RJGEOMATICS wrote: ↑Thu Feb 20, 2020 12:49 pm
People need understand the exponential costs of a colorized Pointcloud. It isn't free. Even with #rtc360 the field time alone on a 500scan Project is 10 hours which will mean 1 to 2 shifts more in mobilization and staff costs just for field activities. Then Registration is an exponential time factor after also in the office. Not to mention your data even once into ReCAP as *.PTS import is at a Minimum 33% larger... So if you want color, you better realize that it costs!!! And we aren't talking a small cost increase. In the case of a 500scan job using an #rtc360 the Basic #pointcloud alone is going to cost a minimum of 3 times more than a simple plain #pointcloud. so in the #3DLS world if you want color you better realize it isn't free and recognize the exponential costs of a colorized #pointcloud over the simple "LaForge" view #pointcloud. If color is necessary it should be independent of scanning with a true camera platform. Leave scanning for geometry and good pointcloud data. Good photos require different stationing, different lighting a d different perspectives. So scan to optimize scanning and do a photo campaign to optimize for photos. If necessary to colorize the Pointcloud itself there software packages out there that will do that
You must have a different workflow to us, as whilst it definitely takes longer for colour, around 25-35% longer, it's nowhere near as bad for us as it sounds for you.
We've had discussions with clients about colour/no colour in the past but their designers ALWAYS want the option to toggle in their software between realistic rgb and intensity/greyscale. It gives them 2 options if they're struggling to identify something, but more than this it makes what they're looking at more intuitive if it's RGB.
Secondly, they want the 360 images that come from the service not just to colourise the data, but as separate georeferenced jpg files to use as a virtual tour. They aren't interested in doing that in highly pixelated 360 degree images of greyscale pointcloud - they want the high resolution, HDR imagery.
We have a range of camera systems in our stock, and you mention that for you, colour imagery should be independent of scanning. In our experience not only do our customers absolutely love the imagery they get off our RTC360's, our surveyors really appreciate how quick and simple it is to capture with no additional equipment to take on/off the tripod. Plus our processing teams appreciate that they can basically 'forget' having to do anything with imagery/colourisation, as it's now done automatically. So even though we have the capability to separate the photo/3D elements of a job, it seems that every link in our production chain from surveyor to client loves the results from the scanners which combines the two well.