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Load point clouds

Point clouds are the raw material of the Scan-to-Plan and Scan-to-BIM workflows: load the scan, look at it in 2D and 3D, then let the analysis turn it into a plan or a model.

Load a cloud​

Open the Point clouds panel (the Point cloud button in the Insert tab, or View > Palettes > Point clouds).

The Point clouds panel

  • Pick a dataset in the Presets list, or paste the URL of a hosted dataset.
  • Click Load. The status bar confirms, and large clouds stream progressively: no need to wait for the whole dataset before working.

Loaded clouds appear in the panel's tree with an eye toggle per cloud.

Look at it​

The cloud shows in both views with the usual navigation (see Navigate in 2D and 3D):

A streamed point cloud in the 3D view

Seen from above in the 2D view, a scan already reads like a floor plan:

The same cloud in the 2D plan view

Adjust the display​

Two controls in the panel help when a scan sits at an odd elevation or is cluttered:

  • Height offset: shifts the whole cloud along Z, useful when the scan's zero does not match your project's.
  • Height filter: shows only the points between a minimum and maximum height.

For real slicing work, use a work section instead (see Crop box, work sections and cloud snapping).

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact the technical team.