Workflow needed: Pointcloud from Faro Cam2measure over Recap 360 to Inventor

[a.knoke]

Hello there,

I´m usually working with Inventor 2016 and can already use Recap 360. Our workshop works with a Faro arm, that allows both tactile measuring and very high resoluted 3D laser scans. We often work with cast parts (in most cases all dimensions are < 1000 mm) and I would like to import the 3D scans of the Faro arm into Inventor. Sometimes these castings are a little bit distorted or don`t meat the expected dimensions. In theses cases it would be very helpfull to be able to import the "real" casting into inventor. I spent a lot of time to search the web for solutions, but it seems like everybody else with Faro hardware is working with scene. My problem is that the faro arm with laser scanner comes with cam2measure instead of scene. I also don`t understand what means to register the scan. Obviously something that should be done automatically by the Faro software.

I tried a lot of variations and at least I think I almost got it ... but still my projects in Recap stay completely empty. I try to explain my workflow. Maybe you have another idea what goes wrong here.

- In Faro Cam2measure 10.6: I have opened a project containing 3 pointclouds. I unite these 3 Pointclouds to one pointcloud.

- In Faro Cam2measure 10.6: I export the pointcloud as an .txt file, decimal symbol is a point, column symbol is a blank

- In editor: The txt file is 666 MB large and contains 8 columns. The first two can be ignored (just text), 3rd, 4th and 5th contain the x, y, z coordinates (15 characters, 16 when there`s a - put in front). I´m not sure whats in the columns 6, 7 and 8. Maybe you can give a hint. (see attachment "Scanproblem_01.jpg")

- In Inventor 2016: I opened an empty new assembly to be able to start Recap 360

- In Recap 360: It´s no problem to load the txt file. The window shows only the first 20 lines of the file. I presume that is a feature and not a bug.

- In Recap 360: I change at first the dimensions from m to mm. I change the headers of the columns as described above. The first two columns with text were titled "keine" (german word for none), the 3rd, 4th and 5th as x, y and z, the last 3 columns stay titled "none". Additinally I force the programm to ignore the first 5 lines. (see "Scanproblem_05.jpg")

- In Recap 360: I reduzed decimation to 0 mm. There is no coordinate system and I don`t have a clou what I should choose here. (see "Scanproblem_06.jpg"). When I click on 3D preview the window stays completely black.

- In Recap 360: When I click on index scans, they were loaded up to 100%. When I click on start project, I get ... nothing. Only an empty plain. Zooming in and out, centering .... it stays empty. Changing settings here (for example distance of the camera from m to mm) does`nt affect anything. If I safe the project it puts out a rcp file.

- In Inventor 2016: Importing the rcp file gives me an error message. I translate from german, the original english text may differ. "No scan found, or all scans invalid. You can edit these in Autodesk ReCap. Allocating of the pointcloud failed". If I click OK, nothing more happens.

[Patrick_Aps_9121]

Hello,

Can you export to another format from Cam2measure 10.6 ?

Recap can import quite good .PTX, Faro .FLS or e57 files.

Even PTS files might be a workaround.

[a.knoke]

Hello, thanks for your help.

Cam2measure only drops an stl file alternatively. Unfortunately Recap cannot handle stl.

But I played a little bit within Cam2measure and could reduce the information in the txt file to the 3 columns that define geometry. Aditionally I found a registration button and used it but I didn`t notice any reaction. Unfortunately my collegue that works with the Faro arm is not very computer affine and could not help me. I suspect he doesn`t even understand what I wanted to do.

That reduced txt file can be opened in Recap and be set to the right dimensions. And now I see my casting in Recap. But it is consists of to few points, even after reduzing the decimation to zero. I can also import the rcp in Inventor. But I cannot use it with that ultra low resolution.

[Patrick_Aps_9121]

Maybe Inventor can import the STL directly ?

Maybe the Recap PRO functionality to create a mesh out of these points will create a mesh file that you can import or reference ?

[a.knoke]

I tried to import the stl in Inventor. That has been successful but with the mesh i cannot work. So I downloaded Autodesk Mesh Enabler and successfully activated it in inventor. I was able to start the transformsation of the mesh to ipt ... but after 24 hours it still wasn`t ready. I also tried to import the stl in 3DSmax but this took also many hours without any visible progress.

Maybe I should wait longer for a result from mesh enabeler, but I tested it with the smallest 3D object i had and this takes far too much time. I have a real powerful workstation, it`s not a hardware issue.

So there`s no solution for this topic until now.

[nstevelmans]

Hi There,

have you tried Fusion 360

import the mesh in Autodesk Remake.

Export the mesh in Fusion obj(quads)

Now in Fusion you can convert it to a solid.

[a.knoke]

Hi,

thanks for your help. We already pay very much money for Autodesk products (since many years), we won't buy another product to get the others run properly. So Autodesk Remake is no option for me.

I give up and wait a few more years. Maybe some day it works without problems.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Take a look at this message thread it helped me solve the same problem with recap

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/recap-forum/import-point-cloud-txt-file-in-recap/td-p/5069150