We have all been impressed by the capabilities of the scanner ever since we purchased it at the beginning of the year. However, what our scanning crew has brought back from California is the incredible power of Leica’s software. The bulk of the training was centered on Leica’s Cyclone and CloudWorx software, both impressive programs in their own rights.
Cyclone is a massive program that is not only the interface for operating the ScanStation 2, but also the foundation for data processing, point cloud registration including point cloud overlap, traversing and resection functions, as well as providing a complete set of 3D modeling and topographic surveying tools. Cyclone allows us to slice and dice point clouds in any way we need to best extract the information our clients need… and then some! We can create complete and accurate 3D models of structures such as bridges, right down to the deformity of each steel beam. We can also create highly accurate Digital Terrain Models, including vertical DTMs complete with contours. The next time you’ve got an undercut cliff, a cave, or even a tunnel, and are wondering how to get that surface into CAD for your engineers, give us a call. Or, do you have a twitchy engineer demanding ground shots at 1 foot intervals and are wondering how to give them what they need without breaking the bank? We can do that too. On top of all that power, Cyclone comes with a host of publishing options to quickly deliver useful information to our clients at all stages of the project, from the afternoon we wrap up field work to the delivery of the final product. Very cool. 
After processing the point clouds in Cyclone, we will most likely go to Leica’s CloudWorx software to create our AutoCAD or MicroStation deliverables. CloudWorx runs within both programs, and allows us to take advantage of the rich point clouds directly in the CAD software to create our standard 2D maps or easily draft in 3D for engineering design use. It’s a brilliantly simple concept, really. I’m sure those of you who use AutoCAD regularly are laughing… thinking of all the cursing and screen punching that would take place when we try to import millions of points into AutoCAD. But it’s not so! CloudWorx turns the point clouds into blocks, and even though we can pick on each individual node in those point clouds to create our maps and extract information, AutoCAD is tricked into thinking it’s only dealing with a few objects and speeds along quite nicely. Imagine… it’s like bringing the real world into the virtual 3D environment of CAD to use as you please. No more unclear notes to decipher, no more busted rods, no missed features… we’ve got it all. Brilliant I say!
Besides Casey and Jason, there were 3 other guys in the class: two from Southern California and one from Anchorage, Alaska. They were all involved in different types of surveying, from ALTA surveys for the private sector and mapping for the Bureau of Reclamation in California, to plant mapping for the oil industry on the North Slope of Alaska. It was interesting to hear about all the different applications scanners are being used for. Our guys also had the pleasure of meeting Joel Hurt, the Director of Business Development for Scanning, and Geoffrey Jacobs, Senior VP of Strategic Marketing for High-Definition Surveying. They both had a lot of interesting ideas and suggestions. Our guys even came back with aspirations of becoming
crime fighters! See the Leica ScanStation on the A&E Real-Life Series, CRIME 360, a new series which features cutting-edge forensic technology.Well, that’s it for now. I’ve got to get my guys off the sewing machines (they’re working on water-proofing their PGS crime-fighting capes) and get back out surveying.
Cheers!
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