This document discusses 5 ways to improve LiDAR workflows using FME software. It begins with an overview of LiDAR and point clouds before addressing each of the 5 ways: 1) simplifying point cloud transformations with FME transformers, 2) preparing data, 3) automating surface model creation, 4) visualizing solutions through 3D city modeling, and 5) expanding tools with FME Hub and third party tools like LAStools. The presentation concludes by emphasizing how FME can help simplify and scale LiDAR workflows.
5. Agenda
● LiDAR Overview
● 5 Ways to Improve Your Lidar Workflows
1. Simplify the process of transforming and integrating point clouds
2. Prepare your data
3. Create (and automate the creation of) surface models
4. Visualize solutions by using LiDAR for 3D City Modelling
5. Expand your toolset with FME Hub and Third Party Tools
● Q&A
7. What is LiDAR?
● LiDAR stands for Light
Detection and Ranging
● LiDAR is used to collect and
create point clouds
● Point clouds are sets of
points that describe an
surface
8. Supported Point Cloud Formats
● E57
● Cesium 3D Point Cloud
● LAS/LAZ
● Mojang Minecraft
● Point Cloud data (PCD)
● Point Cloud XYZ (XYZ)
● Oracle Spatial Point Cloud
.... and more!
10. The problem with
point clouds...
They can be huge.
They’re kinda complicated if you are
new to working with them.
There can be limitations.
It’s hard to integrate them with other
data.
Working with them can be expensive.
11. FME®
Integration Platform
Connect. Transform. Automate.
FME Desktop FME Server FME Cloud
Build & Run Data Workflows Automate Data Workflows
(on-premises)
Automate Data Workflows
(cloud)
Get a free trial of FME Desktop and FME Server at safe.com
12. Pointing you in the
right direction with FME
● Create a surface model
● Combine with other formats
● Split datasets
● Volume/point reduction
● Clip to a specific region or AOI
● Perform calculations (stats)
● Point Cloud splitting
13. 1. Simplify the process of transforming
and integrating point clouds using FME’s
Point Cloud Transformers.
14. Our transformers simplify the process of
transforming and integrating point clouds.
Combining transformers into workspaces
creates powerful, repeatable solutions.
21. How FME Understands Point Clouds
● Point Cloud as 1 feature
● Each point has is own component
values
● Each individual component value
can be altered without it being an
attribute
● Attributes from other sources can
be added as components.
29. Automate and Self Serve
Self-Service
● Geometry Picker
○ https://community.safe.com/s/article/using-the-geometry-picker-in-fme-server
Speed up
● Dynamic Engines
○ 1 engine can process 1 workspace at a time. So if you need some performance gains split your workflow and process smaller amounts of data
on more engines.
○ https://community.safe.com/s/article/getting-started-with-dynamic-engines
31. Demo: Creating 3D City Models
● Goal: Visualize the city as an accurate 3D model
to ensure developments are integrated well in their neighborhoods and to inform
future decisions
● Obstacles: Large datasets, different formats, which can be difficult to work with.
● Solutions: Use FME to extract needed information from LiDAR,
integrate with other formats like PNG textures and SketchUp models, and apply
that to a 3D City Model
32. Source Data
● AutoCAD (DWG) - building
outlines
● Point Cloud (LAS)
● MapInfo (MiTAB) - Park
polygons
● GeoTIFF (TIFF) - 4
orthoimages
33. Source Data Continued
● 3D SketchUp (SKP)
models
● PNG/JPEG images - for
wall textures
Wall texture from:
https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1421981
SketchUp Tree from:
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/
model/e18aebbf-2859-47f1-805c-8a4f
946f5893/Skatter-Tree-02
34. Goals for this workspace
1. Create 3D buildings using LAS and DWG building outlines
2. Add PNG and orthophotos (GeoTIFFs) as textures on 3D models
3. Filter data to get point features of trees and replace them with
instances of a 3D tree model
37. Workspace Highlights
1. Create 3D buildings using point cloud and vector building outlines
https://community.safe.com/s/article/point-cloud-to-3d-terrain-model-with-build
ings-dwg
2. Add image and orthophotos as textures on 3D models
3. Filter data to get point features of trees and replace them with instances of a 3D
tree model
https://community.safe.com/s/article/derive-a-boundary-from-a-lidar-point-cloud
https://community.safe.com/s/article/creating-and-using-geometry-instances
38. Tips and Tricks: Methods
● Similarities to raster processing
○ Use feature caching strategically
○ Tiling large datasets
● Knowing how FME works with point clouds
○ FME treats a point cloud as a single entity
■ For many operations, use Point cloud specific transformers (attributes vs.
components)
○ Writing it out to a format that doesn’t support point clouds means you’re actually
writing a bounding box
■ Coerce to multipoints, surface, or raster
39. Tips and Tricks: Transformers
3D Geometry
● TINGenerator - creates surface models
● Extruder - extrudes outline features (ex. buildings)
Applying textures
● AppearanceSetter - to add image textures, pay attention to the Texture
Mapping Type parameter
40. 5. Expand your toolset with FME Hub
and Third Party Tools
45. LAStools
LAStools.lasground: for bare-earth identification: it classifies the LiDAR points into ground points (class =
2)
LAStools.lasheight: computes the height of each LAS point above the ground.
LAStools.classify: classifies buildings and high vegetation (i.e. trees).
LAStools is produced by Rapid Lasso GmbH
46. 1. Read in LAS file using the ASPRS LiDAR Data Exchange Format (LAS) Reader
49. 2. Now that ground is classified, add LAStools.lasheight
50. Tips and Tricks: LAStools
● Disable feature caching
● If tools are not running properly and or erroring without much indication, try
purging your temp file (FME Workbench > Tools > Purge Temporary Folder)
○ LAStools.lasheight_Terminator (TestFactory): LAStools.lasheight_Terminator: Termination Message: 'Translation
Terminated. lasheight.exe wasn't executed successfully'
○ A fatal error has occurred. Check the logfile above for details
● If possible, shorten the file path as much as possible in the transformers
○ C:devLAStoolsLAStools-binbinexecutables.exe
52. Working with LiDAR data
shouldn’t crash your computer.
With the right tools and knowledge, you can feel
confident integrating LiDAR with the rest of your
data and get the most out of LiDAR data.
53. Improve your LiDAR
workflows by:
1. Simplifying the process of transforming
and integrating point clouds using
transformers.
2. Preparing your data.
3. Automate and Scale with FME Server
4. Visualizing solutions by using LiDAR for
Surface Models and 3D City Modelling.
5. Expanding your toolset with FME Hub
and Third Party Tools.
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Top 4 LiDAR and Point Cloud
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