Point Cloud to Contour
Functional Overview
The Point Cloud to Contour tool extracts elevation contours from input point cloud data., The specific process is as follows: Develop a triangular regular network (TIN) from ground class points. This is then used to TIN to Contour.
Usage
Click on Terrain > Point Cloud to Contour.
Parameters Settings
- Input Data: Ensure that each input point cloud data is the data that has been classified by ground points; the input file can be a single data file or a point cloud data set; the file(s) to be processed must be opened in the LiDAR360 software.
- Scale: There are 11 scales for generating the point cloud, which correspond to different height intervals.
- 1: 500: 1: 500 scale.
- 1: 1000: 1: 1000 scale.
- 1: 2000: 1: 2000 scale.
- 1: 5000: 1: 5000 scale.
- 1: 10000(default): 1: 10000 scale.
- ... ...
- From Class: Point cloud classes that participates in the construction of contour lines.
- Contour Base (m)(default value is "0"): The elevation of the generated contour is calculated from the base elevation. The difference between elevation of the contour and base elevation is the integral multiples of the contour interval. For example, the criterion is 0, and the contour interval is 10m, thus the distribution of contour is: 0, -10, -20, -30, 10, 20, 30...
- Triangle's Maximum Length (m)(default value is "30"): The triangulation network is constructed from elevation attributed ground points, that is used to generate contours. If the length of a triangle side, or arc, in the network is greater than the defined threshold, that edge will be excluded from the construction of elevation contours. If there is no interruption in the expected generated contour line, this threshold can be set to exceed the maximum size of the ground point cloud void.
- Minor Contour (default state is checked): It is also known as minor contour. A contour line drawn at half contour when the basic contour does not show some local topography. If you do not need to generate this type of contour line, deselect it.
- Spacing (m)(default value is "2.5"): Height interval, the absolute value of height difference between two adjacent minor contour lines.
- Color (default value is "yellow"): The color of Minor Contours. It is modifiable.
- Line Weight (default value is "1"): The weight of Minor Contours. It is modifiable.
- Basic Contour (default state is checked): It is also known as basic contour. It allows users to include lines of equal elevation that represent the landscape. If you do not need to generate this type of contour line, deselect it.
- Spacing (m)(default value is "5”): Height interval, the absolute value of height difference between two adjacent minor contour lines.
- Color (default value is "blue"): The color of Basic Contours. It is modifiable.
- Line Weight (default value is "2"): The weight of Basic Contours. It is modifiable.
- Major Contour (default state is checked): It is also known as major contour. In order to facilitate the interpretation of contour elevation, contours are drawn from the elevation starting surface and at every 4th interval above and below the Base Contour. If you do not need to generate this type of contour line, deselect it.
- Spacing (m)(default value is "25”): Height interval, the absolute value of height difference between two adjacent major contour lines.
- Color (default value is "red"): The color of Major Contours. It is modifiable.
- Line Weight (default value is "3"): The weight of Major Contours. It is modifiable.
- Generate Notes Elevation Points (default state is checked): Generate notes elevation points in outputs. Notes Elevation Points formatrefer to the appendix.
- Radius (m)(default value is "15"): A Note Elevation Point is generated within a region with a defined radius “15”.
- Optimization: Optimized settings for smoothing the generated contours.
- Mean Smooth (default state is checked): The Mean Smoothing contour optimization method replaces the measured or estimated ground elevation points along a contour line with mean contour points that represent weighted average coordinates of adjacent contour points found on a given line of equal elevation.
- 3: The number of neighboring contour points participating in smoothing at the current point is 3.
- 5 (default): The number of neighboring contour points participating in smoothing at the current point is 5.
- 7: The number of neighboring contour points participating in smoothing at the current point is 7.
- Bezier Smooth (default value is "155"): A Smoothing contour optimization method that fall within an angle threshold range from 0 to 180 degrees. The larger the threshold setting, the smoother the contour lines.
- Delete the contour when its area <(m2)(default value is "25"): When the area of the closed contour is less than this threshold, it will be deleted.
- Delete the contour when its length (m)(default value is "5"): Non-closed contours are deleted if their length is less than this threshold.
- Mean Smooth (default state is checked): The Mean Smoothing contour optimization method replaces the measured or estimated ground elevation points along a contour line with mean contour points that represent weighted average coordinates of adjacent contour points found on a given line of equal elevation.
- Generate Shp (default): Save Point Cloud to Contour tool outputs to a shapefile (shp) format with the following feature attributes: contour line type, contour line width, contour line color, and contour line elevation.
- Polyline (default): The linear information in the Shp file is 2-D.
- polyline25D: The linear information in the Shp file is 2.5-D.
- Generate DXF: The generation of DXF format contour files,
- Output path: The path where the generated contour file to be saved.
- Default Value: Click this tool option to restore all default parameters.
Point cloud data (left below) and contour map (right below).
Note: Before using this tool, ground points should be generated in advance.