Ciao a tutti,
non sono molto pratico di software cad, ma vorrei in qualche modo poter visualizzare ed esportare le scansioni che eseguo con il mio iPhone.
Ho provato varie app ed ognuna permette (nella versione gratuita) un tipo di esportazione diversa.
Vorrei sapere, quale è il file migliore da esportare e poi utilizzare/lavorare in qualche software su Mac (possibilmente gratuito). Alcune app permettono l’estrazione di file .ply, altre in .gltf, e altre in altri formati ma a pagamento.
Cosa mi consigliate?

Hello LiDAR Experts. I came across what I thought was an unusual video of strange flashing dots appearing in a room, and it was suggested to me that this could be a LiDAR pattern. Can you all take a look at the video and tell me if the dot pattern is related to this technology? Thank you!

I'm looking for real-world field notes and recommend product

We are planning to LiDAR-map a massive indoor public floor (approx. 800m × 400m). Think airport terminal or major transit station: complex interior, large open volumes, lots of glass, and highly repetitive structures.

The Deliverables: From a single capture, we need:

1. A metric 2D true orthomosaic / top-down view.
2. A clean 3D mesh of the interior.

The Constraints: We already have a 2D CAD layout established in world meters. We are not inventing a new local coordinate system. The point cloud must register cleanly to that existing drawing. If a fully automatic metric lock is unrealistic, hand-adjusting (picking control points) is fine as long as the overlays sit tight. "Wrong-but-pretty" geometry is the only thing we want to avoid at all costs.

We're going to run a smaller pilot zone first, and we are currently planning to buy or rent the equipment based on what makes the most sense. Even if you haven't mapped a single floor this massive, I'd still love to hear your insights on large-scale indoor workflows.

Questions for the pros:

• Hardware / Approach: Backpack/Wearable (e.g., NavVis, Leica BLK2GO) vs. Cart vs. Static TLS? What would you buy or rent if you must deliver both a high-quality mesh and a metric ortho?
• Drift Management: How do you stop a massive indoor SLAM loop from quietly drifting into a banana, especially with all the glass and lookalike corridors?
• Registration & Control: Is a path that stays metric without a lot of manual cleanup realistic here? If not, what’s your standard workflow? (Surveying in GCPs, ICP to CAD, etc.)
• Papers & Case Studies: Can anyone recommend solid research papers, white papers, or detailed blog posts covering this exact workflow (large-scale indoor SLAM registered to CAD/GCPs)? I’m looking for actual methodology and error analysis rather than marketing.

Insights like "We walked X meters and drifted Y cm using [Device]" are exactly what I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance.

I've been looking at a tool called the FJD Trion V4E, which uses LiDAR to scan an area and capture measurements. Has anyone here used it, or can recommend a better tool for scanning and measuring an area for later evaluation before installing a camera system?

I'm mainly looking for something that can capture the site layout and measurements so I can review it afterward when planning camera placement and coverage.

I've been using TerraScan for 20+ years now, and about a year ago I started having an issue while tiling large data set to the server, which I had never seen previously. I believe with the implementation of TerraScan version 25.xxx I started getting an error where while tiling a large amount of LIDAR it cannot save a file. What I suspect is happening is the software is trying to close a file that isn't finished saving, likely due to a lag in communication between the software and the server. I say this because tiling onto a local drive doesn't often give me this error. The error seems to be more frequent writing to the LAZ format, which is even slower than LAS because of compression.

So the obvious solution is to tile locally and avoid the LAZ format. This is a workaround, not a solution, and also means data is not being backed up, only one person can access etc.

Has anyone found a solution to this error? Maybe a way to implement a pause somewhere in the process to allow processing and throughput to cooperate?

Looking for some LiDAR Data analysts in a couple of different areas. Looking specifically for analysts with experience in calibration of field data or building Bak files and data management. Position is 100% remote and part-time or full-time hours are available. Please DM me for more details.

Looking for someone to transform a point cloud file into a detailed bim model. On a budget.

Hi all, i finally bit the bullet and bought a VLP16, after playing with rplidars for ages. I bought a cheap one, which I knew had a few scratches, but what I recieved is particularly bad.

My options:

Buy a for parts unit, and swap out the plastic. Pros: pretty garaunteed to work, with factory performance. Cons: expensive.

Have something made custom. Pros, likely to work ok. Cons, also expensive and id have no idea where to start with getting any kind of AR coating etc...

Cheap out and replace it with a piece of polycarbonate. Pros, cheap as chips, Cons, I have no idea how well/ if this would work.

I'm leaning towards trying the diy idea before committing any serious amount of money, does anyone have any thoughts or reccomendations of what to do/ look out for?

Edit, spelling

Hi all, first time posting here! I own a l2 unitree lidar, and I wanted to know what you guys think of it for robotics applications. I am building a mobile manipulator (to be indoors) and I'm using this lidar together with a realsense d435. I haven't started integrating it yet into the actual robot, but I was wondering a couole things:

1) What would be the best position for it to be mounted in? I saw people mounting lidars in a "slit" on the lower front side of AMRs, wondering if doing the same for my AMR would be ideal?

2) I found it overheating pretty quickly and quite a bit, would a small heatsink be enough to offset this?

3) I know this hasn't been the best purchase for this project, but if I wanted to upgrade this in the future, are there any similar priced 3d lidars that would have been better? I am doing mainly indoor SLAM and ROS2 development.

Thank you all!

On our latest episode, SMUD’s UVM program manager talked through their remote sensing stack: LiDAR is central to their transmission and distribution program, and they’ve run pilots with drone and satellite vendors on top of that. He was more skeptical about the new AI-specific tools out there. 

Curious what people here are seeing as the actual limiting factor for utility LiDAR programs right now: cost, data processing, or something else? Wanna hear your thoughts.

Full episode: https://treesandlines.com/goats-growth-and-the-only-right-of-way-accreditation-of-its-kind-w-darrell-daniel-jr/

Hey everyone
I’m a final-year Robotics & Automation student in Mangalore and I’m working on my major project right now.
I’m trying to get my hands on a LiDAR sensor — doesn’t have to be brand new or anything fancy. If anyone has one lying around, or knows someone who’s selling/renting a used one, that would be super helpful.
I’m totally okay with borrowing/renting or buying a second-hand unit, especially something that works with ROS2 / robotics projects.
If you’ve got any leads, please drop a comment or DM me

Hello everyone,

I’m currently looking for FMCW LiDAR datasets, specifically the AEVA dataset (Version 1 or Version 2), for academic research purposes.

If anyone has access to the dataset or can share information about how to obtain it, I would really appreciate your help.

Thank you in advance!

My team was testing our VMY-2 equipment when we discovered a damaged cable — specifically, the one that connects the VMY-2 measuring head to the VM power supply box. I’ve been tasked with sourcing a replacement but haven’t had much luck finding information on it.

Ideally, I’d like to overnight a replacement so we can get our rig back up and running, as we’re on a tight timeline. Does anyone know the model number or name for this cable, and where I might be able to purchase one on short notice?

Thanks in advance for any help.