Generate a point cloud using ArcGIS Reality for ArcGIS Pro

Available with Standard or Advanced license.

Available for an ArcGIS organization with the ArcGIS Reality license.

A point cloud is a model of the project area defined by high-density, colorized 3D LAS points, extracted from overlapping images in the block or project area. Point clouds can be generated in ArcGIS Reality for ArcGIS Pro using the Point Cloud product option, which provides a one-click solution for generating a high density point cloud of the project area.

To generate a point cloud using the ArcGIS Reality for ArcGIS Pro Point Cloud wizard, complete the steps below.

Note:

• Before you begin the workflow, ensure that you have created a Reality mapping workspace and completed the block adjustment process.
• Point cloud generation is recommended using oblique imagery, or a combination of oblique and nadir imagery.

1. On the Reality Mapping tab, click the Point Cloud button in the Product category.

   The Reality Mapping Products Wizard window appears.

2. Click Shared Advanced Settings.

   The Advanced Product Settings dialog box appears, where you can define parameters that will impact the Reality mapping products that will be generated. For a detailed description of the advanced product settings options, see Shared Advanced Settings in the wizard.

   

The Quality and ScenarioType settings are automatically set by the application and should not be changed to ensure optimum performance and product quality. However, if you want to generate a reduced resolution product, the Quality setting can be lowered. See Shared Advanced Settings in the wizard for more information about the impact of various quality settings on product generation.
3. For Product Boundary, select a feature class identifying the output product extent from the drop-down list or click the Browse button and browse to and select one.

   It is recommended that you provide a project boundary for the following reasons:

   • Define the proper output extent—When you do not define a product boundary, the application automatically defines an extent based on various dataset parameters that may not match the project extent.
   • Reduce processing time—If the required product extent is smaller than the image collection extent, defining a product boundary will reduce the processing duration and automatically clip the output to the boundary extent.

4. To specify a water body feature layer, click the Browse button next to Waterbody Features.

   Note:

   If water body features, such as lakes and rivers, exist within the project area, it is recommended that you add a precreated 3D feature class identifying those areas, using the Waterbody Features setting to hydrologically enforce those features in the output product. Use the stereoscopic compilation in ArcGIS Image Analyst to generate the 3D feature layer that identifies water body features. This ensures that there will be no image stretching around hydrological feature boundaries in the output due to differences in elevation between the derived digital surface model (DSM) height and the feature class height values.

   The Waterbody Features options are Precise and Coarse. Use the Precise option when the 3D polygon being added accurately defines the shape of the hydrological features in the project area. Precise polygons can be created using the stereoscopic compilation in ArcGIS Image Analyst. A precise water body polygon can also be derived from national mapping organizations with open data policies. Additionally, it can be created using 2D heads-up digitizing from an authoritative, orthorectified imagery that is temporally similar, with the aid of a digital elevation model (DEM).

   Use the Coarse option when a generalized 3D polygon is being used as the water body feature. Generalized polygons can be created using a 2D heads-up digitizing workflow. If 2D heads-up digitizing is used to create a precise or coarse polygon, it must be converted to 3D (x,y,z) before it can be used as a water body feature. See Introduction to 2D and 3D features for additional information about converting a 2D feature to 3D. When using a coarse water body feature, the shape of the polygon must follow the shape of the water body feature for best results.

   

5. For Processing Folder click the browse button , browse to disk, and define the Reality mapping temporary folder location. The temporary files required for generating 2D or 3D products will be stored here.
6. Accept all other default values and click OK.

   The Advanced Product Settings dialog box closes, and you are returned to the Products Generation Settings page in the Reality Mapping Products wizard.

7. Click Finish to initiate product processing.

   When processing is complete, the point cloud product is added to the Reality Mapping container in the Point Cloud folder in the Catalog pane, and a LAS dataset is added to the Contents pane for managing the point cloud.

8. To visualize the generated point cloud, add the LAS dataset to the 2D or local scene.