LiDAR Point Cloud Plugin Quick Start Guide

This Quick Start guide covers the following steps:

1. Enabling the LiDAR Point Cloud plugin.

2. Importing a point cloud and placing it into a scene.

3. Building collision for the point cloud so you can explore it in real time.

4. Editing the point cloud.

1. Enabling the Plugin

The LiDAR Point Cloud plugin is included with the Unreal Engine, but you must enable it for your Project before you can use it.

1. Open the Plugins window (main menu: Edit > Plugins).

2. In the Plugins window, search for the LiDAR Point Cloud Support plugin, then click the Enabled option.

   

3. Save your project and restart Unreal Engine.

2. Importing the Point Cloud

1. Create a new project. Use a template that includes a character controller, such as Third Person Template.

2. Choose the point cloud file you want to import and drag it into the Content Browser.

3. Drag the point cloud from the Content Browser into the Viewport. This will automatically create an instance of a LidarPointCloudActor and assign your specified cloud to it.

3. Building and Testing Collision

Before you can move around the imported point cloud scan like any other Level, you need to build and enable collision for it.

1. In the Main Toolbar, click the Modes button, select Lidar Mode.

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2. Select Add Collision.

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3. Click Save to save your changes.

4. Back in the main editor window, from the Place Actors panel, search for a Player Start component and drag it into your level. Place it above the ground.

5. Click Play to start Play in Editor mode and move around the imported scan.

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4. Editing the Point Cloud

Next, you'll be making some simple edits to the point cloud. You can select and edit individual points and point groups using a range of tools.

1. To edit points, you must select them first. Choose one of the available selection methods:

   • Box Selection
   • Polygonal Selection
   • Lasso Selection

   • Paint Selection

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   Selected points will be highlighted. Press the Esc key on your keyboard to clear your selection.

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2. You can Hide, Delete, or Crop the selected points.

After you edit the point cloud, you must rebuild its collision.

On Your Own!

Explore some of the other functionality the LiDAR Point Cloud plugin offers:

• Enable Eye-Dome Lighting to enhance depth perception.

• See the LiDAR Point Cloud Reference for the full range of available options.