3D scanning software can now turn a point cloud into a textured 3D mesh, following the release of Autodesk ReCap Pro 2022.
The latest release of the 3D scanning software introduces ‘Scan to Mesh’, a new workflow that allow users to turn a point cloud into a textured 3D mesh.
The 3D mesh can be used for early clash detection and, say developers, more effective project data coordination and verification.
The hardware is also smaller in size, which the developers say make it more manageable.
Users can choose to convert the entire point cloud or a select part. Editing tools such as the Limit Box/Clip/Region/Deletion tools can be used to control how much of the point cloud is displayed in the scene, and only the visible area will be meshed.
Users can create a low-, medium-, or high-quality Recap mesh, in OBJ or RCM format, which can then be saved to Autodesk BIM 360, Autodesk Docs, or Autodesk Drive (a replacement for A360 Drive).
Since processing is done on the cloud, users will be charged Cloud Credits per job.
The cost of the job is determined by the number of points in the point cloud that are being processed into a textured mesh, as well as the quality of mesh selected.
When viewing a published project in ReCap Pro, users can now annotate and share data directly in Autodesk Docs, BIM 360 Docs, or Autodesk Drive.
Autodesk has also made updates to ReCap Photo, the 3D photo reconstruction service included with ReCap Pro, allowing for more flexibility with the use of Cloud Credits.
The new release also offers more control before processing projects. Users can specify ground control points (GCPs) and checkpoints in an arbitrary local coordinate system (XYZ), which provides a higher 3D reconstruction quality.
It is also possible to determine whether drones were equipped with RTK (Real time kinematic) or PPK (post process kinematic) from the captured images.
These specific images have high precision GPS tags and high-quality 3D reconstruction, which reduces the time-consuming process of collecting GCPs and inputting them into ReCap Photo.