
	Applies To

	Product(s):	InRoads
	Version(s):	V08.11.07.428
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	N/A
	Subarea:	N/A
	Original Author:	Bentley Technical Support Group

How to work with Point Cloud data in InRoads

Import Point Cloud Data into MicroStation

First, the data must be imported into MicroStation’s Point Clouds command. Tools > Point Cloud > Point Clouds will bring up the Point Clouds command or “manager”.

From here, use the File > Attach method to receive the Open dialog. Search for the file that is to be imported. File types that can be imported are the following:

Pointools POD (*.POD)

Terrascan BIN (*.BIN)

Topcon CL3 (*.CL3)

Faro FLS (*.FLS)

Faro FWS (*.FWS)

LAS (*.LAS)

Leica PTG (*.PTG)

Leica PTS (*.PTS)

Leica PTX (*.PTX)

Riegl 3DD (*.3DD)

Riegl RDB (*.RDB)

Riegl RXP (*.RXP)

Riegl RSP (*.RSP)

Generic Text (*.XYZ)

Generic Text (*.TXT)

All Files (*.*)

Converting file to *.POD

After selecting the file to import, a dialog will appear that asks if the file is to be converted.

This is where the file can be converted to a *.POD file and where options can be specified for converting the data. If this is something to be worked on over time, it is required to convert the file to a *.POD format for later usage.

View Attributes

To show the different attributes for the point cloud, go to Settings > View Attributes > Point Cloud Presentation > Style.

Drop-down menu allows to choose the point cloud display style.

· None — No display attribute is applied to the point cloud; points of the cloud display as white points.

· RGB per Point — Point clouds display according to their RGB attributes. Not all point clouds contain RGB attributes but if they are present, each point of the cloud has a RGB color. (In this dataset, there are no RGB attributes assigned)

· Classification — Some point clouds contain classification attributes. At present, only the attributes coming from LAS files can be imported. (In this dataset, the attributes are elevations)

· Elevation — Used to color the point cloud relative to its height (or width or depth, depending on the chosen axis).

· Intensity — Represents the strength of the signal returned by the laser scanner.

Import Point Cloud into Data Acquisition

Go to Tools > Data Acquisition to open the command. When there is a fence defined, Data Acquisition will automatically honor that fence during the import process. *To work with manageable surfaces in InRoads/GEOPAK/MX, fences will be required to generate the surfaces.*

After selecting the option “Import From Point Clouds”, a Point Clouds Surface dialog should appear to select filters and tolerances. The filter button will display the results prior to selecting “Accept”. Once the filters have been approved, select “Accept”.

Export Surface

Data Acquisition can export surfaces in four different formats: GEOPAK TIN, InRoads DTM, MX Modelfile, and LandXML.

In this workflow, an InRoads DTM surface was created. Once selecting the proper export format, the Save As dialog will appear to save the file.

More workflows on Data Acquisition can be found in the following location:

Data Acquisition Workflows

Open Surface in InRoads

The surface may now be opened into InRoads with the new file type of *.DTM.

Notice the screenshot below. These graphics were displayed using the InRoads’ command Surface > View Surface > Features. This is only a portion of the point cloud data. Again, to work with manageable surface, fences will be required during import process in to Data Acquisition.

External Links

Bentley Technical Support KnowledgeBase

Bentley LEARN Server

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Working With Point Cloud Data in InRoads