AutoCAD support for point clouds was first introduced in AutoCAD 2011 and has been significantly improved in the five releases since then. If you’re not familiar with point clouds or how they can help you with your designs, let me share one of my favorite point cloud examples with you.
I live in Colorado, near Red Rocks Amphitheater. The list of famous acts that have performed at Red Rocks is long and it’s considered one of the best amphitheaters in the United States and in the world. What’s unique about Red Rocks is the great acoustics from the natural rock formations that surround the amphitheater. The facilities have been updated at various times over the past 70+ years and the City of Denver, which owns Red Rocks Amphitheater, takes great pride in ensuring any renovations complement its natural beauty and don’t interfere with the amazing views of the Denver skyline. The challenge, however, is designing and visualizing in such an organic environment. This is exactly the type of challenge 3D scanning and point clouds are ideal for tackling!
Check out this article to see how Autodesk teamed up with the City of Denver and Fentress Architects to explore the possibilities of design in an extremely challenging environment using 3D scanning, Autodesk ReCap, and AutoCAD. To see the most recent improvements to point cloud functionality in AutoCAD 2016 using the Red Rocks data, take a look at this video.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit Denver, it’s well worth the 30 minute drive to Red Rocks Amphitheater! Even if you can’t get tickets to one of the summer concerts, the amphitheater is open to the public year-around and is just as beautiful covered in snow as on a hot sunny day. And, if you’re feeling energetic on a Sunday morning, put on your running shoes and join me on the Rocks with It Burns Joe Fitness. I’ll be the one in back trying not to pass out!
