PointCloudCoercer

Converts point clouds to point or multipoint geometries, optionally retaining attribute and component values.

Typical Uses

Converting point cloud geometry type for storage in formats that do not support point clouds
Performing spatial or other operations between point cloud points and other data types such as vectors

How does it work?

The PointCloudCoercer receives point cloud features and converts their individual points into either point or multipoint geometry.

Attributes from the point cloud feature may be optionally retained.

Individual component values may also be retained. When converting to individual points, they may be preserved as either attributes or measures. When converting to multipoint, they may be preserved as measures only, and so string components are not supported in this case.

Position, ordering, or area may be used to determine how points are allocated when producing more than one multipoint output feature.

Point or multipoint geometries are output, and the original point cloud is discarded.

Examples

Usage Notes

The transformer cannot detect the names or existence of any given component on the input point cloud feature. A PointCloudPropertyExtractor transformer may be used to check for the existence of components.
Point clouds are processed very efficiently in FME. Coercing them to points with this transformer can greatly impact performance negatively. Many transformers support point cloud geometry, and it is recommended to look for workflows without coercing first.

Choosing a Point Cloud Transformer

FME has a selection of transformers for working specifically with point cloud data.

For information on point cloud geometry and properties, see Point Clouds (IFMEPointCloud).

Point Cloud Transformers

PointCloudCoercer	Converts point clouds to point or multipoint geometries, optionally retaining attribute and component values.
PointCloudCombiner	Combines features into a single point cloud. Point cloud and non-point cloud geometries are supported.
PointCloudComponentAdder	Adds new components with constant values to a point cloud.
PointCloudComponentCopier	Copies selected component values onto either a new or existing component
PointCloudComponentKeeper	Keeps only specified point cloud components, discarding all others.
PointCloudComponentRemover	Removes specified components from a point cloud.
PointCloudComponentRenamer	Renames an existing component.
PointCloudComponentTypeCoercer	Alters the data type of point cloud components, and converts component values if required.
PointCloudConsumer	Reads point cloud features for testing purposes, including any accumulated point cloud operations. No additional operations are performed, and nothing is done with the features.
PointCloudCreator	Creates a point cloud of specified size and density, with default component values.
PointCloudExpressionEvaluator	Evaluates expressions on each point in a point cloud feature, including algebraic operations and conditional statements, and sets individual point cloud component values.
PointCloudExtractor	Serializes the geometry of a point cloud feature into a Blob attribute, encoding the contents according to a choice of common binary point cloud formats.
PointCloudFilter	Separates point clouds into multiple features, based on evaluating expressions including component values, and creates a separate output port for each expression defined.
PointCloudMerger	Merges point clouds by joining points where selected component values match (join key), including x, y, z, and other components. Component values are transferred between point clouds and output is filtered based on matching success and duplication.
PointCloudOnRasterComponentSetter	Sets point cloud component values by overlaying a point cloud on a raster. The component values for each point are interpolated from band values at the point location.
PointCloudPropertyExtractor	Extracts the geometry properties of a point cloud feature and exposes them as attributes, optionally checking for their existence, retrieving component properties, and finding minimum and maximum values. Extents may also be recalculated and updated.
PointCloudReplacer	Decodes a binary attribute containing encoded point clouds stored as Blobs, replacing the feature’s geometry with the decoded point cloud.
PointCloudSimplifier	Reduces the number of points in a point cloud by selectively keeping points based on the shape of the point cloud. The simplified and removed points are output as two discrete point clouds.
PointCloudSorter	Sorts the points within a point cloud by one or more component values.
PointCloudSplitter	Separates point clouds into multiple features based on component values, color, or first/last return.
PointCloudStatisticsCalculator	Calculates statistics on point cloud components and adds the results as attributes.
PointCloudSurfaceBuilder	Takes an input point cloud and reconstructs it into an output mesh.
PointCloudThinner	Reduces the number of points in (thins) a point cloud by keeping points at a fixed interval, a maximum number of points, or a set quantity of first or last points. Remaining points are discarded.
PointCloudTransformationApplier	Applies a point cloud’s scale, offset, or transformation matrix to it, recalculating component values and removing the transformation values.

Configuration

Input Ports

Output Ports

Parameters

Output Geometry

Select the geometry type and point allocation method (if multipoint).

Spatial Equal Points Multipoints	The input point cloud will be coerced into one or more multipoint geometries, each of which contains at most the number of points specified in Maximum Points Per Multipoint. This mode guarantees that all output multipoint features will be spatially disjoint from each other, but this method performs slower than Sequential Equal Points Multipoints. This method attempts to split the point cloud into multipoints that have an equal number of points, as close as possible to the specified Maximum Points Per Multipoint. Note that this option could result in memory errors if the input point cloud is very large.
Sequential Equal Points Multipoints	The input point cloud will be coerced into one or more multipoint geometries, each of which contains at most the number of points specified in Maximum Points Per Multipoint. This method splits up the point cloud by making a multipoint from the first N points, then another multipoint from the next N points, and so on. Note that output multipoints may overlap each other.
Nested Equal Area Multipoints	The input point cloud will be coerced into one or more multipoint geometries, each of which contains at most the number of points specified in Maximum Points Per Multipoint. This mode guarantees that all output multipoint features will be spatially disjoint from each other, but this method performs slower than Sequential Equal Points Multipoints. This mode attempts to split the point cloud into a set of tiles that have an equal area. If a tile contains too many points, it is further subdivided. This method performs faster than Spatial Equal Points Multipoint and is not restricted by point cloud size, but likely will produce a greater number of multipoints containing a lower average number of points.
Single Multipoint	The input point cloud will be coerced into a single multipoint geometry. Note that this option could result in memory errors if the input point cloud is very large.
Individual Points	The input point cloud will be coerced into individual points. Note that this is the only option that allows for the preservation of individual component values as attributes - multipoints will preserve them as measures.

Maximum Points Per Multipoint

When Output Geometry is set to a multipoint option, specify the maximum number of points in output multipoint geometries.

Preserve Point Components As

When Output Geometry is Individual Points, specify whether point cloud components should be preserved as attributes or measures.

Editing Transformer Parameters

Using a set of menu options, transformer parameters can be assigned by referencing other elements in the workspace. More advanced functions, such as an advanced editor and an arithmetic editor, are also available in some transformers. To access a menu of these options, click beside the applicable parameter. For more information, see Transformer Parameter Menu Options.

Defining Values

There are several ways to define a value for use in a Transformer. The simplest is to simply type in a value or string, which can include functions of various types such as attribute references, math and string functions, and workspace parameters. There are a number of tools and shortcuts that can assist in constructing values, generally available from the drop-down context menu adjacent to the value field.

How to Set Parameter Values

Using the Text Editor

The Text Editor provides a convenient way to construct text strings (including regular expressions) from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and constants, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Text Editor

Using the Arithmetic Editor

The Arithmetic Editor provides a convenient way to construct math expressions from various data sources, such as attributes, parameters, and feature functions, where the result is used directly inside a parameter.

Arithmetic Editor

Conditional Values

Set values depending on one or more test conditions that either pass or fail.

Parameter Condition Definition Dialog

Content

Expressions and strings can include a number of functions, characters, parameters, and more.

When setting values - whether entered directly in a parameter or constructed using one of the editors - strings and expressions containing String, Math, Date/Time or FME Feature Functions will have those functions evaluated. Therefore, the names of these functions (in the form @<function_name>) should not be used as literal string values.

Content Types

String Functions	These functions manipulate and format strings.
Special Characters	A set of control characters is available in the Text Editor.
Math Functions	Math functions are available in both editors.
Date/Time Functions	Date and time functions are available in the Text Editor.
Math Operators	These operators are available in the Arithmetic Editor.
FME Feature Functions	These return primarily feature-specific values.
FME Parameters	FME and workspace-specific parameters may be used.
Creating and Modifying User Parameters	Create your own editable parameters.

Dialog Options - Tables

Transformers with table-style parameters have additional tools for populating and manipulating values.

Table Tools

Row Reordering

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

Add a row
Remove a row
Move current row up one
Move current row down one
Move current row to top
Move current row to bottom

Cut, Copy, and Paste

Enabled once you have clicked on a row item. Choices include:

Cut a row - delete and copy to clipboard
Copy a row to the clipboard
Paste a row from the clipboard

Cut, copy, and paste may be used within a transformer, or between transformers.

Filter

Start typing a string, and the matrix will only display rows matching those characters. Searches all columns. This only affects the display of attributes within the transformer - it does not alter which attributes are output.

Import

Import populates the table with a set of new attributes read from a dataset. Specific application varies between transformers.

Reset/Refresh

Generally resets the table to its initial state, and may provide additional options to remove invalid entries. Behavior varies between transformers.

Note: Not all tools are available in all transformers.

Reference

Processing Behavior	Feature-Based
Feature Holding	No
Dependencies	None
FME Licensing Level	FME Professional Edition and above
Aliases
History

FME Community

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Search for all results about the PointCloudCoercer on the FME Community.

Examples may contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver and/or the Open Government Licence – Canada.

Keywords: point "point cloud" cloud PointCloud LiDAR sonar