[wptabs style=”wpui-alma” mode=”vertical”] [wptabtitle] POLYWORKS PIFEDIT [/wptabtitle]

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Introducing Polyworks PIFEdit:

PIFEdit is a data viewing and editing software available in the PolyWorks suite.  It is used to clean scan data of unwanted data/points before importing the data into IMAlign.

* Note:  You have to have a full license of Polyworks (w/dongle)  to be able to edit and save data out of PIFEdit (otherwise it functions only as a viewer.

Basic Navigation:

Upon opening the PIF file in PIF Edit, view the scan using the appropriate mouse buttons:

Left Button:  Rotates the scan

Middle Button: Translates the scan

Right Button: Zooms in and out on the scan

Get accustomed to the use and “feel” of these buttons because they are used in all of the PolyWorks modules.

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[wptabtitle] VIEW DATA [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

View the data from every angel to identify which data you want to keep and which data can be removed.

In this “un-cleaned” data the trees and people, in this case ROTC soldiers, are seen

In the image above, a group of ROTC soldiers were included in the scan.  Since the focus of the scan is the building, the scan data of the soldiers, the trees, and the ground in front of the building will all be removed.

Notice how the trees and the soldiers (objects in the forefront) cause shadows or holes in the scan data of the structure (object in the rear).  This can be remedied by simply acquiring another scan of the same area from another location if access and time permit another scan.

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[wptabtitle] SELECT UNWANTED DATA [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

To remove the unwanted scan data, press the space bar.  This activates the Selection dialog box.

Hold down the Shift and Ctrl keys and use the middle mouse button to make your selection.

Shift:  Enables Volumetric Selection – otherwise it is in Surface Selection mode which is only useful with polygon meshes

Ctrl:  Enables Polygonal Selection – otherwise in Freeform Selection mode

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[wptabtitle] CONFIRM SELECTION & DELETE DATA [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

Because you have to perform a volumetric selection in PIFEdit (aka it selects everything in the selection window), it is always good to double check the integrity of your selection before you delete any data.

Once you have done so you can go ahead and delete the unwanted data points from the scan.  Repeat this operation as many times as needed.

The red indicates data that has been selected. On the left we view the data from above, on the right we view the same selected data in a perspective view

When finished, go to File – Save As – save as name_cln.pf.

Note: Our naming convention is to tack a ‘cln’ onto the scan name or to put the cleaned data into a ‘clean’ subfolder.  As a rule of thumb – never overwrite the original data.

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[wptabtitle] CONTINUE TO… [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

For further processing in the Polyworks Suite, continue on to Importing Data into IMAlign.

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[wptabs style=”wpui-alma” mode=”vertical”] [wptabtitle] THE OPTECH PARSER[/wptabtitle]

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Introducing the Optech ILRIS-3D Parser:

The Parser program processes raw scanner data in a variety of output formats recognized by PolyWorks, GIS softwares, and other 3D modeling suites.

Using ILRIS Parser

Open the Parser program by double-clicking on the icon on your desktop.  The Parser window displays as follows:

The Optech Parser window

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[wptabtitle] ADD DATA[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

Add your data

Add your .i3d file by clicking the “Add” button.

Browse to the scan file location and select the desired scan.

Adding data in Optech Parser

The .i3d file is added to the file window in the Parser.  A photograph of the scanned area acquired by the laser scanner is also viewable in the Parser window.

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[wptabtitle] OUTPUT FILES & GENERAL SETTINGS [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

Next, specify your desired output file type. For more information on output file types and their respective settings, please refer to the ILRIS-3D Operation Manual (Section 9).  The PIF file type is the default output file type and is a PolyWorks specific format for use in the Polyworks Suite.  The PIF output options are discussed in the following slides.

Click on the “Settings” button.

General settings in Optech Parser

In the Output File Name textbox, specify the name and location for the output PIF file.

The Reduction option allows you to subsample your data (recommended subsampling: 1).

Filtering – You also have the option to “filter” your data by specifying a Range Gate and/or an Intensity gate.

The Range Gate option specifies a desired data range based on distance from the scanner (in meters)

The Intensity Gate option specifies a desired data range based on the intensity readings returned from the scanner.  While it is good practice to range grade your data to remove outliers etc…, it is not required because the data can also edited in the PIFEdit software.

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[wptabtitle] MORE GENERAL & ADVANCED SETTINGS [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

General Settings:

It is recommended to leave the Generate Bitmap, Generate Log, and Output pf Intensity options checked.

Generate Bitmap creates a separate .bmp file of the scan photograph

Generate Log creates a report containing the scan statistics

Output pf Intensity adds the intensity values returned from the scanner to the PIF file.

General Details and Advanced Settings:

For more on these options and those available in the Advanced Settings tab, please refer to the ILRIS-3D Operation Manual (Section 9).

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[wptabtitle] PARSE DATA [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

When the desired options have been selected in the “Settings” menus, click “Ok,” and “Parse” the data.  A progress report is displayed to show the steps and completion of the parsing process

The progress window shows as the data is being parsed

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[wptabtitle] CONFIRM PARSING IS SUCCESSFUL[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

Note that a green check appears beside the file name in the file window indicating that that the file has been parsed.

To view the resulting PIF file, click the “View output” button.

Confirm parsing was successful and view output file

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[wptabtitle] VIEW PARSED DATA [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

Once you click ‘View Output’ in ILRIS Parser, the PIF file is opened in the PIFEdit viewing window

The parsed file can now be viewed in PIFEdit

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[wptabtitle] FILES CREATED IN PARSING [/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

Note that a PIF file (.pf), a report log (.txt) and a bitmap of the scan photo (.bmp) are created in the parsing process.

The files created in the parsing process

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[wptabtitle] CONTINUE TO…[/wptabtitle]

[wptabcontent] Continue to Polyworks PIFEdit: Cleaning Point Cloud Data[/wptabcontent]
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1.  Set up the tripod as levelly as possible

2.  Attach scanner to tripod, be sure to tighten screw securely

3.  Turn on laptop and connect it to scanner using either the cable or wireless network. Depending on the desired configuration, please set up accordingly:

Ethernet/Wired Connection

– In Control Panel > Network Connections > Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
– Use the following IP address: 192.9.202.1 and Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
– In I3dNet Software > Go to tools > Prefs > Communication > Enter 192.9.202.248
– Polyworks dongle

Wireless Connection

– In Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), enter the following IP address: 192.168.0.6 and Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
– In I3dNet Software > Enter IP address 192.168.0.5
– Note that to reset the IP address you can log onto the internet > In Control Panel > Network Connections > (TCP/IP) > Specify ‘Obtain IP Address Automatically’

4.  Connect batteries to I-Bar in a T-shape. This is the only way that they will provide power to scanner

5.  Connect batteries to scanner using battery cable

6.  Start the I3DNet Program

7.  Go to the Communication Menu > Click ‘Connect’

8.  Click icon with red outline to place scanning area on screen and re-size red box to define the scan area

9.  Click ‘Acquire’ button to obtain the distance to the object to be scanned

10. Set the parameters of the scan – First will return readings from the first object/surface that is encountered while Last will return readings from the last object/surface that is encountered. Use Last to scan ‘through’ objects such as trees, fences, etc.

11. Set point spacing of laser (resolution)

12. Press the apply button

13. Start scan and save the file in the desired location

14. Parse scan to check data quality

15. Continue to Optech ILRIS Parser: Pre-Processing Scan Data

As objects become more complex, using layers (Shift + L) becomes essential to organizing and controlling the model space.

Once a point cloud data set has been properly aligned with overlap reduction, it is ready for meshing. IMMerge is the module in Polyworks that creates a mesh from an IMAlign project. Note – Only IMAlign projects can be meshed. See below for specifics for IMMerge operations.

[wptabs style=”wpui-alma” mode=”vertical”] [wptabtitle] BASIC SETTINGS[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

In the Polyworks Workspace Manager, select the IMAlign project that you want to mesh and then select Create a Polygonal Model in the Workspace Manager.

IMMerge – Basic Settings

Values Carried over from IMAlign Project (usually do not change)

Max Distance: The maximum distance between two overlapping scans
Surface Sampling Step: Average of interpolation step across scans; the resulting mesh
density
Standard Deviation: Approximate alignment error (In meters for Optech)

Smoothing Level: Can be modified. It is generally recommended to have Low to Med level of
smoothing.

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[wptabtitle] ADVANCED SETTINGS[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]

Advanced Settings Explained – (usually do not change)

Reduction Tolerance:
– Compresses the mesh by reducing the number of triangles (without loosing definition)
– Typical Reduction Tolerance = 1/5 * max standard deviation

Smoothing Radius
– Radius of the spherical filter used to smooth the resultant mesh.
– The greater the smoothing radius, the more the mesh is smoothed.
– Typical Smoothing Radius: 2-4 times the surface sampling step

Smoothing Tolerance
– Typical Smoothing Tolerance: 3 x’s max standard deviation

Common Error returned from IMMerge processing of very large datasets
Error 1413: Block Size too small or Out of memory

– Actually not a function of block size, so DO NOT increase block size. Recommended block size and compaction is 200 and 20, respectively. Instead, change the subdivision settings. Change the “# of triangles per job” to “# of Merging jobs” and where it says default, set a value. Start at 1000 then double if the operation still does not merge. If it does not merge in 10000 jobs or less, then the dataset is probably too large.

– If the dataset will not merge, split the IMAlign project into two pieces and mesh the two pieces separately.

[/wptabcontent] [/wptabs]

Using the Optech ILRIS-3D laser scanner and the Konica-Minolta VIVID 9i, data was collected in 2007 as part of the Ostia Antica 3D Scanning Project.

Several data sets from the Ostia Antica survey are available in these posts as point clouds in the Polyworks PWK format (as IMInspect projects).

For the PWK formats we recommend using the free Polyworks | Viewer (previously the Polyworks IM Viewer), and for the obj files we recommend Rapidform Geomagic Verify Viewer (previously the Rapidform Explorer).

To open a PWZIP file – click on the .pwzip link below and save the file; if you are using Mozilla Firefox, right click on the link and save the file.  Open IMView, left click on “File” at the top of the screen.  Select “Open project”, then “Add Workspace” and browse to the .pwzip’s saved location.  Next, choose a local location to extract the files.  The files will unzip and the project will appear in IMView’s workspace file structure.  Left click on the project and open.

Capitoline_Temple.pwzip (53.8 mb)
Collected 2007

Please note. This data is distributed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License  (seehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ for the full license). You are free to share and remix these data under the condition that you include attribution as provided here.  You may not use the data or products in a commercial purpose without additional approvals. Please attach the following credit to all data and products developed there from:

Credit:

University of Arkansas, Soprintendenza per i Beni Arcaelogici di Ostia, Leica Geosystems, National Science Foundation, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies

Longer Version:

This project was made possible through funding from the University of Arkansas Honors College and with equipment provided through Leica Geosystems Chair in Geospatial Imaging Funding and National Science Foundation Grant BCS 0321286.  Additional assistance was provided by Soprintendenza per i Beni Arcaelogici di Ostia including Angelo Pellegrino, Direttore degli Scavi di Ostia Antica.  The project was coordinated by the University of Arkansas:  Honors College –  Dean Robert McMath; Classical Studies Program, Department of Foreign Languages – Dr. David Fredrick; School of Architecture – Tim DeNoble; Rome Center for Architecture and Humanities – Prof. Davide Vitali, Director, and Prof. Francesco Bedeschi.  Further coordination was provided by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), University of Arkansas – Director W. Fredrick Limp, Prof. Jackson Cothren, and the data acquisition and processing team including Adam Barnes, Christopher Goodmaster, Malcolm Williamson, and Caitlin Stevens.  An undergraduate, honors colloquium, Visualizing the Roman City, worked more extensively with the data.  A paper was presented on the class at the April 2008 Computer Applications in Archaeology Conference in Budapest titled Visualizing the Roman City: Viewing the past through multidisciplinary eyes.

Using the Optech ILRIS-3D laser scanner and the Konica-Minolta VIVID 9i, data was collected in 2007 as part of the Ostia Antica 3D Scanning Project.

Several data sets from the Ostia Antica survey are available in these posts as point clouds in the Polyworks PWK format (as IMInspect projects).

For the PWK formats we recommend using the free Polyworks | Viewer (previously the Polyworks IM Viewer), and for the obj files we recommend Rapidform Geomagic Verify Viewer (previously the Rapidform Explorer).

To open a PWZIP file – click on the .pwzip link below and save the file; if you are using Mozilla Firefox, right click on the link and save the file.  Open IMView, left click on “File” at the top of the screen.  Select “Open project”, then “Add Workspace” and browse to the .pwzip’s saved location.  Next, choose a local location to extract the files.  The files will unzip and the project will appear in IMView’s workspace file structure.  Left click on the project and open.

Bath_of_Seven_Sages_Interior.pwzip (450 mb)
Collected 2007
Bath_of_Seven_Sages_Inteior.pwzip combines scans of the interior of one section of the House of Charioteers Complex.

Please note. This data is distributed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License  (seehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ for the full license). You are free to share and remix these data under the condition that you include attribution as provided here.  You may not use the data or products in a commercial purpose without additional approvals. Please attach the following credit to all data and products developed there from:

Credit:

University of Arkansas, Soprintendenza per i Beni Arcaelogici di Ostia, Leica Geosystems, National Science Foundation, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies

Longer Version:

This project was made possible through funding from the University of Arkansas Honors College and with equipment provided through Leica Geosystems Chair in Geospatial Imaging Funding and National Science Foundation Grant BCS 0321286.  Additional assistance was provided by Soprintendenza per i Beni Arcaelogici di Ostia including Angelo Pellegrino, Direttore degli Scavi di Ostia Antica.  The project was coordinated by the University of Arkansas:  Honors College –  Dean Robert McMath; Classical Studies Program, Department of Foreign Languages – Dr. David Fredrick; School of Architecture – Tim DeNoble; Rome Center for Architecture and Humanities – Prof. Davide Vitali, Director, and Prof. Francesco Bedeschi.  Further coordination was provided by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), University of Arkansas – Director W. Fredrick Limp, Prof. Jackson Cothren, and the data acquisition and processing team including Adam Barnes, Christopher Goodmaster, Malcolm Williamson, and Caitlin Stevens.  An undergraduate, honors colloquium, Visualizing the Roman City, worked more extensively with the data.  A paper was presented on the class at the April 2008 Computer Applications in Archaeology Conference in Budapest titled Visualizing the Roman City: Viewing the past through multidisciplinary eyes.

Using the Optech ILRIS-3D laser scanner and the Konica-Minolta VIVID 9i, data was collected in 2007 as part of the Ostia Antica 3D Scanning Project.

Several data sets from the Ostia Antica survey are available in these posts as point clouds in the Polyworks PWK format (as IMInspect projects).

For the PWK formats we recommend using the free Polyworks | Viewer (previously the Polyworks IM Viewer), and for the obj files we recommend Rapidform Geomagic Verify Viewer (previously the Rapidform Explorer).

To open a PWZIP file – click on the .pwzip link below and save the file; if you are using Mozilla Firefox, right click on the link and save the file.  Open IMView, left click on “File” at the top of the screen.  Select “Open project”, then “Add Workspace” and browse to the .pwzip’s saved location.  Next, choose a local location to extract the files.  The files will unzip and the project will appear in IMView’s workspace file structure.  Left click on the project and open.

Charioteer_Exterior.pwzip (152 mb)
Collected 2007; aerial perspective view
Charioteer_Exterior.pwzip combines scans taken from the exterior of the House of the Charioteers and Baths of the Seven Sages.  This structure was very dense and complex, resulting in the interior and exterior being separated for processing.

Please note. This data is distributed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License  (seehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ for the full license). You are free to share and remix these data under the condition that you include attribution as provided here.  You may not use the data or products in a commercial purpose without additional approvals. Please attach the following credit to all data and products developed there from:

Credit:

University of Arkansas, Soprintendenza per i Beni Arcaelogici di Ostia, Leica Geosystems, National Science Foundation, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies

Longer Version:

This project was made possible through funding from the University of Arkansas Honors College and with equipment provided through Leica Geosystems Chair in Geospatial Imaging Funding and National Science Foundation Grant BCS 0321286.  Additional assistance was provided by Soprintendenza per i Beni Arcaelogici di Ostia including Angelo Pellegrino, Direttore degli Scavi di Ostia Antica.  The project was coordinated by the University of Arkansas:  Honors College –  Dean Robert McMath; Classical Studies Program, Department of Foreign Languages – Dr. David Fredrick; School of Architecture – Tim DeNoble; Rome Center for Architecture and Humanities – Prof. Davide Vitali, Director, and Prof. Francesco Bedeschi.  Further coordination was provided by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), University of Arkansas – Director W. Fredrick Limp, Prof. Jackson Cothren, and the data acquisition and processing team including Adam Barnes, Christopher Goodmaster, Malcolm Williamson, and Caitlin Stevens.  An undergraduate, honors colloquium, Visualizing the Roman City, worked more extensively with the data.  A paper was presented on the class at the April 2008 Computer Applications in Archaeology Conference in Budapest titled Visualizing the Roman City: Viewing the past through multidisciplinary eyes.

Using the Optech ILRIS-3D laser scanner and the Konica-Minolta VIVID 9i, data was collected in 2007 as part of the Ostia Antica 3D Scanning Project.

Several data sets from the Ostia Antica survey are available in these posts as point clouds in the Polyworks PWK format (as IMInspect projects).

For the PWK formats we recommend using the free Polyworks | Viewer (previously the Polyworks IM Viewer), and for the obj files we recommend Rapidform Geomagic Verify Viewer (previously the Rapidform Explorer).

To open a PWZIP file – click on the .pwzip link below and save the file; if you are using Mozilla Firefox, right click on the link and save the file.  Open IMView, left click on “File” at the top of the screen.  Select “Open project”, then “Add Workspace” and browse to the .pwzip’s saved location.  Next, choose a local location to extract the files.  The files will unzip and the project will appear in IMView’s workspace file structure.  Left click on the project and open.

Casa_Giordino.pwzip (568 mb)
Collected 2007; top view

Please note. This data is distributed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License  (seehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ for the full license). You are free to share and remix these data under the condition that you include attribution as provided here.  You may not use the data or products in a commercial purpose without additional approvals. Please attach the following credit to all data and products developed there from:

Credit:

University of Arkansas, Soprintendenza per i Beni Arcaelogici di Ostia, Leica Geosystems, National Science Foundation, Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies

Longer Version:

This project was made possible through funding from the University of Arkansas Honors College and with equipment provided through Leica Geosystems Chair in Geospatial Imaging Funding and National Science Foundation Grant BCS 0321286.  Additional assistance was provided by Soprintendenza per i Beni Arcaelogici di Ostia including Angelo Pellegrino, Direttore degli Scavi di Ostia Antica.  The project was coordinated by the University of Arkansas:  Honors College –  Dean Robert McMath; Classical Studies Program, Department of Foreign Languages – Dr. David Fredrick; School of Architecture – Tim DeNoble; Rome Center for Architecture and Humanities – Prof. Davide Vitali, Director, and Prof. Francesco Bedeschi.  Further coordination was provided by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST), University of Arkansas – Director W. Fredrick Limp, Prof. Jackson Cothren, and the data acquisition and processing team including Adam Barnes, Christopher Goodmaster, Malcolm Williamson, and Caitlin Stevens.  An undergraduate, honors colloquium, Visualizing the Roman City, worked more extensively with the data.  A paper was presented on the class at the April 2008 Computer Applications in Archaeology Conference in Budapest titled Visualizing the Roman City: Viewing the past through multidisciplinary eyes.