Tool
The Tools module provides basic auxiliary functions for data that has completed One-Click Processing
1 Measurement Tool
Single-Point Measurement
Single-Point Measurement, also known as Coordinate Measurement, allows users to obtain the coordinates of a selected point. After activating this function, click a point in the Data Main View with the left mouse button, and the system will display the X, Y, and Z coordinates of that point. Measurement results are recorded to four decimal places.
Multi-Point Measurement
Multi-Point Measurement, also referred to as Multi-Point Selection, enables users to select multiple points in the Data Main View and export them for storage. The exported points can be used as control points for accuracy verification and other analyses.
This function supports the following features:
Multi-Point Selection: Left-click to select points in the Main Data View. The selected points are recorded in the Multi-Point Selection panel, including their X, Y, Z coordinates, timestamp attributes, and intensity information.
File Export: Click the Save icon at the top of the panel to export the selected point data in TXT or CSV format.
Delete Points: To remove a recorded point, select the corresponding row and click the Delete icon, or right-click and choose Delete Point.
Diaplay Size: Modify the Display Size value to change the visualization scale of the selected points in the view.
Property: Users may manually enter attribute information or add custom point cloud attributes within the table.
Start No.: The starting point ID can be manually edited.
Distance Measurement
Distance Measurement calculates the distance between two selected points. The Distance value represents the total length of the drawn trajectory, Horizontal Distance indicates the planar distance between the two points, and Height Difference shows the Z-axis difference between them.
Area Measurement
Area Measurement allows users to draw a polygon on the point cloud by left-clicking points. Double-click to close the polygon. During drawing, the Backspace key can be used to undo the last point. Upon completion, the software automatically calculates the perimeter and area.
Height Measurement
Height Measurement measures the Z-axis difference between two selected points in the Data View.
Inclinometer Measurement
Slope Measurement calculates the slope of the line connecting two selected points.
Angle Measurement
Angle Measurement calculates the angle formed by three selected points.
Density Measurement
Density Measurement measures the point density in a selected region. The default fixed-width region is 5 m, but users can deselect the fixed-width option and draw a custom-width area with the left mouse button.
Volume Measurement
Volume Measurement applies to open surface stockpiles like quarries, coal heaps, and gravel piles.
Detailed Steps:
Data Selection
In the data panel, select the point cloud station for calculation.
Tool Selection
Click Tools → Volume Caluculation, select the Volume option.
Draw Calculation Area
Click in the view to draw the polygon, double-click to complete. Or import external vector data.
Set Base Plan Mode
Six modes available:
Highest Point Plane: Plane parallel to XY at the highest point of the polygon; recommended for pits, ponds, or sand fills.
Lowest Point Plane: Plane at the lowest point; useful when boundaries are partially hidden.
Average Point Plane: Plane at the average height of all vertices.
Center Point Plane: Plane at the midpoint between highest and lowest vertices.
Fitted Plane: Plane fitted to polygon vertices to minimize vertex distance.
Custom Plane: Plane at user-defined height; recommended when boundaries are partially or fully hidden but the plane height is known.
Set Sampling Distance
Default is 0.1 m; smaller distances improve accuracy but increase computation time.
Start Calculation
After setting the reference plane and sampling distance, click Calculate to execute. Results are displayed in the function panel.
Export Report
Click Export to generate a volume report in the point cloud folder.
Capacity Measurement
Capacity Measurement applies to enclosed spaces like underground tunnels or shelters.
Data Selection
In the data panel, select the point cloud station for calculation.
Tool Selection
Click Tools → Capacity Calculation, select the Capacity option.
Draw Calculation Area
Click in the view to draw the polygon, double-click to complete. Or import external vector data.
Set Sampling Distance
Default is 0.1 m; smaller distances improve accuracy but increase computation time.
Start Calculation
Click Calculate to execute. Results are displayed in the function panel.
Export Report
Click Export to generate a volume report in the point cloud folder.
2 Clip Tool
2.1 Polygon Clip
Polygon Clip allows users to define the clipping area by drawing polygons or rectangles in the view window and then clip the selected point cloud accordingly.
Steps:
Data Selection
In the data panel, select the point cloud data to be clipped.
Draw Polygon/Rectangle
Click the Polygon Selection / Rectangle Selection button. In the Data View, left-click to draw the polygon or rectangle, and double-click to complete. Multiple polygons/rectangles can be drawn simultaneously.
Subtraction
After drawing, if part of the selection needs to be excluded, click the Subtract button and draw a new area; overlapping areas will be subtracted.
Cancel Selection
To redraw all areas, click Unselect to clear all drawn areas.
Clipping Mode Selection
Clipping modes include External Clip and Internal Clip.
External Clip: Clips all points outside the drawn area.
Internal Clip: Clips all points inside the drawn area.
Polygon Clipping defaults to External Clip.
Save Clipping Result
After drawing the polygon(s) and selecting the clipping mode, click Save Result. The point cloud will be clipped and displayed in the Data View showing the updated clipped result.
2.2 Time Clip
Time-Based Clipping allows point cloud data to be trimmed according to a specified scanning time range, retaining only the data collected within the selected period.
The function automatically reads the total acquisition duration as the default end time, with the default time unit set to seconds. Users can manually define the start time and end time to clip the point cloud data within an appropriate time interval.
2.3 Enclosure Clip
Enclosure Clip trims the entire view by drawing a bounding box and only supports External Clip, meaning it keeps the data inside the box.
Steps:
Data Selection
In the data panel, select the point cloud data to be clipped.
Draw Bounding Box
Click the Enclosure button. In the Data View, left-click to set the center of the bounding box. Use the view window to push/pull and rotate the box to define the clipping range. As the box is adjusted, the point cloud will show a live clipping preview.
Point Adjustment Tool – Adjusts the bounding box along a line defined by the selected point, extending or compressing the clipping range.
Linear Adjustment Tool – Moves the bounding box along a linear direction in space, shifting the clipping area.
Arc Adjustment Tool – Rotates the bounding box along an arc direction to adjust its tilt angle.
Save Clipping Result
After adjusting the bounding box, click Save to execute the clipping operation.
3 Profile Tool
The Profile Tool enables horizontal and vertical section clipping of point cloud data, allowing multi-angle visualization and analysis.
The common functions available in both Vertical and Horizontal Section modes include:
Thickness Measurement
Length Measurement
Area Measurement
Profile Rotation
Export Profile Point Cloud
Export Profile Image
3.1 Vertical Section
Vertical Section supports custom section thickness drawn directly in the point cloud view. Users may also enable Fixed Drawing to lock the thickness value (default thickness is 0.1 m). The section position can be translated using the Offset option, where each movement distance equals the Move Step Size value. The step value defaults to the section thickness and may be customized, but it must be greater than or equal to the thickness.
During vertical sectioning, the left view automatically switches to a top-down orthographic projection. Draw the section region by clicking once to define the start point, clicking again to define the end point, then dragging outward and clicking a third time to define the width. Once completed, the right view synchronously displays the generated section.
3.2 Horizontal Section
In Horizontal Section mode, the left view can be freely adjusted to an appropriate perspective. Click a point in the left view to define a horizontal plane at that location, which then clips and displays the point cloud along that plane.
3.3 Other Features
Thickness Measurement
Click Thickness Measurement, then draw a line in the right section view using two points to define the measurement direction and starting position. Move perpendicularly to create a parallel line. The distance between the two lines is calculated as the thickness value.
Length Measurement
Click Length Measurement, then select two points in the section view to draw a line segment. The length of this segment is the measured value.
Area Measurement
Click Area Measurement, then draw a planar polygon using multiple points in the section view. The enclosed area is calculated automatically.
Export Section Point Cloud
Supports exporting the section point cloud with customizable parameters.
Export Section Image
Supports exporting an orthophoto generated from the section point cloud in TIF format.
Output Path: Specify the folder for exporting the orthophoto.
Resolution: Set the image resolution in centimeters, representing the real-world distance per pixel.
Background Color: Define the background color of the exported image.
4 Coordinate Transformation
4.1 Leveling
The Leveling function is used to correct overall tilting of building façades or other planar structures by interactively defining a horizontal reference using three points.
In the Data Management panel, select a station.
Click Leveling in the menu bar to open the function interface. Select a plane in the point cloud and pick three points on that plane (ensure the distances between points are as large as possible and the three points are not collinear). The system will generate a leveling correction preview for the selected point cloud.
If the result is unsatisfactory, click Reset to reselect the three points. If satisfied, click Confirm to apply the leveling correction.
4.2 Rigid Align
Rigid Transformation assigns an absolute coordinate system to the point cloud using control points and generates a transformation accuracy report. This process does not change the size or shape of the point cloud; it only adjusts its spatial position. At least three control points are required.
Two orientation methods are supported:
Reference points picked directly from the point cloud (no reference points collected during acquisition).
Reference points read from the original data (reference points collected during acquisition).
Method 1: Picking Reference Points from the Point Cloud
Select Point Cloud
Select a point cloud station and choose Tools → Rigid Align to open the Rigid Transformation panel.
Select Point Source
Set the reference point source to Pick from Point Cloud.
Import GCPs
Import the control point file and select the control point coordinate system. The imported control point information will be displayed. The reference coordinate file must be prepared by the user in TXT format with the following columns separated by spaces: Point ID, X, Y, Z.
Pick Points
Select a row in the control point list, then pick the corresponding reference point in the point cloud view. The selected point will be marked with a yellow icon.
Confirm Result
After picking all corresponding reference points, click Confirm to execute the transformation. The output point cloud will contain absolute coordinates consistent with the control point coordinate system.
Method 2: Reading Reference Points from Original Data
① Select a single point cloud node and open Tools → Point Cloud Orientation. ② Set the reference point source to Read from Original Data. ③ Import the control point file and select the coordinate system. The software will automatically match the reference points in the original data with the control points. ④ Click Confirm to execute the rigid transformation.
4.3 Param Calculation
The Parameter Calculation function computes transformation parameters by importing control point files and defining the source and target coordinate systems.
Transformation Name: A user-defined name used to save the transformation type and parameter configuration for later reuse in the Parameter Transformation function of One-Click Processing.
Set Source Coordinate System: Import the control point file (TXT/CSV supported) under the source coordinate system. The system will automatically detect and display the coordinate system.
Set Target Coordinate System: Import the corresponding control point file under the target coordinate system. The system will automatically detect the coordinate system.
Select Transformation Type: a. No-Parameter Transformation: Used for conversions between coordinate systems under the same ellipsoid. b. Direct Translation: Applies user-defined XYZ translations directly. c. Four-Parameter Transformation: Suitable for planar coordinate transformations within a 10 km range. Requires at least two control points. This is a 2D transformation and does not modify elevation. d. Seven-Parameter Transformation: Suitable for transformations between different ellipsoids over areas larger than 15 km. Requires at least three control points.
Click Confirm to save the parameter configuration.
4.4 Param Conversion
The Parameter Transformation function applies saved transformation parameters to rotate or transform one or multiple station point clouds. Select the appropriate Transformation Name, define the output path, and click Confirm to execute the coordinate transformation task.
5 Accuracy Checking
The Accuracy Inspection function allows users to evaluate point cloud accuracy by importing field-surveyed check points and generating an accuracy inspection report. After importing the check points, users can pick the corresponding locations in the point cloud to obtain coordinate differences between the two datasets.
Open File Click this button to import the check point file into the main data view. Double-clicking a row will automatically locate and zoom to the corresponding position in the main view.
Add Row Add a new row manually based on the imported check point file, allowing manual editing of check point coordinates.
Delete Row Select a row in the accuracy inspection list to delete it.
Activate Selection Prevents accidental operations. After enabling this button, users can select the corresponding reference point in the point cloud. If a point needs to be reselected, it can be removed by right-clicking on it.
Export Report Generate the accuracy evaluation report.
Point Size Adjustment Controls the display size of the check points.
Display Position Enabled by default to control the visibility of check points in the main data view.
6 Path Roaming
This function allows users to simulate the observation or data acquisition process of a person or an aircraft in a real scene by defining custom viewpoints and paths. It enhances immersion and presentation quality and supports exporting roaming videos. The function consists of three parts: Path Editing, Viewpoint Editing, and Path Recording.
(1) Path Editing
a. Click Path Roaming to open the control panel. b. Click New Path, and “Path 1” will appear in the interface.
(2) Viewpoint Setup
Two methods are available for defining viewpoints:
Automatically generate viewpoints based on the acquisition trajectory.
Manually set viewpoints in the scene as needed.
1) Generate Viewpoints from Acquisition Trajectory
a. Click Add Trajectory. b. Set the viewing rotation angle. c. Click Confirm to import automatically generated viewpoints along the acquisition route.
Figure 129 Viewpoints Generated from Acquisition Trajectory
2) Manually Set Viewpoints
a. Adjust the model to the desired view and click Add Viewpoint. The system records the position and camera angle. Move the model to the next location, adjust the angle, and click Add Viewpoint again. Repeat until all required viewpoints are added. b. Click Time (s) to set the viewing duration for each viewpoint individually, or set a Total Duration to distribute time evenly across all viewpoints.
(3) Viewpoint Editing
a. Click Preview to play the browsing sequence of viewpoints. Click Delete to remove unwanted viewpoints. Click Play to automatically browse according to the viewpoint order. b. If a viewpoint needs adjustment, double-click it to jump to its position and angle. Modify the model view, then click Update Viewpoint to apply the changes. c. Click Preview to review the updated sequence, Delete to remove viewpoints, Play to start roaming, and Stop to end playback.
(4) Path Recording
a. Set the recording frame rate and click Record. A dialog will appear to select the output folder. Choose the save location and wait for the recording to finish. b. Click New Path and repeat the above steps to record additional roaming paths.
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