The majority of surveying work happens away from the office, but office tasks need to be as efficient and accurate as on-site tasks. Some survey office software is developed specifically for processing a large amount of data quickly, but there are times that a survey company needs more specialized functions. If a company is regularly involved in creating point clouds, it might be necessary to purchase a more powerful software.
Point Clouds
Point clouds are created by collecting raw data of physical objects, such as buildings or terrain, with a 3D scanner and converting them to readable point cloud files. Once the data is collected, surveyors use software to convert the data and create a point cloud image. Creating dense point cloud images can be very resource intensive, especially if the point cloud manager is separate from the primary survey office software. If a company uses point clouds often, or if the company creates 3D models regularly, it would be best to choose a software with a point cloud manager built into the program rather than purchasing and installing several types of software.
Point clouds can also be created by collecting numerous 2D images of a physical object. Creating this type of point cloud can be extremely difficult, but there are some types of software that are capable of handling this type of point cloud creation as long as the location of the 3D points, scale, and orientation of the object are known.
The Final Product
Typically, there is a lot of effort involved in creating a point cloud which will be converted into a 3D model of terrain or a 3D model of a building. Some companies are solely dedicated to these types of projects, and having efficient software can improve the accuracy of a final product and help staff become more productive. Learn more by visiting Frontier Precision.
