Geospatial & Civil Engineering vendor provides integrated 3D PDF publishing

The Civil Engineering, Construction, Geospatial Scanning solution vendor Leica Geosystems (part of Hexagon), produce software to process and manage large-scale survey and civil engineering projects around the world including Cyclone 3DR—an all-in-one deliverable solution for reality capture users. Infrastructure design, as-built reality captures and planned engineering works require rigorous documentation. Within these fields, progress reporting and documentation is key. How to represent 3D data within a static report has been a challenge. PDF is an ideal format for reports as it is well respected and trusted document format and easily transferable to external users. However, Cyclone 3DR produces rich meshes and other 3D deliverables and much of the value of those deliverables gets lost when converted to 2D for traditional reporting via neutral formats.

Solution: The Cyclone 3DR team implemented a unique, real-time reporting layout editor to prepare design documents, including page layouts, annotations and 3D scene markers. The 3D PDF export allows users to capture and publish various views, cross-sections, legends in a full multi-page report. 3DPDF exports ensure that the richness and value that is inherent in the 3D deliverables that Cyclone 3DR produces is not lost when it is exported and transfer to external parties. PDF being a standard, there is no limitation with this format to distribute and share 3D content.

With 3DPDF, users can deliver a lightweight version of their 3D deliverables including meshes, cross-sections, volumetric analysis and more, without transferring large proprietary files.

Cyclone 3DR enables centralised, full-scale point cloud management with automated point-cloud analysis and modelling into one simple workflow-based software with tailored tools for the surveying, construction and inspection fields. Where most software will focus on a single workflow to create a specialised deliverable, Cyclone 3DR includes a range of adaptable tools for inspection and meshing that can be leveraged to create an assortment of 3D assets and reports. Both new and experienced users move from import through analysis and publishing intuitively and simply with Cyclone 3DR. By automating common tasks, customers can reduce unexpected project delays and quickly deliver actionable information to clients.

Application Area: Geospatial, Survey, Civil Engineering

Technologies Used: PDF3D SDK Pro Toolkit