Extract linear features from point clouds

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The next step in the process of utilizing Point Clouds within InfraWorks is using the Point Cloud linear feature extraction tool.

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Now, what this allows us to do is once we've created the terrain analysis, we can draw in our brake lines.

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We can draw in paint lines.

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We can pretty much draw in any feature 2D and 3D based on that Point Cloud.

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There's two methods to create the linear features.

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There's the automatic and the manual.

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With the automatic, you're just going to pick points like your desktop survey or walking down the road, and you're picking points.

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With a manual method, you position along the road or the feature, pick a couple of points,

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and it's going to do its best job at creating that manual linear feature.

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And again, just as a reminder, you have to do the Point Cloud terrain analysis prior to doing this for the extract features to work.

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So, let's jump on over to InfraWorks and extract some features from our model.

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So, we're here in InfraWorks, where we're going to look at the Point Cloud linear feature extraction.

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So, we've already ran the Point Cloud terrain.

01:12

We've looked at the vertical feature extraction.

01:14

Let's take a look here at the linear feature extraction.

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First, let's take a quick look at our style palette.

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So, in that style palette, if we scroll down here to the right tab, we've got linear feature options.

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So, out of the box, we've got things like bottom of curb, break line, center line, edge to pavement.

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There's some pre-built styles in there.

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Easy to build, easy to create new ones.

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So, let's say I want to create a new one for the edge of pavement, I'll just come down here and select "Add a new style".

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And we'll call this a break line.

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And the feature code, I'm going to say EOP, existing edge of pavement.

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The width, just so it shows up a little bit better, let's put this at half a foot.

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And the color, we can choose whatever color we want, let's just go to some pink color here and hit "OK".

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We'll name that EOP.

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And so, it's easy to create those. Again, to edit them, just double click it.

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That's what it's going to look like.

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So, we'll come in here to Point Clouds.

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And we're going to go to linear feature extraction.

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There's two options here.

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We can first set our style. So, we'll choose whatever style we have here.

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And then we have two modes, automatic and manual.

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So, right now, automatic is turned on.

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I would turn that off. And I'm just going to manually draw a break line.

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Okay, let's choose a different style here.

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Let's go to more styles. Just use that EOP that we just created. And I'm going to hit "OK".

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So, I'm in the manual mode.

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And all I got to do here, let me just get this in the right perspective, is I'm going to sort of snap to some points.

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I'm just going to draw points here.

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Draw a few. It's a very manual process.

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You're basically walking down the road and you're connecting some dots.

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Let's do that again for a few more.

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Let's just do the edge of pavement along this road.

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I'll just do a couple.

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Not a whole lot to it. You can just simply grab and snap to whatever you want.

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And it's snapping xyz.

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It's going to be on our model and our Point Cloud.

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And that's going to create a break line that we're going to export out in the upcoming session.

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We can apply different information to that.

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So, feature code EOP, link data, toolkit data, user data.

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We can change the style if we want.

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So, method one, that's going to be our manual process.

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Now, let's look at the linear feature extraction again.

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I'm going to turn automatic on.

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Maybe I want to extract some paint lines.

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Let's just do a paint stripe here.

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So, I'm going to select two points along that line. So, let's zoom in here a little bit.

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I'm going to snap here.

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And I'm going to double click here.

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To perform that linear extraction, it's going to find the best fit analysis for this break line or this paint line that I'm just creating.

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Go through here, you can see it veered off a little bit. That's all right.

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That's where we can go in there and fix it. I'll do that one more time. Again, I'm just going to select one point.

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I can select multiple. So, I'm going to do three. I'll just double click that.

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I can perform, again, the automatic linear extraction.

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There we go.

04:47

So, I'm not going to do too many. I'm going to go ahead and hit "Escape" here.

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Now we can move this. So, without selected, I can adjust that line if I want to.

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Let's say it veers off a little bit, I can adjust it. I can adjust it here in plan view.

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Or with this feature selected, I can simply right click.

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Then there's a show cross-section view.

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Go ahead and show that.

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So, here, what we're seeing in the screen, we've got two circles here on the right side in my cross-section view.

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Those two are representing the brake lines that I just drew.

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I can adjust them here in the cross-section view.

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So, if that one didn't quite get to the elevation, I can just set that on the elevation, okay?

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I can go downstream a little bit.

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Let's just go down and say this one.

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You can see there, it's done a good job of meeting my surface elevation, but it's not quite on the paint line.

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So, I can adjust it accordingly.

05:53

Okay, so within InfraWorks, we have the option to first use the Point Cloud terrain,

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that's going to analyze, classify, further our Point Cloud, where that came from, LiDAR or drone.

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We can identify vertical features.

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This is going to help us supplement our model.

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And we can draw linear feature extractions either line by line,

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kind of a manual method, or the automatic method as well as adjust those through the cross-section dialog box.

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What we can do next is export this out so that we can use this inside Civil 3D.