Pipe Measurement Tools and GeoTag Features in Leica TruView (2024)

Author: Jamie Drisdelle, Product Manager, Leica TruView

Leica TruView makes it easy for anyone to view and share reality capture data. Whether it's data from mobile mapping systems or terrestrial laser scanning solutions, you can see it all on one platform with TruView. The latest releaseincludes upgrades focused on richer measurement options. Read on for details about pipe snapping, model alignment, GeoTag improvements, and more in our indispensable freeware tool.

Simply select a pipe and TruView will automatically add a diameter measurement with the new Pipe Diameter Measuring Tool.

TruView’s True Value: Visualisations and Measurement

Leica TruView is indispensable in the reality capture workflow because it enables easy visualisations. It comes into its own during the deliver stage of reality capture, once your point cloud data has been captured, prepared and managed.

It’s a light tool, but it punches well above its weight. In addition to accessing visualisations, users can collaborate through GeoTags and Snapshots with just an LGS file. When connected to Leica Cyclone ENTERPRISE, the web-based TruView LIVE automatically syncs for instantly viewing any added comments, models, GeoTags, and assets and streamlined stakeholder collaboration between TruView, Leica CloudWorx, Leica Cyclone 3DR and more. Users can even view their projects in immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences.

In addition to viewing point clouds and sharing data, most of our users go to TruView to do quick measurements. One real world measurement example, among many in construction, is quick floor flatness analysis. You can scan a freshly poured concrete floor and then use TruView to quickly check the flatness. If it's not flat enough, you can re-pour, re-scan and check again there and then.

Categorise GeoTags by colour in the properties and render them by category.

Latest features: measuring tools, GeoTags and Smart Align

We know that TruView is really popular for doing quick measuring when you don’t necessarily want to bring your data into a complicated CAD package. It’s perfect for figuring out dimensions of certain objects easily and accurately. Measurement is therefore an area that we always focus on with new releases. In 2023.1 we have added the following:

• Pipe snapping: added to the measuring tools. You will now notice new snapping options in the distance measurement menu, snap to pipe edge and snap to centreline.
• Pipe diameter measuring tool: now, by simply selecting a pipe, TruView will add a diameter measurement. It’s very quick and easy to use.

With GeoTag snapping, you can easily click between two GeoTags to see the measurement between them.

We have also made updates relating to GeoTags, for rendering and snapping:

• GeoTag rendering: added the ability to colour geotags by category to make them easier to identify visually. From the visibility panel, you can now choose to render GeoTags by colour. You can batch change all GeoTags to a colour, or render them by category. The categories are those assigned to them in the properties of the GeoTag.
• GeoTag snapping: This was a feature heavily requested by users, the ability to snap to a GeoTag when measuring. Now, when you hover over a GeoTag it is highlighted, indicating that you can snap to it. You can then click to another GeoTag to snap to that and see the measurement between them.

The Smart Align tool allows you to easily align your BIM models to the point cloud.

The last major update is the Smart Align tool. This allows you to align your BIM models to the point cloud. It works for OBJ, COE and IFC files. You simply bring the model close to where it needs to be and then run the tool. Once that has been completed TruView will tell you how far the model has moved in each direction and how well it has aligned. It’s a quick and easy way to align, without having to do so manually.

Other improvements include:

• Access to verification reports published from Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS. The verification report is used to track changes that have been made to the project upstream. For example, modifications to the registration or the addition of project assets or GeoTags.
• Touch friendly clip boxes, where we have added some controls to the clip box creation tool to make it easier to use with a touch screen.
• Retrofitting TruView to work with 4K monitors and displays, fixing previous rendering issues at this screen resolution.
• We are now using a new point cloud rendering engine which is faster and offers improved compression. From now on, all projects will be outputted as LGSx files instead of LGS. We will still support reading LGS for the foreseeable future.

Future direction and developments

Coming in the next release, we will improve map tours. You can actually do a map tour in a 2D panel now, but we’re going to build a full 3D map tour so you can fly around, stop at certain locations, highlight certain objects and then fly to another location and the point cloud. It will be like creating a full 3D map tour of the project.

We also plan on improving the model experience. We support models now, which helps for visualisation, but only for single objects. We want to allow you to drill into the components of a model, for example, looking at the doors and windows of a building and analysing their types and their dimensions. We will be developing TruView as more of a model viewing software as well as a point cloud viewing software and creating a live connection between models and projects where you will automatically see changes made in 3DR instantly in TruView.

The Pipe Snapping Measurement Tool allows you to snap to pipe edge or pipe centreline.

Whether using the new pipe diameter and snapping features or the enhanced GeoTag capabilities, TruView 2023.1 promises users even more productivity in interacting with reality capture data. Coming functionality like 3D map tours and detailed model interaction will further empower easy collaboration. With continuing development centred on immersive experiences and instant accessibility, TruView remains an essential component of the reality capture workflow. For a step-by-step breakdown of these new features, check out our Leica TruView Tutorial Video.