What it is for

Open your laser scans directly in 4Reality to work and present in the real context: renovation on existing buildings, surveys and reverse engineering, integration of a new project into a scanned building or site. No conversion, no remodeling: the scan is displayed as is, in real time.

Plans: importing and viewing are available in all plans. Editing the point cloud settings (Point Cloud Option panel) requires Pro or Advanced; the Designer plan cannot edit the point cloud. Measurements apply to imported models: they are not yet available on point clouds.

Before you start

  • Your scan file in LAS, LAZ or E57 format, whether it comes from a terrestrial scanner or a drone.
  • Allow disk space and some patience at first load: files of several gigabytes are normal for a complete scan.
  • Good to know: 4Reality has no automatic alignment tool. The position reference is the origin (zero) of the scene. A georeferenced point cloud will therefore have to be repositioned manually to land in the right place in your project.

Steps

  1. Open your project in 4Reality.
  2. Start the import through the same menu as for a CAD model: Import > Import CAD in the ribbon, or the Import CAD quick button in the left panel. Select your LAS, LAZ or E57 file.
  3. Let the point cloud load: it is displayed in real time, faithful to the scan.
  4. Navigate through the cloud to check its coverage: are the important areas complete?
  5. If the cloud is not at the right position (typical case of a georeferenced scan, whose coordinates are far from the origin), reposition it manually with the Transform tool in the left panel.
  6. To present the context with a project: also import your CAD model and position it in the cloud (see the Import a CAD model chapter).

Adjust the point cloud display (Pro and Advanced)

The Point Cloud Option button, at the bottom right of the screen, opens the point cloud settings panel:

Panneau Point cloud setting et bouton Point Cloud Option
Point cloud settings panel (Point Cloud Option)
  • Point size: the display size of the points.
  • Gap filling: fills the gaps between points.
  • Max. number of points: the maximum number of points displayed (Pro licence feature).
  • Scaling: how the point size adapts (for example to the screen).
  • Shape: the shape of the points (for example square).
  • Orientation: the orientation of the points (for example along the normal).
  • Color source: the source of the colours (for example the file data).

Expected result

Your scan is displayed in the scene, faithful to the field, positioned relative to the scene origin. Your project can be integrated into it and the whole thing can be presented as a virtual tour: the client sees their real building with your project inside.

Common problems

  • Loading seems frozen: the file is very heavy. Allow time for the first load before concluding it crashed.
  • The point cloud is nowhere to be found, or very far away: it is probably georeferenced, so placed at its real coordinates, far from the scene origin. Reposition it manually with Transform.
  • The cloud looks full of holes in places: these are areas the scanner did not see (behind obstacles, glass or reflective surfaces). This is not a display defect: complete the scan in the field if the area matters, or increase Gap filling to soften the effect.
  • The point cloud settings are missing or inactive: editing the settings requires a Pro or Advanced licence.

See also

  • Import a CAD model (STEP, IGES, FBX, OBJ, STL, Datasmith)
  • The measurement system
  • Create a virtual tour and interactive presentation
  • Blog article: Point clouds, from your laser scans to the client presentation

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