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Leica Geosystems HDS Announces New 3D Laser Scanning Software

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Leica Geosystems announces three new laser scanning software products for scan data import, forensic scene mapping, and modeling complex 3D surfaces. Combined, these products increase the breadth and depth of laser scanning software solutions available from Leica Geosystems.

A new, standalone Cyclone IMPORTER module is part of the separately announced, enhanced Cyclone 7.0 software suite. This new “open systems” module enables the direct use by Cyclone of scan data. Direct import of native data formats avoids conversion steps to neutral formats that can be time consuming and that are generally not as efficient for downstream data processing. Overall, it lets users of scan data from 3rd party scanners take better advantage of the broad capabilities in the Cyclone suite of software.

Cyclone IMPORTER module

ForensicMap Pro, developed by MicroSurvey, is available exclusively from Leica Geosystems. It builds on the strength of MicroSurvey’s existing software for mapping forensic scenes and incidents and takes advantage of Leica’s point cloud engine technology. With the addition of point cloud processing capabilities in mapping software specific for them, forensic professionals can now take further, direct advantage of the richness and completeness of 3D High-Definition SurveyTM data for forensic investigations, a high growth area for laser scanning.

Leica ForensicMap Pro software

3DReshaper software, a powerful, standalone software for working efficiently with large, complex meshes and comparing them against designmodels, has been added to the suite of point cloud processing software directly available from Leica Geosystems. Developed by Technodigit SARL, a Hexagon company, 3DReshaper enables users of laser scan data to create smooth surface models of very complex 3D geometry surfaces. This capability is especially useful for laser scanning applications involving heritage, archaeology, architecture, ship hulls, and terrain mapping among others. Hexagon is also the parent company for Leica Geosystems.

For more information please visit www.leica-geosystems.com/hds

District Attorney lauds use of Leica Geosystems 3D laser scan data as demonstrative forensic evidence in homicide trial

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(Norcross, Ga., 03 September 2009)  District Attorney Joe Mulholland of the South Georgia Judicial Circuit added yet another legal case reference to the growing number of U.S. court cases in which Leica Geosystems 3D laser scan data has been admitted into evidence when he successfully proffered and tendered to the jury a visually compelling Leica TruView.

During the murder trial of Antonio Jerome Greenlee in Decatur County Superior Court, witness and crime scene investigator, Andy Forte of the Thomas County Sheriff’s Department, used Leica TruView to virtually place the jury at the crime scene and to show them how the homicide could have occurred.  The case stems from the homicide of 21-year-old Ebony Clarke of Bainbridge, GA, who was shot and killed on August 12th, 2008, during a street altercation between two men.

Leica TruView is a free, web-enabled panoramic point cloud viewer that allows users to view, pan, zoom, measure and markup the incredibly rich point cloud captured by the Leica ScanStation 3D laser scanner.  The Leica ScanStation allows investigators to first photograph and then make millions of measurements of a crime scene in just a few minutes thus “freezing the scene in time” forever.  A Leica TruView data set can then be generated in minutes after scanning for briefings or analysis or as in this case as a jury exhibit.

“The jury really, really liked it and we had jurors comment afterwards about how effective it was” said District Attorney Mulholland.  “We not only used the TruView to support Andy’s testimony, but the judge then allowed Andy to show it again during my direct examination of other witnesses as I asked them questions about where they were standing or where the shooter was.  TruView is basically a high-tech picture.  It is not testimony.  It is offered as an exhibit and demonstrative evidence.  This seemed to play well with the judge.  The Defense did not object and I think that they thought the same thing.”

Mulholland went on to say that after the trial the judge called him to the bench and commented on how effective the use of the Leica TruView was and encouraged him to use it again.  “We certainly plan on doing so.  The scanning software was absolutely fantastic” said the D.A. The judge also contacted Thomas County Sheriff R. Carlton Powell to thank him for his agency’s assistance with the case and to compliment him on the professional nature of the exhibits generated by his investigators.   Sheriff Powell was instrumental in bringing ScanStation technology to Georgia law enforcement and has made it available to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and other agencies as a courtesy.

“The Leica ScanStation has been the choice of police and sheriff’s departments, state patrols, crime laboratories, prosecutor’s offices, coroner and medical examiners and tribal justice agencies” said Tony Grissim the Public Safety and Forensic Account Manager for Leica Geosystems.   “The high volume of traffic we are seeing on our web site at www.leica-geosystems.us/forensic is an indicator to us that word is really getting around within the law enforcement community.”
Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right

With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.

Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3’500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.

For further information please contact:

Leica Geosystems Inc.
Andre Ribeiro
Director of Marketing
Atlanta, GA 30092
Phone:   +1 (770) 326-9557
Fax:         +1 (770) 447-0710
Andre.ribeiro@leicaus.com
www.leica-geosystems.us/forensic

Leica Geosystems Announces the Release of Leica CloudWorx™ 1.0 for SmartPlant 3D

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Leica Geosystems Announces the Release of Leica CloudWorx™ 1.0 for SmartPlant 3D

(Heerbrugg, 21 July 2009) Leica Geosystems announces the immediate availability of Leica CloudWorx™ 1.0 for SmartPlant 3D. This powerful and easy-to-learn point cloud solution is designed for Intergraph SmartPlant 3D users who want to take full advantage of accurate, laser scan as-built data directly in SmartPlant 3D.

Leica CloudWorx™ 1.0 for SmartPlant 3D is the latest addition to the Leica CloudWorx suite of products that enable professionals to use rich, as-built point cloud data directly in their native desktop design and visualization platform. SmartPlant 3D is Intergraph’s next generation plant design platform.

Key features and capabilities of Leica CloudWorx™ 1.0 for SmartPlant 3D
– Measure – using SmartPlant 3D’s own measuring tools
– Automated clash checking – using SmartPlant 3D’s built-in clash management and reporting tools
– Pipe centerline routing tools and exact tie-point location tools – for finding face of flange at pipe center; supports creation of intelligent as-built models directly in SmartPlant 3D, using catalog components and objects
– Leica Geosystems’ unique Key Plan features – for visual fast navigation within point cloud project data
– Leica Geosystems’ unique TruSpace viewer – delivers improved comprehension of point cloud data and ease of driving exact viewpoints in the CAD system
– Easy point cloud management – by Scan, “Limit Box”, “Cutplane slices and sections”, and “Hide Region”
– Supports a variety of laser scanners – including native data formats from Leica Geosystems scanners, the industry’s most popular scanners
– CloudWorx toolbars – access CloudWorx operations easily, conveniently, and fast;
visualize a new design concept directly in context with reality

High Accuracy Plus High Performance
Leica CloudWorx for SmartPlant 3D is based on Leica Geosystems’ long proven database-centric Cyclone™ point cloud foundation, which allows users to simultaneously benefit from state-of-the-art spatial accuracy and high performance point cloud management.

Powerful Point Cloud Management & Measurement in SmartPlant 3D
Leica CloudWorx for SmartPlant 3D provides several ways to quickly, efficiently, and effectively manage vast amounts of point cloud data. User named and defined “Cutplane Slices and Half-Space Sections” and/or “Limit Boxes” provide a quick and easy way to navigate point cloud data. These selections can be recalled as needed on demand. The Key Plan and TruSpace viewpoint management tools provide unsurpassed ease-of-use and improved visual comprehension. Measurements are taken using familiar SmartPlant 3D measuring tools.

Automated Point Cloud Clash Detection and Reporting Using SmartPlant 3D
Clash detecting against point clouds with Leica CloudWorx is performed using SmartPlant 3D’s own automated clashing and reporting tools. Users can automatically detect clashes between modeled objects and point clouds, based on a user’s own defined tolerance settings. All interfering points within a user-defined region are visually highlighted and itemized.

Supports Multiple Scanner Formats
Leica CloudWorx for SmartPlant 3D lets Intergraph’s users take advantage of spatial scan data from any laser scanner via industry-standard ASCII-based data formats. In addition, Leica CloudWorx for SmartPlant 3D directly accepts, without any data format conversion, compact native data formats from the industry’s most popular scanners. These include all models of Leica Geosystems High-Definition Surveying™ (HDS™) time-of-flight and phase-based laser scanners, and selected scanners from other vendors. This capability to accept native formats from the industry’s most popular scanners provides users with even higher overall system efficiencies and simpler workflows.

Pricing & Availability
Leica CloudWorx 1.0 for SmartPlant 3D is immediately available from Leica Geosystems. Pricing information is available through appropriate Leica Geosystems representatives and dealers worldwide.

Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right
With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.

Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3’500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.

For further information please contact:

Leica Geosystems AG
Bill Wallace
Sr. Product Manager, Software

Tel (direct) 1-925-790-2356
Tel (central) 1-925-790-2300
Fax 1-925-790-2309
E-mail: bill.wallace@leica-geosystems.com

www.leica-geosystems.com/hds


Hexagon Metrology Unveils Leica T-Scan TS50A Laser Scanner

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NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI, Jun 18, 2009 – Hexagon Metrology, Inc. announces the new Leica T-Scan TS50-A hand-held laser scanner, which interfaces with the Leica Absolute Tracker. The new Leica T-Scan delivers improvements that result in a doubling of the data acquisition rate, a fifty percent improvement in scanned point density, and scanner accuracy improved by a third. Together, these changes deliver 6DoF laser scanning performance that makes contact-free measuring faster, more accurate, and more efficient.

The core of the product improvements lie with the unit’s laser and optics system, which result not only in greater scanner accuracy, but also improved data quality, with a reduction in system noise, and an improved ability to scan all types of surfaces, particularly ones that are shiny or dark, under all lighting conditions. The scanner is capable of self-adjustment to lighting conditions, independent of the operator. Combined with the Leica Absolute Tracker system, the new T-Scan has improved system specifications of up to 25%.

“The TS50A is the third generation T-Scan unit, and offers great improvements with absolutely no compromises,” said David Armstrong, product manager, portable products for Hexagon Metrology, Inc. “The increased sampling speed will be of particular interest for the T-Scan’s core applications of digitizing and inspecting very large objects, such as aircraft or portions of aircraft, and the large blades for wind turbines. With usable scanning volumes of 59 feet (medium range system) or 98 feet (long range system) from the base unit, it really is an unbeatable solution for large volume 3D scanning.”

Ergonomic handling, robust design for shop floor and even outdoor environments, and improved accuracy specifications make the T-Scan TS50 scanner an ideal solution for automotive, aerospace, wind power, shipbuilding, defense and heavy equipment applications. The T-Scan TS50a is available for immediate shipment with Leica Absolute Trackers.

About Leica Geosystems Metrology Products

Whether building the fastest car, the biggest plane, or the most precise tooling, you need exact measurements to improve quality and productivity. So when it has to be right, professionals trust Leica Geosystems Metrology to help collect, analyze, and present 3-dimensional (3D) data for industrial measurement. Leica Geosystems Metrology is best known for its broad array of control and industrial measurement products including laser trackers, Local Positioning Technology (LPT) based systems, hand-held scanners, 3D software and high-precision total stations. Those who use Leica Geosystems Metrology products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the world-class service and support that is second to none. Precision, reliability and service from Leica Geosystems Metrology.

About Hexagon Metrology

Hexagon Metrology serves the high precision measurement and inspection needs of worldwide manufacturers with its extensive line of metrology hardware, software, accessories, and customer services. The company’s name-brand portfolio of quality assurance products include Brown & Sharpe, CogniTens, Leica Geosystems, ROMER, Sheffield, PC-DMIS, DEA, Leitz, m&h, and TESA. Hexagon Metrology has an unrivaled installed base of more than 1.5 million handheld, stationary and portable measurement devices, and over 30,000 seats of PC-DMIS metrology software.

For more information, visit www.hexagonmetrology.us

Crafting Quality Laser Scan Animations using Cyclone

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5 Tips from the CyArk Team
By: Hannah Bowers
May 26th, 2009

It is often difficult to capture the beauty of a site with drawings and photographs alone. This is why animations are often helpful for viewers to get a sense of the space and relation of objects to one another. Yet, animations can be a tricky thing to master—particularly in Leica’s Cyclone software. This list is intended to help you add greater eloquence and expression to your Cyclone animations while speeding up the preparation time.

1) Simulate the Animation
Use the view mode to fly through the modelspace to get an idea of what areas would be the best to animate. Manipulate the modelspace as though you were watching an animation. This will help you notice if there are areas that you may not want to show, or areas that need emphasizing.

2) Pick a Point
When you figure out what will be the focus of your animation, pick a point that will be the center with Cyclone’s Seek Mode tool.

Save a “view” (located in the drop-down menu “View”, under “Save View”) with this point as the center.

By doing this, you will always be able to reference this point, even when you pan through the modelspace. With simple, rotating animations, it is best to always check the box “Keep Current Focal Point” in the Animation Editor window.

This will ensure that your animation will have a smooth gliding effect and will also keep the focus of the animation on the point that you selected. Note that this, however, may not be the desired result if your video is traversing a site as it may then cause unintentional camera-angle changes.

3) Frames
Make the number of frames between key points a multiple of 15. Exporting the animation as a 15fps movie will make the movie smooth and consistent. Keep in mind that the spacing of Key Points will affect the amount of frames needed between them; e.g., if you want two seconds between the key points indicated, then 30 frames will be needed.

4) Number of Cameras
The number of cameras used in your animations will depend on the size of the modelspace. But a good number should be 4-15 cameras. If you have more, or less, than it is possible that the animations are too complicated, or not enough. In either case, the animation may become bumpy or uncontrolled. Here we see a Moai from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) with 4 cameras located around the monument to create a simple fly-around animation.

5) Animation Sequence Length
If you desire long and/or complex animations, then it is best to create several short animations with these tips and then merge the individual, short clips together in a separate video editing program. This provides greater video editing ability in a second program more suited to video production; these aditional editing abilities would include options such as fades, transitions and title sequences. The short videos are also easier and less time-consuming to generate within Cyclone.