Processing Exterior Scans with EdgeWise

This is a continuation of the previous post Processing Interiors with EdgeWise by ClearEdge 3D.

In this example I used two scans captured from different locations. The positions were previously determined with a conventional traverse that is used for control around the Holman’s Tempe retail store. The scanner used to capture the data was a Topcon GLS-1000. The scanner was set over control points and the Occupy/backsight feature was used to orient the scans to the control coordinates without the use of multiple targets.

As in the previous interior example I used EdgeWise to extract the edges and model the flat surfaces of the building scan.

The Edgewise software leads the user through approximately seven easy steps:

1. Import the Scan (PTX)
2. Locate the scanner (assign X,Y,Z values if needed)
3. Index the point cloud.
4. Extract the ground surface (if needed)
5. Classify the surfaces (two stages: Initial and Final)
6. Extract the edges
7. Export to DXF file

The model is exported to a DXF file and then imported into Google SketchUp or a CAD package for modeling.