARO SCENE V 4.1 Phil,Always sharp! Always on the ball!However, your right, the release v4.5 is not advertised on their website, but I was given the version 4.5 and some release notes back in May. Maybe this was a beta version? Hopefully some FARO tech guys out there can help me here!Anyway, some of the new features in FARO Scene (v4.5) include:New registration methodsNew and improved visualisation of the 3D viewGap fillingGuess we'll just have to watch this space for the answers!Percy

Re: CYCLONE: error merging modelspace sorry i can't tell you that. my boss would have a heart attack if i give to much away.

Re: NEW FARO SCENE V 4.1 Percy, Your sharp and on the ball for a Monday morning mate ! I got the information off a Faro news letter I subscribe to and its on their website which can be found at http://www.faro.com/content.aspx?ct=uk&content=pro&item=5&subitem=48 As we don't own a Faro laser scanner I am not really that up to speed on which version of Faro Scene is available for members to utilise. Why have they released this information then recently on their website? Has 4.1 got some new features then, maybe you can `shed` some light for us non users?

Re: CYCLONE: error merging modelspace Hi BOOM, what kind of software you use for the annotations? You mean annotations in a cyclone model?Pierpaolo

Re: CYCLONE: error merging modelspace wow first post and I've helped someone. must be luck. I'm sorry i cant help with the annotation problem. I annotate using different software.

Re: CYCLONE: error merging modelspace Hi Pierpaolo,Im glad you have found a solution to the main problem. I know it can be frustrating sometimes.I just did a quick test with annotations to see what happens.I created a cone object in a modelspace and then added an annotation calling it 'cone-01'I exported it as a .coe (ticked selected and visible objects)Then imported it into a new database.To start with the annotation was missing but if I select the object and edit annotations then I just needed to make it visible.You should be able to select all objects in the modelspace and then make all annotations visible.This method works within cyclone. Im not sure about other software but I think that microstation or autocad should carry the annotations across with the .coe. Then you could maybe do a copy into excell from there.Hope it all works out.Matt

Re: NEW FARO SCENE V 4.1 Greetings Phil,I thought FARO had a v 4.5 out?Percy

Re: Malaysia Business Information ah, itu pasal dulu I kerja dalam Malaysia dan suka makanan Melayu!dah belajar bahasa sikit jugak, tapi dah lama tak cakap.Faraz

Re: Success Story New 3d Laser Scanning Company We run a company called 3Deling based in Krakow, Poland and in London, Uk. Our main scope if Laser scanning and point could processing. We try to marge laser scanning with potogramerty. Our company is still new and process of rapid development. If I had to advise on how to set up a laser scanning company I would say the apart from trying to be up to date constantly the important part would be a proper market research. Every place no matter if it's Poland or UK has it's own requirements and one needs to be aware of it. Marek 3Deling - Laser scanning

Re: Malaysia Business Information Faraz wrote:Imagine all the nasi lemak and ayam goreng you could eat.... Hi Faraz, How are you..??? how do you know all about nasi lemak, ayam goreng and everything here... Nice to have you around...keep in touch Bro..Cheers... Regards, Noor Wira Masri Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Re: Laser Scanning & photogrammetry Dear members,Thanks for the reply....This is a great inforamtion I have here...Keep in touch...Cheers....Noor Wira MasriKuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

NEW FARO SCENE V 4.1 NEW FARO SCENE V 4.1 - FEATURES FARO Scene is the high performance and practical 3D point cloud software tool for the professional user. It is specially designed for viewing, administration and working on, of extensive 3D scan points from high resolution 3D laser scanners like the Laser Scanner LS. This tool allows the user to manipulate raw 3D scan points and acquire with analysis functions initial point cloud data comprehension. Through data analysis and manipulation, scan points may be prepared for export into the user‘s CAD system. Viewing of 3D scan points and objects In the 3D view both point clouds and objects are displayed. The point of view is arbitrarily selectable, the user can freely move in the area. The importing of VRML models makes it possible to analyse models and to recognize collisions and deviations. This analysis is achieved quickly and intuitively directly in the 3D point cloud 3D analysis in the point cloud Faro Scene makes the acquisition of information possible directly from the 3D scan points. Besides measuring distances between objects, surface areas and volumes may be determined by the user. Special functions also allow the user to examine the evenness of floors or walls and display the results in a colour coded scale. Efficient modeling Faro Scene supports the administration of extensive projects and the associated data sets efficiently and fast. The creation of models and the registration of scans are supported by automated tools. Faro Scene operations retain base information from their data selection. This base information is translated into a numerical display for the evaluation of selection quality. For the reduction and simplification of point cloud data the user may generate scan based objects. Objects such as planes for floor and walls facilitate the exporting of data into the user‘s CAD system. Direct point selection and slice selection complete the functionality needed for modeling in CAD. NEW FEATURES: FARO Scene V4.1 Speeds Laser Scanning Work flow, Quality Enhancements in FARO Scene v4.1 include: New Wi-Fi/WLAN Scanner Connection enables users to control scanning from their PDA, mobile phone, laptop or other Internet Explorer-equipped devices Advanced noise reduction for cleaner scans More than 86% faster Colour Capture speed (2-3 minutes versus 15 minutes) for very high quality and automatic overlays of 50 million colour pixels Fully automatic Colour Scan White Balancing for improved contrast and clarity New colour bracket and calibration method minimizes parallax errors and maximizes the fit of colour on 3-D shapes Compatibility with NIKON D70s or NIKON D200 cameras for colour scanning Automatic filter action improves scan quality and dramatically shortens post processing time. New Draw-to-CAD feature enables users to create 3-D AutoCad drawings on the fly just by sketching lines in FARO Scene’s Photo-View CAD files may now be imported not only in VRML2, but also VRML1 The upgrade is available for free to existing LS customers with v4.

Re: CYCLONE: error merging modelspace Hi again. I've done the tests (in the order) and this is what i've obtained: 1) the Matt mode: done it. but still the database seems to be corrupted. I've checked all the check boxes in the form for the optimization and waited 45mins 2) the Phill mode: i've tryed to select entities one type by one and found that boxes has errors, cylinders has errors (retrieve failure for ImpPipeFlange [1278671]....FLANGE?!?!?!?!?!, but i've selected only cylinders!!!!! :O ), steel sections has errors (retrieve failure for ImpLineCurve3d [1277351]....Line Curve 3D!?!?!?!? what is this now!!!!, where're my beloved steel sections!! :O :O ), after that i've gived up... 3) the BOOM mode: it WORKED!!!! it seems that none of the elements that i've modeled are missing in the new bright modelspace (but i've to check yet) and i can now copy to another m.s. and then again merge it in the parent. The BAD news is that i lose ALL the annotations properties (color and text height) that i've inserted in the model. Now i've to understand if this is a minor problem or not, since i use annotations to keep trace of problems/doubts that i've encountered during modeling (and to do later check in field). This give me the input for other questions: - is there a way to export annotations? If i can export them maybe i can easly accept to lose the color identification that i used to see in the model (copy/paste them in excel isn't a good solution: i've selected more than one annotation, one of the fields shown me "..." - that's because the same field has more than one value - and the paste in excel shown me the same "...") - or to filter/manage them via the 'KEY' field? i use the KEY=AVVISO for the problems and KEY=TESTO for the notes... Thanks a lot Phill, Matt and (especially) Boom Pierpaolo

Re: Reverse Engineering a city bus Hi, This Ramaswamy we are also started to use Faro LS ,i would like to know what software you use for the registration of pointclouds when using the Faro LS. we are using Faro scene for scanning and 3D planat Inovx software for porcessing, Please tell me how to get complete registration data into inovx software. Ramaswamy swamy721@yahoo.com

Re: CYCLONE: error merging modelspace Hi, sorry for the late answer to your help... OK, at the moment i can tell that the -'optadv' is accepted also by the 5.5, now i'm going to make the optimization. Later, if this doesn't work, i'll try the solution from BOOM. Than againt i'll work with the solution suggested by Phill but... (ther's always one isn't it? P )...sometimes the error refer to a cylinder, some other to a planar poly...This make me think that i can always try the single elements and copy/paste them in another modelspace... I REALLY thanks you for the help since this problem is annoyng me A LOT ;D I'll write the result of the test Pierpaolo

Re: what is your best hardware config Witch graphic card would you recomend. ATI Radeon for example. HD3870, HD 4850 or Nvidia G-Force 9600Gt or something else.Thanks

Re: Comparison of phase based scanners Wild, We performed a TOF scanners comparison study funded by California Department of Transportation in US with support from few vendors. The following link is the final report. http://www.ahmct.ucdavis.edu/images/AHM ... Report.pdf Although our focus was on DOT application, some of the considerations apply to phase-based scanners as well. Our literature review chapter may be of interest to you. Some of the references has comparison results on phase-based scanners but they may be a little out of date. If you google the authors, you will find the original pdf of the paper. However, you could see how they compare scanners should you decide to do some on your own. Some of our tests is pretty simple to repeat. It will give you some insight on the scanner performance. I would not recommend reading our whole report unless you have trouble falling into sleep. Beside single point accuracy, you should ask/compare target recognition accuracy. It varies on vendors, target type (sphere, flat, etc), and distance from the scanner. Typically, there is a "optimum" distance. Best Regards, Kin

Re: Cloudworx regen stopped working When stuff like this happens, and I agree I don't know why, its also always worth deleting the Modelspace View and creating a new one, don't now why works for me.

Re: Cloudworx regen stopped working Hi Phill,I didn't know about the origin problem with Autocad. The same thing happened to one of our CAD staff the other day, and I managed to solve the problem by unloading the point cloud from CAD - purging the drawing and saving - then unloading and re-loading the database. Loaded it up in cloudworx again and has been fine since.Good to know though.Matt

Re: Comparison of phase based scanners Hi Wild,Likewise, I would suggest a hardware demo to assess not only the instrument but the software behind it and the time taken to realistically achieve your goals, accuracies and project specs.Contact your local Leica Geosystems HDS Rep to organise a demo of the HDS6000 and Cyclone. Version 6.0 has been optimised for phase-based data with some lovely registration features which will make your life very easy indeed.Kind Regards,Paul

Re: Comparison of phase based scanners Hi Wild, You might want to visit each of the different vendors and look at the specifications.... but since they are all generally similar, and often "pumped" with creative wording by the marketing departments, a product demonstration is much more valuable. I you are interested in learning more I may have a scan of some comparative information. Best, Paul Oberle paul.oberle@faro.com

Re: what is your best hardware config They have a good rep in the rendering / modelling industry - but pricey.In fact you might find a sudden price increase with the weaker GBP against the USD though (last 2-3 weeks) - its a US product, so not sure how good your UK support would be.

6.5bi points in Pointools via ptx Managed to import all 350Gb of ptx, didn't take as long as expected, generally 25-30gb of ptx was taking around 45mins to an hour so I did this over two days whenever I could leave the machine running.Its 6.5bi points in total, 48.5Gb in 20 files on disk (no raid or anything special). This is the largest project I've ever had inside Pointools - performance is still quite good on my lenovo t61p laptop. Detail at the front of the view does not even degrade whilst navigating at 5-6fps using the front bias option.However the data is so visually complex (offshore oil rig) and lends itself to a number of optimisations I can already think of. It is likley that we will expand the capabilities of our engine to deal with this sort of data more efficiently hopefully gaining some further interest inthe petrochem market.With the latest version the clip box is used in optimising the data loading - you can also hook a clip box setup to a hyperlink in the view via a configuration. This provides a basic mechanism to setup some tile based view management via notes with hyperlinks which would work well for this much data.Screenshots will be posted if I can get permission from the data provider.

Re: what is your best hardware config Hi, Just recently been looking at BOXX workstations and wondered if anyone here has used them? 3DBOXX_Angle_RecSys.jpg http://www.boxxtech.com

Olympics Provide Showcase for 3D Geospatial Models Olympics Provide Showcase for 3D Geospatial Models By Joe Francica , Editor-in-Chief and Vice Publisher, Directions Magazine August 20, 2008 Amid the gold, silver and bronze of the Beijing Olympics is TIN, that is, triangulated irregular networks. TIN models and wireframe diagrams, produced by AEgis Technologies, are merged with 0.6-meter resolution QuickBird satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe to produce an array of highly accurate, 3D terrain and building models of venues within the city of Beijing. NBC requested these models to augment its televised coverage of the games (Figure 1). figure1.jpg Figure 1. Image 1=wireframe; Image 2=DigitalGlobe satellite image; Image 3=extruded building models; Image 4=building models rendered with textures. Source: AEgis Technologies The dataset shown on TV covers 15,000 Km2 totaling 42 gigabytes. It's rendered at a scale of 1:1 to allow NBC to develop high definition "fly-through" videos. AEgis developed the terrain data from off-nadir QuickBird imagery. Land-based features also come from the QuickBird imagery and are enhanced by 3,200 NBC produced, ground-based digital photographs. Combining all three, AEgis created accurate and up-to-date building models, including textures and signage of the Olympic venues (Figure 2). figure2.jpg figure3.jpg figure4.jpg Figure 2. Source: AEgis Technologies. (Click individual image for larger image.) The dataset is a geospatially referenced model that can be exported as a shapefile for use in ESRI's ArcGIS or as KML for use in Google Earth. AEgis uses an off-the-shelf viewer called LightINT, which it provided to NBC, that is able to determine building height, line of sight, or "as the crow flies" distance in real-time. For example, the Olympic Stadium or "Bird's Nest" is rendered in such detail as to allow the user to pick any seat in the stadium and calculate its line of site and its corresponding 3D (volumetric) view. In addition, if the user of AEgis' viewer removes the texture of the stadium, he will be able to see the building superstructure, similar to what you would see in a typical CAD drawing. But no CAD drawings were used by AEgis; the superstructure was rendered strictly with the datasets it had on hand. According to Scott Allman, director of geospatial programs for AEgis, all models were created simply using the TIN, imagery and ground-based digital photos. AEgis gives away the LightINT viewer to its clients, along with all the data, as project deliverables. AEgis' intellectual property is its ability to construct the models and develop simulations. "Building terrain models has always been static," said Allman. The AEgis simulation models are extensible, whereby features can be added to the database in a way similar to building a wiki. That is, anything added to the dataset with a time stamp can be recalled at a later time, such as when the terrain or building textures change. For example, the venue for water s