Data Import

Point cloud data import fails.

Check the following items:

Whether you are using the latest version of InfiPoints.
- If you are not using the latest version of InfiPoints, updating to the latest version may resolve the import issue.
Whether the input file path is valid.
- If the target file path contains non-ASCII characters, the import may fail. Copy the target file to a folder with an ASCII-only path, such as the following, and then try importing it again.
```
C:\work
```
Whether sufficient disk space is available for the Work folder and Data folder.
- If there is not enough free disk space on the disks used for the Work folder and Data folder, the import fails.
  Select local drives with enough free space for both the Work folder and Data folder. You can change the Work folder and Data folder at any time from:
  
  [Application Menu] > [Option] > [System Settings] > [Path]
  
  Depending on the file format of the point cloud data, free space of approximately 10 times the size of the input data may be required.

Point cloud import does not complete.

If no error is displayed, the process may still be running normally.

Point cloud import usually takes several minutes per shot. However, the processing time varies greatly depending on the point cloud resolution and the number of threads used.

Examples:

40 million points × 8 scans
- Approximate processing time: About 9 minutes
10 million points × 8 scans
- Approximate processing time: About 5 minutes

* These examples are based on the number of threads set to “2” from [Application Menu] > [Option] > [System Settings] > [Miscellaneous].

* Processing time may vary depending on the computer specifications, such as the CPU.

Use the examples above as a guide, and check the number of points, number of scans, and number of threads to confirm whether the process is progressing within the expected time.

I'd like to import multiple files at a time.

Bulk-import multiple files by either of the following.

[Import] > [Point Cloud]
- Multi-select files while holding down [Shift]/[Ctrl] key.
- Multi-select files by dragging over files.
Drag and drop multiple files.

Please refer to a video on point cloud import for the instructions.

I'd like to shorten the processing time for the point cloud import.

The following may help shorten the processing time for the point cloud import.

Increase the number of threads to use

Increase the number of threads to use ensuring that the specified value is equal to, or less than the number of physical cores of the computer. You can change the settings anytime from [Application Menu] > [Option] > [System Settings] > [Miscellaneous] > "Number of used threads".
Please also ensure that the usable memory of the computer is capable of accommodating 8 GB times the number of threads to use.

Increase the memory

It is recommended to install InfiPoints to a computer with 16 GB RAM or higher.

Use SSDs instead of HDDs

Use SSDs instead of HDDs for Data folder and Work folder. Setting Data folder to an SSD is effective especially at the point cloud import because the project file is updated during that process.

I'd like to import the raw point cloud data from FARO scanners.

Import the raw point cloud data in the following procedure.

Select [Import] tab > [Point Cloud] from the ribbon menu.
Select "FLS" from the file type pull-down list in the dialog.
Enable "Import by folder" option.
Select the point cloud data to import (a folder whose name ends with ".fls").
Click [Open].

Or drag-and-drop the point cloud files/folder to InfiPoints window from Explorer.

Failed to open a project with an error "Failed to open the following element(s) because corresponding POC file(s) are broken or opened in other applications", and the point cloud data was not displayed.

Please confirm that the "*.ifproj" file and "PointCloud" folder are located in the same folder. InfiPoints project folder consists of a dataset of referenced files, and the folder structure must be maintained as is.
When moving an InfiPoints project, or making a copy of it, please ensure to move/copy per project folder.

I'd like to import the raw point cloud data from Freestyle, the handheld scanner developed by FARO.

You cannot import the raw point cloud data from Freestyle. As a workaround, import the raw point cloud data to Scene developed by FARO, save it in "*.fls" format, and import to InfiPoints.

What file formats does InfiPoints support for the point cloud import?

InfiPoints supports the following point cloud formats for the data import. (As of February 2024 Update)

Text file (*.txt, *.asc, *.xyz)
E57 file (*.e57)
FLS file (*.fls, *.fws, *.lsproj)
ZFS file (*.zfs, *.zfprj)
PTX file (*.ptx)
PTS file (*.pts)
LAS/LAZ file (*.las, *.laz)
DotProduct file (*.dp)
ReCap file (*.rcp, *.rcs)

You can view the list of supported file formats from [Help] tab > [Supported Formats (Import/Export)] from the ribbon menu. If you have point cloud data in formats other than any of the above, export in either of the formats above from the scanner or a point cloud handling application, and then import to InfiPoints.

Failed to import a DWG file.

You will fail to import DWG files when they are in a version which is later than the currently supported versions.

As a workaround, save them in a supported version in a DWG application, and then import to InfiPoints.

Point cloud pre-processing (automatic registration, alignment of the registration result, and primitive extraction) does not function on the point cloud data from BLK360 developed by Leica Geosystems.

It has been reported as a known issue that the scan index information may be invalid on the point cloud data obtained from laser scanning with BLK360 developed by Leica Geosystems.
(As of February 14, 2023)
Point cloud pre-processing features (automatic registration, alignment of the registration result, and primitive extraction) do not work correctly when the scan index information is invalid.

As a workaround till the issue is fixed by Leica Geosystems, use an InfiPoints command to re-construct the scan index data.
This command is prepared for this issue only as a private command. Please contact Elysium technical support at infipoints@elysium.co.jp to use this command.