Utilising Point Clouds Directly in SketchUp

Less than just a decade ago, point clouds were a privilege, available only for technology enthusiasts and early adopters. This technology has since matured, especially over recent years, and is now being used in many industries and applications. 3D laser scanning and imaging technologies are really thriving and constantly bringing new, smaller, lighter, easier-to-use and lower-cost sensor solutions, thus reducing the technology barriers and making point clouds available for almost everyone. As a software company, Undet not only foresees these changes but also contributes to them and recently released a plug-in for Trimble SketchUp.

The company is working on a number of R&D projects related to various software platforms and applications. Its recently released plug-in for Trimble SketchUp provides the opportunity to utilise any point cloud directly in the SketchUp Pro environment.

Undet started to deal with 3D laser scanning and imaging in 2006. In 2010 the Lithuanian company focused on developing a solution that would easily handle massive data sets and allow efficient management thus facilitating delivery of as-built documentation. The first version (V1) of the initial product Undet for AutoCAD was released in 2011. On top of it they added a bunch of advanced features and released second version (V2) in 2014.

Massive point clouds

Today Undet for AutoCAD is a very comprehensive and competitive application. It is regarded as an excellent choice for 3D scanning / processing service providers that are utilising massive point clouds every day. It solely covers 2D/3D workflows, improves BIM workflows and typically drives users’ productivity by 30-50%.

Undet for SketchUp V1 maintains the same data structure as Undet for AutoCAD thus providing impressive performance. Furthermore, it has all the tools for efficient point cloud management and that’s definitely enough for starter but sure, there will be more in the near future.

Workflows

The Lithuanians opened brand new workflows for SketchUp users involving point clouds. Just take a look into some pictures of this post. 3D Building Modelling, Architecture and Interior Design, 3D City Modelling – these are screen grabs from recent projects successfully delivered by first Undet for SketchUp users. Furthermore, next to numerous already supported file formats just a week ago we implemented direct DotProduct *.DP import. This combination of DotProduct + SketchUp + Undet makes an extremely affordable solution reducing barriers for technology-savvy end users.

For more information see here.