Scan points and point clouds

3D scans created with Trimble Access are stored in separate scan files that are associated with the job. The scan file format depends on the instrument used to perform the scan:

  • Scan point clouds created using a Trimble SX10 or SX12 scanning total station are stored as .rwcx files in the appropriate <project>\<job name> Files\SdeDatabase.rwi.
  • Scan points created using a Trimble VX Series or S Series instrument that has Trimble VISION technology are stored as .tsf files in the appropriate <project>\<job name> Files folder.

To select the scan points and point clouds that are displayed in the map or in the Video screen, tap in the Map toolbar or in the Video toolbar to open the Layer manager and then select the Scans tab. Tap a scan to select it. You can select multiple scan files. See To manage scans.

Scan files include scan point clouds (.rwcx files) from a Trimble SX10 or SX12 scanning total station and .tsf scan files created using a Trimble VX Series or S Series instrument that has Trimble VISION technology.

A region contains scan points from one or more .rcwx scan point clouds, or from other regions. Create a region to include only the scan points you are most interested in. You can manage regions from the Scans tab of the Layer manager. A region is especially useful when performing a surface inspection. See Surface inspection.

To see more clearly inside a point cloud, use the Limit box to exclude the scan point cloud. See Limit box.

To change the appearance of point clouds, tap in the Map toolbar or in the Video toolbar and select Settings. The fields in the Point cloud group box set display options such as the point size or the color mode of the point cloud, which you can use to indicate the scan point characteristics you are most interested in, including the elevation of points, or the reflective intensity of points. See Map settings or Video settings.

From the map, you can select scan points and then use them in other software functions such as stakeout or to create a surface or compute a volume.

Stakeout and review allow a maximum of 20 point cloud points to be selected at a time. Selecting points from point clouds using the drag and select method cannot be used for stakeout or review, as this method typically selects more than 20 points. To select point cloud points for stakeout or review, tap them individually in the map to select them.

When a scan point measured using a Trimble SX10 or SX12 scanning total station is used in the job, for example in a Cogo calculation, a point is created in the job at the same position as the scan point.

To select all of the points in a .tsf scan file, tap and hold in the map and tap Select. Tap one or more scan files in the list to select them. Use the Select softkey to edit the list of selected scan files; use the Reset softkey to deselect all scan files. If points are already selected, select the Append to current selection check box to add the points to the current selection. Clear the checkbox if you want to overwrite the current selection.

To perform 3D scanning, see To scan using an SX10 or SX12 and To scan using a VX or S series instrument.