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[wptabtitle] INITIAL CLEAN-UP[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]This workflow may follow “Scanning, and Processing with Targets in Complex Interior Spaces” as a suggested method of sub-dividing registered, unified point cloud data into more manageably-sized pieces. In this example, data is broken up so that it can be imported into AutoCAD and REVIT; as of early 2011, these Autodesk platforms are becoming better at accommodating point clouds, however, currently, only reduced data sets or very small projects can be exported from Cyclone to these software in their entirety due to size limitations. This is a suggested workflow for quickly breaking up data for importation into such Autodesk applications.

I. Initial Clean-Up & Settings – Create MS from registered, unified point cloud > Delete extraneous points and any noise > Save this as Piecing_Base

NOTE: In this example, the original data of a complex interior chilling plant ranged in density from approximately 1cm at the most dense to 10 cm at the least dense. After registration, this data was unified with the medium reduction setting. This resulted in more consistent 2.5 cm spacing in the majority of the data that proved to be manageable in exporting to other formats and software.

II. Set the view to Orthogonal > Viewpoint Tab > Orthogonal [/wptabcontent]

[wptabtitle] SETTING HORIZONTAL REFERENCE PLANES[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]III. Setting Horizontal Reference Planes – Once the data is clean a series of reference planes will be created to serve as visual aids to slice the data into smaller pieces. Open the Reference Plane dialogue box and leave it open for the workflow.

A. Open RP dialogue box > Tools > Reference Plane > Add/Edit Reference Plane > Click the visibility box to activate the original, default reference plane (RP); this is usually a horizontally oriented plane that is aligned to the X-Y plane of your data

1. If your data needs to be divided up vertically and horizontally (ie: multiple levels of dense data), double click the default RP and rename it Horiz_Level_001 > follow Step III-B

2. If your data does not need to be divided up vertically (ie: single level of data), move to Step IV

B. Move RF_Horiz_Level_001 to a significant horizontal point in the data > In this example, a reference plane was set on a point on the floor dividing 2 levels > Zoom into the data so that you can see the floor or significant horizontal feature > use Selection tool to select a point on the feature > Tools > RP > Set Plane Origin at Pick Point

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[wptabtitle] CREATE ADDITIONAL HORIZONTAL RP’S[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]C. Create additional horizontal RP’s to divide up the data in the vertical direction > Within the RP dialogue box, left click on RP_Horiz_Level_001 to select it > Use the copy icon at the top of the dialogue box to Copy Reference Plane > Name the new RP to identify the level (Horiz_Level_002, _003, etc) > LC the new RP > LC the icon at the top of the dialogue box to Set Active Reference Plane > The new RP is now active and can be placed at significant features as outlined in Step III-B (see figures 1 & 2).

Figure 1 – The Reference Plane dialogue box has been opened and the default reference has been named RP_Horiz_001 and placed on the floor dividing the two levels; Note the main level above the RP and the basement below. This building required only one horizontal plant

Figure 2 (Left) – A closer view of the dialogue box and the options for copying/adding RP’s and for activating the RP[/wptabcontent]

[wptabtitle] ADDTIONAL REFERENCE PLANES & ESTIMATING DATA SIZE[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]IV. Additional Reference Planes & Estimating Data Size – Ultimately, how the data is divided depends on the original density and complexity of the point cloud data and the needs of the end-user/end-software. The goal is to balance between creating consistently-sized pieces and using sufficient overlap to allow re-assembly with minimal redundancy. Understanding the complexity within the different areas of your project is essential to understanding how/why you place sectional cuts. 5 square meters of measured space can have more points than 20 square meters of space depending on what is within that volume (ie: a complicated network of pipes versus an empty room).

In this example, the unified point cloud (48,000,000 points) needed to be divided into 300-400 MB pieces in a DXF format to import into REVIT.

Note: Users may find it helpful to adjust the RP’s to match the coordinate system or vice versa; this is covered in the Basic Cyclone Workflow and is not covered here. In this example, features within the scan data (walls and floors) are used to divide the space instead of defined coordinates. IMPORTANT TIP: The medium reduction unified cloud creates exports with a clear ratio between the number of points and the size of the resulting DXF file in which 1 million points roughly creates a 1 megabyte DXF file. [/wptabcontent]

[wptabtitle] CREATING ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PLANES[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]V. Creating Additional Reference Planes

A. Create a copy of an existing RP (see figure 2) > Make the new plane active and name it RP_Vertical_001

NOTE: turning off the visibility of RP’s that you are not actively using helps to understand what you’re seeing; this is done in the RP dialogue box

B. Tools > RP > set Vertical_001 to the Y-Z Plane or to the Z-Y Plane depending on the orientation of your data and the direction that you want to grid it > Visually examine the data to see if this standard view aligns to the grid you desire

1. RC anywhere in the area where the toolbars are located > Enable the Viewing Toolbar > Top view while in Orthographic viewing mode allows you to see if the reference plane is aligned to the feature (an interior wall for example) that you are using to divide the data > If the plane is aligned to your data, move to Step D.

2. Note that Cyclone toolbars often hide one another and you may need to pull them into the main viewing area to see all of them

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[wptabtitle]CREATING ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PLANES 2[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]
C. If a standard view or coordinate does not align to the feature, leave the vertical RP in place:

1. Create a fence and copy a piece of the data that contain a vertical feature that runs the direction that want to grid/the direction in which you want to divide the data (here the exterior walls running north-south and east-west are used to divide the data so a corner is copied to a new MS)

Figure 3 (Left) – Top View, a corner is fenced; Figure 4 (Right) – Perspective View, the corner section copied into its own MS

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[wptabtitle]CREATING ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PLANES 3[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]2. In the new temporary MS, select a point on the wall > Create Object > Region Grow > Patch > View results in MS before accepting results, adjusting settings as needed to create a small vertical patch on each wall/feature being used to grid and divide the data

Figure 5 (Left) – A patch is created on each wall/vertical feature; Figure 6 (Right) – The resulting patches with the point cloud hidden

Figure 7 (Left) – Top view in orthographic mode confirms that the planes are perpendicular and have the correct z-direction

3. Select the patches (here there are 2 patches representing the north-south and east-west directions) > Copy > Close/delete the temporary MS

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[wptabtitle]CREATING ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PLANES 4[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent] 4. In the original MS (Piecing_Base), open the Layers dialogue box (Shift + L) > Create a layer called Patches > Make the new layer current > Paste the patches into the base MS

Note: The use of a temporary MS to create the patches allows the unified point cloud in the base to remain as a single cloud; when an object such as a patch is created, the points are automatically deleted and if you choose to insert a copy of the deleted points, they are individual sub-set point clouds resulting in undesired multiple clouds in the base.

5. Select a patch > Confirm that RP_Vertical is active and visible > Tools > RP > Set on object > Activate the top view to confirm that the RP is now aligned to the wall/feature

6. Copy/add a vertical RP for each patch/direction > Turn off the visibility of the layer Patches

Figure 8  – Two patches representing the two walls are pasted into the base MS

Figure 9  – The vertical reference plane is aligned to the wall/patch

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[wptabtitle]CREATING ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PLANES 5[/wptabtitle]

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D. Once you have a vertical RP that is aligned to each wall/patch > Create copies of the RP’s and move them to significant points/features in the project that will allow consistently sized pieces (You are basically placing guides by which you will cut the data into pieces)

1. Choose the first direction to grid > Select the vertical RP (RP_Vertical_001) > Confirm it is visible and turn off the visibility of the other RP’s

2. Copy Vertical_001 > Name the new RP Vertical_002 > Make Vertical_002 active

3. Select a point along the direction you are gridding to define the location for Vertical_002

a. Look for regularly occurring features (such as panels on the roof or interior walls/features) to begin placing the RP guides

 b. Use the measure tool (Multi-Select 2 points > Tools > Measure > Distance > Point to Point) to further examine the distance between divisions you are considering

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[wptabtitle] CREATING ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PLANES 6[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]4. Note the information regarding number of points and data size at the beginning of this section

a. The complexity of the data within the section affects the file size of each piece tremendously. It’s a matter of testing and evaluating until you become familiar with the density of your data and find what division/grid size will work

b. NOTE: the goal is to have consistently-sized data evaluated by the number of points/resulting megs; this does not always mean pieces have similarly-sized physical dimensions.

5. Once the point is selected > Tools > RP > Set Plane Origin at Pick Point

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[wptabtitle] CREATING ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PLANES 7[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent] You have set up the guides for the first sectional piece to be copied out and exported > It is recommended that you place the vertical RP guides one at a time, checking the size of the resulting point cloud and export files until you have a good understanding of how to divide up the data consistently > Going through the export process is the only way to verify the resulting file size and to confirm that your grid dimensions are appropriate to the complexity and density of each area.

Figure 10 – Top view of the north end of the building; the visibility of the horizontal RP’s has been turned off for clarity. The top green line is the first vertical reference plane (Vertical_001) that was created from the wall/patch. The bottom green line is Vertical_002 that has been moved by selecting a point on the seam between metal panels on the roof. The area between the two RP’s represents Piece_001. This piece/sectional slice will be copied and exported to see if the estimated location for the RP results in an appropriate file size.

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[wptabtitle]CONTINUE TO…[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent] Continue to Leica Cyclone 7.1.1: Sub-Dividing Large Point Clouds for Autodesk Applications – Exporting the Data [/wptabcontent] [/wptabs]

In updated versions of ACAD, drawings are scaled automatically when they’re inserted into a drawing with a different scale. However, in older versions and depending on how drawings were created, automatic scaling does not always work. Sometimes, objects within a DWG need to be scaled manually to a known dimension, another object, or an image. This example covers manually scaling and aligning ACAD object(s) by using another object as a reference. Please see ‘AutoCAD Interface and File StructureBasics’ for basic navigation and file structure information.

I. Aligning & Scaling an ACAD object using another ACAD object as a reference –

A. Open the reference drawing (ie: campus map) as read only > File > Open > Select file name > DO NOT click ‘Open’, use the pull-down arrow to select ‘Open Read-only’ > Locate the object (ie: individual building) that you are scaling

NOTE: Opening the reference DWG read-only allows you to use it freely as a reference without affecting the original drawing. It protects against accidently overriding the original source file.

B. Open the drawing with the objects to be adjusted (ie: individual floor plan) > It is recommended to ‘Open Read-only’ on this drawing as well >Adjust the layers so that only those layers that you want to use are visible > Confirm all visible lines are closed polylines

C. Select the object(s) > RC > Clipboard > Copy with base point > LC on a significant point on object(s) to specify the base point (See “Copying & Pasting Objects” in AutoCAD Basics for more information) > Using the lower, left corner consistently is recommended for ease in remembering and placing objects

D. Paste object(s) into reference drawing (ie: paste individual floor plan into campus plan) > Zoom into location for placement (reference object) > RC > Clipboard > Paste as block > LC at point that you want to place the base point defined in Step C

E. Align copied block object to correspond with reference object

1. Select block object

2. Command line: ALIGN

3. Prompt to specify the first source point – Select the original base point from previous steps

4. Prompt to specify the first destination point – Select the same original base point from previous steps

5. Specify second source point – select a significant point on the reference object

6. Specify second destination point – select the point on the block object which you want to correspond with the source point in Step 5

7. Click ENTER twice

F. Scale the block object to the scale of the reference object – we will use a significant feature on the reference object (in this case the length of a wall) to scale the block object. A significant feature has an easily identifiable start point and end point, which we will use to re-define the length of the block object. NOTE: ACAD uses the term ‘reference length’ in the command prompt- this is only applicable when the command is active and should not be confused with the reference object/drawing we have been using:

1. Select block object

2. Command line: SC or SCALE

3. Specify base point > LC to select original base point from previous steps (see Figure 10 – Selection 1)

4. Specify scale factor > command line: R or REFERENCE

5. Specify reference length > This is the significant length (wall) on the object being scaled and must be defined by selecting the start point and the end point

a) Select the start point – here it is the base point from previous steps (see Figure 10 – Selection 2 is the same point as Selection 1)

b) Specify the 2nd point/endpoint of the significant length (see Figure 10 – Selection 3)

6. Specify new length > This is the end point on the reference length, which is defined by the new endpoint only (see Figure 10 – Selection 4)

7. The block object (individual building) and reference object (campus map building) should now have the same scale and orientation

TIPS: If object is not scaling correctly, confirm that automatic settings within ACAD are not active and interfering. See the toolbar at bottom of screen (where OSNAPS icon is located) – confirm that the following settings are OFF Infer Constraints

Polar Tracking

Object Snap

Tracking

Dynamic Input

Clicking on the icon toggles it on/off, which is noted in the command line – click on each icon listed and confirm it is off

II. Adjusting the Coordinate System and Saving as an Individual Drawing

In the previous steps, the block object (individual building) was aligned and scaled to match the reference drawing (campus map). When the block was placed in the campus map, it was placed into the map’s coordinate system. By using the drawing origin (point 0, 0, 0 which is coincidental in all drawings) we can now create a new drawing with the same coordinates as the campus map so that scaled, aligned, and properly coordinated buildings can be saved individually.

A. Create a new drawing > Adjust the units to match the reference drawing (here campus map drawing is in Architectural Units > 1/16″ Precision) > See ACAD Basics for more on Units

B. In the Reference Drawing (campus map) > RC > Clipboard > Copy the block object (individual floor plan) with base point > Base Point 0,0,0

B. In the new drawing created in Step A > RC > Clipboard > Paste to Original Coordinates > Command Line: ZE (Zoom Extents)

C. The floor plan is now scaled, aligned, and in the proper coordinate system with the Campus Map > Select block object > Command Line: EXPLODE > The floor plan is no longer grouped but is again composed of individual polylines

D. Command Line: Save As > Under files of type, use rolldown to find AutoCAD 2007 .dwg > Save and close

See AutoCAD’s help menu and the many free tutorials on-line to help with questions and steps. ACAD’s user interface is fairly friendly. Often just typing the command, all as one word without spaces, will either bring up the command or the appropriate help topic. Each new version of ACAD has changes in the interface but you can always access primary commands in this command line.  Those new to the 2009 version of CAD may find the New Features Tutorial helpful.

Creating/Opening Files

To Open an Existing File -> In ACAD -> Start Menu -> Open (see figure 1)

• When opening files from different versions of ACAD or containing different elements (such as an user-specific fonts or styles) a warning will appear when you open the file.  If dialogue box asks for shape file (.shp) or states it cannot locate the shape file, close the box by clicking ‘X’ and the file will open, replacing the unknown file with a default replacement file.
• If a message appears regarding updating AEC elements, be aware that older versions of AutoCAD cannot read files saved in newer versions; in order to open/manipulate a new file in an old version of CAD –> Open the file in the NEW version of ACAD –> File –> Save As –> File Type –> pull down to select the appropriate version of CAD.  See the information on file types .dwg versus .dxf in the overview ‘File Formats’.

To Create a New .DWG (ACAD drawing) -> Start Menu -> New -> Drawing -> Template Library opens -> to work with point clouds and other 3D work spaces choose “acad3D.dwt” -> template opens a 3D model space as a .DWG with a default file name -> adjust preferences as needed (see below) -> save file NOTE: The .dwt name varies w/ version of ACAD – the goal is choosing the 3D template)

File Formats

DWG – this is ACAD’s standard file format.  The type of .DWG format varies with each different release/version of ACAD in which the file was saved (by year).

DXF – or “Drawing eXchange Format” is a format that is standardized in different CAD and graphics programs.   This allows users to exchange drawings even if they don’t have the same program. When you use the DXF format, some objects may change their appearance when re-opened.  See DXFOUT and DXFIN commands for exporting and importing DXF files, respectively.

NOTE: 2004.dxf is a highly supported/interchangeable format and will often allow exchange with other software which may not successfully allow the .DWG.  To save an ACAD file as a .DXF -> file -> save as -> pull-down file type to .dxf

BAK – this is ACAD’s backup file format; ACAD automatically creates a duplicate backup file.  If you original file becomes corrupt or un-usable, rename the BAK file to a DWG file and open as usual.

SV$ –  This is AutoCAD’s format it uses whenever it performs an automatic save. AutoCAD will save the file automatically within a pre-determined time frame. Set the time frame and the location of automatic saves in Options > Files dialog box.

Navigation

There are several methods to navigate in ACAD

Command Line – simple commands such as PAN, ORBIT, ZOOM can be entered in the command line.

ZOOM – Use the zoom icon or the middle roller on your mouse to zoom in/out; also type ‘ZOOM’ in command line for zooming options. Type shortcut ‘ZE’ to zoom to the extents of all visible objects/points

Toolbars – Right click on the area where any visible toolbar is docked; this brings up your toolbar options.  ACAD contains the most basic toolbars. Activating the toolbars for ‘Orbit’,  ‘3D Navigation’, and ‘Views’ is recommended.

NOTE: When orbiting, a sphere is displayed with nodes shown on the top, bottom, left, and right – the cursor must be within this sphere (even if the objects/points are outside of it) in order to rotate/orbit; placing your cursor over the nodes helps control orbit; the objects and points are not visible during orbit but re-appear when the command ends

Mouse – by default the mouse is set to zoom in/out; RC also displays navigation options

Preferences/ Setup

UNITS – one of the most important preference to consider is units -> Command line -> UNITS -> Insertion Scale -> Set unit (maintaining the same unit as the scan data, which is usually meters, is recommended)

NOTE: If point cloud data and CAD need to be in different units or coordinate systems, use ACAD’s point cloud dialogue box to define units and coordinates as they will be used in ACAD -> Command Line -> POINTCLOUD -> Locate data -> Define units/coordinates -> data is converted to the scale/coordinates of the ACAD drawing

Other Preferences -> Command line –> ‘PREFERENCES’

Files –> displays and allows you to edit paths for file saves (including auto saves), backups, etc

Display –> Screen & element colors, crosshair size, & display performance

Open & Save –> Automatic Save setting options (set to 10 minutes between automatic backup/autosave by default; this can be an invaluable backup or it can be a frustrating time consumer – adjust this setting as needed based on file size and backup issues)

Explore other preferences and file options

Command Lines & Help Menu – Tips

Entering basic commands in their entirety or abbreviated into the command line is often successful and quick — ZOOM (Z), PAN (P), ORBIT, LINE (L), UNDO (U), SAVEAS; You can scroll through the command history with the up arrow in the command line or by entering ‘F2’

Snap Icons – Directly below the command line, Snap icons allow quick toggling of drawing constraints used during modeling

Help – ACAD has strong help/search capabilities so when in question, a good place to start is the help menu accessed through -> command prompt –> HELP or File –> Help or F1 Key or Typing keyword or phrase in search box located in upper right hand side of screen

Model Space, Paper Space, & Viewports

These are the names for the virtual spaces within ACAD.  They are controlled through the layout tabs

Model Space = infinite 3D modeling space at 1:1 scale

**It is extremely important that from the very first step, you utilize the coordinate system in CAD. CAD is made up of infinite space and in order to keep your project organized, understanding this infinite space is essential. By default, every ModelSpace has the same origin point located at 0,0,0 (meaning the x, y, z coordinates are all at 0 – enter this value into the command line with no spaces). Recognizing and using the origin maintains a point of reference among various drawings. See the ‘Copying & Pasting Objects’ section below.

Layout/Paper Space = Virtual sheet of paper containing windows (or “viewports”) into model space.  Layout/Paper space can be scaled, labeled, and manipulated without affecting the objects in model space.  Layout is the preferred space from which to print/plot.

• Each layout is an individual “sheet of paper” containing an infinite number of viewports, labels, and text
• elements & layers can be viewed independently between model & paper space by adjusting their visibility in the Layers Manager

Viewports = a 2d view used to project the 3d model space into the layout view.  It is similar to a ‘window’ that you place in paper space to look into Model Space.

Osnaps / Constraints

Osnaps and constraints are essential to utilizing the full accuracy and proficiency of ACAD.  Icons to toggle them on/off are located along the bottom of the screen, below the command line (see figure 2)

Osnaps – when ON, they allow the user to “snap” drawing, modeling, and measurement tools to specific points on objects and point clouds (these points such as midpoint or end point appear when the cursor hovers above the location on the object).  When OFF, these grips are not highlighted while drawing.

Infer Constraints – infers where objects, lines, or references would continue into space, allowing the user to snap to intersections/points that might not literally exist

Ortho Mode – restricts the user to orthogonal modeling/drawing

Polar Tracking – User can set a degree as a guide for modeling/drawing

Layers

Layers are the primary means of controlling objects in ACAD; organized, clearly-named layers are essential to managing the drawing.

Note if importing data from Leica Cyclone: When a point cloud is loaded into CloudWorx, Cyclone’s layers are transferred into ACAD layers (Cyclone names transfer preceded by “~”).  Unless you have changed layer names in Cyclone, the point cloud is on “~Default” upon import.

Create new layer(s) for all modeling work through the Layer Property Manager To create/manage layers -> RC on any ACAD toolbar -> LC Layers -> On Layers toolbar, LC Layer Property Manager icon (see Figure 4)

Selecting Objects

Lines, blocks, solids, and other objects can be selected individually or in groups/sets.

Select Single Object > LC directly on the object.  It’s grips will highlight showing it has been selected > Use Shift + LC to select multiple grips

One or more objects > LC + move with the mouse to draw a selection window

• If the selection window is drawn from left-to-right, only objects that are COMPLETELY ENCLOSED BY THE WINDOW are selected
• If the window is drawn from right-to-left, every object that TOUCHES THE WINDOW is selected

De-select > LC + Re-selecting an object will de-select it from a set; ESCAPE will de-select the entire selection

Figure 5 – (Left) Selection Window drawn left-to-right with start and end points marked. (Right) The grips (blue “dots”) of all objects selected are highlighted – Note the yellow rectangle in the lower right hand of the screen; although the selection window touched the rectangle, it did not enclose it, therefore it is not selected

Copying & Pasting Objects

Objects may be copied and pasted within a single drawing or copied from one drawing and pasted into another. In all cases, when objects are copied a base point is assigned. This base point is the “handle” of the copied object – you might think of it as the point at which the mouse is “holding onto” the object.

I. Copying Object(s) – clipboard

A. Select the object(s) to be copied

B. RC > Clipboard > Copy Options:

Copy = Objects are copied to the clipboard and a default base point is assigned; this base point’s location depends on how the object was created but it is often located in the lower left-hand corner of the object(s)

Copy with base point = Objects are copied to the clipboard and the user assigns the base point, which is useful when placing the object accurately

Assigning a base point – the base point may be assigned to a point on the object or to a point in the coordinate system. Using a point on the object is useful when you are trying to place objects and the coordinate system is not important. Using the coordinate system origin (0,0,0) is useful when copying object(s) from one coordinate system to another or when objects do not provide accurate references.

Point on Object > LC on a point on the object to specify it as the base point

Point in Coordinate System > When prompted to specify a base point, manually enter coordinates in the command line (#,#,# – digits separated by commas and NO spaces) > ENTER

NOTE: Copying by the origin point 0, 0, 0 (x=0, y=o, z=0) allows the user to paste by the same origin point; in this way, object(s) can be copied from one DWG and can be pasted into the exact same location in a different DWG regardless of differing scales or coordinate systems

II. Pasting Object(s) – clipboard

A. Paste by base point on the object(s) > RC > Clipboard > Paste > LC to place the object – the point that you LC represents the location that the base point of the copied object is placed

B. Paste by coordinates > RC > Clipboard > Paste options:

Paste to original coordinates = object is placed at the x, y, z coordinates of the original drawing that were defined as the base point by the user when the object was copied

Paste = Command line prompts for insertion point:

Enter coordinates in the command line (#,#,# – digits separated by commas and NO spaces) > ENTER

LC at point in new drawing > object(s) are placed according to the point that you specified as the base point in the original drawing with this LC

C. Paste as Block > Object(s) are converted into a single block/entity upon pasting; this is useful when copying complex drawings to keep everything together

NOTE: Blocks are groups or components that exist within a single drawing or multiple drawings. When copied or inserted, they retain the characteristics of the original block and when pasted, the block is placed on whatever layer is current; when one block is edited, all blocks are edited simultaneously.

NOTE: <EXPLODE> separates blocks into the individual, original objects (and their individual layers); when copying/placing multiple objects at the same time, pasting them as blocks helps to keep multiple objects grouped and positioned correctly until they are adjusted/placed, at which point they can be exploded

III. Copying/pasting within a single drawing – command line

A. Select the object(s) to be copied > command line: <CO> or <COPY>

B. Object is copied and remains visible and command line prompts the user to specify the base point > LC on a point on the original object to specify the base point

C. Dragging the mouse, moves the object to the point where the copied object is to be placed > LC on the point you want to paste the base point of the object

[wptabs style=”wpui-alma” mode=”vertical”]
[wptabtitle] IMPORTANT NOTE ON OBJECTS IN ACAD[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]IMPORTANT NOTE ON OBJECTS IN ACAD: When using the following methods (EXTRUDE, SWEEPT LOFT, REVOLVE) you can create solids or surfaces. Whether the object is solid or surface is determined by 2 things:

(1) Whether the polyline is open or closed: Open polygons and curves always create surfaces but closed polylines and curves can create either.

(2) Which tab is active at the top of the ACAD workspace (See Figure 1) – If the Solid tab is active, a solid is created; if the Surface tab is active, a surface object is created; if the Home tab is active, by default, a solid is created from closed polylines (this default can be changed once a command is active by entering ‘M’ for Mode at the prompt) – Solids seem to translate into the COE format and import into Cyclone much better than surfaces, which sometimes will not show up in Cyclone at all in the COE format.

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[wptabtitle] EXAMPLE[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]Method 1: Slicing Cross Sections and Lofting – Point Clouds may be sliced to view specific sections or profiles to model; these slices are made across the x, y, or z axis based on the current UCS. Slicing large areas is useful when looking to see which features are the most intact/complete across a site. Slicing small areas allows for precise drawing/modeling. In this method, a column will be sliced and the section’s profile (ie: cross sections) will be traced and lofted into solid or surface objects.

In the first example, the column is sliced 3 times on the y-axis. Tracing the slices creates 3 polylines representing the section cuts from the bottom, middle, and top sections of the columns -> These cross sections will then be lofted to one another, forming the modeled column object.[/wptabcontent]

[wptabtitle] USE THE CLOUDWORX SLICE TOOLBAR[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent]II. Use the CloudWorx Slice Toolbar to slice the point cloud along the y-axis as the first section cut at the bottom of the column. Slices can be made in several ways.  NOTE: a slice must be named in the Cutplane Manager (main Cloudworx toolbar) in order to be saved; if unnamed, it will be deleted once it is deactivated!!!

1. Clip Point to Slice -> uses two parallel planes to define the slice; only those points between the two planes are shown > Command line: CWSLICE or Cloudworx > Clip Point Cloud > Slice > Define Axis > LC in viewport to place 1st and 2nd clipping planes.  NOTE: Current Slice can be moved one step (equal to width of the slice) forward (CWSLICEF) or backward (CWSLICEB) along its axis

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[wptabtitle] CLIP POINTS TO SECTION[/wptabtitle]

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2. Clip Points to Section > uses single plane with only those points on one side of the plane visible > Command line: CWSECTION or Cloudworx > Clip Point Cloud> Section View > LC in viewport to define axis and direction (positive or negative)

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[wptabtitle] TRACE AND SNAP TO POINT CLOUD[/wptabtitle]

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3. Trace first section cut, snapping directly to point cloud > Top View > Make correct layer current > Zoom in to view points comfortably and refresh point cloud to confirm all points visible (do this periodically, especially when zooming in/out) >Command Line: PL or POLYLINE to trace the profile/outline of the bottom slice of the column

REMEMBER: (1) Enable OSNAP “NODE” to snap to points (2) At command line: type “U” during active polyline command to undo vertices/go back without ending the command (3) At command line: PEDIT allows polyline(s) to be edited, joined, etc. (4) See ACAD Help: Drawing and Editing Polylines for more information

3A. Repeat Steps to create the polylines for the remaining section cuts (note you may create more or less slices as desired – a higher number of slices and/or increased complexity results in a more accurate tracing but also requires a higher and more difficult set of calculations to loft/join the separate sections; when too complex, the lofting command may fail to calculate the final object as desired) > Confirm each section is made of only one polyline (use PEDIT -> JOIN and PEDIT -> CLOSE to join and close multiple polylines)

3B. Once all section cuts are traced, hide the visibility of the point cloud -> make the column object layer current

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[wptabtitle] 3D MODELING MAIN TOOLBAR[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]III. 3D Modeling main toolbar > EXTRUDE tab pulls down to LOFT (see figure 4) or at command line: LOFT > Select cross sections in the order they are to be lofted to one another (here from bottom to top) > ENTER after selection > ENTER a 2nd time to accept “Cross Sections Only”

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[wptabtitle] EXAMPLES OF LOFTING[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

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