Point cloud clash detection with timeliner

[alistair.heanen]

All,

I am currently undertaking the above task but would appreciate some assistance or advice regarding the below queries to see if there is a better way of working:

   1. Best workflow for pts or pcg point cloud file to Navisworks, for clash detection

   2. How to clip a point cloud for Navisworks without using 3rd party software ie clipping boundary within AutoCAD file does not appear to transfer to Navisworks

   3. How to snap and align appended object(s) to point cloud in Navisworks

   4. Clash detection with timeliner link takes a long time to run. Best way to speed up process/reduce number of points? Can you modify point cloud density within Navis? Can Clash Detection be run within the cloud, similar to rendering?

Please feel free to respond even if you can only assist with 1 of the above queries. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Patrick_Aps_9121]

Allthough Navisworks can append Point Clouds in different file formats, after loading, the functionality is limited. 

1) I create a separate NWF with one basic CAD model attached first (to get the right units and Z upwards in NAvisworks) and then append all the pts files. When playing with the options -> File Reader and then the filetype of Navisworks, you can get better visibiltiy. This will not affect the number of points loaded, only the visibiltiy of the cloud in Navisworks. Once this is ok, I create an NWD with all the point clouds I need attached, but hidden. This NWD can become quite large, so I advice to use a 64-bits machine with the 64-bits version of Navisworks and 16GB RAM.

Then I create a 2nd NWF with all the real CAD models and append the 1st NWD when I need it.

2) To my knowlegde, you can't. You can only Clip all attached models in navisworks, regardless of them being CAD or Scan models. I have raised the request to have a kind of "clipping groups" -> Select one set of models, apply Clipping to those, select other set of models and apply a complet other clipping to the 2nd group.

3) Measure the difference, then select the CAD model and "File units and Transfrom" it until it is at the right coordinate, (that is, if you are 100% sure that the Cloud is at the right coordinates) OR let the desingers EDTIT the cad files and move the objects until they really are at their location.

4) Reducing the number of points, Clipping Point clouds etc is all only possible with software that will really edit the point clouds. There are some vendors that have free versions or full functional 30-day trials of the software that can do that.

As each point is a separate object, you will end up with millions of clashes, which is unmanageble.