Style point clouds

With point cloud scene layers, you can visualize vast amounts of 3D data, displaying a variety of features, such as buildings, streets, water bodies, and even power lines and towers. Use your point cloud scene layer data to create thematic scenes based on the attributes contained in the layer. You can show your point cloud data by true color, elevation, class codes, or intensity.

1. Click your point cloud layer to open Configure Layer.
2. For Choose a drawing style, choose from the available styles.

   Depending on how your point cloud layer data, you will see some or all of the following styles in Scene Viewer:

   • True color
   • Elevation
   • Class
   • Intensity

     Note:

     Scene Viewer will show only the point cloud styles that are appropriate for the nature of the data. In many cases, Scene Viewer will select one of the drawing styles by default based on the nature of the data in the layer, and the style will automatically be applied in the scene.

3. Click Select to apply the style to your point cloud layer in the scene.
4. Click Options to configure the point cloud style.

True color

Use the True color style when you want to display your point cloud scene layer based on the actual RGB colors of the points. You can see the true color of buildings, trees, and streets for example.

1. For Size, change the size of the point clouds in your scene by moving the slider from Smaller to Larger.
2. Under Elevation Mode, enter a positive or negative value in meters to offset the layer higher or lower, respectively, for Offset. Absolute height is automatically set for Elevation Mode.

Class

Use the Class style when want you to assign a specific color to unique class code values in your point cloud layer, such as ground, building, vegetation, or water.

1. Modify the Class categories.

   When you open the Class style, you will see categories listed based on the point cloud class codes.

   • You can customize the order in Legend by dragging categories up or down the list.
   • Rename a category by selecting it and clicking the name.
2. For Color, change the colors of the categories in the point clouds.
   • Click the color picker and select a color.
   • To add a color ramp to all the categories, click select all.
   • Click a color ramp. You can invert the ramp and flip the colors.
3. Click the Modulate using intensity toggle key to improve the depth, texturing, and detail of your point cloud layer.
4. For Size, change the size of the point clouds in your scene by moving the slider from Smaller to Larger.
5. Under Elevation Mode, enter a positive or negative value in meters to offset the layer higher or lower, respectively, for Offset. Absolute height is automatically set for Elevation Mode.
6. Click the Legend toggle key to show or hide the layer in the Layers/Legend tool .

   To view the legend, click the Layers/Legend tool and click Legend.

Elevation

Use the Elevation style when you want to emphasize elevation differences in the point cloud layer. Using the Elevation style, you can quickly see the lower and higher areas in elevation based on color.

1. Move the upper and lower slider handles to adjust the values and change the distribution of colors along the color sequence.
   • Scene Viewer chooses default colors for the lower and upper handles. All values below the lower handle will have the same lower handle color; all values above the upper handle will have the same upper handle color. Values between the handles are shown with a color ramp of the two colors. You can choose different color ramps or invert the ramp and flip the colors. Experiment with the position of the handles and how they affect the visualization of your data.
   • Scene Viewer provides a histogram to the right that allows you to see the distribution of the data and the count of features with the same value.
2. For Color, click a color ramp. You can invert the ramp and flip the colors.
3. Click the Modulate using intensity toggle key to improve the depth, texturing, and detail of your point cloud layer.
4. For Size, change the size of the point clouds in your scene by moving the slider from Smaller to Larger.
5. Under Elevation Mode, enter a positive or negative value in meters to offset the layer higher or lower, respectively, for Offset. Absolute height is automatically set for Elevation Mode.
6. Click the Legend toggle key to show or hide the layer in the Layers/Legend tool .

   To view the legend, click the Layers/Legend tool and click Legend.

Intensity

Use the Intensity style when you want to visualize the point cloud layer colors based on the intensity value of each point.

1. Move the upper and lower slider handles to adjust the values and change the distribution of colors along the color sequence.
   • Scene Viewer chooses default colors for the lower and upper handles. All values below the lower handle will have the same lower handle color; all values above the upper handle will have the same upper handle color. Values between the handles are shown with a color ramp of the two colors. You can choose different color ramps or invert the ramp and flip the colors. Experiment with the position of the handles and how they affect the visualization of your data.
   • Scene Viewer provides a histogram to the right that allows you to see the distribution of the data and the count of features with the same value.
2. For Color, click a color ramp. You can invert the ramp and flip the colors.
3. For Size, change the size of the point clouds in your scene by moving the slider from Smaller to Larger.
4. Under Elevation Mode, enter a positive or negative value in meters to offset the layer higher or lower, respectively, for Offset. Absolute height is automatically set for Elevation Mode.
5. Click the Legend toggle key to show or hide the layer in the Layers/Legend tool .

   To view the legend, click the Layers/Legend tool and click Legend.