IMAGINiT Civil Solutions Blog

Photo Editing in Register 360

I believe the topic of this blog post will highlight a feature that many people either don’t know about or don’t know how to use in Cyclone Register 360.  Of course, I am referring to the photo editing features.  I suppose for many people they don’t need to edit the photos because they aren’t really using them when the export the point cloud out to another file.  I believe these features are invaluable when trying to show a client what a project really looks like or when trying to place a co-worker at a project when they haven’t really been there. 

I believe it’s obvious to say that in order for any of this to work, we need to scan with pictures turned on and import those pictures with scan data into Register 360.  There are two ways I can think of to edit photos within a scan.  The first way requires us to right mouse click on the setup we would like to edit and choose Edit HDR Image. 

The Tone Map Editor will open.

Using the slide bar, move the slider back to darken the photo and forward to brighten the photo.

Multiple photos can be edited at one using the Shift Select  command and ticking the check box in the lower left corner next to Apply to Selection.

Now this might not be what you were hoping for when I mentioned editing photos in Register 360.  Maybe you wanted to actually edit the photos by adding or removing parts to the photo.  The good news is that feature is the second way I mentioned of editing a photo.  To accomplish this, we once again will need to right click on the setup of the photo we want to edit.  This time however, we will need to edit only one photo at a time.  Below is the photo in Register 360 before any edits.

Because Register 360 is a point cloud software and not a photo editing software, we are going to use something else to edit the photo.  So, how do we do that?  We are going to export the data out of Register 360.  Right mouse click on the setup you would like to edit and choose Export Panoramic Images…

Note:  The image should be exported to an empty folder. 

Once the image is exported, you can use your favorite editor to edit the jpg in any way you would like.  After the changes have been saved (using the same name as you exported to), exit the photo editing software and go back to Register 360 and right mouse click on the same setup you exported from and choose Re-Import Panoramic Images…

Note:  This will not work if the image was renamed or is placed into a different folder that doesn’t have the exr file.

The image is now edited and mapped back to the point cloud.

 

 

Leica HDS Software Licensing Tips

Software can be a wonderful tool to assist in completing many of today’s tasks.  When it works well, it can make our jobs seem less like work and more like a hobby or fun.  When it doesn’t work the way it is supposed to, it can actually make our jobs more difficult.  Leica’s HDS software is certainly no different than other software packages out there in the sense that it can have issues that may come from any number of places.  These places can include anything from user error to faulty hardware.   There is one common error that I find people to have the most difficulty with when it comes to the HDS software.   This error has to do with licensing of the software. 

When a user can’t get a license to their Register 360, Cyclone, CloudWorx or JetStream software, they are often frustrated and annoyed by the time they reach out for help.  I would like to offer some tips and tricks for solving some common licensing issues. 

Let’s begin with general licensing problems.  All to often you might see a dialog box that resembles the image below.  This can happen for various reasons but more often than not it is easily fixed in a few minutes. 

The most common reason we might get this error is that we simply typed the name of the License Server incorrectly.  As you can see, my license is stored on my laptop which is why my license server is set to localhost.  If I intended to set my server to localhost but mistakenly typed localhst , that would be a very good reason for me to get a licensing error.   To fix this, follow the steps below:

 

Register 360

1. Open Register 360
2. Close the initial dialog box

3. Open the Settings dialog box and click on the Licenses Tab

4. Set the server to whatever the name of your license server is. This includes if you are storing your license on a network license server.

Cyclone Register

1. In Cyclone Register select the Help menu and choose Set/Switch License Server…

2. Set the name of your server here.

Another reason you may not be getting a license is because when your machine booted up, you tried to start the Leica software as soon as you could click the icon.  I know we are all in a hurry to get things done sometimes but this is probably one of the simplest yet best tips I can give you.  BE PATIENT!!!  When you are first booting your machine, wait for 2 or 3 minutes after you see the desktop appear before trying to start the Leica software.  Why you ask??  Well, there are several background services that need to run in order for your software to have everything it needs to start.  If you have quickly clicked to start your software before these services run, you might get the previously mentioned license error.  So, what can you do to fix this if it happens?  Often it can be fixed by simply rebooting your machine.  Who has time for that though?  Am I right?  Alternatively, you can close the software start your CLM (in most cases that will be CLM for Floating Licenses) and then restart the software.

Now that I have mentioned the CLM, let’s talk about some things that might happen there that could cause you to not retrieve a license.  On the very rare occasion the issue goes beyond having to just starting the CLM, here is another possible cause.  When you open the CLM, click the Manage License Server link on the left and check to see if the license manager is running. 

The CLM should start every time you start your computer.  If this doesn’t happen for some reason, you could open the Services dialog from Windows 10 and manually start the license server.  You can accomplish this task by typing Services into the Windows search bar in the Windows task bar.

Here you can see if the license server is running or is stopped.  If it is stopped, you can click the link to the left to restart it.

I have experienced one of those days where absolutely nothing goes right and I can’t get anything to work.  I supposed the only tip or trick I have to fix one of those days when it comes to Leica software is to regroup and start over.  What you are about to read next should only be done with great care and with your IT departments full knowledge of the ramifications.  Sometimes we need to uninstall and re-install.  All too often people are frustrated by this point and simply go to Add/Remove Programs and uninstall all things Leica and reinstall them.  Before we just go doing all of this, we need to think.  What I mean is, we need to go through all the steps I have mentioned so far and if none of them work, even an uninstall and reinstall is unlikely to work.  So before you go to www.google.com and search remove Leica software from registry and try all these registry editing commands, read further.  Leica has a tool that will assist us in removing what is needed from our machines without randomly removing software from the registry.  That tool is named the CLM Cleanup Tool.  Again, before running this, we should consult our IT department and follow some of these steps.

1. Open the CLM and return your license
2. Be certain the machine you are using is in no way connected to any other license manager or license server. This includes all Autodesk license managers!!

Notes in no particular order:

• If you forget to return your EID before you run the cleanup tool, you will need to contact Leica Support to have them release the license.
• Once the cleanup tool has been completed, there is not a way to undo the command.
• In order to gain access to the cleanup tool, reach out to Leica Support.
• Leica Support can play a critical role in solving all of your HDS needs. This is a major reason we suggest keeping your Leica CCP in current standing.

Cyclone 3DR

There is a lot of buzz right now over a software product that Leica has released known as Cyclone 3DR.  Many people out there are referring to Cyclone 3DR as a new product from Leica.  However, there are also many out there referring to the same software package as 3DReshaper.  For those not in the know, they might think these are two different packages and maybe even competitors.  The truth is, 3DR is kind of both a new software package and one that has been around for a while.   Cyclone 3DR was formerly known as 3DReshaper.  You see, it was a product created and owned by a company named Technodigit until it was purchased by Hexagon (Leica’s parent company) and branded as Cyclone 3DR. 

Now that we have that straight, let’s get into what the software is and what it can do.  When I was first introduced to 3DR (3DReshaper at the time), I thought it was just for people who wanted to recreate statues or model items for a media and entertainment software like Maya or 3DS Max.  I quickly learned that is not the case.  3DR is a product that can be used by many different disciplines for many different tasks.  For instance, would you think a software that can turn this:

into this:

And with very little effort we can do so much more.

Let’s investigate the other tasks Cyclone 3DR can handle.  If you are a surveyor and are looking to accomplish creating a DTM quickly and efficiently, there are several tools in 3DR that might interest you.  One example of those tools is that when we scan a civil/survey site like a road or trail, we often run into massive amounts of data that are of no use to use like tall grass and trees.  Using commands like DTM Smart Modeling allow us to quickly and efficiently ignore this data and create a surface model based on the lowest points of a point cloud.  The image below is from the 3DR Help menu showing how the DTM Smart Modeling tool will clean a noisy point cloud. 

Maybe you’re not looking to create the DTM directly but want a tool that will assist with the creation of the DTM in another software.  3DR has that capability as well.  3DR provides functionality to create customized scripts that can use commands in the software to extract data from a point cloud.  In the images below, we see a point cloud where a very short piece of curbing has been traced using the polyline command.  Using this small amount of data, we can run a script that comes with the software package to extract curbing.

After running the script, the macro begins to run extracting curb based on both the point cloud and parameters entered by the user. 

In little time, the script, creates linework if there is enough data to support the linework it is trying to create. 

Cyclone 3DR supports other disciplines as well.  For those in the architectural industry, there are tools to assist in the creation of modeling buildings.  The software will analyze a point cloud and extract planes to represent walls or stairs.  This process is fairly simple process where we break down the point cloud into rooms so we can easily see the room we would like to model.  To do this a Limit Box is created and adjusted to see the area of interest.

Using the Building Extractor tools, select a few planes on the point cloud to create the walls.

So, as you can see there are many tools to assist us with different tasks in Cyclone 3DR.  The last item I would like to mention about the tools available in the software is that we can do various types of analysis using this powerful software.  A few examples are creating a heat map and detailed report for floor flatness, levelness and slope analysis.  All of this while creating on screen labels to show various important areas of our project.  Another example would be to use the software to compare a point cloud to a CAD model and show the areas where they differ.  This can be done where a project has a designed model and is scanned throughout the construction process to see if it meets the design tolerances or if it is being built incorrectly and something needs fixed before the project is completed.  There are many tools that I have not mentioned in this post.  Some of these items were covered in a webcast IMAGINiT presented in February of 2020.  I have provided the link to that webcast below. 

IMAGINiT 3DR Webcast:

https://resources.imaginit.com/reality-capture/the-reimangined-cyclone-3dr

Organize your Register 360 Projects

Anytime I go to demo or teach Cyclone Register 360, I will get a person ask me the hypothetical questions:

• “What if we need to do a large project where we might scan over several days?”
• “Do we organize the data as separate projects?”
• “What if we need it as one large point cloud”

Well, I use my own method here that I think works well.  I want to explain what I am talking about. 

First, I start by coming up with a way to organize my data while scanning.  I do this by breaking down the areas I scan with a naming convention. That naming convention works something like this:

[Day of Scanning]-[Area Scanned]-[Scan number for the day]

Ex. Day 1-Mech Room A-1

By doing it this way, my data shows up in Register 360 by the day (more on this later).  Placing the number at the end permits me to use the check box Use this name as a template and have the Cyclone Field app number each scan I do that day. 

I am lucky that IMAGINiT supplies me with very good equipment to help in my data processing but I also help by taking a few steps when processing data.  The first thing I do is plan to process my data at the end of each days scanning.  This saves me from importing one very large project at a time.  Before I get going with importing the data though, I start my machine and prepare it for dealing with large data sets.  I open my Task Manager and select the Startup Tab.  Review all the programs you have starting when the computer boots up.  You might be surprised at all the little software packages that have a high demand on your computer's resources. Make a note (or screen capture) of all the software packages you really don’t need to process data.  To assist with getting all that software running again without having to re-enable it and rebooting, follow the process below to make it easier going forward.

1. With Task Manager still open, select the first one you don’t need, and right mouse click over it. In the shortcut menu, select properties. 

2. In the properties window select the General tab and copy the text string next to Location.

3. Paste this data into a new Notepad document.

4. Hit Enter

5. On this line copy the name of the exe file to run the software. This can be found at the top of the dialog box you just copied from (see example).

6. Repeat this process as many times as you need to get all the software you don’t need to process data.

Keep in mind that you may always want to keep items like your anti-virus or anti-malware software running.  Below is an example of what a batch file might look like. 

Of course, there is still the option of going back into the Task Manager and re-enabling the programs you want to start when the computer starts up.  This is merely an option if you are processing on a regular basis and don’t want to go in and out of the Task Manager and reboot your machine. 

Now that we have that all setup, I want to discuss getting datasets into Register 360 and keeping the data organized.  When I teach people who are new to scanning how to go about it, I always mention to them that they might want to create their own map of where each scan was taken.  This keeps a record so that if anyone ever questions the registration, they can show on a copy of the floor plan roughly where a scan was taken.  With that in mind, I also have them write each scan name next to the locations, so they know what day the scan was taken.  With this all organized, I have them open Register 360 and if they are using an RTC360, open settings and on the General Tab place a check next to RTC360 Jobs: Create SiteMap tab on pre-import.

If you are not using an RTC360, you will need to manually create the sitemap if you have a multi-project scan job. 

The reason I do it this way is so when I import multiple projects that are part of the same job, it allows me to separate them by tab. 

After the data is imported and we can review in the Review and Optimize Tab, it might look something like this.

Some of you might be wondering how the heck we register two separate SiteMaps in one project.  Well the answer is quite simple really.  Take a scan from Day 2 that will register to a scan from Day 1 (Yes, this will require planning on your part) and drag it from the Day 2 SiteMap to the Day 1 SiteMap.  Once you have done this, it will show one of the scans in a light grey color.  This means it resides in another SiteMap but is registered to a scan in your current Sitemap.  Look at the bundle for Day 1 and you should see all the data appear. 

 

Now that I have taken you through my workflow, please know that this is not a hard and fast rule on how to import and organize data in Register 360.  This is a way that works for me but may not work for you.  Feel free to post your methods and input for people to learn from.  

 

Civil 3D Help Resources

Brian Johnson | Applications Expert

It is common for a person that is using an extensive and complex software product to encounter a situation that requires the use of features that are outside of their normal workflow. What follows is an uncomfortable feeling while trying to poke around enough to force the software to deliver a solution and then hope that it was completed properly. When that software is Autodesk’s Civil 3D and the project requires a certain degree of precision, that uncomfortable feeling and hope for success can be substantial. During the course of a project, any software can be susceptible to errors and crashes and at the most inopportune times, such as when trying to finish a project to deliver it to the client on a scheduled date.

The intent of this blog is to provide information on where to get help with Autodesk’s Civil 3D software. There is a multitude of resources to get information for assistance when needed and it comes in many forms such as blogs, videos, webinars, forums, online eLearning and more but knowing where to look for the information you need is key.

Autodesk Resources

Autodesk’s resources for Civil 3D information is vast and covers everything from how-to, tips and tricks, forums and videos to trouble shooting problems. The Autodesk Civil Engineering Community Center contains a smorgasbord of information available to peruse.

From the Autodesk Civil Engineering Community Center, there are several sections to choose from. News provides latest information on upcoming webinars, release announcements and industry information. Forums is a place where users can share information and ask questions. Ideas is a venue for users to provide wish list items to Autodesk for new or improved features. These are just a few examples of the knowledge shared with the greater civil engineering community for Autodesk’s civil engineering software.

Have questions about installation or upgrades? Need help troubleshooting a problem? Want to learn workflow options for a specific task? The Autodesk Knowledge Network is a “rich repository of more than a million contributions from Autodesk, its community, and its partners”. This internet resource provides a robust search tool that can target a specific Autodesk product and filtered to narrow the results to specific areas of interest.

The Autodesk AEC Webinar Portal for Infrastructure presents upcoming webinars and registration links for them, as well as previous webinars that can be viewed on-demand. For multi-disciplinary firms and those interested there is also connected portals for Building and Construction webinars as well.

Civil Immersion is a blog authored by three members of Autodesk’s Infrastructure team. These blog posts are often task-specific and includes a video that provides the step-by-step workflow for completion.

IMAGINiT Resources

IMAGINiT extends the Autodesk resources to provide companies and users with means necessary to improve efficiency and deliver quality projects to their clients. A wealth of knowledge is shared via blogs, whitepapers, videos, webinars as well as a customer-specific web portal that is targeted at the needs for the customer.

The IMAGINiT Civil Solutions Blog is updated regularly with task-driven functionality within Autodesk’s infrastructure software solutions. Application Experts author the blog posts with topics based on their many interactions with customer needs and requests. Readers can comment on the posts and have questions answered by the author.

IMAGINiT Priority Support is a service that is available to customers of all sizes. This annual support offering provides phone, online or email access to a dedicated team of support experts with a maximum of 4 business hours response time. Included is unlimited tech support intended for troubleshooting errors, product installation and network licensing. In addition, two hours of design assistance is included for one-on-one assistance with “How to” related questions, an installation toolkit, a library of whitepapers and webcast recordings as well as access to live lecture webinar series.

ProductivityNOW by IMAGINiT provides a customer specific portal that provides not only technical support but also an eLearning solution with high quality courseware available on-demand at any time. The portal contains training videos, whitepapers, case studies and webinar recordings. The eLearning tool includes courseware direct from ASCENT, which is the same that is used in classroom instruction, additionally the platform contains Pinnacle Series eLearning content from Eagle Point. Civil 3D eLearning classes include Fundamentals as well as Survey and Grading and more. ProductivityNOW has two offerings, Standard and Professional depending on the size of the organization and needs.

Summary

There are many resources that provide help with Autodesk’s Infrastructure software solutions and a good number of them are outlined here. Links are provided to make it easy to learn more about each of the tools available from Autodesk and IMAGINiT. When you find yourself needing assistance with Civil 3D these are great resources to reach out to for answers.