From UAV drone photography, CCTV footage, 3D scanning to biomechanics, georeferenced crime scenes and accident reconstructions, the use of 3D visualization in digital forensics, law and insurance is now an essential element of many investigations.
However, outside of that 3D loop are insurers, lawyers and juries who don’t have access to the specialist 3D software increasingly used by detectives, engineers and analysts. PDF3D ReportGen bridges that gap by converting scanned data such as point clouds from a wide range of formats into 3D PDF, to generate enhanced, easily shareable and admissible case reports that can be viewed by anyone in criminal, legal or training situations.
Excellent Compression for Court
The large volume of data captured in scanned images, reconstructions and point clouds produce weighty documents that aren’t always easy to share, archive or present in court. Extending the well-accepted PDF document format, when you use ReportGen to convert that data into 3D PDF, our software uses superior PRC compression that reduces your file size by many times whilst retaining the image detail, quality and annotations required by insurers and lawyers.

High quality compression of large data
Some point cloud data is so large, such as that generated from LiDAR, that when the individual points are merged together, the image becomes very noisy and difficult to understand. PDF3D tools automatically simplify large geometric files with high quality compression without sacrificing the image quality, enabling you to easily share your data.

Enhanced Report Detailing
The interactive 3D PDFs generated by ReportGen can be enhanced with colour, labels and full annotations to add clarity and explanation to the 3D image. By including measurements and markups from investigators, a scene or reconstruction can show all the detail required to support or dismiss a case.

Supports Multiple Formats
Lawyers and insurers may not be familiar with AutoCAD files, but we are. In fact, ReportGen supports more formats than any other 3D PDF conversion tool in the market – and that list continues to grow. We’ve developed our software to work seamlessly with LiDAR point cloud formats, CAD, and Photogrammetry derived 3D Meshes to instantly convert your 3D scanned data into 3D PDF in just one click. ReportGen also includes Microsoft Office features to make it easier for you to embed 3D PDFs into Word and PowerPoint materials.

How Other in Forensics Are Working With PDF3D
To View 3D PDF samples, install the Adobe Reader. Click “Save As…” to save and open the PDF outside the Web browser.
Forensic 3D PDF
Preview Open 3D PDFAbout: UAV photography 3D Forensic Crash Site captured in secure stand-alone 3D PDF.
Pix4DMapper image analysis used for 3D surface reconstruction
Application: 3D Survey, Reality Modelling, Forensic
Produced: using PDF3D ReportGen
Size: 21 Mb Credit: Images and 3D Model courtesy of Pix4D
Case Study: UAV Photo 3D Mesh for Forensic Reconstruction
Tesla Car Body Scan
Preview Open 3D PDFAbout: Tesla Electric Car Body 3D reality capture
DotProduct hand-held scanner point cloud processed using CloudCompare surface reconstruction
Application: 3D Survey, Reality Modelling
Produced: using PDF3D ReportGen
Size: 8 Mb Credit: DotProduct
Case Study: Converting CloudCompare to PDF3D
Electrical Panel Scan
Preview Open 3D PDFAbout: Electrical Control Panel 3D reality capture
DotProduct hand-held scanner point cloud processed using CloudCompare surface reconstruction
Application: 3D Survey, Reality Modelling
Produced: using PDF3D ReportGen
Size: 8 Mb Credit: DotProduct
Case Study: Converting CloudCompare to PDF3D
PhotoModeler Haida Totem Carving
Preview Open 3D PDFAbout: Haida, First Nation Pacific North-West Totem Carving. Photogrammetry method 3D mesh reconstruction model created by PhotoModeler. 140Mb OBJ mesh with Texture converted to 8Mb 3D PDF with ReportGen.
Application: Presentation, Reality Capture, Scanning,
Produced: using PDF3D ReportGen
Size: 8.1Mb Credit: PhotoModeler
Vehicle Inspection Scan
Preview Open 3D PDFAbout: Vehicle Inspection Scan embedded in interactive 3D PDF site inspection report, where multiple laser 3D scans are combined for creating overview report. Red Chevrolet Camero Convertible in 3D.
Application: Forensic, LiDAR, Laser 3D, Vehicle Inspection
Produced: using PDF3D ReportGen
Size: 10.8Mb Credit: Vehicle Scans