Point Cloud Data Conversion into Solid Models via Point-Based Voxelization

Abstract

Automated conversion of point cloud data from laser scanning into formats appropriate for structural engineering holds great promise for exploiting increasingly available aerially-and terrestrially-based pixelized data for a wide range of surveying related applications from environmental modeling to disaster management. This paper introduces a point-based voxelization method to automatically transform point cloud data into solid models for computational modeling. The fundamental viability of the technique is visually demonstrated for both aerial and terrestrial data. For aerial and terrestrial data, this was achieved in less than 30 seconds for data sets up to 650k points. In all cases, the solid models converged without any user intervention when processed in a commercial Finite Element Method program.

Detection of structural faults in piers of masonry arch bridges through automated processing of laser scanning data

“…Among them, Cabaleiro et al proposed an algorithm for the torsion analysis of a metal beam from LiDAR data. Terrestrial laser scanner was also used to detect cracks in facades, as well as in Hinks et al, where an automated method to process point clouds and to make structural calculations is proposed. Some authors also highlight the importance of using LiDAR for existing bridge structural analysis .…”

Automatic Extraction of Tunnel Lining Cross-Sections from Terrestrial Laser Scanning Point Clouds

“…Over the past years, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has been used in inverse engineering [1,2,3], for tracking the changes of natural surfaces via the comparison of different point clouds [4,5,6,7,8] and in the estimation of forest attributes [9,10,11]. The use of the TLS technique has also become popular in tunnel engineering due to the various advantages over conventional geodetic devices, such as laser beam profilers and total stations, which take more time to acquire data [12] and cannot offer high- density 3D datasets.…”

Digital curation and online resources: digital scanning of surgical tools at the royal college of physicians and surgeons of Glasgow for an open university learning resource

“…A more invasive method of glare reduction is the application of matte powder to the artefact surface, producing complete digital models (James et al, 2015). Yet, whether this technique would be appropriate when digitising historical artefacts is questionable.…”

“…Because the surgical tools were so fragile, only non-invasive methods of glare reduction could be taken. More invasive approaches increase the likelihood of generating complete 3D digital models (James et al, 2015). However, such methods cannot reasonably be applied universally.…”