Point cloud help?

[tmad101185]

We have received point cloud data in the format of an ASCII file & also a .PTC file. I have found an add-on for Revit to where you can import .PTX or .PTS file formats directly into Revit. Does anyone know how you can obtain or convert into either of these formats? The company we received the .PTC file from is using the program Trimble to export to this format but it does not have the option to export to .PTS or .PTX.

Could anyone please shed some light on how you obtain either of these file formats from a point cloud? Also, what is the difference in the 3 different formats? .PTC, .PTX, & .PTS. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[jmeyer.186809]

We have received point cloud data in the format of an ASCII file & also a .PTC file. I have found an add-on for Revit to where you can import .PTX or .PTS file formats directly into Revit. Does anyone know how you can obtain or convert into either of these formats? The company we received the .PTC file from is using the program Trimble to export to this format but it does not have the option to export to .PTS or .PTX.

Could anyone please shed some light on how you obtain either of these file formats from a point cloud? Also, what is the difference in the 3 different formats? .PTC, .PTX, & .PTS. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

The different file formats are basically just that, different file formats. Different scanners use different software which in return exports to different file formats. C3D tries to support as many out of the box as it can. Your client is probably using Trimble Realworks Viewer. If they gave you an ASCII file then you can use that. Just need to now how the file is formatted. More then likely it is in x,y,z RGB.

If you want though all you have to do is go to trimble and download the viewer and they will send you a email with a key to register it for free. This way you can open the .PTC file you recieved and even the other two if you want and export it to an ASCII file where you can set the perimeters of the export so you will know exactly what to use to export. The file extension is always .ASC for ASCII files but as long as the criteria works like P,N,E,Z,D for example it will work.

Does that make sense?

by nature our trimble scanner formats a .rwi files once in Trimble Realworks Viewer I export it to an "ASCII Format File" (.asc) with the criteria to export N,E,Z or i use X,Y,Z with RGB so I get true color on my points so the scan comes into autocad looking like a 3d picture.