Point Cloud Shape Extraction for AutoCAD

Utilities are increasingly using laser scanning, terrestrial and LiDAR, to scan transmission lines for vegetation management, substations to create 3D models as a starting point for rehabilitation design, and other objects.

There is a new Point Cloud Shape Extraction Plug-in available on the Autodesk Labs site. Shape Extraction is a plug-in for AutoCAD that allows you to extract shape and geometry information from point cloud data in AutoCAD 2011 and AutoCAD 2011-based products.

To do this first import unorganized point cloud data into AutoCAD.  You then have three options for extracting shapes.

• Primitive Shape Extraction - extract primitive shapes such as spherical, cylindrical, conical and toric surfaces or solids.
• Plane Extraction - extract a single plane or automatically extract all planes
• Point Cloud Sectioning - specify a sectioning plane and then fit poly-lines or b-splines to the points on the sectioning plane

More information is available on the Labs blog. There are some examples on Shaan Hurley's site and on Kean Walmsley's blog.  Videos are also available.