Start a project

The first step in VisionLidar is to create a project and import point clouds by opening the "File / New" tool. The project must first be named and a project location must be set.  To see all parameters you must click on the arrow next to "Advanced setting". It runs outside of VisionLidar, to let you create multiple projects simultaneously while allowing you to continue working on a different project.

The source files can be selected by clicking the  icone and choosing valid point cloud files. Several formats are available as source data: .LAS, .LAZ, .E57, .PTS, .CSV .X3A, .FLS, .LSPROJ or .RCP. You must then select the folder in which you will create your project in "Project location". All work done in your point cloud (from classification to extraction) will be saved there.

Source files can be chosen separately within one folder by clicking  icone or check "All in folder" which will let you take all scan files of the chosen formats within that folder and its subfolder if desired.

• Upload images: Select the folder if you have spherical images linked to the projects.
• Keep temporary files:allows to keep the .laz files resulting of the conversions made before creating the project (being in the project's coordinate system).
• Class (.ini): Select the class list you want to use for the project.
• Merge scans: Merge together all scans in one big point cloud, losing the origin of the points.
• Calculate Normal: Check it if you want the "Normals" to be calculated as the same time as the projects are created
• 3D file: indicates that the source files are in 3D format. The only reason this option should be unchecked is in case you are importing aerial lidar data and you want the tiling to be done only on X and Y planes.
• Includes subfolder: Include the subfolder for other "Source Files".
• Tile size: Select the size for tile creation.
• Max. point in tile: Select the maximum number of points per tile. This affects "LoD" (level of detail) creation.
• Expand BB:
• CSV format: Choose the value to put for your CSV file.
• Limit by bounding box: You can exclude distant points in your project by delimiting a bounding box.
• Conversion Projection: sets the project's coordinate system If a "Conversion" is requested,  all the coordinates from the "Source" file will be re-projected into the "Destination" coordinate system which will be the project's. 
• Source: Select the unit of measure (feet or meters). The "Unit of measure" is currently only used for the metadata.  
• OK: Start the creation of the project
• Quit: Close the "New Project" window.

A VisionLidar project is managed by a cubic tiling system. Consequently, the point cloud data is divided into subgroups to ease the processing of large volumes of data. It is possible to specify the size of the tiles ("Tile size") or the maximum number of points a tile should contain (“Max. points in tile”). The dimension of the tiles will have an impact on data processing speed and display fluidity. By default, the maximum number of points per tile is 5000. Increasing this value will create larger tiles, increasing the number of points viewed at a time while slowing down visualization, especially for less powerful computers. Decreasing this value will create smaller tiles, displaying less points at a time while enhancing fluidity. The tile size cannot be changed after project creation. It is recommended to have a tile size of at least 1.5 so that the most detailed view appears within an acceptable range.

It’s important to note that only 255 scans can be imported independently in one project. If you need to import more, you will have to select the "Merge scans" option. It is also possible to add scans after the project creation, the scan files can only be added one at a time. Hence it is better to add all pertinent files upon creation of the project. If the source files contain spherical images, they will be extracted and accessible in "View / Spherical images".

IMPORTANT: When you create a new project, make sure to set up a unit of measure. Even if you dont have a projection for your scans.