Browse Definitions :
Definition

point cloud

WhatIs.com
Contributor(s): Matthew Haughn

A point cloud is a collection of data points defined by a given coordinates system. In a 3D coordinates system, for example, a point cloud may define the shape of some real or created physical system. Point clouds are used to create 3D meshes and other models used in 3D modeling for various fields including medical imaging, architecture, 3D printing, manufacturing, 3D gaming and various virtual reality (VR) applications.

In a 3D Cartesian coordinates system, a point is identified by three coordinates that, taken together, correlate to a precise point in space relative to a point of origin. X, y and z axes extend in two directions and the coordinates identify the distance of the point from the intersection of the axes (0) and the direction of divergence, expressed as + or -.

3D scanners gather point measurements from real-world objects or photos for a point cloud that can then be translated to a 3D mesh or NURBS or CAD model.

See a demonstration of using Point Cloud Manager in AutoCAD Map 3D to work with large LiDAR data sets:

This was last updated in October 2016

Continue Reading About point cloud

Join the conversation

1 comment

Send me notifications when other members comment.

Register

Please create a username to comment.

Point cloud modeling has revolutionazed the BIM technology and hence the construction technology to a greater extent. The blog has perfectly explained the concept in brief.
Cancel

-ADS BY GOOGLE

File Extensions and File Formats

SearchCompliance

  • risk management

    Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing and controlling threats to an organization's capital and earnings.

  • compliance as a service (CaaS)

    Compliance as a Service (CaaS) is a cloud service service level agreement (SLA) that specified how a managed service provider (...

  • data protection impact assessment (DPIA)

    A data protection impact assessment (DPIA) is a process designed to help organizations determine how data processing systems, ...

SearchSecurity

  • Web application firewall (WAF)

    A web application firewall (WAF) is a firewall that monitors, filters and blocks data packets as they travel to and from a ...

  • spyware

    Spyware is a type of malicious software -- or malware -- that is installed on a computing device without the end user's knowledge.

  • application whitelisting

    Application whitelisting is the practice of specifying an index of approved software applications or executable files that are ...

SearchHealthIT

SearchDisasterRecovery

  • business continuity plan (BCP)

    A business continuity plan (BCP) is a document that consists of the critical information an organization needs to continue ...

  • disaster recovery team

    A disaster recovery team is a group of individuals focused on planning, implementing, maintaining, auditing and testing an ...

  • cloud insurance

    Cloud insurance is any type of financial or data protection obtained by a cloud service provider. 

SearchStorage

  • DRAM (dynamic random access memory)

    Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is a type of semiconductor memory that is typically used for the data or program code needed ...

  • RAID 10 (RAID 1+0)

    RAID 10, also known as RAID 1+0, is a RAID configuration that combines disk mirroring and disk striping to protect data.

  • PCIe SSD (PCIe solid-state drive)

    A PCIe SSD (PCIe solid-state drive) is a high-speed expansion card that attaches a computer to its peripherals.

Close