Point clouds are becoming more and more prevalent in so many industries and AutoCAD knows exactly what to do with them! Let’s take a look at a few improvements AutoCAD 2016-17 related to point clouds starting with Section Planes and Dynamic UCS.
Section Planes
Now we can section and slice a point cloud! A Section Plane drop-down has been added to the ribbon for easy access.
FYI: The initial size and position of a section object is based on the extents of the visible 3D objects in the drawing.
Of course, our goal is to create AutoCAD objects from the point cloud. Use the Extract Section Lines tool to generate section lines (when live sectioning is on).
Bonus Tip: Use the Preview result option to make sure you get the desired results. (Create can take some time, depending on the number of points analyzed!)
Point clouds now support transparency (making it much easier to see your geometry).
Dynamic UCS
The handy-to-use Dynamic UCS tool now works on point clouds! Just make sure Dynamic UCS is turned on and all the point cloud object snaps are turned off. Pass your cursor over a point cloud face and begin drawing! It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Note: The point cloud must include segmentation data (indicated in the Properties Palette).
More Tuesday Tips
Come back next week for more on point clouds, and don’t forget to check out the full Tuesday Tips With Lynn series in the meantime. Want it all in one place? Register to download the Best of Lynn Allen’s Tips & Tricks!
