Edit Point Cloud

To edit point cloud data, from the Lidar Viewer app toolstrip, select Edit Point Cloud tab. You can use the built-in edit algorithms or create a custom algorithm.

Built-in Edit Algorithms

You can use these built-in algorithms, from the Algorithm section, to process your point cloud data.

 Crop

Crop a 3-D point cloud using cuboids. You can interactively adjust the cuboid limits, or specify them using the Cuboid Limits option. Select a Crop Method to specify whether to crop inside or outside the cuboid. Then, click Apply.

 Denoise

The app removes noise from a 3-D point cloud by using the pcdenoise function.

 Downsample

The app downsamples a 3-D point cloud by using the pcdownsample function.

 Ground Removal

The app segments the ground plane from 3-D point cloud data. You can select from these algorithms:

• Fit Ground Plane — Fit and filter ground plane using the pcfitplane function.

• Hide Ground — Hide the ground plane using the segmentGroundFromLidarData function.

• Segment Ground — Segment the ground plane using the segmentGroundSMRF function.

 Filter

The app applies a median filter on a 3-D point cloud by using the pcmedian function.

 Unorganized To Organized

The app converts an unorganized 3-D point cloud into an organized point cloud by using the pcorganize function. For more information, see What are Organized and Unorganized Point Clouds?

Custom Edit Algorithms

You can create a new custom edit algorithm, or import an existing one into the app.

Follow these steps to create and apply a custom algorithm to your data.

1. Click on Create Algorithm and select whether to use a Class Template or a Function Template. MATLAB^® opens a new MAT file that contains the corresponding code framework and directions to create your custom algorithm.

2. The code template contains sections for spatial and temporal algorithms. To apply your algorithm to single point cloud frame, use the spatial section. To edit multiple frames, use the temporal section. The app uses the spatial section by default.

3. You can also define tunable algorithm parameters as user interface (UI) elements. These UI elements appear in the Algorithm Parameters pane when you use the algorithm.

4. To import the algorithm into the app, click on Import Algorithm and select whether you want to Import Class or Import Function. Then, browse to and select the file that contains the algorithm you want to import.

5. After you import the algorithm, the app adds it to the list of algorithms in the Algorithm section. If you do not see your imported algorithm, click Refresh List to update the algorithm list.

For more information on creating custom preprocessing workflows, see Create Custom Preprocessing Workflow with Lidar Viewer.

Apply Edits

When you select an edit algorithm, the app populates the tunable algorithm parameters for the selected algorithm in the Algorithm Parameters pane. To restore default parameter values, click Reset to Default.

To preview the effect of selected algorithm, click Preview Processing. In the preview mode, you can instantly observe the effect of parameter tuning on the input point cloud. To disable preview mode, click Preview Processing once again.

To apply an algorithm to the current point cloud frame, in the Algorithm Parameters pane, click Apply. To apply your edits to all frames in the data source, select Apply to all frames before you click Apply. The app saves the edited point cloud as, FileName_Edit in the Data Browser pane, where FileName is the name of the original point cloud.

You can export all the edits applied on the point cloud as a MATLAB function by selecting Generate Function.

Tip

Use the Color and Visualize options for better visualization while tuning the parameters. For more information, see Visualize Point Cloud Using Color and Camera Views.

Algorithm History

The Applied Algorithms pane records all preprocessing operations applied to the current frame. You can reorder, edit, or delete the applied algorithms listed in the history.