Equipment point cloud modeling in inventor

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I would like to know if there is anyway to model complex geometries equipements with point cloud in inventor. I have seen some videos on youtube and just found people modeling simple things with point clouds in inventor, like metal structures, walls and pipes. The point is that i have a plant design as-built to do and there are a lot of equipments, like pumps, tanks, vessels, etc, and the as-built geometry is really important for that project. I need to model those equipments and then place it on Plant 3D.

Plant 3D has the hability to create equipments, but i need the as-built equipment geometry on that project, and plant 3D can't do it (At least i haven't seen anyone doing it).

Does someone have any idea how to do it? Don't looks easy to model those complex geometries with point cloud in inventor.

Thanks!

[cadman777]

I don't know about the newer Inventor versions, but I wouldn't waste my time on anything but a program designed to do that for you. They're very expensive. Usually they come w/the scanner software. I tried doing it w/Rhino3D and an add-in called Mesh2Surface (both combined cost around $2500) a few years ago when the industry was beginning to exploit the 'little guy' market. But I found that to be a lotta work using those programs, b/c they weren't really 'there' yet.

Some software, such as Hexagon develops for process plant point cloud processing, are specifically designed for that kind of thing. But IMO, they're WAY over priced. So that's why I did it the hard way using Rhino 3d.

However, you can get good enough results doing it the hard way. Besides, Rhino3D substantially improved their pointcloud handling and commands since I first tried it on their platform.

FYI: I spent the better part of a year doing R&D on all kinds of CMM, scanning and 3d printing only to discover that, for the most part, it's a gigantic criminal syndicate that is locked up to only those 'players' who have an inside line on the money. Most of the scanning is done by the aircraft defense industry and CMM/scanning for QC of high capacity production facilities. The 'little guy' work is almost nonexistent, which is why I dropped out of that game. Hurts to do all that work and then discover you aren't a 'player', and never have any hope for every being one!

I even tried doing the add-ons for auto & truck sheetmetal, but couldn't compete w/the bigger guys. That too is a criminal syndicate, for the most part. They have a ton of capital to work with, but the sad thing is, they get little to no return on their R&D int that market. The scanner I used was a Creaform ExaScan. I also had a pretty decent CMM that reached about 5' (split between axis center). But I would stay away from CMM's unless it's locked down to a fixed table along w/the part you're scanning. They have way too many problems if the slightest movement occurs, not to mention ball-tip compensation. Anyways ... just my 2 cent's worth.

THE BIG HURDLE IS GOING FROM MESH TO SOLID.

After you get your program to go from mesh to solid, you can then import it into Inventor as a dummy reference model, and then work off of it.

IMO, laser scanning and point cloud processing is a science and art.

I might add this too: It's LOADS OF FUN!

[cadman777]

Rhino3D: https://www.rhino3d.com/download/

Mesh2Surface: https://www.food4rhino.com/app/mesh2surface-rhino-5-and-rhino-6-compatible

[arron.craig]

Unfortunatly you cannot extract good models of plant equipment (pumps, valves, motors or other feature rich models) from a LIDAR point cloud scan with any Autodesk software. The closest I think you are going to get is with Geomagix Design X ($$$$$) provided your point cloud is very clean and dense.

I decided a number of years ago that it's cheaper and more efficient to use the point cloud as an overlayed visual reference and model manualy. Besides, you don't actually want to model that 0.1deg slope in that pipe or that 1mm miss-alignment in that flange connection do you?

[gcoombridge]

Look into this: https://leica-geosystems.com/products/laser-scanners/software/leica-cloudworx/leica-cloudworx-autoca...

I have used it and thought it handled clouds well.

It does come down to what your deliverables are. I generally provide a Navisworks model with the cloud included to a client and only show tie-in points on a drawing. Inventor is not really a suitable tool - it would take forever if you're dealing with a site of any complexity. I would use Plant3D at a stretch and include only simple geometries if I was convinced it was required for a project...

[cadman777 · Accepted solution]

Yeah, Leica/Hexagon scanners are software are pretty nice. But, as always, the learning curve is the real killer, after you mortgage your life to use their subscription slavery software. Used to be you can buy a perpetual seat of any of these. It's the learning curve ... if you don't use it all the time, you won't get good at it, and it's a real PITA to learn all these expensive softwares. They make it look so simple and easy in their demos!

That's why I mentioned Rhino3D & Mesh2Surface, b/c they're fairly easy to learn and use, and get the job done rather quickly, esp. since they've improved the softwares dramatically since I tried them a few years ago.