A Point Cloud is a 3D visualization made up of thousands or even millions of georeferenced points. Point clouds provide high-resolution data without the distortion sometimes present in 3D mesh models and are commonly used in industry-standard software.
This guide explains how to view your map's point cloud in-browser and how to export it for further analysis using third-party software.
Overview
Point clouds represent the "raw" data used in our photogrammetry pipeline to determine point location with high accuracy. You may notice that points appear to form a grid, which is a characteristic of this processing method.
Availability: Who has access?
LAS and XYZ exports are available for Individual and Enterprise subscriptions. RCP exports are available for Enterprise subscriptions only.
Viewing the point cloud within DroneDeploy
You can view 3D models as point clouds directly in your browser.
Click the 3D button in the top right corner of the map view.
Turn ON the Point Cloud toggle in the left panel.
Navigating the point cloud environment
For the best experience, use a mouse with a scroll wheel or a touchpad.
Using a 2-button scroll wheel mouse:
Left-click and hold to orbit the model around the centroid.
Right-click and hold to pan the model.
Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.
Using a touchpad:
Use one finger clicked down to orbit the model around the centroid.
Use two fingers clicked down to pan the model.
Use two fingers sliding to zoom in and out.
Exporting point cloud data
DroneDeploy supports point cloud exports in LAS, XYZ and RCP file formats.
How to export
Click the Export button.
Select Point Cloud as the layer.
Choose the desired File Type (LAS, XYZ or RCP).
Select the Map Projection. You can export to standard WGS84, Web Mercator or a Custom Projection System.
Specify the Max Points (for XYZ) or Resolution (for LAS).
Click Export.
For more detailed information on general export settings, please refer to our Exporting your data guide.
Choosing max points
The ideal number of points depends on your hardware and software combination. We recommend searching for the suggested file size for your specific software before exporting.
Higher Max Points: Higher resolution data and a larger file.
Lower Max Points: Lower resolution data and a smaller file.
Specific file type considerations
XYZ point clouds
This is the most commonly accepted format for software in the construction and mining industries. Autodesk products may require additional setting changes when importing your .xyz file. Refer to these resources for more information:
LAS point clouds
LAS files are a widely accepted format for GIS software such as ESRI ArcMap. For more information on using these files, see:
Viewing point cloud data in AutoCAD Civil 3D
Limitations
DroneDeploy point clouds are not classified.
If you see larger holes in rendering within third-party software than you see in DroneDeploy, this may be due to the settings or limitations of the third-party software rather than the data itself.
FAQs
Q: Does the point cloud work in 3D?
A: Yes, the point cloud is a 3D visualization accessible via the 3D button.
Q: Why does my grid look sparse?
A: This is often related to the Max Points setting during export. Increasing the max points will result in a denser grid and higher resolution.
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