Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

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vislaw
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Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by vislaw »

For our forensic visualizations we almost always convert our point clouds to mesh objects so we can apply lighting & shadows as well as reducing processor load for animation or use with real-time viewers. We recently worked on a forensic case involving a warehouse fire that involved a lot of interior detail that presented a challenge to be able to generate a decent mesh from.

We used a FARO S350 and an X330 to acquire data from 48 scan stations. Here's the project point cloud in FARO Scene 7:
PointCloud.jpg
Here are rendered frames showing the completed mesh we made from the project point cloud:
Render02.jpg
Render05.jpg
Render03.jpg
Render04.jpg
We will use this basic mesh to work with the client to make decisions regarding the final trial exhibits. At that point we will replace much of the current mesh with hand modeled geometry. We will be combining this data with drone-based photogrammetry as well as a data set we created by flying a Faro X330 from a heavy lift drone. For those of you attending the IAFSM conference next month, I'll be presenting more info on the workflow used in this case.
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by d.raneri »

Looks good and sounds like a lot of work! I'll be interested to hear more in Atlanta next month.
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by LPaulCook »

Nice mesh!

Which software do you use for meshing?
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by Oatfedgoat »

Very impressive looking mesh. Like others, I'd love to know what software(s) and processes were used to create this. 8-)
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by vislaw »

I used FARO Scene and Thinkbox Sequoia for the meshing here.
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by madgic »

The end result is great! Was this all scanned from ground level?
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by vislaw »

madgic wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:10 am The end result is great! Was this all scanned from ground level?
We were able to get a couple scans from the adjacent roof and also elevated the scanner at a couple of points where we could set the tripod on stable structure, but 95% was ground level scanning.

Interestingly, we did fly a FARO X330 using the Stormbee drone and acquired a decent point cloud from the air. However, the Stormbee system currently doesn't support scan colorization (it will before the end of the year) so we decided to not use that data set to build this mesh in order to take advantage of having a color-mapped mesh.
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by Oliver Buerkler »

Congratulations Mark - looks really great!

Could you tell us a little more about your meshing workflow?
What had been done in SCENE / Sequoia?
How did you combine both?
Etc.

Best regards,
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by vislaw »

Hello Oliver,

Thank you for those kind words. A bit late responding here.

The primary point cloud was generated and cleaned in SCENE. I do like to use SCENE to mesh small components. However, for large models I find Sequoia is particularly useful because you can tweak the meshing settings so easily and dial in the level of detail quite easily.

I also separated out portions of the cloud (such as the trusses/support beams) and meshed them separately.

I saved out the mesh objects as PLY files because the PLY format saves vertex colors and brought them into 3ds Max for rendering.
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Re: Complex Meshing of Project Point Cloud

Post by nikitshetti »

How is the accuracy of the scans when using stormbee drone ? Have they added the colorization option yet ? Also is it possible to align in Scene or you have to use their software ?
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