AutoCAD 2017 - Pointcloud selection problem

[Anonymous]

I have for some time had an intermittent issue where I am unable to select a pointcloud.  It seems to be when the cloud is cropped and in a user-defined plan view (top, side, front etc).  If I change the view ever so slightly, say with 3dorbit, it is selectable but then I've lost my plan view.  If i zoom way way out so it is a tiny dot on the screen it is selectable but this gets irrritating scrolling in and out all the time.    

In some plan views it is sometimes selectable, and in other plan views its never selectable.  I've not yet worked out a pattern to when it does work and when it doesn't.  

Just to emphasise though this is only when I've created user-defined views, not the default World Top, Front, Side etc.  

HJas anyone else experienced this issue?  

I am currently using Autocad 2017 but I had the same problem in 2016 as well.  

Paul

[ The subject line of this post has been edited to include the product name by @handjonathan ]

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi paul.s,

that is an odd behavior 

When you import the point cloud, have you ever checked where the origin is? Please observe this, when you crop the cloud. Because you say it is working sometimes...

Could you upload an example?

Regards

[john.vellek]

Hi paul.s

I am checking back to see if you had made progress on this issue. Can you attach a sample dwg with point cloud data? Could you also perhaps describe how you create your user-defined views or even show me in a Screencast?

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your interest, I apologise for not getting back sooner.

I've made a screencast which hopefully shows the issue I'm having.  Its not of the current job I'm working on as that is sensitive so I've created a completely blank new drawing and inserted a small piece of the pointcloud just as an example.  In this example I actually have an unexpected issue where the pointcloud is not selectable immediately after insertion.  This was a surprise as the issue usually manifests itself when I change ucs and my view, but it does go to highlight the problem I'm having.  I go on to show how I create my ucs's and views and how each view may or may not be selectable.  

Let me know if there's any thing else I can show/give you to better help you understand the issue.

I ma running:

AutoCAD 2017

Dell Precision 7510

Windows 10 Pro

Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E3-1535M v5 @ 2.90GHz

48GB RAM

64 bit Operating System

Paul

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

Can you try:

• use command _QSELECT to get the pointcloud selected, does that work?
• insert the RCP file instead of the RCS file, do you get it then selectable?

- alfred -

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi Paul,

it might be helpful if you upload the test point cloud data. In case you cannot upload the dataset here on the forum, I have sent you an invitation to our box folder.

Thank you

[ConstanceWang1]

This is really strange issue. 

It is helpful that you can send us the point cloud data, so we can investigate. 

Besides, it may be related with your settings. Could you please send us the setting?

Please export your setting, and send us the zip.
Windows 7: Click the Windows Start button (All) Programs Autodesk <product name> Migrate Custom Settings Export <product name> Settings.
Windows 8: Right-click the Windows Start screen (or use the swipe up gesture from the bottom edge while on the Start screen). Click All Apps Autodesk <product name> Migrate Custom Settings Export <product name> Settings.

Thanks,

Constance 

---

@Sofia.Xanthopoulou wrote:

Hi Paul,

it might be helpful if you upload the test point cloud data. In case you cannot upload the dataset here on the forum, I have sent you an invitation to our box folder.

Thank you

---

---

@Sofia.Xanthopoulou wrote:

Hi Paul,

it might be helpful if you upload the test point cloud data. In case you cannot upload the dataset here on the forum, I have sent you an invitation to our box folder.

Thank you

---

[Anonymous]

Thnk you everyone for your offers to help.

I have uploaded my sample test.rcs and my Settings as requested to the 'Box' folder Sofia has set up.  Hopefully one of you can replicate the issue.  

It happens on all pointclouds on all drawings and has been there for a year or two.    I have a new laptop in that time and have upgraded Autocad too.  

I use a Faro X330 laser scanner with Faro Scene software to register the scans.  We then bring that in to ReCap for post processing before drawing 2D or 3D plans in AutoCad 2017.

To answer Alfred's questions:  

* Qselect does work to select the pointcloud without fail but it is not a solution for me as it is too cumbersome a method each time I want to select it.  However, indeed it is a method I've had to resort to sometimes instead of zooming out to infinity.

* Yesterday I tried importing a .RCP file instead but the issue is exactly the same I'm afraid.

Paul Stilwell

[ConstanceWang1]

I can reproduce this. 

It should be related with your settings. 

Now a quick workaround :  If reset your setting, it will not happen.

Reset your setting, will back your autocad to the state which it was just installed. Your own setting will be all cleaned up. So before reset, please back up your settings as a zip file. 

I will discuss with feature team to figure out what cause this happen. 

Wish I can find a better workaround for you. 

Thanks, 

Constance 

[ConstanceWang1]

This is not a defect. 

related with a setting POINTCLOUDBOUNDARY

Set it as 1

Enter new value for POINTCLOUDBOUNDARY <0>: 1

Then the issue will not happen again. 

Thanks,

Constance 

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi Paul,

thank you for uploading the files - btw. the box is still empty - but we got your files from the post. 

Constance and I did some troubleshooting and I must second her opinion to reset the setting and make new adjustments. Migrating settings over so many versions could be the source of some issues. 

Changing the variable had no effect on my computer - I could select anyway. 

We are continuing the researches, but for you, please consider to go with "fresh" settings. 

I would appreciate if you'd report back to us about your approaches. 

Thank you

-----------------------------
Please accept as solution if my post fully resolves your issue, or reply with additional details if the problem persists.

[Anonymous]

Thank you

Resetting my settings/cui is not something I really want to do.  I've built that up over 15 years over many autocad versions and am reluctant to want to start again from fresh.  BUT, obviously if this is the actual cause of the problem then it is something I'm just going to have to do.   Is there a painless way of creating my CUI from scratch without having to manually recreate every command or toolbar?

Paul 

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi @Anonymous,

I'd prefer that you create it from scratch. Are you sure you need all the stuff you used years ago? But in case - maybe this Article on transferring workspaces could help.

Please give me an update on your steps in order to mark one/more posts as accepted solution, so that other readers can benefit from your experience, too.

Thank you

[Sofia.Xanthopoulou]

Hi @Anonymous,

what is the situation here? What steps did you take? Please let us know if your system is running as expected now, or do you need more assistance?

If you can spare some minutes, please describe your steps in a post and mark it as accepted solution, so other reader know what to do if they find themselves in similar situations. 

Thank you

[Anonymous]

I have not had a solution so I can't accept as solution I'm afraid.  Just putting my autocad back to fresh, brand new, out of the box user interface is not a solution for me.  I have spent 15+ years creating my user interface with toolbars and macros and buttons that all do various things.  I know where everything is and losing all that is not something I'm going to do in a hurry.  I will have to restart afresh when I have time and when I'm on AutoCad I'm obviously working and time is money. 

For now my solution is to zoom way way out to select or use qselect which are both cumbersome and annoying.  (why can I use qselect to select a pointcloud but not Filter?  I could write a litttle routine that only selects a pointcloud if Filter could do it on the commandline.)

2 other people in our office experience the same problem but they too use long established cusomised user interfaces migrated over many releases.  

Surely I'm not alone being an experienced user having a customised interface that I migrate from release to release.  What do you do?  Do you only use the stock interface?  Do you not customise it at all?

Paul.

[ConstanceWang1]

I can understand. Actually, you can save time with familiar setting.

How about try this?  Keep the other setting which you like. Just set POINTCLOUDBOUNDARY as 1.

Thanks,

Constance 

[jbear0000]

@ConstanceWang1 That doesn't work. I am having this same problem. That was already set to 1 for me. I tried switching it to 0 and back to 1, still nothing.

[Anonymous]

This is an off the wall option. But we had the exact same thing happen. It turned out to be the DIMADEC command. Not sure how.

Set the value to <0>. the point cloud becomes selectable. When set at <4> we couldn't select the point clouds.

[agnes.sojka]

Hi, 

I know that few years have passed since your post about point cloud selection but fingers crossed you are still there and you managed to sort out the problem.

I am working on Autocad 2019 and have really similar issue. I can select the point cloud but suddenly I am unable to do it. I have impression that is is mixture of cropping and changing UCS or maybe view. It can't be anything else since between the moment is is selectable and the next when it isn't I literally press anything apart from changing views and sometimes UCS. If I undo few moves I again can select it but it is pain in.....well know place. I don't want to use command POINTCLOUDBOUNDARY since the selection is different and not so comfortable.

Anyone out there who could help me, please.

Another thing is that Autocad behaviour when point cloud (12GB of data) is attached is not consistent. It acts up a lot. 

My PC: 64GB RAM

Windows 10 Pro

Processor: Intel i7-6700 3.40GHz

Many thanks 

Agnes

[clintlowe]

I found that I can select the point cloud if I am not normal to the current UCS plane. After experimenting for a bit, I can select any portion of the point cloud that is above the plane I am normal to in a view, but cannot select points that are behind the active UCS plane. When you free orbit suddenly all the points are selectable.