Perseus Visualisation Software - Pointools
Pointools is an innovative and comprehensive software tool that has been developed to manipulate geospatial data generated by laser scanning and geo spatial surveys.
Under normal circumstances the data generated by laser scanning is too complex and bulky for the end user to manipulate easily. Perseus is now able to deliver the resultant data in a format required by the end user and Pointools offers functionality with which to manipulate the geospatial data to greatest effect.
Pointools allows Perseus’ clients to gain maximum use from their geospatial data.
Pointools is a point cloud, 3D model, visualisation and animation package that offers a compact set of tools. When used with geospatial data it is powerful and cost effective.
This latest version offers a number of functions in one easy to use unique package including:
- free hand manipulation of the data
- scaling and annotation
- camera and target viewpoints with toggle functionality
- free hand adjustable lighting direction
- instant screen snapshots
- simple show and hide function
- data cropping
- backdrop gradient shade between any two colours
- multiple view colour including full RGB
- multiple format import and export
- creation of flight paths and orbits
- creation of animations
To better show the capabilities of this software a 21-day free trial is available from pointools.com
Below is a selection of Perseus’ scan data for you to download and view in Pointools to discover the true abilities of this software.
Once Pointools has been installed you will need POD files to import into the program. A selection of data collected by Perseus is available for download below:
- Heath Scan (zip file: 45.6MB)
- House Scan (zip file: 57.7MB)
- HQ Scan (zip file: 110.1MB)
- Madison Square Gardens Scan (zip file: 68.7MB)
- Rocky Beach Scan (zip file: 100.8MB)
- Sandy Beach Scan (zip file: 99.2MB)
Pointools Installation Instructions
When the download has finished double click the Pointools.exe file, and follow the on–screen instructions.
After installation is complete double click the Pointools logo on your desktop to open the program.
Once Pointools has opened go to; ‘File’ in the menu bar and select ‘Import’ here you can navigate to the POD file (or other type) that you wish to import into Pointools.
The file may take a few minutes to open, depending on the machine you are using. When it has opened you are automatically in Free Navigation mode:
- Use the Left Mouse Button to rotate the view
- The Middle Mouse Button to pan
- To zoom hold the Left and Right Mouse Buttons together, and move the mouse up and down to zoom
Pointools has many powerful and innovative tools, take the time to look around, experiment and find out what it can do.
The help files are very useful for little queries or problems.
System Requirements
The following are minimum system requirements for Pointools to run correctly. If your system does not meet these requirements it may encounter problems.
- Windows 2000 or XP
- Intel Pentium 4 1Ghz or equivalent 64bit AMD configuration
- 512Mb RAM
- 32Mb Video Card
- 40Mb Free hard drive space for program files
- 10Gb Free hard drive space for data
- 800x600 screen resolution with 16 or 32 bit colour support
- 3 Button mouse highly recommended
FAQ
Which file formats can I import into Pointools? It is possible to import the following file types into Pointools:
| Extension | File Description |
|---|---|
| .pod | Cyclops™ POD file |
| .3dd | Riegl 3DD file |
| .rsp | RiSCAN Project |
| .bin | Terrascan Bin file |
| .fls | FARO Scan file |
| .fws | FARO Scene Workspace |
| .las | LAS v1.0/1.1/h3d files |
| .ptx | Leica PTX file |
| .rtpi | DeltaSphere 3000 Rtpi file |
| .xyz | Ascii file |
| .txt | Ascii file |
| .asc | Ascii file |
| .3ds | 3D Studio file |
| .lwo | Lightwave LWO |
| .obj | Wavefront Object |
| .dxf and .dwg | AutoCAD Drawing |
| .shp | ESRI Shape file |
What is a POD file? A POD file is the native export file type of Pointools.
How much data can be imported into Pointools? Over 500,000,000 individual points have been successfully brought into Pointools, although the exact number for each computer is different and will depend on the specification of your machine.
Can I customise Pointools to my own needs? Yes, for a fee Pointools can be reprogrammed to suit the type of application you or your business needs.