Adding RGB Colour to Point Data

Relates to versions - 22.5+

Micromine can visualise and colour Point Cloud Data if a survey scanner is capable of recording and exporting RGB values.

If RGB values can be recorded, colour values will need to be exported alongside Point Cloud Data as per Figure 1 below. 

Figure 1. Exported point cloud data with separate R,G and B value columns.

Once this data is imported as a .DAT file in Micromine, open it in the File Editor using File > Data File > Open command. Click on the Modify Structure icon and add a Colour Field as per Figure 2.

Figure 2. Adding a new Colour Field. Ensure the Field type is set to Colour

Once the Colour Field has been created, use the Calculate (Expression) function to enter the following formula below and assign it to the Colour Field that was created earlier:

=RGB([R],[G],[B])

When done correctly, the swatches that populated the RGB Colour Field column will become coloured similar to Figure 3.

Figure 3. Calculate (Expression) formset configuration and coloured swatches

When the RGB Colour Field has been configured, load in the point file and configure the Display tab so that the RGB Colour Field is being referenced and leave the Colour Set empty, similar to Figure 4.

Figure 4. Formset configuration for Point Cloud Data and Colour settings

The Point Cloud Data should now be coloured based on the recorded scan data. An example of coloured point clouds can be seen in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5. Example of a coloured point cloud scan imported into Micromine Origin & Beyond.

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