Question

How do I create a good looking mesh from a point cloud?

  • 11 February 2021
  • 7 replies
  • 59 views

Dear FME Community,

 

I would like to create a mesh from a xyz-pointcloud. Does anybody know what settings I could use so that it looks nice and just like the original point cloud?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

With kind regards

Christian Lendl

 

 

 

terrainThese are my settings at the moment. The mesh looks like there is a hill, but in the original point-cloud there is no hill...

 

 

 

pointcloud_01here you can see the preview I get from the original point cloud. There is not much elevation in the back.


7 replies

Badge +20

Use BoundsExtractor on Pointcloud ant then on Mesh to get _zmin and _zmax and compare them. FME doesn't invent hills.

Also, check your Pointcloud for other components. Maybe you contruct the mesh from reflectance or intensity instead of z.

Use BoundsExtractor on Pointcloud ant then on Mesh to get _zmin and _zmax and compare them. FME doesn't invent hills.

Also, check your Pointcloud for other components. Maybe you contruct the mesh from reflectance or intensity instead of z.

Hey @caracadrian​ ,

thank you very much for your answer :)

unfortunately I do not have any other additional information in my pointcloud. And after checking the mesh and the pointcloud, the z-min/z-max values are very different. I believe my surfacebuilder-method does not relly have the right settings... Do you have any recomendations for the settings, that might work better for this point cloud?

Badge +20

Hey @caracadrian​ ,

thank you very much for your answer :)

unfortunately I do not have any other additional information in my pointcloud. And after checking the mesh and the pointcloud, the z-min/z-max values are very different. I believe my surfacebuilder-method does not relly have the right settings... Do you have any recomendations for the settings, that might work better for this point cloud?

IF you are willing to share some sample data and/or workspace I can suggest something.

Hey @caracadrian​ ,

thank you very much for your answer :)

unfortunately I do not have any other additional information in my pointcloud. And after checking the mesh and the pointcloud, the z-min/z-max values are very different. I believe my surfacebuilder-method does not relly have the right settings... Do you have any recomendations for the settings, that might work better for this point cloud?

@caracadrian​ 

thank you so much for your help :)

I have uploaded some sample data. I would relly appreciate your help, if you could give me some settings that work with this point cloud :)

Badge +20

Hey @caracadrian​ ,

thank you very much for your answer :)

unfortunately I do not have any other additional information in my pointcloud. And after checking the mesh and the pointcloud, the z-min/z-max values are very different. I believe my surfacebuilder-method does not relly have the right settings... Do you have any recomendations for the settings, that might work better for this point cloud?

Only thing that gives satisfying results is Simple Triangulation mode.

Poisson creates weird artifacts when calculating normals as it is mostly used for more "rounder" surfaces like statues. It doesn't do well with noisy points like the terrain is.

ok thank you very much! But when I select simple triangulation mode, I get a mesh which has some surfaces turned up-side-down... what settings would you consider with this mode?

Badge +20

ok thank you very much! But when I select simple triangulation mode, I get a mesh which has some surfaces turned up-side-down... what settings would you consider with this mode?

Set Consistent Vertex Ordering to yes.

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