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.

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Typical Uses

  • Transferring component values between co-located point clouds
  • Performing change detection on point clouds
  • Removing duplicate points from point clouds

How does it work?

The PointCloudMerger receives point cloud features and merges them, identifying matching individual points based on component values which may include both location (x, y, and z components) and other standard or user-defined components.

There are two input ports:

  • Requestor: Point clouds that will receive merged component values, and
  • Supplier: Point clouds that will provide new component values.

Requestor and Supplier points are successfully matched when the components specified in the Join On parameter all have the same value for both the Requestor and Supplier.

Multiple point clouds may be sent to either port, and they may be grouped. The same point cloud may be connected to both input ports.

There are multiple output ports, each producing an output point cloud with the following characteristics:

  • Merged: Points from the Requestor that successfully found a match and received component values from a Supplier point.
    Where duplicate Supplier points are found, only the first one encountered is used, therefore Requestor points are not duplicated.
  • Not Merged: Points from the Requestor that did not find a match in the Supplier.
    For change detection purposes (where the Requestor is the original point cloud), these may have been deleted or had a component value changed.
  • Referenced: Points from the Supplier that were successfully matched to a Requestor point, and had their component values transferred onto that Requestor point.
  • Unreferenced: Points from the Supplier that were not matched to a Requestor point.
    For change detection purposes (where the Requestor is the original point cloud), these may have been added or had a component value changed.
  • Duplicate Supplier: Points from the Supplier that have the same Join On component values as a point that was previously Referenced.

When a Requestor finds a Supplier, the components from the Supplier are merged on to the Requestor. If the Requestor already had a component with the same name, the Conflict Resolution parameter controls which value is preferred for the merged point cloud.

Examples

Usage Notes

  • To concatenate or combine point clouds together (as opposed to merging component values), use the PointCloudCombiner.
  • A single point cloud can be connected to both input ports, providing a way to identify and remove duplicate points.
  • When merging based on x, y, and z components, the values must match exactly. A PointCloudExpressionEvaluator may be used to round the values and ensure matching.

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).

Configuration

Input Ports

Output Ports

Parameters

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.

Dialog Options - Tables

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

Reference

Processing Behavior

Group-Based

Feature Holding

Yes

Dependencies None
FME Licensing Level FME Professional Edition and above
Aliases  
History  

FME Community

The FME Community is the place for demos, how-tos, articles, FAQs, and more. Get answers to your questions, learn from other users, and suggest, vote, and comment on new features.

Search for all results about the PointCloudMerger 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