Open point cloud(s) FAQ

Modified on Sat, 15 Oct 2022 at 10:17 AM

Point cloud characteristics & types

  • Do you support point cloud classifications?
    No, but if you can save each class as a distinct point cloud, you can open them in the same scene in NUBIGON.

  • Do you support unstructured, structured, or unified point clouds?
    You can open all three types of point clouds in NUBIGON as long as they are in a supported file format.

Octree Generation

  • Do I have to generate an octree every time I want to view the dataset?
    No. Once you have generated the octree, you can instantly open datasets of any size.

  • How can I speed up the octree generation process?
    Please follow our tips.

  • Do I have enough disk space to open point clouds?
    Generating an octree temporarily creates auxiliary files. Please review our tips.

  • How does NUBIGON handle large coordinates?
    It is a common issue that GPUs produce artifacts when working with large coordinates. Therefore, stick with the default Offset type Origin when generating an octree.
     


Third-party-related topics

  • When I open a colored LAS/LAZ file, it appears black. How can that be? 
    In certain cases, 3rd party software packages will export LAS/LAZ files with 8-bit colors instead of the standard 16-bit (as outlined in the LAS specs), resulting in colorless (i.e. black) octrees. In these cases, re-generate the octree by enabling the Octree Generation Setting Force 8-bit colors.

  • When I open a colored LAS/LAZ file, it appears white. How can that be? 
    If you have mistakenly enabled Force 8-bit colors when generating an octree from a LAS/LAZ file with correctly specified colors, then the octree will be displayed in white by default. Simply generate a new octree from the original LAS/LAZ without forcing 8-bit colors. 

  • When I open my point cloud, I see unusual patterns in the data. How can that be?  
    This is caused by opening a point cloud with large coordinates in its original coordinates (zero offset vector). To fix this, re-generate the octree with the default Offset type option Origin.

    The patterns can also be caused by exporting point clouds from third-party software with a low precision setting. Since we calculate and use normals, this issue becomes more visible in NUBIGON. Once you switch to x-ray mode in NUBIGON, this visual issue largely disappears. You have two options: re-export the point cloud with higher precision settings (i.e. more decimals) or use the x-ray view in NUBIGON.