PointCloud

Toolbar	Menu
Point	Curve Point Cloud > <Options>

Toolbar

Toolbar: Point

Curve

Point Cloud >

<Options>

The PointCloud command creates a set of vertices from selected point objects or a mesh object to facilitate selection and faster display.

The point cloud object type improves Rhino's performance when handling a large number of point objects imported from external files.

You can use the point cloud object to group any number of individual points into a single object, minimizing the amount of storage in the 3DM file and maintaining performance. You can snap and select points in the cloud as if they were just point objects. A point cloud is similar to a mesh object that does not display any wires between vertices.

Steps

Select point objects, mesh objects, and point clouds.

To create a point cloud from a mesh object

Select the mesh object first and then run the PointCloud command.

To free all points in a point cloud

Use the Explode command.

Command-line options

Add

Adds points and point clouds to an existing point cloud.

Remove

Removes selected points from a point cloud.

Output

Points

The removed points are converted to individual points.

PointCloud

The removed points are converted to a new pointcloud.

UsePointColors

Yes

The cloud points inherit the display colors of the input points or meshes. Vertex colors will be used if the input mesh has them.

No

Creates the point cloud with the current layer color and ignores the colors of the input points or meshes.

PointCloudSection

Toolbar	Menu
Curve from Object	Curve Curve from Objects> Section Through Points

Toolbar

Toolbar: Curve from Object

Curve from Object

Curve

Curve from Objects>

Section Through Points

The PointCloudSection command creates a planar curve by intersecting a plane with points or pointcloud objects.

Steps

Select point or point cloud objects, and press Enter.
Pick the start of the section plane.
Pick the end of the section plane, and press Enter.
Section curves are created by intersecting the points with the section plane, which is perpendicular to the construction plane.

Point Cloud Section Options

Point sampling options

Maximum distance to plane

The thickness of the "slab" around the plane from which sample points are taken. Those sample points are projected to the section plane and a polyline is found that connects them. This distance depends on the size of the point cloud and the spacing of the points.

Minimum distance between points

A threshold for the minimum spacing between adjacent sample points. If there are points closer than that, some are not used.

Curve creation options

Create smooth curves

Creates a smooth curve. You can create both a curve and a polyline.

Create polylines

Creates a polyline. You can create both a curve and a polyline.

Create open/closed curves

Creates a open or closed curves.

Fitting tolerance

The tolerance used to fit the curve through the polyline.

PointCloudContour

Toolbar	Menu
Not on toolbars.	Curve Curve from Objects> Contour Through Points

Toolbar

Not on toolbars.

Curve

Curve from Objects>

Contour Through Points

The PointCloudContour command creates a series of planar curves by intersecting planes with points or pointcloud objects.

Steps

Select point or point cloud objects, and press Enter.
Pick the contour plane base point.
Pick the direction perpendicular to the contour lines, and press Enter.
Contour curves are created by intersecting the points with the contour planes, which are perpendicular to the construction plane.

Command-line option
Range	Specifies limits for the contours. Steps Select objects for contour creation. Pick the start for the contour curves and points. Pick the end of the contour range perpendicular to the contour planes. The range line determines the direction for the contours curves. The contour planes will be perpendicular to this direction, generated from the base point to the end point. Specify the distance between contours and press Enter. Contour curves are created where the contour planes intersect the objects.

Command-line option

Range

Specifies limits for the contours.

Steps

Select objects for contour creation.
Pick the start for the contour curves and points.
Pick the end of the contour range perpendicular to the contour planes.
The range line determines the direction for the contours curves.
The contour planes will be perpendicular to this direction, generated from the base point to the end point.
Specify the distance between contours and press Enter.
Contour curves are created where the contour planes intersect the objects.

Point Cloud Contour Options

Point sampling options

Maximum distance to plane

The thickness of the "slab" around the plane from which sample points are taken. Those sample points are projected to the contour plane and a polyline is found that connects them. This distance depends on the size of the point cloud and the spacing of the points.

Minimum distance between points

A threshold for the minimum spacing between adjacent sample points. If there are points closer than that, some are not used.

Curve creation options

Create smooth curves

Creates smooth curves. You can create both curves and polylines.

Create polylines

Creates polylines. You can create both curves and polylines.

Create open/closed curves

Creates a open or closed curves.

Fitting tolerance

The tolerance used to fit the curve through the polyline.

Contour distance

The distance between the contour lines.

ReducePointCloud

The ReducePointCloud command randomly removes points from a selected point cloud to match the point number being specified.

The point cloud is reduced from 30571 points to 3500.

Steps

Select a point cloud.

The command-line prompts the current point number in the point cloud.
Enter the target point number of reducing.

ReduceMesh

Reduce the number of mesh polygons and triangulates quadrangles.