Embedded Files
The Faro Focus M70 laser scanner and Faro SCENE software are one example of a terrestrial laser/LiDAR scanner and processing software package. This scanner is easy-to-use and can be applied to a variety of use cases. The M70 scanner has:
70 meter range
Can capture HDR-quality color
IP54 protection rating against dust and water
Lightweight
Scan up to 8 hours on a single battery
This tutorial will take a set of scans from the CCGT training room in 406A Cooper Library and show you how to bring these into SCENE software, process and explore the scans, register them into a single point cloud, take measurements, and export the point cloud. The software has a variety of features and is easy to use.
These example scans are all indoors. We will not demonstrate georeferencing in the interest of time.
Getting Started with SCENE and Processing the Scans
Getting Started with SCENE and Processing the Scans
1. Open SCENE from the Start menu. (Start > All Programs > Faro >SCENE).
2. Copy the pre-existing scan project from libstorage (in the \gis\Advanced_GIS_CRP_Spring_2018\Laser_Scan_Demo folder) to your folder on the D:\ drive.
3. In SCENE, selecting Project > Open Project. Navigate to D:\your_directory\Laser_Scan_Demo and click on Workshop.
This will load the project, where you should see details about the project as well as a preview of the scan. The scans have already been processed and had color added to them to save time.
Exploring Scan Views
5. Click on Processing at the top of the screen. From the Structure panel, right click on Scan_000 and select View > 3D View.
This will load in the scan point cloud where you can preview the scan.
6. Click in the circle in the middle of the screen and drag to change the view. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
7. Click on the Predefined Views icon (a cube) and select Top. Click outside of the large circle in the center and drag to rotate the point cloud.
Next, check out the Planar view, which shows the scanned area as a picture.
8. Click to zoom and drag.
Can you identify the three targets in the scan?
Registering Scans into a Common Coordinate System
Registering Scans into a Common Coordinate System
There are several types of registration possible using SCENE:
Automatic Registration looks for similar arrangements of geometric features between scans and has a few varieties, such as Top View, Cloud to Cloud, and Target Based. This simplifies the process and usually provides good results if the scans have been performed strategically.
Manual Registration is where the user identifies corresponding scan points. Once enough correspondences are made, the software registers the scans.
Visual Registration is where the user manually positions the scans. This is typically not used unless the other methods have failed.
Let's register the scans together by performing a manual registration so the process makes more intuitive sense:
9. Click on Registration at the top of the screen, then click Manual Registration in the upper left corner.
10. Click on the Scans cluster and click Select Scans in the upper right corner.
We will register two scans by viewing them side-by-side and identifying targets visible in both scans.
11. Click on Scan_000 in the Selection 1 column on the left and Scan_001 in the Selection 2 column, then click Mark Targets in the upper right.
12. Click and drag each scan's planar view so that the target on the table at the back of the room (near the globe) is visible in both scans.
13. Click on Mark Sphere. Notice the cursor turns to a thumbtack.
14. Click on the target in the left scan, (If you get an error message about insufficient points, try zooming in slightly and repeating the process).
15. Click on the target in the right scan.
16. Repeat the process for the two targets in the front of the room.
17. If needed, click on Mark Plane and select the outside wall in both scans.
18. Click on Register and Verify in the upper right corner.
19. The two scans will be displayed with a unique color for each scan. Verify that the alignment of the scans looks correct. If satisfied, click Yes that you are and then click Finish in the upper right corner.
20. Click on Start Optimization: Cloud to Cloud. When finished, indicate that you are satisfied and then click on the Explore tab.
The colorized, registered scans are displayed in the viewer. Interact with the scans and get familiar with the navigation tools.
Set a Clipping Box
You can set the display extent of the point cloud by setting a clipping box. Let's remove the ceiling to get an unobstructed view of the room. We first need to create the Project Point Cloud for the Clipping Box to become functional.
21. Right-click on Scan_000 in the Structure panel. Then click View > 3D View.
22. Click on Auto Clipping Box at the top of the screen. If a warning message appears, click OK.
22. Click and drag on the colored arrows to adjust the extent of the Clipping Box. Set the extent so that the ceiling is out of the clipping box but the rest of the room is still within. You can also click in the Clipping Box toolbar to adjust the rotation.
Making Measurements
You can do a number of tasks in the Explore window, such as mark objects and make measurements. Let's do a quick demo to measure the size of the room.
21. From the Scan_000 3D view, adjust the view so that the front and back wall (the wall with the map on it) are both visible.
22. Click on Measure Points. Click a point on the back wall, then a point on the front wall. Press Enter.
What is the width of the room? (About 7.82 m, or 25.65 ft).
Additional Topics
Additional Topics
There are many other useful tasks that can be performed in the software which we do not have time to cover. A short list is:
Registration Methods
Planning a Scan
Editing and Deleting Points (e.g. people)
Filters
Running the Scanner and Setting Scan Parameters
Stay tuned for upcoming workshops which will cover these in much greater detail.
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