Manual

As-Built for AutoCAD 2019.0

The information and directions in this manual are up to date. FARO Technologies Inc.
does not accept liability for the use, violation of patent laws or rights of third parties
resulting from the use.
FARO Technologies Inc. reserves the right to carry out product alterations serving
the technical progress at any time without previous notice.
No part of this documentation may be reproduced in any form (print, photocopy, or
any other procedure) or processed, duplicated or distributed with the use of electronic
systems without the previous written license of FARO Technologies Inc.

As of June 2019

Contact
FARO Technologies, Inc.
www.faro.com

Knowledge Base:
https://knowledge.faro.com/

Trademarks
AutoCAD® is a registered trademark of Autodesk Inc.
As-Built for AutoCAD uses “Visualization Toolkit” (vtk), Copyright © 1993-2004 Ken
Martin, Will Schroeder, Bill Lorensen All rights reserved.
The sample point clouds used in this manual and in the software were provided by
Arctron (www.ARCTRON.de) and Riegl USA.
A few Words concerning this Manual

Dear users:
We would like to thank you for the trust you put into us and wish you much success in
the daily work with FARO software. You can rest assured that we have done our best
in order to develop As-Built into a system that enables you to complete your tasks
much more easily.
In order to guarantee an optimal introduction into the work with As-Built for AutoCAD,
this manual contains examples that will lead you step by step through the
representation and analysis of point clouds in AutoCAD. Chapter 3 will explain how to
import point clouds in AutoCAD and shows how to use simple tools to evaluate point
clouds. In the following chapters you will get to know the comprehensive
functionalities of As-Built for AutoCAD. The command reference helps you to become
acquainted with the most important details of the single commands and enables you
to process own projects. Therefore we suggest taking some time to read these
chapters in advance.
In addition, the user documentation of As-Built for AutoCAD also includes the As-Built
Photo manual, the user manual for feature data management and a manual for the
total station interface.
Please feel free to contact our support team in case of any questions and problems.
Your questions and advice concerning As-Built for AutoCAD are important to us and
always welcome. A system like As-Built for AutoCAD depends on the ideas and
creativity of its users.
On this note, we are looking forward to work with you and hope you enjoy working
with As-Built for AutoCAD.
Content

1 What does As-Built for AutoCAD do?................................................................. 1

2 Installation and Start of As-Built for AutoCAD................................................... 2
2.1 System requirements ....................................................................................... 2
2.1.1 Requirements for the work with images ................................................. 2
2.2 Installation ........................................................................................................ 2
2.2.1 Removal of a product that is older than version 15 ................................ 2
2.2.2 Installation of As-Built ............................................................................ 4
2.2.3 Integration into AutoCAD ....................................................................... 5
2.2.4 Licensing................................................................................................ 6
3 Working with As-Built for AutoCAD .................................................................... 7
3.1 Notes for working with point clouds .................................................................. 7
3.1.1 General advice....................................................................................... 7
3.1.2 Limited downward compatibility ........................................................... 10
3.1.3 Preparing point clouds using Autodesk ReCap.................................... 10
3.1.4 Export of RCP projects from SCENE ................................................... 14
3.2 The Point Cloud Object .................................................................................. 15
3.3 First steps....................................................................................................... 16
3.4 Working with point cloud sections .................................................................. 19
4 Modeling with As-Built for AutoCAD ................................................................ 20
4.1 kubit Planes.................................................................................................... 20
4.1.1 Wireframe model ................................................................................. 21
4.1.2 Surface model...................................................................................... 25
4.2 Flatness analysis – terrain and other surface models (volume computation) . 26
4.3 kubit Cylinders................................................................................................ 27
4.4 kubit truncated cones ..................................................................................... 28
4.5 Cylinder analysis and analysis of frustums of cones ...................................... 29
5 Working with the Plant Tools ............................................................................ 31
5.1 The As-Built Plant Workflow ........................................................................... 31
5.2 The Plant Model (PSPM)................................................................................ 32
5.2.1 Overview of the Plant Model ................................................................ 32
5.2.2 Editing and adding items...................................................................... 32
5.3 Configuration of Parameters .......................................................................... 34
 5.4 Walk The Run ................................................................................................. 34
5.4.1 Understanding the WTR Interface ........................................................ 34
5.4.2 Probability and Verification ................................................................... 35
5.4.3 Proceeding Through the Run ............................................................... 35
5.4.4 Pre-calculate cylinders ......................................................................... 37
5.5 ApplyConstraints............................................................................................. 38
5.5.1 Why ApplyConstraints? ........................................................................ 38
5.5.2 Using ApplyConstraints ........................................................................ 39
5.5.3 Setting Links Between Objects ............................................................. 40
5.6 Exporting......................................................................................................... 40
5.7 Troubleshooting .............................................................................................. 41
5.8 Tutorials for pipelines, steel beams and more ................................................ 41
6 Tagging in 3D space ........................................................................................... 43
7 Tutorial – Generating a floor plan ..................................................................... 47
8 Area management – Introductory tutorial ......................................................... 48
9 Working with images .......................................................................................... 49
10 As-Built for AutoCAD Command Reference ..................................................... 50
10.1 As-Built Modeler Tools ............................................................................ 51
Point clouds – Insert point cloud ........................................................................... 51
Point clouds –Set point clouds under management .............................................. 54
Point clouds –Set point cloud parameters… ......................................................... 55
Sections – Define slice (UCS) ............................................................................... 57
Sections – Define horizontale slice ....................................................................... 58
Sections – Define slice (aligned with planar AutoCAD object) .............................. 59
Sections – Shift slice ............................................................................................. 60
Sections – Shift slice upwards............................................................................... 61
Sections – Shift slice downwards .......................................................................... 62
Sections – Change slice thickness ........................................................................ 63
Sections – Define multiple slices ........................................................................... 64
Sections – Define rectangular ............................................................................... 69
Sections – Exclude rectangular ............................................................................. 70
Sections – Define clipping box .............................................................................. 71
Sections – Define circular...................................................................................... 72
Sections – Exclude circular ................................................................................... 73
Sections – Define circular shell ............................................................................. 74
Sections – Define clipping polygon ....................................................................... 75
Sections – Exclude polygon.................................................................................. 76
Sections – Previous section definition .................................................................. 77
Sections – Section Manager ................................................................................. 78
ScanNav – Create ScanLabel .............................................................................. 85
ScanNav – Scan navigation on............................................................................. 88
ScanNav – Scan navigation off............................................................................. 90
ScanNav – Open linked VirtuSurv scan ................................................................ 91
ScanNav – Specify direction of view for ScanNav ................................................ 92
Digitizing tools – SmartSnap................................................................................. 93
Digitizing tools – UCS from slice........................................................................... 99
Digitizing tools – UCS from plane ....................................................................... 100
Digitizing tools – Vertical UCS ............................................................................ 101
Digitizing tools – UCS from image ...................................................................... 102
Digitizing tools – 3D orbit (with center of rotation) .............................................. 103
Digitizing tools – Set elevation (from point)......................................................... 104
Digitizing tools – Align cursor.............................................................................. 105
Dimension – 3D distance dimension .................................................................. 106
Measure – Measure horizontal distance ............................................................. 107
Measure – Measure height difference ................................................................ 108
Measure – Measure Z difference ........................................................................ 109
Create ortho image ............................................................................................. 110
Flatten drawing… ............................................................................................... 115
Modeling – Fit outline plan .................................................................................. 116
Modeling – Fit polygon........................................................................................ 121
Modeling – Fit a polygon with variable number of vertices ................................. 124
Modeling – Fit polygon in multiple slices............................................................. 125
Modeling – Fit profile .......................................................................................... 130
Modeling – Draw circle (3 points) ....................................................................... 136
Modeling – Draw arc (3 points) ........................................................................... 138
Modeling – Plane – Fit plane .............................................................................. 139
Modeling – Plane – Plane (1-click) ..................................................................... 142
Modeling – Plane – Draw plane .......................................................................... 146
Modeling – Plane – Intersection line (2 Planes).................................................. 147
Modeling – Plane – Intersection point (3+ Planes) ............................................. 148
Modeling – Plane – Intersection lines (3 Planes) ................................................ 149
Modeling – Plane – Perpendicular projection of points onto plane ...................... 150
Modeling – Plane – Extend (2 Planes) ................................................................ 151
Modeling – Plane – Automatic rim....................................................................... 152
Modeling – Plane – New Rim .............................................................................. 159
Modeling – Plane – Modify Rim........................................................................... 160
Modeling – Cylinder – Fit cylinder using 2 click points ........................................ 161
Modeling – Cylinder – Fit cylinder using visible points (clipped).......................... 163
Modeling – Cylinder – Fit cylinder ....................................................................... 165
Modeling – Cylinder – Draw cylinder ................................................................... 167
Modeling – Cylinder – Generate AutoCAD 3D solid ............................................ 168
Modeling – Truncated cones – Fit circular truncated cone .................................. 169
Modeling – Truncated cones – Fit elliptical truncated cone ................................. 171
Modeling – Truncated cones – Create a truncated cone..................................... 173
Modeling – Truncated cones – Explode to AutoCAD 3D solid ............................ 174
Modeling – Fit 3D solid ........................................................................................ 175
Help – Manual ..................................................................................................... 176
As-Built – About .................................................................................................. 177
As-Built – Settings ............................................................................................... 178
As-Built – Getting Started .................................................................................... 186
As-Built – FARO Assist ....................................................................................... 187
As-Built – Knowledge Base ................................................................................. 188
As-Built – Software Update ................................................................................. 189
As-Built – Licence Management.......................................................................... 190
As-Built – Customize User Interface ................................................................... 192
As-Built – Version Manager................................................................................. 194
10.2 As-Built Analysis Tools .......................................................................... 195
Analysis - Clash Detection .................................................................................. 195
Analysis – Analysis of arbitrary surfaces/solids ................................................... 199
Analysis – Colorize an analyzed point cloud ....................................................... 202
Analysis – Create Legend ................................................................................... 204
Analysis – Plane – Analysis of planes in a point cloud ........................................ 205
Analysis – Cylinder – Analysis of cylindrical shapes in a point cloud .................. 215
Analysis – Analyze frustum of a cone in a point cloud ........................................ 224
10.3 As-Built Plant Tools ............................................................................... 234
Prepare – Settings .............................................................................................. 234
Prepare – Edit Plant Model ................................................................................. 239
Prepare – Define a block for a plant object ......................................................... 250
Pipes – Walk The Run ........................................................................................ 251
Pipes – WTR – Pre-compute Cylinders .............................................................. 262
Pipes – Exchange a plant entity ......................................................................... 266
Pipes – Set link ................................................................................................... 267
Pipes – Remove link ........................................................................................... 268
Pipes – Set new links.......................................................................................... 269
Pipes – ApplyConstraints.................................................................................... 270
Pipes – Change insulation .................................................................................. 273
Pipes – Select pipe run ....................................................................................... 274
Pipes – Configure plant object’s appearance ..................................................... 275
Pipes – Fit bent pipe ........................................................................................... 276
Beams – Fit beam .............................................................................................. 278
Beams – Edit beam ............................................................................................ 285
Beams – Show the alignment of the beam: ........................................................ 286
Beams – Switch customisation of the beam ....................................................... 288
Beams – ApplyConstraints for steel .................................................................... 293
Beams – Adjust steel .......................................................................................... 296
Beams – Extend steel to steel ............................................................................ 297
Beams – Extend steel to point ............................................................................ 298
Beams – Intersect beam axes ............................................................................ 299
Beams – Visualize beam axes ............................................................................ 300
Beams – Align beam axes automatically ............................................................ 301
Beams – Align beam axes manually................................................................... 303
Tie-in points – Determine tie-in points ................................................................ 304
Export – Export ................................................................................................... 308
10.4 As-Built Feature Data Management ...................................................... 316
Feature Data Management ................................................................................. 316
10.5 As-Built Building Plans .......................................................................... 317
Walls – Align walls .............................................................................................. 317
Building Elements – Door ................................................................................... 321
Building Elements – Window .............................................................................. 326
Building Elements – Staircase ............................................................................ 331
Building Elements – Segments ........................................................................... 338
Building Elements – Rectangle ........................................................................... 339
Building Elements – Measure Recess/Ledge ...................................................... 345
Building Elements – Draw grid ............................................................................ 347
Edit – Fix lines to corner ...................................................................................... 350
Edit – Perpendicular return.................................................................................. 351
Edit – Horizontal extend ...................................................................................... 352
Edit – 3D extend.................................................................................................. 353
Edit – Perpendicular extend ................................................................................ 354
Dimension – Absolute height............................................................................... 355
Dimension – Relative height................................................................................ 356
Dimension – Room height ................................................................................... 357
Dimension – Convert relative to absolute height ................................................. 358
Dimension – Convert absolute to relative height ................................................. 359
Dimension – Set relative reference datum .......................................................... 360
Dimension – Subsequent editing – Set reference height of height dimension..... 361
Dimension – Subsequent editing – Show properties of height dimension ........... 362
Dimension – Subsequent editing – Set absolute reference datum ...................... 363
Dimension – Subsequent editing – Define blocks ............................................... 365
Dimension – Subsequent editing – Adjust blocks to UCS ................................... 371
Dimension – Create rotated arch plan................................................................. 372
Dimension – Window dimension annotation........................................................ 374
Dimension – Staircase dimension annotation ..................................................... 378
Drawing – Simple HELMERT transformation ...................................................... 380
Drawing – Advanced HELMERT transformation ................................................. 381
Drawing – Set text height .................................................................................... 384
Drawing – Plan analysis – Find double lines ....................................................... 385
Drawing – Plan analysis – Find gaps .................................................................. 386
Drawing – Plan analysis – Find short lines .......................................................... 388
Drawing – Plan analysis – Trace outline ............................................................. 389
Drawing – Plan analysis - Purge ......................................................................... 393
Drawing – Clipboard – Copy ............................................................................... 394
Drawing – Clipboard – Cut .................................................................................. 395
Drawing – Clipboard – Paste............................................................................... 396
10.6 As-Built Photogrammetry Tools ............................................................. 398
 Photogrammetry Tools - As-Built Photo.............................................................. 398
11 Adaptation and Configuration of As-Built for AutoCAD ............................... 399
11.1 Predefined blocks ................................................................................. 399
11.2 Working with template files ................................................................... 400
11.3 Configuration with company guidelines................................................. 400
11.4 Useful AutoCAD Settings ...................................................................... 403
12 License Contract .............................................................................................. 404
 1

1 What does As-Built for AutoCAD do?

As-Built for AutoCAD® provides powerful tools to derive plans, image plans and 3D
models from point clouds for as-built data collection and planning in architecture,
construction and engineering.
Plant components and piping systems can be automatically detected and recorded
with all their parameters. Exact connection points can be determined without
modeling.
Analysis tools serve for quality control of the modeled object as well as for the
determination and visualization of deformations.
The integrated feature data capture is useful for facility management and real estate
management, as well as for component lists from piping systems or for damage
mapping on facades of historical buildings.
Photogrammetry tools are a valuable addition to the inventory and documentation of
historical buildings in particular in historic preservation and building research.
An interface to total stations complements the range of functions and enables the
staking out of points from the design into reality. When measuring the total station
becomes a 3D mouse. Measurements are transferred directly to AutoCAD.
2

2 Installation and Start of As-Built for AutoCAD

The installation of As-Built for AutoCAD consists of a number of steps which have to
be carried out in sequence. Administrative rights are required for the installation.

2.1 System requirements

As-Built for AutoCAD 2019.0 requires:
Software
 AutoCAD 2017 to 2020
 the operating system according to the system requirements of the chosen
AutoCAD version: Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 (all 64bit).
Hardware
 Graphics card as recommended or certified by
Autodesk(http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/syscert?siteID=123112&id=18
844534),
 RAM at least 8 GB, better 32GB and more (depending on the size of the scan
or photo projects)
 SSD for larger projects (swap file)
 64bit processor at least 2.5 GHz, better 3-4 GHz and 4-8 cores
In order to be able to have the queries to a point cloud processed with high
performance (e.g. selection of points within a prism) you should also make
sure you have a high CPU performance

2.1.1 Requirements for the work with images

We suggest the use of graphic cards certified by Autodesk!
You will find information regarding suitable graphic boards and drivers on the
support&download pages of Autodesk. You may always search for updates and
downloads within the current certification list. You may use the command
“GRAPHICSCONFIG” to check on graphics performance. AutoCAD is automatically
searching for graphic cards updates.

2.2 Installation
The installation of As-Built for AutoCAD consists of several steps that you have to
perform one after the other. For the installation you need administrator rights.

2.2.1 Removal of a product that is older than version 15

In the case you already have previous versions of FARO applications installed on
your computer, first remove them from your AutoCAD environment.
• Remove the appropriate product menus (e.g. POINTSENSEPLANT) by
entering the command "menuload" in the command line. The following
dialogue box appears
 3

Load/unload Customisations  Loaded Customisation Groups:

[Product name]  Unload  Close

• Remove the directory entry of the old versions (e.g. PointSense) from the
search path for the support files. Enter the command "config" in the command
line. The following window is displayed. Remove the support file path.
Options  Files  Support File Search Path: Path for the Product  Remove  OK
4

• Close AutoCAD.
• Start AutoCAD again. After the new start all products are no longer embedded.

2.2.2 Installation of As-Built

The latest setup for As-Built for AutoCAD can be downloaded from the FARO
website. (alternatively also setups.faro3dsoftware.com)
Double-click the setup file and follow the instructions of the installation wizard.
During the installation process, you will be prompted to select the AutoCAD version
for which you want to install As-Built.
If you want to install multiple versions of As-Built for AutoCAD, create a separate
folder for each version. This allows you to use the different versions (e. g. for
AutoCAD 2017 and 2019) in parallel. The setup wizard supports you in this. The
same applies to different language versions.

Note – Planar view of scans

If you – in addition to point clouds – want to use amore intuitive photo like view of
scans for you evaluation, please also install VirtuSurv. The setup is included in the
As-Built for AutoCAD setup. The use of VirtuSurv’s link to AutoCAD is included in
your As-Built for AutoCAD license.
Your As-Built for AutoCAD license also allows you to use the SCENE
DrawToAutoCAD App. With this App you can directly send coordinates from SCENE
 5

scan views into the AutoCAD command line without additional data conversion.
DrawToAutoCAD is available for download here.

2.2.3 Integration into AutoCAD

After a successful installation you can start AutoCAD. Should the following security
message be displayed you can simply confirm it by clicking [Load].

Should a message be displayed saying that a new As-Built for AutoCAD version has
been found and asks if you want to load it, Confirm the message with [Yes]. Confirm
you adaptation with [YES].

Should you want to use several versions of As-Built for AutoCAD, you can at any
time by using the Version Manager, switch back and forth between the various
installed versions.
Should the message not be automatically displayed then please start the Version
Manager from the AutoCAD command line (command:
KUBT_SELECT_KUBIT_BOX_VERSION).
As-Built for AutoCAD has now been successfully embedded in AutoCAD and is ready
to be used. The associated menus will be automatically loaded. These can be seen
in the automatically inserted tool bars or on the ribbon or the corresponding entry in
the menu bar.
If the menu does not load automatically, enter the command ABMENU in the
command line of AutoCAD.
6

Ribbon or classic menu

Since version 2009 AutoCAD has offered the user a user interface with the ribbon. In
all previous versions the user had a main menu bar with the points File, Modify, View,
etc. which has been replaced in current versions with other structured tabs and
panels (a so called ribbon). In some cases it may be helpful to additionally display the
classic main menu bar, so that specific AutoCAD commands can be more quickly
found.
In order to display the main menu bar we proceed as follows:
Enter the command MENUBAR in the command line.
Command: menubar

Enter new value for MENUBAR enter <0>: 1 (confirm with ENTER)

The menu bar now additionally appears above the ribbon, the one that you know
from the older versions of AutoCAD.

2.2.4 Licensing
As-Built for AutoCAD is protected by a softlock against unauthorized use. On explicit
request, a dongle can also be provided. Without a license, As-Built for AutoCAD can
be tested for a few days. If you wish to extend your trial license, please contact
FARO or a FARO reseller.

With the As-Built – License Management you can check the license
status of your software and request a trial.
For more information about licensing, see the Knowledge Baseand the command
reference.
 7

3 Working with As-Built for AutoCAD

After important remarks on the different point cloud formats that are supported by As-
Built for AutoCAD, this chapter introduces you in point cloud objects and shows you
how to work with As-Built for AutoCAD by the help of a simple example. A thorough
description of all commands can be found in chapter 10 As-Built for
AutoCADCommand Reference.

3.1 Notes for working with point clouds

In the following sections specific properties of the individual AutoCAD versions with
respect to AutoCAD's own point cloud format will be examined.

3.1.1 General advice

Set the point cloud parameters with the command Point clouds – Set point
cloud parameters…. The parameter value that has been set will be saved in the
AutoCAD drawing. That means when you insert an Autodesk point cloud into a new
drawing this parameter must always be reset.
As-Built automaticallytakes all inserted point clouds under administration. Howeverin
rare cases (e.g. when a point cloud is inserted without As-Built loaded in AutoCAD) it
may happen that a point cloud is not yet under As-Built administration. You will notice
this when the section manager is not working. You may manually take the point cloud
under administration by runningPoint clouds – Set point clouds under
management.
You can set the proportion of points that will be used by the pattern
recognition (fitting) commands. To achieve that use the command Point clouds
– Set point cloud parameters…and set a value for the point density, between 1 and
100. A value of 1 means that only a small fraction of points will be used (fastest). A
value of 100 means: Use all of the points (highest reliability).
You can physically clip the loaded point cloud to the currently visible region or union
several loaded point clouds and then convert them with the command . In both
cases a new point cloud (RCP/RCS file) is formed.
With the AutoCAD system variable POINTCLOUDBOUNDARY (value: 0 or 1) you
can determine whether the bounding box of a point cloud should be visible (1) or not
(0).
The system variablePOINTCLOUDPOINTMAX, allows the maximum number of
displayed points to be increased to 25 million. You reach this setting in the AutoCAD
"Options" dialogue box (tab: 3D Modeling, here in the example 5 million).
8

By increasing this value the quality of the displayed point cloud will be significantly
improved. Warning: Should your graphics card not be capable of displaying the
entered number of points, it is possible that no points at all will be any longer visible.
You must then again reduce the value for POINTCLOUDPOINTMAX.
In the Point Cloud tab on the ribbon (contextual, that appears after selecting on a
point cloud) various settings can be set that affect the appearance of the displayed
point cloud:

Group "Display"
Point size [in pixels]: Set the size with which the points should be displayed
Detail accuracy [between 1 and 10]: Set how many points are to be displayed. The
higher the value is, the better is the detail accuracy. With smaller values you can
possibly become a better display performance. Each step approximately doubles the
number of displayed points.
Additionally, you have in the bottom row direct access to various navigation
commands.
 9

Group "Visualization"
Here you can set various visualisation styles for the selected point cloud. The most
important four examples of the visualisation styles are shown in the figure below.
Further details on the visualisation styles and the lighting options (right hand column)
can be found in the AutoCAD help.

Figure 2 Visualisation styles (from left to right): RGB real colours, intensity (spectral colours),
normal appearance, elevation slices
Group “Cropping”
AutoCAD itself offers three commands for cropping point clouds. But as As-Built
offers a comprehensive selection of sections and clipping commands, we
recommend that they be used. As-Built created cut outs or sections can be
comfortably managed with the Section manager.
Group "Options"
The Point Cloud Manager offers as a supplement to the Sections Manager access
to the referenced scan files (RCS) in the ReCap Point cloud project (RCP) and with
ReCap defined regions. You can switch the individual scans on and off, isolate them
or navigate the scan view.
10

The scan points can be

toggled visible/invisible.

Context menu (right click):

Isolate - only the selected
scan is visible
On/Off - toggle points
visible/invisible
To navigate the scan view -
perspective display from the
scanner position

"External Reference" opens AutoCAD's External Reference Manager. There you can
attach and detach point clouds, reload or remove them from the drawing.

3.1.2 Limited downward compatibility

Old drawings which contain point clouds in PCG formator an older version of
RCP/RCS can still be opened and the point clouds are displayed, BUT the neither
AutoCAD’s native point cloud functionality nor the As-Built point cloud commands will
work on them.
You may use your old PointSense or As-Built 2018.0 to convert the drawing including
its point clouds to the new RCP/RCS format.

3.1.3 Preparing point clouds using Autodesk ReCap

Please, start Autodesk ReCap and click on „New Project“ for creating point clouds in
ReCap format. You can start ReCap directly from inside AutoCAD using following
Button .
 11

Please enter a project name and directory then click on [proceed]:

Select the scan files for import. ReCap supports most current scan data formats also
the ASCII format PTS and the E57 standard format. You may drag&drop scan files
into ReCap, select a folder containing scan data or add import files via single file
selection.
12

After selecting the import files the scans are loaded automatically. You will see the
progress at the scan thumbnails (here the first scan is already loaded):

When the first scan is loaded you may start the import by clicking [index scans].
The progress of import is displayed:
 13

After the first scan has been imported (“indexed”), you may open the point cloud view
([launch project ]). In the background the other scans will be imported.

After the import is finished you should save the project.

A RCP is will be created which references all imported scans (RCS files).
The RCP files as well as the single RCS files can be inserted in AutoCAD using the
As-Built command PCLOAD. Please note that ReCap point clouds are always saved
in meters. Therefore please set the „Length unit of the point cloud“ accordingly.
14

For more detailed information on Autodesk ReCap refer to:

http://docs.autodesk.com/CLOUDS/1.0/ENU/AutodeskReCap/index.html

3.1.4 Export of RCP projects from SCENE

You may directly export Autodesk point cloud projects (RCP) from our scan
registration software SCENE. Please refer to the SCENE manual for further detail.
 15

3.2 The Point Cloud Object

You may directly load a point cloud object into the drawing by inserting/attaching an
Autodesk ReCap file (RCS/RCP). The real point cloud data is only referenced into
the drawing. Thereby the DWG file stays small.
Please note that when passing on a drawing with point clouds in it, that the
referenced point cloud files must also be passed on. Otherwise the point clouds
cannot be displayed by the person receiving the drawing.
Point clouds are characterized by their size (number of points), their noise (n) and the
average distance of points (a). Because different modeling and fitting algorithms
need these parameters for correct functioning, you have to specify values for n and
a. The values for n and a are saved in the drawing.
When you insert a point cloud into a new drawing the parameters must be set
(Point clouds –Set point cloud parameters…, PCSETPARAMS). The default
values for the point cloud parameters are held in the configuration file.

Figure 3 Dialogue box for setting the point cloud parameter

16

3.3 First steps

We recommend that you carry out the following realistic example step by step in
order to get a first impression of the potential of As-Built.
A completely installed version of AutoCAD is required in which the corresponding As-
Built application was included. If you have not done this yet please refer to section
2Installation and Start of of this manual.
During the first step we will load a point cloud object into an AutoCAD drawing.
The loading of point cloud files is faster than the import of ASCII files (e.g. *.TXT,
*.PTS, *.ASC) or data of other formats (e.g. Leica PTZ format). For that reason this
example uses already existing Autodesk ReCappoint cloud files.
Start AutoCAD and open an empty drawing.
Select the As-Built-command Point clouds – Insert point cloud (PCLOAD) or use
the button from the As-Built toolbar or ribbon.
The following window appears.

Browse to the installation directory. Under \EXAMPLE select the point cloud file
EXAMPLE.RCP. Confirm your selection with [OK].
 17

Type of reference, only enabled if the

drawing has already been saved.

Length units, held in the point cloud.

Helps to avoid problems with large

coordinates.

The current drawing units are preset.

Locking prevents that you

accidentally move or delete the point
cloud

After inserting, zoom onto the point

cloud.

With the AutoCAD command "ZOOM  EXTENTS" you may scale the view of the
point cloud within the borders of your workspace. You should now be able to see the
point cloud within AutoCAD. The bounding box shows the borders of the point set
and serves, as well as the grip of the point cloud, as handle for the point cloud object.
18

By using the AutoCAD command 3DFORBITor pressing the correspondingbuttonin

your AutoCAD user interfaceyou can look at the point cloud from different viewpoints.

By using the AutoCAD function “Object snap” (OSNAP) you may place the mouse
exactly above the coordinates of a single point. Thus, line connections for example,
are possible. When working with As-Built, you may snap that node from a point cloud
that is closest to the mouse pointer, by using the 3D object snap setting "Node of
point cloud".
Just try it. With the AutoCAD command "Object snap" (OSNAP) you can check
whether the object snap has been activated.
The AutoCAD point cloud object snap is set with the command 3DOFANG.
Try to draw simple line runs.
 19

With this tutorial you got a first insight into As-Built. You can find all As-Built
commands in chapter 10 AS-BUILT FOR AutoCADCommand Reference. There you
will find information on specific point cloud related object snaps SmartSnap, which
make modeling more efficient.

Note: As-Built also supports the commands “redo” and “undo” ( ).

3.4 Working with point cloud sections

For the interpretation and modeling of an object it is often suggestive, to split the
point cloud into well defined sections. By defining slices of a set thickness and with a
certain gap, profiles can be generated and digitized. You can get an overview of a
complex point cloud when coloring the individual sections.
Within the As-Built menu, under "Sections" you will find many commands for the
definition and the work with slices and sections of point clouds. Next to the possibility
to define sections, you may use the Section Manager (). With its help you can
manage the individual sections and parts of a point cloud.
Thus, the export of cut areas into a separate point cloud file is possible. Or you may
transfer sections, which you have defined within a point cloud, to adjacent point
clouds. This is especially useful, if an object to be interpreted consists of several
scans or point clouds, which are very large and which are better loaded separately
for detail interpretations.
Further interesting commands for editing point clouds are provided within the As-Built
Modeler ribbon under “Point clouds“.
You may find further information regarding the commands for the work with point
clouds (sections) within the  As-Built for AutoCADCommand Reference.
20

4 Modeling with As-Built for AutoCAD

The evaluation of point clouds with standard AutoCAD tools is not always simple. As-
Built for AutoCAD provides powerful functionality which simplifies the creation of line
drawings and generalized surface models. There are powerful algorithms for fitting
geometry like polygons, planes, cylinders.
For example, after you defined a slice of the cloud you can best fit polygons or lines
to that slice. The commands Modeling/Construction – Fit outline plan and
Modeling/Construction – Fit polygon are described in detail in the command
reference. Such a fitting leads to more accurate results than digitizing manually.
As-Built defines some new object classes (custom entities) inside AutoCAD, like the
kubit plane, the kubit truncated cone or the kubit cylinder or the kubit pipe. These
custom entities serve as surfaces and construction tools for modeling and digitizing
inside point clouds.

4.1 kubit Planes

Planes are created by the commands Modeling – Plane – Draw plane,
Modeling/Construction – Plane – Plane (1-click)and Modeling – Plane – Fit
plane. With the latter you can create an average plane according to the method of
Least Squares by using the points of a point cloud, of AutoCAD objects or single
selected points.
With the Modeling/Construction – Plane – Automatic rim command you may let
an (existing) plane grow to its boundaries in the point cloud (Region Growing). For
further detail on this powerful command please, refer to the command reference.
Planes are surface objects and construction tools. They can be edited and
intersected with each other. This way you can create intersection lines and points.
the appropriate commands are described in more detail in the command reference.
Furthermore it is very easy and fast to generate a user coordinate system (UCS) from
a plane with As-Built for AutoCAD (Digitizing tools – UCS from plane).
Kubit planes are visualized by a plane symbol and may have different states. The
current state is indicated by the symbol:
• limited and unlimited: Limited planes stretch out only to their visible boundaries.
Outside the boundaries the plane is not defined. Unlimited planes stretch out
infinitely, that means they stretch beyond their visible boundaries.
• locked and unlocked: Locked planes are fixed within their supporting plane. By
gripping and moving the symbol the boundary will change but not so the
mathematical supporting plane. In contrast, unlocked planes may be transformed
freely, that means, they may be moved spatially.
 21

Plane is
• unlimited: it has an
infinite spatial
extension
• Locked: it is fixed
within its
supporting plane.

Plane is unlimited and

unlocked.
Caution: this plane
may be transformed
freely!

Plane is limited to its boundary

and fixed(locked) in its
supporting plane

The state of a plane may be

called up or changed within the
AutoCAD Properties window.

With the "Visualization"

attribute you may switch the
plane symbolon/off, since it is
sometimes in the way while 3D
drawing.

All of these plane attributes (description, boundary, locked, visualization) may be

configured within the AutoCAD Properties window (see figure)
When exploding a plane (AutoCAD command "EXPLODE") a 2D polyline is
generated.
It is recommended to use only limited planes for the 3D drawing. That way you make
sure, that the 3D objects are only generated within the visible plane boundary and
not – as it would be for an unlimited plane – on the (indefinite) mathematical
supporting plane.
The following chapters will give you advice on how you can use kubit planes for
creating 3D models( wireframe or surface model).

4.1.1 Wireframe model

To construct the wireframe of an object you first create all planes you need by using
theModeling – Plane – Fit plane command. This command also supports multiple
image evaluation. The planes are drawn on the current layer.
When all planes of the desired object are created you may use the AutoCAD orbit
commands to get an overview of the position of the planes to each other. It may also
help if you assign different colors to the planes or groups of them. Additionally you
22

may toggle the visual style form wireframe to conceptual or realistic to improve the
display of the planes. As-Built for AutoCAD provides some of these commands in its
own ribbon in the ‘View‘ panel to make them available also in perspective views
(camera navigation).
Object to be constructed Object represented by kubit planes

Inner edge

When the needed planes are created, you intersect three planes at a time using the
Modeling – Plane – Intersection lines (3 Planes)command. A triad is being
created, which represents the corner and the three
belonging edges. The length of the edges is defined by
the displayed boundaries of the kubit planes. Due to this
fact it may happen that the edges of the triad do not end at
the intersection point - as one might expect (see figure on
the left).
 23

Here is the triad which

represents the inner edge.

To keep track during modeling we recommend generating just a few corners at once
and then continuing.

Use the AutoCAD command FILLET to exactly intersect the edges to a corner.
Ensure that the mode is set to Mode = TRIM and the radius to Radius = 0.0000. You
have to click the edges (lines) at the end you want to keep. Refer to following figure:
24
Click these two points on the edges to create
the corner with the FILLET command.

If two edges of two opposite triads point to each other, you can use the AutoCAD
command JOIN. It joins two collinear lines to one. It does not only work for closing
gaps but also if the two lines overlap.

When joining two collinear lines you get one

single line.

Repeat these steps until you completed the whole wireframe model:
 25

4.1.2 Surface model

To generate the surface model of an object you first create all planes you need by
using theModeling – Plane – Fit plane command, like you would do for the
wireframe. Then you intersect three planes at a time using the Modeling – Plane –
Intersection lines (3 Planes) command or Modeling – Plane – Intersection
point (3+ Planes)..

After having created all corners of the model you change the displayed boundaries of
the planes to the true boundaries by using the Modeling – Plane – New Rim
command and snapping the corners:
26

The boundary of the plane is changed by snapping the corners

(OSNAP = endpoint) of the plane to the corners of the triads.

If you do not only want to use the surface model in As-Built, you need to convert it to
pure AutoCAD objects. You can use EXPLODE to convert the kubit planes into
polylines. A polyline can easily be converted into planar surface (AutoCAD command
_PLANESURF) or a region (AutoCAD command REGION).

4.2 Flatness analysis – terrain and other surface models

(volume computation)
As-Built for AutoCAD has a very powerful tool, with which regions of a point cloud
can be analysed and modelled, with reference to a datum plane (e.g. walls, floors,
excavations or terrain models).
Deformations can be determined and displayed. It also allows you to create
AutoCAD solids from those objects that deviate above or below the optimum plane
and display their volumes. The AutoCAD command _MASSPROP can be used to
determine the volume of the solids.
 27

Original point cloud Coloured in accordance with the deviations

Modelled AutoCAD solid Variances displayed as 3D polyline grid

A detailed description of this analysis tool can be found in the Command Reference
Modeling/construction – Analysis of planes in a point cloud.

4.3 kubit Cylinders

Similar to the kubit planesthe kubit cylinders are an object class which is also used in
other FARO products.
Cylinders are created with the help of the commands Modeling – Cylinder – Draw
cylinderorModeling – Cylinder – Fit cylinder using 2 click points. With the
latter command you may generate an average cylinder according to the method of
Least Squaresusing points of point cloud.
Besides the geometrical properties like diameter and coordinates of the starting and
end point, kubit cylinders do have an additional attribute, which states, whether the
28

cylinder axis is freely changeable or locked. This may be set within the AutoCAD
propertieswindow.

Every cylinder has a “grip” at each of its

ends. By clicking on the grip with the
mouse, you can change the length of the
cylinder by “dragging”. However, the
position of the cylinder centerline in
space remains fixed.

For drawn cylinders the axis is by default unlocked, for best fit cylinders it is locked.
The axis of a fitted cylinder is a valuable information gained from a point cloud and
thus should usually not be changed.
You may use cylinders as surface objects when 3D drawing with the help of oriented
images.
For modeling plants with a larger number of pipes and complex pipe runs we
recommend to use the piping commands of the Plant ribbon tab.
There are different commands for editing kubit cylinders. These are described in
more detail within the command reference.

4.4 kubit truncated cones

Similar to the kubit planes or the kubit cylinders kubit truncated cones are a specific
object class introduced by FARO.
Truncated cones can be created on the basis of a circle or ellipse.
This is carried out by using the commands Modeling/Construction – Truncated
cones – Create a truncated cone, Modeling/Construction– Truncated cones –
Fit a circular truncated coneorModeling/Construction– Truncated cones– Fit
an elliptical truncated cone.With both of the last two commands by snapping onto
points in the point cloud, a fitted truncated cone can be created using the method of
least squares.
Besides the geometrical properties like diameter and coordinates of the starting and
end point, kubit truncated cones do have an additional attribute, which states,
 29

whether the cones axis is freely changeable or locked. This may be set within the
AutoCAD propertieswindow.

Every truncated cone has a “grip” at each

of its ends. By clicking on the grip with
the mouse, you can change the length of
the cone by “dragging”. However, the
position of the cones centerline in space
remains fixed.

For drawn truncated cones the axis is by default unlocked, for best fit cones it is
locked. The axis of a fitted cones is a valuable information gained from a point cloud
and thus should usually not be changed.
kubit Truncated cones can be exploded, using the AutoCAD command EXPLODE, to
convert them into simple AutoCAD solids.
For a detailed description of the commands for creating truncated cones, please
consult the As-Built for AutoCAD Command Reference.

4.5 Cylinder analysis and analysis of frustums of cones

As-Built provides a very powerful tool for analyzing cylindrical or conical shaped parts
of a point clouds(e. g. tanks, towers, wells and the like) in various ways.
Deformations can be detected and visualized. Volume calculation based on the
actual shape (including deformations and ‘deadwood’) of the object can be
performed. It can also be used to simply create a nice AutoCAD solid of the object
that deviates from the ideal cylinder or frustum of a cone.
In the command reference you will find a detailed description of the cylinder analysis
tool (Analysis – Cylinder – Analysis of cylindrical shapes in a point cloud,
Analysis – Analyze frustum of a cone in a point cloud).
30

By unwrapping the cylindrical shaped part of a point cloud and subsequent use of
theOrtho image command you may create an image map of the cylindrical object.
 31

5 Working with the Plant Tools

This chapter introduces you to the Plant features of As-Built for AutoCAD and takes
you through some of the features. For a more thorough explanation of these features,
please refer to the As-Built for AutoCAD Command Reference.
As-Built for AutoCAD allows you to use angle and shape detection to fit various
components used within the plant environment. It has functionality to create a best-fit
centerline with intelligence that can be exported to use with other Plant software.
Using the new Walk The Run feature, a user can select the first pipe of the run (by
selecting any two points on the pipe) and then use the available options to assist our
software in detecting all components along that run.
The user has standard catalogs that can be imported/exported, as well as an easy
interface to create and edit new/existing catalogs, as needed. Out-of-spec or
uncommon items can easily be added by running a simple routine and then selecting
a relative area in the point cloud data.

5.1 The As-Built Plant Workflow

To get from point cloud data to accurate and intelligent centerlines, we have created
a straight-forward workflow; each step with its own purpose. To put it simply, the
workflow consists mainly of these parts :
• Edit PSPM2 – Importing/Exporting the correct components and
settings for the current project.
• Walk The Run – Following each pipe run from start to finish
to create intelligent plant objects.
• Adjust and Verify – Use our post-edit tools to set/change
links between objects and make changes to existing runs,
if needed.
• ApplyConstraints – After the components have been
created for each pipe run, this step creates the best-fit
centerlines and correctly adjusts different areas on the
pipe run.
• Export – Exporting components in a pipe run creates an
intelligent centerline, which can be used for routing or
modeling in a desired plant product, if needed. Optional: Direct generation of
pipes and components for special target systems such as AutoCAD Plant 3D or
Advance Steel. To enable the correct export to special target systems, the
corresponding catalogs must be imported from those systems before modeling.
We will get into these features in greater detail throughout the following chapters. For
detailed information on all command options please refer to the command reference.
We also recommend to go through the tutorials to get used to the process and its
features.

2
PSPM = PointSense Plant Model, formerly KPM
32

5.2 The Plant Model (PSPM)

The Plant Model (PSPM, formerly KPM) is a vital aspect of the piping functionality. It
contains all patterns and dimensions for each component to be used in the drawing.
You can load and edit a Plant Model using the command Pipes – Edit Plant
Model .
We prepared some plant models for you. You find them in the installation folder of the
FARO Box in the subdirectory \PSPM:
Americas_full_inch.txt is derived from catalogs with American standards.
ISO_full_mm.txt is derived from ISO catalogs and it is in millimeters.
ISO_selection_mm.txt is a selection derived from ISO catalogs.
StructuralPSPM.txt is the catalog for steel beams.
Try which plant model meets your project requirements and adjust it further if
needed.

5.2.1 Overview of the Plant Model

The Plant Model data is divided into two sections: Catalogs and Sets. Catalogs (in
the following also used as a synonym for pipe classes) contain all the available
components, and the sets are derived from different component choices from these
catalogs. The Active Set is the set of components currently being used by As-Built for
AutoCAD. To adjust the Active Set, use the [Remove Entry From Active Set] and
[>>] buttons.

5.2.2 Editing and adding items

In the Plant Model window, you will have buttons for adding components (i.e. Add
Pipe). These buttons are to assist you in creating new patterns for Walk The Run to
detect. Each class (Pipe, Elbow, Inline Fitting, and T-Branch) have their own unique
characteristics, so be careful of which class you choose to add a new item.
 33

Components can be added to the catalog/set by clicking the appropriate [Add]

button. For the Measured Diameter and Nominal Size, you can manually enter the
information, or you can use the [From CAD] button to enter these values from a
selected section of the point cloud. Both options are very useful and should be
utilized in the correct situations. When using the [From CAD] option, click any two
points along a desired pipe. This will measure the diameter and enter that value into
the appropriate parameter. Please note that for some components, other parameters
can be automatically calculated by the [From CAD] option, including angles and
lengths.
To edit items that already exist in a catalog, highlight that item and choose [Edit
Type]. This will bring up the same dialog box as before, except with all the saved
parameters for that component. Once you are done making changes, click [OK]to
save the new parameters.
You also have the ability to add and save insulation thickness options to the PSPM.
Simply type the insulation thicknesses in the dialog box and click [OK]. After that is
completed, these insulation options will be available during Walk The Run.
34

For detailed information on all options, please refer to the command reference.

5.3 Configuration of Parameters

To begin the parameter wizard, select the As-Built command Settings . This
will display the first of four parameter windows.
The first window is to correctly configure the unit of the plant model (PSPM). Once
you have both units set correctly, click [NEXT].
The second window is to specify the noise and average distance between points, as
well as setting the point cloud density. The noise and average distance can be
calculated using the [Auto Measure] button. This feature will require the user to crop
out a segment of pipe, in order to correctly calculate the parameters. It is very
important to be precise in this cropping, so the parameters can be aligned with the
current point cloud. It is also advised to manually verify these measurements, as best
as possible.
‘Point cloud density’ is the value of detection used by the software. The higher the
value, the better the detection and slower the performance. The reverse is true for a
lower density value.
The third window is generally for experts who truly understand the algorithms and
parameters being used, with the possible exception of Search region size. The larger
the value, the further the software will attempt to detect components in the point
cloud.
The fourth window is for experts too. Here you may change the default layer names
for geometry created by As-Built and set thresholds for certain tolerance parameters.

5.4 Walk The Run

Walk The Run (WTR) automates component recognition and allows the user to step
through the process of creating solids and centerlines throughout an entire pipe run.

To begin this process, select the As-Built command Pipes – Walk The Run .

5.4.1 Understanding the WTR Interface

The WTR interface has two dialog boxes; the second one having two similar phases.
The first dialog box gives you the option to start a run or continue from an existing
run.
 35

The second dialog box is the main interface for the Walk The Run process. It has two
phases that appear nearly identical. The first phase is constantly updating the
detected fittings while the software is searching for component matches. The second
phase occurs once the software is finished searching.
The main dialog box has all options for continuing through the WTR process, as well
as buttons to Undo, Pan/Zoom, etc. The list box in the center shows all available
component options at any time in the run. Items in this section can be highlighted or
double-clicked to insert them into the drawing. You can find more on this in the
Command Reference. In addition we recommend that you work through the tutorials
at least once.

5.4.2 Probability and Verification

The entries in the top component list are sorted in accordance with their probability to
be a match. The black entries in the lower list would fit on the current free connection,
but there was no continuation pipes for it recognized in the point cloud.

The probability value is determined by a few different criteria, including its diameter,
connection point, and angle to the previous and possible next components.
In many cases, the highest probability is the best choice to insert, however, it is
always recommended that the user visually verifies this component to be the correct
choice. For better overview the highlighted component is temporarily inserted into the
drawing, in order to see the item in its rotation and placement. If the end of the pipe
run is not displayed in the screen section you may use the [Pan Zoom] button to
navigate to it.

5.4.3 Proceeding Through the Run

Once a user starts Walk The Run, there are a few different ways to proceed through
the process. The first choice is starting a new run or continuing from an existing run.
Both options have their differences and similarities.
36

Starting a New Run

To being a new run, choose [Find a new run]. This prompts the user to click two
points along a pipe to start the run. The user can select any two points on the pipe,
as long as the points are picked in order of flow direction. For example, if the user
wishes to follow the run to the left, they should choose the two points from right to
left.

Continuing a Run
To continue from an existing run, choose [Continue a run or branch (Select
existing connection point)]. The user will then be prompted to select an existing
plant object. If the object has only one open connection point, the run will continue
from that point. For example, if a tee only has the branch connection open, the
software will understand that point as the most obvious continuation point. If there is
more than one open connection point, the user will be prompted to click any point
near the desired continuation point.
The other thing to note on continuing a run is that the new piping components will be
automatically linked to the component that was initially selected. In the case that a
user wants to link objects from multiple new runs (using Start a new run), they can
use the Set Link (Pipes – Set link)routine to manually perform the action.

Changing Insulation
At any point during Walk The Run, you can change the current insulation thickness.
By default, this value is at 0 (no insulation). There are two places where a user can
change the insulation thickness: the dialog box for Walk The Run or the command
line (by typing I and pressing ENTER) during any Walk The Run command. When the
insulation thickness is a value besides 0, the measured diameter will take this value
into account before searching for detected components. Please note that the
insulation is not modeled at this point, however, you will see a wireframe version of
the insulation around the components, in order to accurately see the true diameter of
the data. After you are finished with the line, there are ways to display the insulation
as a 3D object.

Extend Pipe to Point

If the last inserted component during WTR was a pipe, the user has the option to
[Extend pipe to point]. This option prompts the user to select a point along the pipe
to extend towards. There are two toggle options that control the behavior of this:
• Grow – This option will attempt to extend the pipe as far as it can detect it in
the cloud, based on the user’s selected point. If this option is turned off
(noGrow), the routine will only extend the pipe to the exact selected point.
• Fit – If fit is turned on, the pipe will try to re-align itself with the point cloud on
every new point it is extended to. In the case of longer pipes, having this
turned off (noFit) may result in pipes straying away from the point cloud, as
they will simply extend on their originally-detected axis.
After the pipe is finished extending, it will attempt to detect components from its new
connection point. It will display these components in the Walk The Run. It is also
 37

useful to note that the user can usually extend the pipe backwards, in the case that
they skipped over components or strayed too far from the cloud.

Specify Other Pipe

A very powerful option during WTR is called Specify other pipe. This feature
prompts the user to click two points on any other pipe on run and will attempt to
detect which components are located in-between the selected pipe and the last-
inserted component. For example, if the last-inserted component is a pipe, the user
can use this option and then select two points on the next pipe, in order to insert an
elbow that is in-between them. This option can save a lot of time, as well as allow the
user to detect branches while staying on the current run.
When using this option, many times the new pipe will draw as a small segment that is
not connected to the component before it. This visual effect will be corrected during
ApplyConstraints.
Please note that during insertion of certain components (i.e. reducers, flanges,
valves, etc.) you will be prompted where to place this fitting. At this time, the fitting
will follow your cursor and you can click to insert the component at a specific location.
You also have the option of using the automatically detected location by simply
hitting ESC. The manual-placement method is very effective when used with the
planar view (run VirtuSurv3).

Manual Insertion of Components

There are certain cases where a user will need to manually insert a component. This
could happen if the component does not exist in the point cloud or it isn’t being
detected, among other reasons. To perform this insertion method, simply highlight
any item with black letters in the suitable item list. For each component type, the next
prompt will be similar with a few differences. The user can either manually enter
values or choose to select the values from points in the point cloud.

5.4.4 Pre-calculate cylinders

The third button in the window “Walk The Run” is the button “Pre-compute cylinders”.
With the help of pre-computation of cylinders, pipes and cylinders can be
automatically computed in the current part of a point cloud. The generated cylinders
are placed on a layer, whose name is defined under
Settings > Layer > Pre-computed cylinder
If the layer does not exist, it is created and is not visible. The pre-computed cylinders
can be used by “Walk the run” so that it can work faster.
A computation that is currently being carried out can be interrupted by pressing the
Esc key. If the pre-computation is started again, an interrupted computation can in
the same session be taken up again and continued.

3
VirtuSurv is FARO’s software for displaying scan data in a planar view and is included in the As-Built
Modeler license.
38

5.5 ApplyConstraints
In As-Built for AutoCAD the established term “ApplyConstraints” means a process for
automated correction of plant object positions. During Walk The Run, many of the
components will not connect perfectly. They may have crooked connections, overlap
each other, etc. ApplyConstraints reads all attached components, determines the
best fit scenario, and then applies it.

5.5.1 Why ApplyConstraints?

When dealing with real-world data in point clouds, it is important to remember that
components will never have perfect dimensions.

Pipes and components can bend and fluctuate, elbows could be mitered, point cloud
data could be slightly off, etc. For these reasons, the post processing command
ApplyConstraints is necessary. The result from applying constraints is:
• to keep the components as close to the as-built data (point cloud) as possible
• to fulfill the constraints of a well defined plant construction (coaxiality, parallelism
etc.)
The following figure illustrates ApplyConstraints adjusting the original fit to the final
result.
 39

In most cases, the function should be performed once the user is finished with the
pipe run, in order to account for all components when determining the best fit.

5.5.2 Using ApplyConstraints

To use ApplyConstraints, select the command Pipes –ApplyConstraints. Once
the dialog box appears, click Select Plant Objects to continue. The user will then be
prompted to select an object from the drawing and press ENTER. All objects that are
connected to the selected component will be highlighted along the run. At this point,
the user can verify that all objects are linked correctly. In the lower-left corner of the
dialog box, it will show how many plant objects are connected to the selected object.
This is how many components are being used to determine the best fit scenario.
Click the [Start ApplyConstraints] button to finish the process. All connected
components will be re-aligned to their new locations and angles.
Although the process is capable of correctly adjusting most of the pipe runs of
practical use, it may happen on rare occasions or with uncommon sequences of plant
objects, that the automatic process does not manage to fulfill all of the constraints.
For this reason, you have the choice to activate the checkbox „highlight violated
constraints with colored lines“ in the dialog. Hence, in the results of ApplyConstraints,
three problem classes are being identified and all of the occurrences are going to be
visualized by lines of the colors green, red and blue.
Problem Class Line Color Graphical Representation

Significant movement at the a single line is drawn perpendicular to the resulting

green
end of a pipe axis axis for showing the track of the movement
40

Two connection points are not two lines represent the directional vectors of the
coincident red connection points, a third one is connecting the
coordinates of the connection points

Two connection points are two lines represent the directional vectors of the
blue
coincident but not collinear connection points

Regarding the first problem class, you are able to configure yourself which amount of
axis movement you want to be considered as „significant“ change. You may use the
command Prepare – Settings to configure the corresponding value on page 4 of
that dialog.

5.5.3 Setting Links Between Objects

Objects need to be linked, in order for ApplyConstraints to work correctly. These links
are automatically performed during Walk The Run, as well as when continuing a run
from an existing object. In the case that objects are not linked, the user can use the
commandPipes –Set link. The following command-line prompt will ask to connect
or disconnect objects and then ask the user to select the two plant objects to perform
the action on.
During a Connect process, if there is only one open connection point on an object,
the software will automatically choose that as the point to connect to the other object.
If there is more than one open connection point, the software will determine the
connection points based on proximity to the other object or by explicit selection.

5.6 Exporting
One of the main goals for this functionality is to create intelligent centerlines which
can be used in other piping products to create a finished deliverable. To do this, use
the commandAs-Built Plant –Export and then select any pipe along the run or
export all runs in the drawing. The routine will place a message on the command line
displaying how many objects were created and the matching number of vertices.
Each component along the run has the following information:
• Nominal Size
• Component Name
• Correct Start/End Points
• Insulation Thickness, if applicable
 41

More opportunities are the exports as tagging objects or 3D solids. If you work in
Plant 3D you can also create Plant 3D objects.

5.7 Troubleshooting
There are some common issues that a user may come across while using the
functionality of As-Built for AutoCAD. This guide will provide the most common
solutions for these issues.
• “No Pipe Found” dialog box – This usually occurs when a user chooses two
points along an object that is not a pipe. If the component is correctly a pipe,
then the cause could possibly be related to the parameters. Use the command
Prepare – Settings to adjust the values or perform Auto Measure.
• “No Suitable Pipe Defined” dialog box – If your current Set (defined in the
PSPM) does not include the currently-detected pipe size, this message will
appear. To resolve this issue, add the correct pipe size(s) to the current set by
using the command Edit Plant Model .
• Objects are not adjusting during ApplyConstraints– There are a few reasons
why this could happen, however, the most common reason is the objects are
either linked incorrectly or not linked at all. To resolve this, try using the
command Pipes – Set link to connect the two objects that are not adjusting
correctly. Also, please note the number of plant objects detected during the
ApplyConstraints routine. If the number is too low, it is most likely a missing
link.
• A much smaller pipe draws inside of the desired pipe – This issue is caused
when parameters are not set correctly; usually the Average Point Distance (a)
value. Use the command Prepare – Settings to adjust the values or
perform Auto Measure.
• Pipes draw too far or not far enough - This issue is caused when parameters
are not set correctly; usually the Noise (n) value. Use the command Prepare
– Settings to adjust the values or perform Auto Measure. Higher Noise values
cause the pipes to draw too far; vice-versa for lower Noise values.

5.8 Tutorials for pipelines, steel beams and more

There are a number of tutorials for a quick start into working with the As-Built Plant
tools. You can access them via the Getting Started command on the As-Built
ribbon tabs. It provides links to the tutorials.
To complete all Plant tutorials a dataset consisting of a point cloud and drawings has
to be downloaded. The tutorial videos lead you step by step through the various
workflows.

Tutorial: Prepare a Drawing

After this tutorial you will be able to:
• Load catalogs (Plant Models)
• Add steel to an Active Set
42

• Configure units and parameters

• Insert a point cloud (RCP file)

Tutorial: Pipes
After this tutorial you will be able to:
• Use scan navigation
• Create pipe runs efficiently (Walk The Run)
• Apply Constraints
• Export the results
• Create an ISO drawing

Tutorial: Steel
After this tutorial you will be able to:
• Add steel to an Active Set
• Fit steel beams to the point cloud
• Copy beams
• Extend beams

Tutorial: Tie-in Points

After this tutorial you will be able to:
• Create and annotate tie-in points

Tutorial: Tank Analysis

After this tutorial you will be able to:
• Define point cloud sections
• Fit a cylinder
• Run a tank analysis
• Import the result to Excel
 43

6 Tagging in 3D space
Often, certain parts of the point cloud are to be marked with text marks. These texts
should be readable from any direction. This form of tagging is possible using the
feature data management tools.
"Labels" serve the visualization of additional (non-geometric) data the user wants to
add to the point cloud.

Parallel with the tagging in 3D space the technical data and attributes are displayed
in a clearly arranged tree structure. The content of the „Labels“ can be controlled via
the tree structure.
44

The attributes (rows of text in a Label) are completely free definable and they are
typified in a way that supports their use in databases. You can define numbers, text,
lists or links to external files as attribute. You find the complete documentation of this
extremely powerful structure definition of attributes in the PointSense command
reference.
To create tags use the “Fast Capture” button from the “Feature Data” ribbon of As-
Built for AutoCAD (HYLASFASTREC). This opens the tree structure and provides
some predefined commands to place tags.
When running the command HYLASFASTREC in a drawing that has never been
tagged with As-Built for AutoCAD before, you are informed that you have to load a
structure definition first. Close the message with OK and the “Load structure
definition” dialog opens. Click on the "Select directory..." button and select the \Plant
directory under \Templates. Then simply select one of the files in the "Load Structure
Definition" dialog box that are offered in the list on the left and confirm with OK.
Ensure you select a definition that fits the units of your drawing otherwise the tags
might be too small or too large.
Now the structure tree opens on the left. Its functionality is explained in the Feature
Data Management manual. Besides the structure also the box with two predefined
tagging commands opens. Note: In a drawing that was tagged with As-Built for
AutoCAD before this box opens directly.
 45

The box contains some predefined tagging commands.

You run them by double clicking the according entry.
Then just click an insertion point for the Label (tag) as
you are prompted in the command line.

You will be prompted to fill in the description attribute. You can enter any text you like
to tag your drawing with. Confirm your entry with OK.

As-Built for AutoCAD then places the Label at the previously clicked position. And
depending on which predefined command you chose creates either an object or an
object position entry in the structure tree.
You have various possibilities to change the appearance and content of the Labels
by using the context commands of the structure view. You may for instance hide the
object ID in the label and display only the description attribute.

Just click on the Label. The corresponding entry will open in the structure view. There
you right click on the object and in the context menu you un-check “Show ID in label”
46

For more detailed information please refer to the Feature Data Management manual.
 47

7 Tutorial – Generating a floor plan

This tutorial demonstrates the typical workflow of creating a building floor plan from a
point cloud.
The data and video for the tutorial can be accessed via the Getting Started command
on the As-Built ribbon tabs. This provides links to the various tutorials.
Download the data. Unpack the zip archive. It contains drawing files (DWG) as well
as point cloud data. Follow the procedure shown in the video step by step.
48

8 Area management – Introductory tutorial

By means of an easy example this chapter inducts you to the work with the area
management (feature data management). Only the basic principles will be explained
here. A detailed description of all commands can be found in the manual for the
Feature Data Management, which is part of this installation.
We suggest that you follow the tutorial step by step in order to get a first impression
of the possibilities which are offered by the feature data management tool.
The video with a step by step description for the tutorial can be accessed via the
Getting Started command on the As-Built ribbon tabs. This provides links to the
various tutorials. The tutorial drawing can be opened using the Area Data Tutorial
command in the As-Built Feature Data ribbon tab.
 49

9 Working with images

As-Built for AutoCAD allows a fundamentally new way of working by means of
combined evaluation of oriented images and point clouds. The software provides
extensive tools for photogrammetric evaluation.They enable the true-to-scale
rectification of digital photographs, maps and plans as well as their subsequent
interpretation and evaluation. Facade photographs, pictures of wall and ceiling
paintings or floors can be processed, but also old maps and plan material can be
brought back into a true-to-scale form. The results are true-to-scale image plans that
combine photographic condition documentation with precise geometric information.
Other tools allow you to orientate photos by means of control points and to use these
oriented photos for both 2D and 3D image evaluation. Photos of non-planar facades
can be processed into true to length image plans. This creates three-dimensional
models or 2D image plans.

Further information about the photogrammetry tools ofAs-Built for AutoCADcan be

found in the As-Built Photo manual, which is part of your installation. You may find a
link on the As-Built Photo ribbon tab under “Help”.
50

10 As-Built for AutoCADCommand Reference

In the command reference all commands are listed in a similar order as in the As-
Built for AutoCAD ribbon. The description of each command is structured as follows.
Ribbon text

Command Name
Button
Ribbon tab

Ribbon text
Under this title you will find the command in the As-Built for AutoCAD ribbon.

Button
Via the symbol given here you may call up the command in the toolboxes and
ribbons of As-Built for AutoCAD.

Command Name
Here you find the command name as it should be entered in the command line of
AutoCAD.

Ribbon tab
Specifies on which of the various ribbon tabs of As-Built for AutoCAD the command
can be found.
 51

10.1 As-Built Modeler Tools

Point clouds – Insert point cloud
Command Name: PCLOAD
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can insert one or several point clouds into your current
AutoCAD drawing.
The following window appears. Select one or several (SHIFT or CTRL + left mouse
button) point cloud files.

As second step following dialog opens:

52

Here you define if you want to reference the point cloud in the drawing by relative or
by absolute path. A reference with relative path is only possible when the drawing
has previously been saved and if point cloud and DWG are stored on the same drive.
When creating point cloud objects by importing from other formats the unit of the
object is the same as in the original scan file. When working with multiple point
clouds and when importing into a drawing that already contains geometry one should
ensure the units fit together. To ensure that the inserted point clouds are
automatically scaled to the length unit of the drawing, you may state the unit of the
scan and the unit of the drawing here.
Under Shift (XYZ) you may enter an offset in X, Y and Z. The values are
automatically subtracted from the original coordinates. With this option you may
move point clouds with large coordinates (e.g. geodetic survey coordinates) closer to
the origin, because AutoCAD sometimes does have problems when drawing or
modeling at large coordinates. You should write down the offset values in case you
have to deliver your drawings with the original coordinates, so you can later move the
geometry back that location.
The option „Lock point cloud“ prevents that you accidentally move or delete the point
cloud. Unfortunately locking a point cloud also prevents selection via „Quick Select“.
You may at any time lock or unlock the point cloud via the AutoCAD properties
window.
If you want the drawing to be automatically zoomed to the newly inserted point
cloud(s), you just enable the according option.
After loading, the point cloud will be set active and the Section Manager will be
displayed as a dockable palette window.
 53

Hint: By means of the AutoCAD command “LIST” you may get information about
point clouds you have selected (e.g. number of points, coordinates of the bounding
box …).
54

Point clouds –Set point clouds under management

Command Name: KUBT_PS_MANAGE_POINTCLOUDS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

As-Built automatically takes all inserted point clouds under administration. However
in rare cases (e.g. when a point cloud is inserted without As-Built loaded in AutoCAD)
it may happen that a point cloud is not yet under As-Built administration. You will
notice this when the section manager is not working. You may manually take the
point cloud under administration by running this command
 55

Point clouds –Set point cloud parameters…

Command Name: PCSETPARAMS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command allows you to change the parameter for noise (n) and average
distance of points (a).
The following dialog appears:

The parameters are saved in the drawing, not in the referenced point cloud file. If you
insert the point cloud in another drawing, you need to specify the parameters again.
For many modelling algorithms the correct setting of the point cloud parameters is
very important. It influences the quality of the results. You may determine the values
of a and n automatically by using the button [planar Auto-measure] or [cyl. Auto-
measure]. Clicking on one of the Auto-measure buttons you get into the drawing and
are asked to crop a small planar or cylindrical section of the point cloud and finally
run the calculation of the point cloud parameters based on that section.
With the setting in the field “Point cloud density for fitting” you specify the amount of
points to be used in modeling commands (e.g. Modeling – Fit polygon,
Modeling – Plane – Fit plane).
The specified value will be saved in the configuration file.
56

The following chart illustrates the correlation between the point density and the
performance of modeling/fitting commands (left hand side) and the correlation
between point density and reliability of the result (right hand side).

performance reliability

1 100 point density 1 100 point density

The default value for the point density is 10. If you are working with large point clouds
(several 100 million points) it is recommended not to increase this value.
 57

Sections – Define slice (UCS)

Command Name: PCS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can define a slice to select points in the active point cloud.
Only the visible points in the slice will be drawn in the AutoCAD-Drawing. You can
define the slice in the current user co-ordinate system (UCS).
command: KUBT_PC_SLICE
Slice parallel to [XY/YZ/XZ] plane UCS <XZ>: (Plane, to which the slice is parallel)
First point for boundary of slice: (Select a point for one boundary of the slice.)
Second point for boundary of slice or [Thickness] <Thickness>:
(Select a point for the second boundary of slice or write down the thickness of slice.)
Example:

When choosing the Thickness option half of the entered measure is considered to
both sides of the first clicked point. So the first point lies on the middle plane of the
slice.
58

Sections – Define horizontale slice

Command Name: PCSZ

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you define a horizontal slice, that contains all points that are
parallel to the UCS XY plane and lie at a specific Z height. The thickness of the slice
can be entered.
Command: KUBT_PC_SLICE_Z
Slice parallel to UCS plane [XY/YZ/XZ] <XY>: _XY
First point for boundary of slice: .xy of (need Z): 8.4
(Enter the Z height, on which the slice should be created
or pick a point)
Second point for boundary of slice or [Thickness] <Thickness>: _T
Specify slice thickness <0.5>: 0.1
(Enter the thickness of the slice)
 59

Sections – Define slice (aligned with planar AutoCAD object)

Command Name: PCAS

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you define a slice of points, which are within a given distance
(thickness) from a planar AutoCAD object. The AutoCAD object will be centered in
the slice.
Planar AutoCAD objects are kubit planes, circles, arcs or (2D) polylines, for instance.
Command: KUBT_PC_ALIGNED_SLICE
Select a planar AutoCAD object: (Select a planar AutoCAD object)
Specify slice thickness <0.2>: 0.1 (Specify the slice thickness,
press ENTER to apply the default value)

If you have selected a non-planar (thus non-supported) AutoCAD object in the first
step, the following message will appear in the command line:
The selected object is linear. Slice alignment plane cannot be determined.
60

Sections – Shift slice

Command Name: PCSS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can move a defined slice and select the visible points in the
new position of the slice. You can move the slice downwards or upwards with
changed or unchanged thickness value.
command: KUBT_ PC_SLICESHIFT
Absolute value of shift of slice downwards [Upwards/Downwards] <2.928800>:
(Move the slice by Thickness or by a new value)
Till the operation is ended by pressing the ESC button the operation can be repeated
over and over again.
 61

Sections – Shift slice upwards

Command Name: PCSSUP
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can move a defined slice upwards and select the visible
points in the new position of a slice.
Example:
62

Sections – Shift slice downwards

Command Name: PCSSDOWN
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can move a defined slice downwards and select the visible
points in the new position of a slice.
Example:
 63

Sections – Change slice thickness

Command Name: PCSCT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can change the thickness of the current visible slice.
Command: KUBT_PC_SLICECHANGETHICKNESS
Enter the new slice thickness <2.169000>: (Enter the new thickness of the slice.)
Alignment relative to current slice [Top/Bottom/Center] <Center>:
(Select the alignment for the new slice:
Top  top of the slice is unchanged, slice expands at the bottom,
Bottom  vice versa, Center slice expands at both sides by the same amount)
64

Sections – Define multiple slices

Command Name: PCMSC
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can create multiple slices in one single step. It creates slices
with a certain thickness within a user defined range parallel to a UCS - plane or
perpendicular along an AutoCAD curve object.
Example: There is a scan of a tunnel with a railway track inside and you need several
cross sections of the tunnel. Now you can create multiple slices perpendicular along
an AutoCAD curve – the railway track. To evaluate one cross section you may use
the command Digitizing tools – UCS from slice and set it to “Plan view”
See the following pictures illustrating this example:

Tunnel with railway track multiple slices cross section

By using this command to define multiple slices, the slices can automatically be
positioned in a constant distance or (additionally) by entering values or by mouse
clicking in your AutoCAD drawing. Distance means the distance between the centers
of the slices. The first slice centers at one of three places, with the bounding box in
the selected UCS plane, with the start point of an AutoCAD curve or with a user
defined start point.
After calling the command “PCMSC” the wizard starts and helps you to define
multiple slices.
 65

Multiple Slices – Wizard, Step 1:

In the dialog box, select the reference system and the section to generate slices.

Depending on selection
the corresponding dialog
for Step 2 appears

Select point set to

make visible in
slices.

Multiple Slices – Wizard, Step2:

Depending on the reference system selected in step 1, the assistant offers the
following options for step 2.
• If you have set the reference system to "Slices parallel to a UCS plane" in
step 1: There is the possibility to choose between the current UCS and a
named UCS. In the latter of the two all named UCS of the drawing are listed.
Furthermore, you have to decide the alignment of the slices: parallel to XY-,
YZ- or ZX-plane of the selected UCS.
• If you have set the reference system to "Slices perpendicular along an
AutoCAD curve" in step 1: After clicking the button “Select curve in
AutoCAD…” you are asked to select the curve to generate slices . You may
choose the following kinds of curves: line, polyline, 3d-polyline, arc, circle,
ellipse and spline. The coordinates of start and end point will be shown and
can be exchanged by setting this option. That only means the starting position
of the station list is defined. Neither the curve nor the following procedure in the
wizard (creating a station list in step 3) is changed. Select “Next >” to begin
step 3 of the wizard.
66

Multiple Slice – Wizard, Step3:

Independent of the reference system configured in step 1 and 2 the following dialog
appears:
The part Create station list allows you to enter a constant interval and range to
generate slices within.
With the button “Create station list” the corresponding positions of the slices are
calculated and listed. If you do not activate the option to enter a user defined range,
all slices are generated within the grey marked total range that was calculated before.
If you do activate the option, the fields will automatically be filled with calculated
values which depend on the selected reference system. They result either from the
section of the bounding box when the reference system is a UCS or from the length
of a selected AutoCAD curve.

All stations within the range

are calculated with the
interval you enter before and
are inserted in the station list

Allows you to add a station

by entering values or by
clicking in the AutoCAD
drawing

Slices are also generated within the specified range when the option “Slices apply to
 visible section” is active. Then slices out of the visible section contain no points
and the user can delete these slices in the section manager.
 67
thickness

Start point
station

End point

interval

range

The part Edit station list allows you to delete or to add several stations to the list. To
access it enter in the field “value” the requested station and click the button “Add”.
Furthermore you can “Add value from AutoCAD…”. Afterwards you are asked to click
a point in the AutoCAD drawing whereupon the value for the station will be calculated
and added to the list.
To go “<Back” in the wizard one step the station list must be empty (“Remove all”).
On the other hand a station list (with at least one value) must exist in order to
continue ‘’Next’’ in the wizard.
Multiple Slices – Wizard, Step 4:
The wizard offers you a base name which may be changed by the user. Enter the
thickness of the slices and the suffix of the slice name: by consecutive number or
station value. Click “Finish” to generate slices.
If you generate slices along an AutoCAD curve, you may generate a named UCS for
every slice. The name of the UCS complies with the slice name. Existing UCS with
the same name will be overwritten.
After clicking the “Finish” button the slices will be generated. Slices which lay at the
beginning or the end of the slice sequence and do not contain points will not be
generated.
68

Generate named UCS for every

slice
The name of the UCS complies
with the slice name.
Can only be activated if the slices
will be generated along a curve.
 69

Sections – Define rectangular

Command name: PCSR

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can do a rectangular cut away on all visible points in a point
cloud. The rectangle is always parallel with the view port.
Command: PCSC
Keep points inside or outside? [Inside/Outside] <Inside>: _Inside
(The option "Inside" is always selected when called from the menu)
Specify first corner point: (Pick point for selection)
Specify other corner point: (Pick point for selection)
Example:
70

Sections – Exclude rectangular

Command name: PCSR

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can do an exclude cut away on a rectangle of all visible
points in a point cloud. The rectangle is always parallel with the view port.
Command: PCSC
Keep points inside or outside? [Inside/Outside] <Inside>: _Outside
(The option "Outside" is always selected when called from the menu)
Specify first corner point: (Pick point for selection)
Specify other corner point: (Pick point for selection)
Example:
 71

Sections – Define clipping box

Command Name: PCSBB
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can define a bounding box to select points. Only the visible
points in the box will be drawn in the current AutoCAD-Drawing. You define the box
in the current user co-ordinate system (UCS).
command: PCSBB
Definition of a UCS parallel box:
Box corner: (Select a corner of the box.)
Opposite box corner: (Select the opposite corner of the box.)
Example:
72

Sections – Define circular

Command name: PCSC

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can do a circular cut away on all visible points in a point
cloud. With this you can edit, in particular scanned pipes and tanks as well as towers,
columns and other cylindrical objects. The circular base can be defined by using
three points, centre point and radius or also by selecting an existing circle in the
drawing. In the first two cases the surface of the circle is always parallel to the view
window, whereas in the last case the resulting cylindrical region is defined along the
normal to the selected circle.
Command: PCSR
Keep points inside, outside or shell? [Inside/Outside/Shell] <Inside>: _Inside
(The option "Inside" is always selected when called from the menu)
Specify first point on circle or [Center point and radius/Select object] <Select object>:
(Pick point for selection)
Specify second point on circle: (Pick point for selection)
Specify third point on circle: (Pick point for selection)
 73

Sections – Exclude circular

Command name: PCSC

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can do an exclude circular cut away on all visible points in a
point cloud. With this command you can edit, in particular scanned pipes and tanks
as well as towers, columns and other cylindrical objects. The circular base can be
defined by using three points, centre point and radius or also by selecting an existing
circle in the drawing. In the first two cases the surface of the circle is always parallel
to the view window, whereas in the last case the resulting cylindrical region is defined
along the normal to the selected circle.
Command: PCSR
Keep points inside, outside or shell? [Inside/Outside/Shell] <Inside>: _Outside
(The option "Outside" is always selected when called from the menu)
Specify first point on circle or [Center point and radius/Select object] <Select object>:
(Pick point for selection)
Specify second point on circle: (Pick point for selection)
Specify third point on circle: (Pick point for selection)
74

Sections – Define circular shell

Command name: PCSC

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can do a ring cut away on all visible points in a point cloud.
With this command you can edit, in particular scanned pipes and tanks as well as
towers, columns and other cylindrical objects. The circle, on which the ring should be
defined, can be defined using three points, centre point and radius as well as by
selecting an existing circle in the drawing. In the first two cases the ring is always
parallel to the view window, whereas in the last case the resulting cylindrical, ring
region is defined along the normal to the selected circle. The thickness of the ring can
be defined either by using the mouse or it can be entered by using the option
[Thickness].
Command: PCSR
Keep points inside, outside or shell? [Inside/Outside/Shell] <Inside>: _Shell
(The option "Shell" is always selected when called from the menu)
Specify first point on circle or [Center point and radius/Select object] <Select object>:
(Pick point for selection)
Specify second point on circle: (Pick point for selection)
Specify third point on circle: (Pick point for selection)
Specify first radius of cylindrical shell or [Thickness] <Thickness>:
(Drag the inner diameter by using the mouse or
enter the thickness by choosing the option)
Specify other radius of cylindrical shell or [Finish] <Finish>:
(Drag the outer diameter by using the mouse)
 75

Sections – Define clipping polygon

Command Name: PCSP
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can display all visible points defined by a polygon based
prism (in perspective view: truncated pyramid). The direction of the prism or
truncated pyramid is determined by the viewing direction in the current view. You can
determine the polygon yourself by clicking points, or by using the option "Select
object" and selecting an already existing polygon in the drawing.
Hint:
If you prefer you can use other section commands (slice or rectangular cut away) before this command.
The polygonal cut away can significantly reduce the display speed of the point cloud and especially those from ReCap data.

command: PCSP
Draw the clipping polygon (inside is visible) or [Select object] <Select object>:
(Pick the corners of the polygon or use the option to use an already existing polygon)
Example:
76

Sections – Exclude polygon

Command Name: PCSNP
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler
With this command you can cut away all visible points defined by a polygon based
prism (in perspective view: truncated pyramid). The direction of the prism or
truncated pyramid is determined by the viewing direction in the current view. You can
determine the polygon yourself by clicking points, or by using the option "Select
object" and selecting an already existing polygon in the drawing.
Hint:
If you prefer you can use other section commands (slice or rectangular cut away)
before this command. The polygonal cut away can significantly reduce the display
speed of the point cloud and especially those from ReCap data.
Command: PCSNP
Draw the clipping polygon (outside is visible) or [Select object] <Select object>:
(Pick the corners of the polygon or use the option to use an already existing polygon)
Example:
 77

Sections – Previous section definition

Command Name: PCSO
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command works analogue to the AutoCAD command "Back". It refers only to
section definitions though. Other AutoCAD commands, which you have executed in
the meantime, will be ignored.
78

Sections – Section Manager

Command Name: PCSECMAN
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you start the Section Manager.

In the Section Manager you can manipulate all the sections you have previously
created using several “Define sections” commands. All sections and their properties
(visibility, number of points, name) are persistent (i.e. they are saved and loaded with
the DWG).You can change a section’s name or delete it, export sections using the
Export Wizard or merge sections.
The buttons provide section related commands.

Activates the transparent Transparency value Sets the current point size
display of the point cloud [0...90] (Standard: 2)

Section related commands

(See description below)

Section Section Approximated

visible? name number of
points
k = thousand
M = million

Section Marker: The selected section will by default be highlighted with an axis-aligned half-
transparent red box. To remove the box, click in the empty space of the section list.
For performance reasons the size of the box will be approximated until the number of points of the
section has been calculated.
 79

Transparency settings
The point cloud often covers, because of its density and its photo realistic display the
geometry that has already been modelled. The point cloud will become transparent
when the transparency tick box has been ticked. You can change the transparency
value with the small arrow keys or by entering a value in the input box. The value
must lie be between 0 (no transparency) and 90 (maximum transparency) and is
saved in the drawing.
The default value for new drawings can be set by using the configuration command
(PCCONFIG).

Point size settings

The input box for the point size reflects the value of the AutoCAD system variable
POINTCLOUDPOINTSIZE. You can easily adjust this value with the arrow keys or
direct entry. The value can lie between 1 and 10.

Display options for the section marker. You may change the look of the
section marker. By default the sections are highlighted by a half-transparent red box.
Command: Select a style for the section marking [None/Wireframe/Transparent] <Transparent>:(Select one o
The options mean:
None No section marker is displayed.

Wireframe Only the edges of the axis-aligned box are displayed.

Transparent The transparent lateral faces of the axis-aligned box are

displayed.

If you select „Transparent“, you are prompted to enter a value for the transparency of
the box.
Set transparency in percent<90>: (Select a value between 0 and 100,
A value of 100 means completely transparent)

Export section(s) as an CSV file, RCP, E57, LAS or as AutoCAD points:

Press this button to export selected sections. For your convenience a wizard
guides you through the export process.
The point coordinates are exported in AutoCAD’s world coordinate system so
that currently or previously defined UCS’s do not affect the export.
You can write the points in one or more files. You also can export the points as
native AutoCAD points. In the latter case you should keep in mind that
AutoCAD is not able to manage millions of points. The limit is – dependent on
your system configuration – about 100,000 points.

Choose an export format:

80

Step 1: for point cloud files

If you have selected more than one section to export, the following window will
appear next:

Write all points of all

sections in one single
file.

Write the points of

each section in a
separate file.
 81

Step 2: Create one single file

Select the file to

write to.
A file selection
dialog appears.

Step 2: Create a separatefile for each section

Select the
destination
folder.

Define how the

filenames
should be
composed.
82

Step 3: Define CSV file format

Use the pull-down menu to
assign properties of the
points to different columns.

Define the
decimal
separator.

Define the column

separator.

Export AutoCAD points

Write all points
of all sections on
a single layer
or…

…write the
points of each
section on an
individual layer.

Define how the

layer names
should be
composed.

The following table gives an overview, how the color property of the sections
affects the color of the created AutoCAD points and layers:
 83

one layer several layers

Section has a color except Points  section’s color Points  color “by Layer”
from “original” (section’s
color)
Layer  section’s color

Section has “original” color Points  original color Points  original color

Context Menu
By clicking with the right mouse button on one or several selected sections you open
the context menu which provides additional commands depending on the section
selection:
one section selected several sections selected

Commands for display

and selection.

Commands for logical

operations.

Commands for creating new sections from existing ones

• Create new section – Invert:

Use this command to create a new section which is the inverse of the selected
one, i.e. it contains all points which are not contained by the original section.
This button is activated only if one single section is selected.
84

• Create new section – Intersecting set (disjunction):

Use this command to merge sections into a single new section. That new
section contains points which are contained by at least one of the sections
(disjunction). This button is activated only if at least two sections are selected.

• Create new section – Merge (conjunction):

Use this command to merge sections into a single new section. That new
section contains only those points which are contained by all sections
(conjunction). This button is activated only if at least two sections are selected.

Create a legend

A click on this button starts the Create Legend command

(PCDISTCOLLEGEND). With this you can create a legend for RCP/RCS point
clouds. The legend is either based on a customized As-Built color scheme
(PCDISTCOLEDIT) or on the colors of the current AutoCAD visualization according
to elevation.
 85

ScanNav – Create ScanLabel

Command Name: PCSCANLABELCREATE

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you create the markers for the scanner positions (ScanLabel),
which are meant for controlling the single scan navigation (ScanNav).

Command: PCSCANLABELCREATE
Create ScanLabels for ReCap point clouds in the drawing, import from VirtuSurv scan positions
file or specify points [Recap/Virtusurv/Point] <Recap>:
(Select one of the options)

ReCap :
Please note that this option is only available for ReCap point clouds!
It will create ScanLabels for all ReCap point clouds (RCP or RCS) in the drawing, if
they do contain information about the single scans. The ScanLabels are then linked
with the ReCap scans.

VirtuSurv :
A dialog opens where you may select a scan position file, which you previously
exported from VirtuSurv (see figure below). ScanLabels will be created for all scan
positions and they will be linked with the corresponding VirtuSurv scans.

When exporting scan positions from VirtuSurv please ensure the „Measure Unit“ in
VirtuSurv matches your drawing unit As-Built.

Point :
Specify points for the scan positions (by clicking, measuring or entering coordinates).
Specify scan position: (specify the position of the first scan)
Specify scan position: (specify the position of the second scan)
…
(finish by ESC or ENTER)
86

Finally the ScanLabels are created and you get a brief message in the command line:
12 ScanLabel(s) created. 0 updated. 0 failed.
If there already exists a ScanLabel at that particular scan position it will be updated.
Thus, you may for instance create the ScanLabels for the ReCap scans that are
inserted in the drawing and then import a corresponding VirtuSurv scan position file.
The ScanLabel is then linked with the ReCap scan as well as with the VirtuSurv scan.
ScanLabels are located on a separate layer (Default: KUBITSCANLABEL).

Fig. 1 ScanLabel with ReCap and VirtuSurv link

The layer for the ScanLabels as well as further parameters for their visualization and
the behavior of the navigation commands can be configured in the configuration
dialog (see figure below., command: PCCONFIG).
87
88

ScanNav – Scan navigation on

Command Name: PCSCANNAV

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

Select the ScanLabel for which you want to enable the scan view and navigation in
the current view port.
The previous view will be saved and restored after turning the scan navigation off
(command: ScanNav – Scan navigation off).
Command: PCSCANNAV
Select ScanLabel: (Select the ScanLabel you want to enable the
scan navigation for)
To be able to more easily select, or to make it even possible to select, the ScanLabel
the whole point cloud is made “transparent”. The more distant ScanLabels will be
otherwise hidden by the point cloud.
After selecting the ScanLabel the respective scan will be isolated, as long as it is
associated with a ReCap scan. Displaying one single (isolated) scans in a scan view
is much clearer than showing multiple scans. This is because there is no occlusion
and the colors of all displayed points are consistent.
The settings to isolate and to temporarily activate the transparency can be adapted in
the configuration dialog (PCCONFIG command, As-Built  ScanNav  “Isolate
scan“ or “Temporary point cloud transparency“).

Fig. 1 Comparison between scan view with isolated scan (left) and multiple visible scans (right)
 89

A perspective view will be created for the current view port with the camera position
at the position of the ScanLabel. The default direction of view is the Y axis of the
WCS.
Scan navigation will be enabled.

Scan navigation
In scan navigations mode you may (almost) navigate as your are used to with your
mouse or the camera navigation commands:
Mouse Command
Zoom Scroll mouse CamNav Zoom
wheel
Pan Hold down mouse CamNav Pan
wheel and move
the mouse
Twist CTRL + holding CamNav Twist
direction of down the mouse
view wheel and moving
the mouse up and
down
When scan navigation is active for a view port all other AutoCAD navigation
commands (like ZOOM, 3DORBIT, PAN,…) as well as commands that change the
view are disabled. Editing of all AutoCAD system variables that may change the view
in an inadmissible way is also prevented.
Scan view and scan navigation mode are stored in the drawing and are active when
opening the drawing the next time.

Hint: You may also start the scan navigation by double clicking on a ScanLabel. This
way you may also quickly go to the next scan position while you are still in scan
navigation mode. You can do the same via the context menu (right mouse button
click) of the ScanLabel.
90

ScanNav – Scan navigation off

Command Name: PCSCANNAVOFF

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command turns off the scan navigation for the current viewport and restores its
last view before scan navigation.
command: PCSCANNAVOFF
The current parameters of the scan view are saved and will be applied when
activating ScanNav next time.
If the according scan has been isolated when activating the scan navigation, this
change will now be set back that means scans that have been visible before scan
navigation will now be visible again.
 91

ScanNav – Open linked VirtuSurv scan

Command Name: PCSCANNAVVS

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command opens the linked scan in the external application VirtuSurv.
commands: PCSCANNAVVS (Select a ScanLabel that is linked with a
VirtuSurv scan.)
VirtuSurv opens and the scan linked with the selected ScanLabel is displayed.
92

ScanNav – Specify direction of view for ScanNav

Command Name: PCSCANNAVTARGET

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

You may define the direction of sight for the scan view of one or more ScanLabels
(scan positions).
Command: PCSCANNAVTARGET
Specify target point for ScanNav view. Select ScanLabels
Select objects: (Select the ScanLabels for which you
want to define the direction of sight. Confirm the selection with ENTER)
Specify target point: (Pick the desired target point
for the scan view.)
The target point has been set for 2 ScanLabel(s). 0 failed.
When activating the scan view for these ScanLabels the next time, the direction of
sight will be the direction to the specified target point.
 93

Digitizing tools – SmartSnap

Command Name: PCSM
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

In AutoCAD objects such as lines or solids can be precisely placed by using OSNAP,
which then allows you to accurately create new construction objects. The SmartSnap
concept has been developed to allow, in the same way, the snapping to corners,
edges or planes in point clouds.
This command displays the SmartSnap palette.
The palette can always be kept open (similarly to the properties window or layer
manager in AutoCAD).
The buttons are organised in three rows.

Activates or disables the The type of point to Activate or disable

SmartSnaps be snapped automatic mode

Zoom in the
preview

The button for the activation or disabling of the SmartSnaps is to be found in the first
row.
The second row contains the options you can choose from to define the type of point
to be used:

• Point on a plane
• Corner point
• Corner point or a point on a straight line or an edge
94

• Point on a straight line or edge

• Highest point
• Lowest point

Should a command be used that expects a coordinated point (e.g. LINE) then a circle
appears around the cursor. These freely selectable drawing commands will be
hereafter referred to as a “Context command”.

The circle visualises the area in the point cloud that will be analysed. The size of the
selection area can be changed by using Shift + Scroll wheel. The drawing
command can be cancelled by pressing the <Esc> key. The selection circle then
disappears.

SmartSnap works in two modes. In automatic mode the snapped point is immediately
passed to the context command. Otherwise the snapped point must be confirmed.
 95

SmartSnap: Automatic mode activated

Search for corner A left click triggers the

or edge points SmartSnaps for the selection
area. Thereby the previously
defined selection area will be
analysed and searched for points
Automatic mode is of the selected type. Should a
active point of the selected type be
found, then it will be automatically
The computed passed to the context command
corner point is (e.g. the LINE command) without
visualised any user interaction.
together with the
straights, from In the SmartSnap window images
which it was will be shown, for a visual control,
defined that correspond to the sections of
planes used or the returned point
found.
If the point is incorrect or the
wrong point type was inadvertently
selected, the “Undo” of the context
command can be used to reverse
Projection in the the action of the last click.
current coordinate
system for a better The images serve as a visual
interpretation of control. The “Zoom” button can
the images also be used.
In automatic mode you don’t have
the opportunity of selecting
another computed point. To
achieve this the automatic mode
must be disabled. Without the
automatic mode more user
interaction is required, that means
each point must be confirmed and
also confirmed after each
correction.
96

SmartSnap: Automatic mode disabled

If the automatic mode is disabled the [OK] button is displayed for confirming the
computed point. User interaction is awaited after each click. This is indicated by the
change in colour of the [OK] button and the circle.

User interaction is
required

Automatic mode is
disabled
 97

If the search for selected point has not been performed, the point type can be
changed or selected again. Furthermore the user can select another point in the
images, whereby he clicks on one of the blue coloured alternative points offered (the
selected point is green), and then confirms it with [OK].
Should no point be found, that corresponds to the selection criteria, then the user can
also not select anything. In this case the user is required to click again.
The previously selected point can also be confirmed by pressing the tab key.

SmartSnap: Active/Disabled

By clicking this button the SmartSnaps can be generally disabled. The

SmartSnaps can be activated or disabled at any point in time before, during or after a
command. For example, if the start point of a line is to be selected using AutoCAD
point snaps and all further points are to be defined using SmartSnaps, then before
selecting the first point switch off SmartSnaps and afterwards turn them back on. For
faster activation and deactivation of the SmartSnap mode the shortcut [Caps Lock]
may be used.

Highest or lowest point

If SmartSnap is used together with the point option highest or lowest point then no
preview image will be displayed. The resulting point will be displayed directly in the
selection area, when the cursor is moved over the point cloud. One click confirms the
point. The highest or lowest point is determined using the Z values of the current user
coordinate system. Two options to determine the highest or lowest point are provided
within the SmartSnap user interface.

Projected highest
point

Real highest point

The first option offers the possibility to project the Z value of the real highest or lowest
point onto the mouse position. This results in a point containing the X and Y
coordinates of the mouse position and Z coordinate of the real highest or lowest
point. With the second mode the real highest or lowest point is evaluated.
98

Real highest point Projected highest

point

Quitting the SmartSnap mode

To just temporarily disable SmartSnaps the button can be clicked or [Caps

Lock] can be used as shortcut. To completely finish using the SmartSnaps, close the
SmartSnap window.

To exclude specific commands from using SmartSnaps

If SmartSnaps are activated, then each AutoCAD command that requires a point will
trigger a SmartSnap. Exceptions are all of the commands that are defined in the
SMARTSNAPCONFIG.TXT file.

You can find the file here:

SMARTSNAPCONFIG.TXT

It can happen, when you are working with SmartSnaps, that snaps are activated for
some commands that you would wish to have differently. You can add such
commands to the SMARTSNAPCONFIG.TXT file to generally disable SmartSnaps
for the command.
 99

Digitizing tools – UCS from slice

Command Name: PCUCSSLICE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can define an AutoCAD user coordinate system, which is
aligned with the currently visible slice.
The UCS for slices, that are not parallel to the XY plane of the WCS, is defined as
follows:
 The Z axis points in the direction of the normal of the slice’s center plane
 The Y axis points as far as possible to the Z axis of the WCS (into the direction
that forms the smallest angle with the Z axis of the WCS)
 The X axis points preferably to the right (referring to the current AutoCAD
viewing window).
 The UCS origin is the point closest to the WCS origin on the slice’s center
plane and the XY plane of the WCS.
With slices that are parallel to the WCS XY plane only the origin of the UCS will be
moved into the center plane of the slice.
100

Digitizing tools – UCS from plane

Command Name: KPUCS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can define an AutoCAD user coordinate system which is
aligned with a kubit plane.
Select a kubit plane: (Select a plane for the UCS definition)
The UCS for planes, that are not parallel to the XY plane of the WCS, are defined as
follows:
 The Z axis points to the direction of the plane normal
 The Y axis points as far as possible to the Z axis of the WCS (into the direction
that forms the smallest angle with the Z axis of the WCS)
 The X axis points to the right (referring to the current AutoCAD viewport) as
well as possible.
 The UCS origin is the point closest to the WCS origin on the plane.
With planes that are parallel to the WCS XY plane only the origin of the UCS is
moved into the supporting plane.
 101

Digitizing tools – Vertical UCS

Command Name: PSBVUCS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can define a vertical User Coordinate System (UCS) with two
points. Vertical means that the XY plane of this UCS runs parallel to Z axis of the
World Coordinate System (WCS), as needed to construct vertical sections or views.
Two points are needed for the alignment of the UCS. The direction from the first to
the second point defines the X axis of the UCS, which always runs through the XY
plane of the WCS. Thus, it is also determined from you side you ‘look’ at the plane
since the X axis always points to the right.
The coordinate origin is set to the first point of the new UCS.

Fa
ca
de
pla
ne

Y(UCS)

Point 1 Y(WCS)

Z(UCS)
X(UCS)

Point 2

Command: PSBVUCS
Vertical view (UCS) through 2 points
The direction from first to second point defines the X-axis.
Select first point for X-axis: (Click or enter 1st point)
Select second point for X-axis: (Click or enter 2nd point)
UCS name: View East facade (Enter name)
After the command has been ended, TachyCAD automatically changes to the top
view of the new UCS.
With the help of the default name, you can easily switch back to this UCS later. Use
the command ‘Named UCS’ from the AutoCAD menu “Tools” (or type UCSMAN in
the command line).
102

Digitizing tools – UCS from image

Command Name: PCSETUCSFROMIMAGE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command it is possible to establish a UCS, with the XY plane matching the
image plane exactly. The coordinate origin is in the bottom left corner of the image.
Optionally it is possible, to switch to the plan view of this image, if you answer "yes"
to the following question in the command line:
Zoom to image? [Yes/No] <Yes>:
 103

Digitizing tools – 3D orbit (with center of rotation)

Command Name: 3DORBITCTR
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

Via this button you start the native AutoCAD command 3DORBITCTR. It is a very
useful tool when working with point clouds. You can use it transparently.
In the AutoCAD help file it is described as follows:
3DORBITCTR starts 3D Orbit view and uses a center of rotation that you specify with
your pointing device. If you specify a point outside the current view, 3DORBITCTR
ignores the specified point and uses the default center of rotation.
3DORBITCTR overrides the AutoTarget option in the 3DORBIT command.
104

Digitizing tools – Set elevation (from point)

Command Name: PCELEVPOINT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can easily set the AutoCAD system variable ELEVATION to
a value you snap from a point of the point cloud. That allows you to digitize on a
plane parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS at the depth you selected. This
helps to simplify e.g. digitizing of spatial structured facades.
Select a point. Z value of the selected point defines AutoCAD's elevation property.
Point for AutoCAD elevation property or [Reset] elevation to zero:
(Select any point or “R” for reset. OSNAP is being activated)
ELEVATION was set to <VALUE>.
After having set the ELEVATION all lines and other AutoCAD objects are drawn with
the corresponding z value. Usually the command is used to draw at a certain
elevation without OSNAP “Point”.
 105

Digitizing tools – Align cursor

Command Name: PSBALIGNCURSOR
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command is used to give the cursor axes the same inclination as a certain line
or a polyline on the screen. This is necessary if you want to draw perpendicular to a
line or polyline using the option ORTHO in connection with AutoCAD. Thus,
manually measured additions (a small room, a recess) can easily be inserted.
When you call up the command, following prompt appears:
Command: psbaligncursor
Select object or <Return> for previous cursor state:
Now select an object at which the cursor is to be aligned.

Cursor aligned at a line.

To reset the cursor to the normal orthogonal position, just press Return.
106

Dimension – 3D distance dimension

Command Name: PC3DDIMENSIONCREATE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can determine and dimension the spatial distance between
two points. The 3D dimension will always be aligned with the current view and thus
will be readable.

First point for 3D dimension:

Second point for 3D dimension:

The 3D dimension is meant for quick determination of distances and the presentation
of spatial situations.

It is always displayed in the current text style and with the current As-Built dimension
size. The latter depends on the settings for the drawing unit and the block scaling
factor under As-Built Settings  section “Drawing“.
The 3D dimension is by default put on the layer “3DDIMENSIONS”. But you may
change the layer under As-Built Settingssection “Layer “.
The number of decimals depends on the setting for the AutoCAD unit.
 107

Measure – Measure horizontal distance

Command Name: 'PSBHZDIST
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

The command is used to measure the horizontal distance between two points. This
means that the measured points are projected into the XY plane of the current UCS,
and the distance is measured there. The command is transparent i.e. you can use it
within other commands in case you have to enter such a measurement.
Command: 'PSBHZDIST
First point for horizontal distance: (measure or click the first point)
Second point for horizontal distance: (measure or click the second point)
4.731 (this is the calculated distance between the two points)
You can use this command to determine the horizontal distance between two points.
108

Measure – Measure height difference

Command Name: 'PSBHTDIFF
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command allows to measure the height difference of two points. It is a

transparent command, i.e. you can call it up within another command if you have to
take a vertical measurement.
Command: 'PSBHTDIFF
First point for height difference: (measure or click the first point)
Second point for height difference: (measure or click the second point)
height difference = 2.5 (this is the calculated height difference)
The height difference always refers to the difference of the Z coordinates of the two
points in the World Coordinate System (WCS).
 109

Measure – Measure Z difference

Command Name: 'PSBZDIFF
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command is used to determine the Z coordinate difference between two points.
It is a transparent command, i.e. you can call it up within another command when you
have to enter such a measurement value.
Command: 'PSBZDIFF
First point for Z difference: (Measure or click first point)
Second point for Z difference: (Measure or click second point)
Z difference = 2.5 (this is the calculated Z difference between both points)
The height difference always only refers to the difference of the Z coordinate of both
points in the User Coordinate System (UCS).
110

Create ortho image

Command Name: PCCREATEIMG
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command creates an ortho image from a point cloud. Ortho images are parallel
projections into a plane. They differ from orthophotos. Ortho images do not use
photos as source of the colour they use the colour of the point cloud.
An Ortho image can be a useful tool for digitizing. You may use it to display scan
data inside CAD software which does not support point clouds yet.
When running the command following dialogue opens:
 111

The creation of an ortho image always refers to the current point cloud. You have to
define the resolution of the ortho image, its position and size, the point size as well as
the x-ray percentage.

Resolution
The dialogue should largely be self-explaining. If needed you may use the wizard to
assist you with the resolution settings.

The option “Half point distance“ is perfect, if the point cloud parameter a (average
point distance) is set adequate. When clicking on “Set average point distance…“ you
may directly check or edit and apply the parameters.
112

The option “Double screen resolution” is perfect, you orient on the screen
resolution. When clicking on “Select by zooming” all dialogues disappear temporarily
and the command line prompts you to zoom the view according to your wish and
confirm with ENTER.

Select zoom level. [Enter] to finish...

Afterwards you are back in the main dialogue with the new resolution setting.
We recommend to experiment with the resolution settings for getting the perfect
resulting image for your project and the certain point cloud.
 113

X-Ray

a) Colour b) 80% X-ray c) 100% X-ray

If you leave the x-ray percentage at 0%, you will get a true colour image of the point
cloud surface that faces to the image plane.
If the x-ray percentage is set to 100%, image areas where many points lie behind
each other are displayed dark while the others are light. This way you get a kind ofx-
ray image of the object.

Image plane
Here you define the image plane of the ortho image. It can lie exactly in one of the
three planes of the UCS, in a previously defined kubit plane or simply in the plane of
the current view. When selecting the “current view“ option the image plane is
automatically placed in front of all selected surfaces.
Note: We recommend to use the “current view“ option. First clip the point cloud in a
way that only the parts you like to have in the ortho image are visible. Then draw or
define an object for the alignment of the UCS (e.g. a kubit plane). Now align the UCS
with this object (e.g. with the kubit command “UCS from plane“). Finally switch to the
plan view of the new UCS and create your ortho image.

Button „Select boundary and position…“

When clicking the button the dialogue is left. The view of the drawing changes to the
selected plane with a zoom to the current point cloud.Now you draw a rectangular
window to define the frame and position of the new ortho image.
Image boundary: (first point for boundary rectangle)
Second point: (second point for boundary rectangle)
114

Further settings

Here you may do further settings for the image size, resolution, background colour
and image scale. The settings will help you processing the image with external image
processing software.

Button “Create ortho image“

A click on this button starts the image computing. You are prompted for a path and
name for the ortho image. You can chose between BMP, TIF, JPG and PNG for the
image format.
After the computation following message opens.
 115

Flatten drawing…
Command Name: KFFLATTEN
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler, Building Plans, Photo, TS Control

The command is used to orthogonal project line-like 3D drawing elements into a

plane. Thus, elements that have been measured in the 3D mode can be processed
to a 2D plan in AutoCAD.
The projection plane is defined parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS with the Z
value that has been entered in the field ‘Z-value’.
Following types of elements are flattened:
Points, circles, lines, all poly lines, ellipses, arcs, beams, straight lines and
dimensions.

All elements are projected to this Z

value of the UCS. Via the button
you can pick a value from the
drawing.

Via the button you can select the

objects to be flattened in the
drawing. Furthermore you can
enable the selection of objects for
locked or frozen layers.

Tick these options if you like to

flatten text and blocks as well. Note
that control points and instrument
stations cannot be flattened.

If necessary, all elements can be

saved in an external file before the
flattening process.

If the options ‘include text’ and ‘include blocks’ are activated, texts and blocks too will
be shifted to the defined Z value. However, the inner geometry of a block is kept.
Dimensions are only flattened if measurement lines and texts are parallel to the UCS.
It makes sense to dimension the plan after having flattened the drawing.
The blocks for control points are not flattened. Flattening does not make sense here,
since the 3D positions are absolutely valuable for image rectification and image
orientation.
116

Modeling – Fit outline plan

Command Name: PCWALLFIT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler and Building Plans

This command serves to extract straight contours from the point cloud by using an
automatic fitting algorithm.
The result is strings of 2D lines (optionally lines or polylines), that run along a point
cloud slice or the current UCS plane. The command is particularly suitable for
efficiently and precisely drawing wall polygons in building floor plans and sections.
The command is flexibly designed and supports various workflows:
• Working with point cloud slices: Precise wall forms by automatically fitting the
lines onto the point cloud track.
• Working in the planar scan view or scan navigation: Intuitive clicking in the image
without line fitting
• Constrained angularity (perpendicularity) and parallelism for architectural surveys.

Command sequence
The command works on the following basic principle:
Standard Mode “Faces”: Two points are picked on each of the line sections to be
drawn. The resulting line sections are automatically trimmed, so that the corners are
indirectly created. The command also always alternately prompts for the first and
second point of the line section.
Command: PCWALLFIT
Current settings: Fitting on, Fixed angles off
First point on wall or [CORner/Fitting off/UNDO/CONFig] <CORner>:
Last point on wall or [Fitting off/UNDO/CONFig]:
First point on wall or [CORner/ORtho/CONTinue/Fitting off/UNDO/CONFig] <CONTinue>:
…

Alternatively, you can switch at any time into the “Corner” mode. Here the corner
points are directly picked and the command joins them with a line section.
 117

Command: PCWALLFIT
Current settings: Fitting on, Fixed angles off
First point on wall or [CORner/Fitting off/UNDO/CONFig] <CORner>: COR
(Switch to “Corner” mode)
Point in corner or [FAce/ORtho/CLose/Fitting off/UNDO/CONFig] <FAce>:
Point in corner or [FAce/ORtho/CLose/Fitting off/UNDO/CONFig] <FAce>:
…

Command line options:

You can switch between the two modes “Faces” and “Corners”.
With “Fitting on/off” you can activate/disable the automatic fitting of the line onto the
point cloud slice. If the drawing contains a point cloud and there is defined slice in it,
then the command automatically starts with “Fitting” activated.
The scan points, that lay within a corridor between the first and second picked points
of a line section, are analysed and an average straight line is computed. You don’t
need to precisely pick in the scan point track, nearby will suffice:

1st picked 2nd picked

point point

green: Point Cloud corridor The fitted wall line is precisely on the point
between the picked points. cloud track. The room corner is
automatically trimmed.

The corridor is displayed green, when it contains sufficient scan points and a line can
be fitted. It is red when there are insufficient points to allow line fitting.
When fitting is switched off the line is drawn precisely between the picked points.
Fitting can be re-activated at any time.
Switching off fitting is meaningful
• When working without any point cloud slices, e.g. when the point cloud is being
used in the planar scan view outside of AutoCAD or when you are using
ScanNavigation.
118

In VirtuSurv two points are These then form a line in AutoCAD.

picked on each wall.

• In areas that contain just a few or no points and thereby would lead to an
inaccurate fitting.
Use Ortho when the next line section must be perpendicularly constrained to the
previous section, e.g. in small alcoves or projections.

Only a single picked point is needed.

The next segment is perpendicular to
the previous one
Previous line
section

With “Ortho” only a single point must be picked on the line section. The resulting line
will be kept perpendicular and will be the best fit possible.
First point on wall or [CORner/ORtho/CONTinue/CLose/Fitting off/UNDO/CONFig]
<CONTinue>: OR (select ortho option)
Last point on wall or [Fitting off/UNDO/CONFig]: (Pick the end point of
the line)
With “Continue” you can skip areas of poor scan quality in the point cloud track and
exclude them from the adjustment calculation (e.g. furniture or windows). This option
is only available when “Fitting” is activated.
 119

The wall should be fitted. The Then pick a further point on the section on
first section should be picked on the other side of the door.
this side of the door, thereafter The result is a continuous fitted wall line.
the option “Continue” selected.
You can close the line chain at the end of the command with “Close”. It will be
attempted to intersect the first and last line with each other.
With “Configure” you open the settings dialogue box for the command, which is
described further below.
The command is ended by pressing the ESC key or by using the option “Close”.

Configuration and options

Object type to be created: You
decide whether the result should
be single lines or a connected 2D
polyline.
Fixed angles: Automatic alignment
of the line segments in
accordance with a fixed angular
grid. This option will be described
in more detail below.
Automatic fitting, width of the
search area: Width of the point
cloud data corridor used for the
line fitting. A higher value allows a
less precise picking, a too high a
value introduces problems with
parallel lying contours within a
small distance of each other (e.g.
walls).
Point Cloud Parameter: The
quality of the fitting results can be
influenced by the settings of the
point cloud parameters.
Continue – Connect segments to
each other: Here you define, when using Continue, whether the fitted line segments
should be connected to each other or if single line segments should be created with
gaps between them.
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Fixed angles
This option is used to draw perpendicular wall lines (or other predefined wall line
angles), as are often required in architectural plans. The lines/polylines will be
automatically aligned to a fixed angular grid, when their direction almost corresponds
with the grid (within a tolerance).
Incremental angle for snapping: Defines the angular grid for the automatic alignment
of line segments. Angular steps of 90°, 45°, 30° and 22.5° can be set.
Angular tolerance: Gives the maximum angular variance for the alignment. Should
the direction of the surveyed line vary more than this tolerance from one of the
reference lines, then it will not be aligned, but retains its surveyed direction.
If the option “Fixed angles” is activated then the following prompt comes after starting
the command:
Select reference line(s) or [UCs/CONFig] <UCs>: (Select one or more
reference lines)
As reference lines, select structural elements that have been accurately surveyed
and are very important (e.g. external walls of the building, load bearing walls, etc.). It
is imperative that they should be longer than the wall lines that are to be created.
Several reference lines can be selected.

Whilst the command is

running the reference
lines are highlighted
with blue arrows.

The three upper walls

have been aligned,
because they are almost
parallel or perpendicular
to the reference line.

This wall has not been

aligned because its
alignment does not
conform to the reference
direction.

What happened in detail?

The direction of the line is checked to see if it lies
within the angular tolerance of a reference
Dev. 2 direction. If it is then the midpoint of the line is
used as the rotation point for a slight rotation. The
deviation on both ends of the line are therefore
Dev.1 = Dev.2 equal.

Dev. 1
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Modeling – Fit polygon

Command Name: PCFITCONT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler and Building Plans

With this command you can fit polygons as good as possible to a point cloud section.
The software uses a highly sophisticated algorithm to do so.
For preparation define a slice by using the command Sections – Define slice
(UCS). Thus the contours to be modelled emerge, e.g. the profile of a facade or a
layout. If previously no slice has been defined or if there are several slices visible
(Define sections – Section Manager) following message pops up when running the
command.

An approximation has to be entered for every polygon to be fitted. This approximation

polygon can be drawn roughly along the point cloud slice. It is important that
polygon do not overlap each other. If they do an error message will open.
The approximations can be defined either during the command run by clicking single
points or by selecting an existing polyline. After starting the fitting process the
approximations are aligned with the point cloud slice within seconds. Please note
that the number of vertices of the resulting polygon always complies with the one of
the approximation polygon.
The command run is as follows.
Command: KUBT_PC_FIT_CONTOUR

First the software checks if the current user coordinate system is aligned with this
slice (Digitizing tools – UCS from slice) and if the plan view is enabled. If that is
not the case, it is done automatically after a brief inquiry call.
122

Next, you are asked to enter the points for an approximation polygon.
Specify first point of approximation or [Select objects/paraMeters]: (click a point)
Next point or [Undo/paraMeters]: (click another point)
Next point or [Finish/Undo/Another polyline/paraMeters] <Finish>: (click another point or
undo or start anotherpolyline or start the fitting)
Next point or [Finish/Undo/Another polyline//paraMetersClose] <Finish>: (click another
point or undo or start another polyline or close or start the fitting)

After the input of the first polygon segment you may already start the fitting (default
option <Finish>). To revise the point selection use the option [Undo] which is
available during drawing.If you like to fit several polygons you may select the option
[Another polyline] to start the next polyline. After you entered at least two segments
you also have the option to [Close] the polyline. After having closed a polygon or
after having chosen the option [Another polyline] you are asked to define the first
point of the new polygon.
Specify first point for new polygon or [Finish/Undo/paraMeters] <Finish>:

Of course also here the option <Finish> for the final automatic fitting or the ESC
button for canceling the command are available.
Optional ([Select objects]) it possible to use existing polylines from the drawing as
approximation.
Specify first point of approximation or [Select objects/paraMeters]: S
Selected objects: Copy
Select approximated polylines or [Toggle copy replace/Draw approximation]: (Selection of
polyline(s)by clicking)
1 found (With ENTER you confirm your selection and run the process)

By the option [Draw approximation] you get back to the direct point wise definition of
polylines. Using the option [Toggle copy replace] you may specify if the approximated
polylines shall be copied or replaced. The current state is always shown before of the
input prompt, e.g.:
Selected objects: Copy
 123

You may use 2D or 3D polylines as approximation information. During the fitting

process 3D polylines are converted to 2D polylines which are placed on the XY plane
of the UCS of the slice.

Hint:
If you for instance wish to model a tunnel from a point cloud or generate multiple
cross section profiles, you may use theSections – Define multiple slices
command in combination with the Modeling – Fit polygon in multiple slices
command for fast automated processing.

Note: The quality of the results of fitting can be influenced by how the point cloud
parameters are set. Use the “paraMeters” option to do so. For detailed information on
the dialog that opens please refer to Point clouds – Set point cloud parameters….
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Modeling– Fit a polygon with variable number of vertices

Command name: PCFITCONTVAR

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler and Building Plans

With this command polygons can be best fitted to a point cloud slice, whereby in
contrast to the command "Polygon fit" new corner points are automatically added,
to nestle the best possible shape onto the slice.

The use of the command is analogue to that for the previously described command
"Polygon fit".

Tip for the approximated polygon:

Where you want to create a polyline that is as true as possible to the shape of the
point cloud you should enter a few more corner points and where it is definitely a
straight edge then as few as possible.

Note: The quality of the results of fitting can be influenced by how the point cloud
parameters are set. Use the “paraMeters” option to do so. For detailed information on
the dialog that opens please refer to Point clouds – Set point cloud parameters….

Please click the start point and the end point of the approximate polygon as close to
their true position as possible since these two points are only moved slightly
(maximum by the value you have set fort he point cloud noise (n)).
 125

Modeling– Fit polygon in multiple slices

Command name MFIT

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler and Building Plans

With this command polygons can be best fitted to several point cloud slices and –
optional – 3D surfaces or solids can be derived from them. It lends itself, for example,
to creating many cross sections or contour lines.

First cut the point cloud of your object into the desired number of slices. For this you
can best use the command Sections – Define multiple slices.

Ensure that in the section manager all slices that are to have a polygon fitted to them
are switched to visible.
Run the command MFIT.
126

Click the button [Select/draw approximated polygon]. The dialogue box is then
hidden, the view is changed to plan view in the current UCS and the first found slice
is displayed on its own. The following prompt appears in the command line:
Specify first point of approximation or [Select objects/parameters/First slice/Previous slice/Next
slice/Last slice]:

You can now change to another slice, for which you want to get the approximated
polygon. Then draw an approximated polygon in this slice. If at the end you want to
create a solid, then the approximated polygons must be closed, otherwise a 3D
surface will be created.
 127

Quit with the option “Finish”. The dialogue box is once again displayed:

Select, if applicable, the available options and start the fitting with [OK].
128

The computation can – depending on the level of detail of the polygon – take a little
time. The automatic insertion of additional polygon nodes during the fitting can
significantly increase the computation time. Using the slider “Detailing” you can set
whether just a few or many new polygon nodes should be inserted.
The results then look something like this:

Fitted polylines

Computed 3D solids in the hidden and realistic views.

 129

Note: The creation of solids or surfaces can sometimes fail, dependant on the fitted
polygons. That is connected with the AutoCAD algorithm.

Note: The quality of the results of fitting can be influenced by how the point cloud
parameters are set. (Point clouds – Set point cloud parameters…)
130

Modeling– Fit profile

Command name PCPF

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can fit a profile onto a point cloud and thereby model such
things as balustrades, handrails, kerb edges or (steel) beams that are bent and
twisted within themselves.
The profile cross section should be constant, but can be slightly wound and bent. The
fitting algorithm automatically follows the course of the profile in the point cloud and in
both directions, forwards and backwards.
The only thing that must be entered, without fail, is a 2D or 3D polyline, that
describes as near as possible the correct profile cross section.
Hereto the example of a kerb edge:

You can see in the image above, at fixed intervals, the fitted profile cross sections in
red and a blue surface, which models the full profile (kerb edge).
 131

Before starting the command:

Load point cloud into your drawing.
At any point on the kerb line draw a 3D polyline, which models the profile cross
section.

Now start the command.

In the drawing, select under the button [Profile (red) ...] the 3D polyline that you have
just created.
132

As the next step you must enter the distance between the profile sections, which
must then be individually fitted onto the point cloud. The greater is this distance, the
more robust is the procedure against interference and noise, small values can on the
other hand react better to local variations. You must find the optimal distance by trial
and error. You can accept the default value (1/3 of the polyline length of the cross
section or pick the distance out of the drawing [From drawing ...]:

A further option is to define in the point cloud both of the end points of the total
profile. If you don’t enter both of the end points, the fitting will be carried out until, for
 133

example, no more point cloud points can be found or until the starting point has been
reached. Naturally you can cancel the fitting in both directions by pressing [ESC], but
then there remains a large number of incorrectly fitted and unused profile cross
sections, which have then to be manually deleted. For these reasons we recommend
that both of the end points should be defined.

Lastly you need to decide what the command is to create. The individually fitted
profile cross sections along the course of the profile with the distance between them
“half profile length” and/or a fitted surface. If the default profile cross section is an
open polyline then an AutoCAD surface will be created, but if the polyline is closed
then an AutoCAD solid will be created.

After the fitting process has been completed the following message will be displayed:

Now you can click on incorrectly fitted profile cross sections, so that they can be
excluded from the creation of the surface:
134

As the result you receive in this example fitted profile cross sections and an AutoCAD
surface:

The layers for the profile cross sections and the surfaces can, if required, be
individually set under settings:
135
136

Modeling– Draw circle (3 points)

Command name PC3DCIRCLE

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

The command ‘PC3DCIRCLE’ draws a circle through three or two points to be given.
You can choose between a real 3D circle (3D mode) and a projected circle (2D
mode). The projected circle lies in a plane parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS
with the Z coordinate of the first inserted point.
In contrast to the AutoCAD command ‘Circle’, which only accepts 2D coordinates, the
FARO command ‘PC3DCIRCLE’ accepts 2D and 3D coordinates. Therefore, always
use this command when you want to measure a circle with your instrument in the 3D
mode.
2D/3D mode
Following an example to explain the 2D and 3D modes further. A column is to be
constructed. Its base should take the shape of a circle in the ground plan. Three
points are clicked on the surface of the cylinder, (usually at different heights). The
following outline shows the difference in reaction between both modes.

The circle takes the

3D mode: shape of an ellipsis in
The circle is the ground plan.
constructed three Thus, this mode
dimensional and runs should not be used
through the three points for ground plans but
can be of use in
different situations.
GROUNDPLAN.DWG

2D mode: The circle takes the

The circle is shape of a circle in
constructed in a plane the ground plan.
parallel to the XY plane This mode is useful
of the current UCS for creating 2D
(parallel to the ground ground plans.
plan). The two points
clicked last are set
perpendicular to the GROUNDPLAN.DWG
height of the first point.

Construction 2points / 3points:

For 3points, any three points on the circle are clicked. With this the circle
has been well-defined.
For 2points, two points have to be clicked which are exactly opposite
each other. This option is advisable for the measurement of circular
objects on the ground like covers or post holes (archaeology). This option
is only available in the 2D mode.
 137

The AutoCAD circle through the 3 (or 2) specified points will be created on the
current layer.
138

Modeling – Draw arc (3 points)

Command name PC3DARC

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

The command “PC3DARC” draws a segment of an arc through three determined

points. You can choose between a real 3D arc (3D mode) and a projected arc (2D
mode). The projected arc lies in a plane parallel to the XY plane of the current UCS
with the Z coordinate of the first determined point.
In contrast to the AutoCAD command “ARC”, which only accepts 2D coordinates, the
FARO command “PC3DARC” accepts 2D and 3D coordinates. Therefore, always use
this command when you want to measure an arc with your instrument in the 3D
mode.
Also see Modeling – Draw circle (3 points)for further explanation of the 2D and
3D modes. This command works in the same way, but instead of an arc a full circle is
drawn through the measured points.
The AutoCAD arc through the 3 specified points will be created on the current layer.
 139

Modeling – Plane – Fit plane

Command Name: KPFIT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

A best fit plane is calculated for a selected set of points and is inserted into the
drawing as kubit plane.
The calculation is done according to the least squares method. That means: the sum
of the squares of the orthogonal distances of all selected points of the plane are
minimized.
Point cloud
Object list; contains Object selection buttons. Clicked points,
parameters
all objects selected point cloud sections and other AutoCAD
influence the
for the fitting. objects may be selected for the plane
quality of the result
calculation.

Setting of
restrictions for
the plane.

Status information of Plane is inserted on

Activate/deactivate or remove objects
the best fit plane the KUBITPLANE
that are used for the plane fitting.
layer.
140

When clicking OK, the kubit plane is inserted into the drawing. By default it is placed
on the KUBITPLANE layer. By default the plane is indefinite and fixed in its
supporting plane. Depending on the selected objects, the plane boundary results
either from the boundary of the selected point cloud section (when exactly one point
cloud section had been selected) or from the convex shell of all points and
boundaries (for point cloud sections).

Object selection for the plane

You can use different types of objects for the plane calculation:
 Clicked points
 AutoCAD objects, lines and block references (insertion point)
 Point cloud sections
 Points from two oriented images (method spatial intersection);only available if
the image management is turned on or at least two oriented images are in the
drawing.
The object selection is controlled by three object selection buttons.
The objects used for the calculation are shown in the object list. The error information
(mean and maximum distance from the plane) are displayed for each object in
AutoCAD units. The accuracy of display depends on the AutoCAD settings. (Menu:
Format  Units).
Certain objects (clicked points, AutoCAD points, block references and lines) can be
fixed on the plane to be fitted. To do so activate the object in the column “Fixed” in
the object list. The fixed objects become bases of the plane (error value=0). All other
objects are used for the fitting process. The number of points that can be fixed
depends on, among other factors, whether a restriction has been defined and if so
which.

Restrictions
Here you can define certain restrictions for the plane to be fitted. To do so combine
the alignment (parallel or vertical) with a reference object (kubit plane, AutoCAD line,
UCS plane).
 141

Restrictions for the

plane fitting.

Status

Select reference
object (kubit plane or
AutoCAD line) from
drawing.

Reference object for the

plane orientation
restriction

You find further information regarding the kubit plane in chapter 4.1kubit Planes.
Note: The quality of the fitting result can be influenced by setting the point cloud
parameters (Point clouds – Set point cloud parameters…).
142

Modeling – Plane – Plane (1-click)

Command Name: KUBT_ONE_CLICK_PLANE

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can create a kubit plane with a single click, and, for example,
use them in the later creation of façade drawings or solid models.
After starting the command:

Command: KUBT_ONE_CLICK_PLANE
Select one point on (point cloud-) plane or [PArameter/Increase/Decrease] <PArameter>:
(Pick a point on the plane on which you want to model)

You will be prompted to pick a point on the plane on which you want to model:

When you have done this, around this position an optimum plane will be looked for,
averaged and inserted into the drawing. For the points used in the plane fitting a
section will be inserted in the section manager with the name “Plane fit, StdDev ...”,
as long as the tick box in the parameter settings dialogue box has been activated:
 143

Inserted kubit plane.

Region, that was used for the plane

fitting. The standard deviation of the
points to the plane are also listed.

The plane will be looked for within a search radius. The default value is set to 1.5
metre. The best value for the search radius should be approximately the size of the
structure For the example above a facade e.g. 5 m.
Run the command and select the option “Parameter”:

Command: KUBT_ONE_CLICK_PLANE
Select one point on (point cloud-) plane or [PArameter/Increase/Decrease] <PArameter>:p
(Select the option Parameter)

A dialogue box opens:

Search radius. Set the value for a

façade to 5 m, for example
144

There you can set the search radius in the “Search radius” box. Set the value to 5 m,
for example and confirm it with [OK]. You will be again prompted to pick a point on
the plane on which you want to model:
Command: KUBT_ONE_CLICK_PLANE
Select one point on (point cloud-) plane or [PArameter/Increase/Decrease] <PArameter>:
(Pick a point on the plane on which you want to model)

You can see that the size of the green circle representing the search radius has
changed. The result is that you become an appropriately larger kubit plane.
 145

Another possibility to change the size of the search radius is by the command-line
options “Increase” and “Decrease”. Using this option, the search radius can be
increased or decreased in approximately 20% steps.
As well as the search radius the command also uses the set value for the point cloud
noise. This will be displayed as information in the Parameter dialogue box:

The set noise value is displayed

as information.

The point cloud noise is the deviation of the scanned plane from the ideal plane. The
noise must take into account the surface properties (e.g. a textured render with at
least 5 mm texture) and also the curvature properties of the surface (e.g. the swelling
of a parquet floor of 5 mm). For the façade above a noise of 1 cm would be used.
Your planes can deviate at the edges, within the set noise value, from the actually
scanned plane, so try to set this value only as large as is necessary.

Output:
Hereby, you determine which AutoCAD object should be created from the computed
plane.
• Unlimited plane: A user defined object of the type “KUBITPLANE” will be created.
The plane will be considered as infinitely expanded.
• Limited plane: A user defined object of the type “KUBITPLANE” will be created.
The plane is limited to the border of the plane.

You will find further information regarding the kubit plane in chapter 4.1kubit Planes.
146

Modeling – Plane – Draw plane

Command Name: KPCREATE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can draw a plane by clicking points. The first three selected
points define the supporting plane. All further points just refine the boundary.
Select first point: (Select first point)
Select second point: (Select second point)
Select point: (Select point
and, if necessary, further points for the boundary)
The plane is then pasted into the AutoCAD drawing. By default it is put on the layer
KUBITPLANE. The plane is indefinite and locked in its supporting plane.
You will find further information regarding the kubit plane in chapter 4.1kubit Planes.
 147

Modeling – Plane – Intersection line (2 Planes)

Command Name: KPINTERSECT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command creates the line of intersection between two kubit planes. For this the
planes must not be parallel.
Select first plane for intersection:
Select second plane:
You will find further information regarding the kubit plane in chapter 4.1kubit Planes.
148

Modeling – Plane – Intersection point (3+ Planes)

Command Name: KPINTERSECTPOINT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command creates the point of intersection between three or more kubit planes.
The planes must not be parallel in pairs.
Select planes for creating intersection point (at least 3, pair wise non-parallel):
If more than three planes have been selected, a mean point of intersection is
created. This point results from the center of all points of intersection of three planes
each. In this case error values are displayed:
mean distance between planes and intersection point: 0.03
longest distance between planes and intersection point: 0.12
You will find further information regarding the kubit plane in chapter 4.1kubit Planes.
 149

Modeling – Plane – Intersection lines (3 Planes)

Command Name: KPINTERSECTTRIAD
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command creates a triad of intersection lines between three kubit planes. The
planes must not be parallel in pairs.
Select first plane:
Select second plane [UNdo]:
Select third plane [UNdo]:

The three lines forthe edges are drawn on the current layer. The length of these lines
is defined by the displayed boundariesof the kubit planes. Due to this fact it may
happen that the edges of the triad do not end at the intersection point - as one might
expect. See figure below.

You find further information regarding kubit planes andadvice on how to model 3D
using this command in chapter 4 of this manual.
150

Modeling – Plane – Perpendicular projection of points onto plane

Command Name: KPPERPRETURN
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you may project 3D points onto a kubit plane. The result is an
AutoCAD point object.

Select projection plane:

Direction of return: (snap or measure a point)
Direction of return: *Cancel*

You find further information regarding kubit planes andadvice on how to model 3D
using this command in chapter 4 of this manual.
 151

Modeling – Plane – Extend (2 Planes)

Command Name: KPEXTEND
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command extends and trims two kubit planes to their common trimming edge.
The processes of extending and trimming run symmetrically so that it does not matter
which plane is selected first.
Select first plane to trim or extend:
Select second plane:
Note
You can also use planes to extend or trim line objects (lines, arches, and polylines).
Use the AutoCAD commands Extend and Trim.
You will find further information regarding the kubit plane in chapter 4.1kubit Planes.
152

Modeling – Plane – Automatic rim

Command Name: KUBIT_REGION_GROW

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can automatically define the border of a plane, for example to
create façade drawings or to model an object from a compound collection of planes.
To this end the command grows the plane by means of the point cloud plane. You
can grow both an already existing kubit plane and also with just a single click define a
new plane and grow it.

Alternative 1 (grow an already existing plane):

After starting the command:

Command: KUBIT_REGION_GROW
Select a plane or [PArameter/Automatic plane]: (Select
The kubit plane that you want to bound)

Select the plane that you want to automatically border. Thereafter you will be
prompted to pick a point inside of the point cloud plane which should be used to
constrain the kubit plane.

Select one point on the (point cloud-) plane or [Back/PArameter]: (Select

a point on the point cloud plane)

Select here for the above façade, for example, a point anywhere on the façade.
 153

Alternative 2 (a new grown plane with a single click)

After starting the command:

Command: KUBIT_REGION_GROW
Select a plane or [PArameter/Automatic plane]: (Select
The option “Automatic plane”)
Select the option ‘’Automatic plane”. You will be prompted to pick a point on the point
cloud plane, that you want to have modelled as grown kubit plane

Select one point on (point cloud-) plane or [PArameter/Select plane/Increase/Decrease]

<PArameter>: (Selecta point on the point cloud plane)

Thereupon you become the bordered kubit plane ensuing from the scanned point
cloud plane. The command looks for the best plane and then averages it out. You will
find the point data used in the fitting computation including the standard deviation
data in the section manager under the name ”Plane StdDev ...”, as long as the tick
box in the parameter settings dialogue box has been activated:
154

Parameters used for Alternative 2 (a new grown plane with a single click):
The command uses various parameters that can influence the quality of your results.
After starting the command select the option “Parameter”. The following parameter
dialogue box opens:

The alternative 2, which automatically creates a new plane with just a single click,
uses when searching for the plane the parameters “Deviation from the plane (noise)”
and “Search radius for automatic plane”.
Deviation from the plane (noise):
This parameter defines how large the deviation of the scanned point cloud plane can
be from the ideal plane. This value must incorporate both the surface properties (e.g.
a strongly textured rough render with 5 mm deviation) and also the curvature
properties of the surface (e.g. an additional 5 mm deviation for the swelling of a floor).
The plane that has been found can deviate at the edges by about this set value. If
this value is too large, then the ideal plane that has been found will be imprecise.
If the value is too small, then the surface can be only partially recognised and will be
fringed towards the edges.
 155

Search radius:
This parameter defines within which radius the plane should be looked for. This value
should be approximately the size of the structure to be searched. For example for the
above façade about 5 m. As the command automatically adapts this value, it mainly
influences the speed of computation. The search radius can be can also be changed
with the command-line options “Increase” and “Decrease”. Using these options, the
search radius can be increased or decreased in approximately 20% steps.

Output:
Hereby, you determine which AutoCAD object should be created from the expanded
plane.
• 2D Polyline: The plane’s border is represented by a 2D polyline.
• Unlimited plane: A user defined object of the type “KUBITPLANE” will be created.
The plane, when displayed, is represented by the computed border, but internally
considered as infinitely expanded.
• Limited plane: A user defined object of the type “KUBITPLANE” will be created.
The plane is limited to the computed border of the plane.

Parameters used by both alternatives:

As well as the parameters that have just been explained “Deviation from the plane
(noise)” and “Search radius for automatic plane”, all of the other parameters are used
by both alternatives. You can also influence the result with the assistance of these
parameters.
156

Point distance for plane growing:

This value defines how far points in your point cloud should be from one another so
that they can be assumed to be related.
If this value is too small, then the plane will break off too soon at the edges. The
plane will be fringed on the edges (holes will no longer be considered as being
related):

If the value is too large, the border will be imprecise.

 157

Grow across objects with slice thickness:

By default the points will be used to grow the plane that are above and below the
plane and within the noise value. Should you wish, for example, to contour a room up
to the walls, then you must consider that on the edges of the walls there are skirting
boards. The plane border would normally end on these skirting boards. Which points,
that lie above and below the plane, that are used to allow this object to grow
outwards, will be influenced by this parameter.

Smoothing, tolerance within which points belong to the same line segment:
This value controls by how much the resulting border should be smoothed. The larger
this value is the fewer vertices has the resulting border.
For example, on a parquet floor with a smoothing deviation of 1 cm the following
resulting border has 150 vertices:

However if you use a smoothing deviation of 3 cm, then the resulting bounding
polygon has only 63 vertices:
158

Output options:
You can select between a 2D polyline or a kubit plane as output. If you choose the
option 2D polyline, the holes within the surface will be displayed as red polylines.

You will find further information regarding the kubit plane in chapter 4.1kubit Planes.
 159

Modeling – Plane – New Rim

Command Name: KPNEWRIM
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command allows you to draw a new boundary (rim) for a kubit plane. The
supporting plane as well as all properties of the plane are kept when doing so.
Select a kubit plane: (Select that plane for which you want
to draw a new boundary)
Select first point:
Select second point:
Select point: (Draw the new boundary.
The clicked points will be projected onto the Supporting plane along the view ray. )
You will find further information regarding the kubit plane in chapter 4.1kubit Planes.
160

Modeling – Plane – Modify Rim

Command Name: KPMODIFYRIM
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can modify the boundary of a kubit plane; for example “cut”
an edge or enlarge the boundary on one side.
Select a kubit plane:
Click point on plane’s rim: (Click a point near the boundary)
Should the clicked point be too far away from the edge, the following error message
will appear:
The point is not on the plane’s rim!
Click point on plane’s rim: (Click closer to the edge.)
Else you can continue with changing the boundary:
Select point for plane's rim or [Finish]:
Select point for plane's rim or [Finish/Back]: (Draw the new part of the boundary.
Select Finish to finish the command.)
Should the last point already lie near the boundary, the command will be finished.
Otherwise you are prompted again to click a point on the edge (or near it
respectively).
To finish click point on the rim.
Now you have to decide which part of the plane you want to keep. In order to do so
move the crosshairs inside or outside the respective boundary. Depending on where
the crosshairs is situated, one of the three possible boundaries will be displayed.
Then confirm your selection by clicking the left mouse button.

Crosshairs outside, outer Crosshairs in the lower Crosshairs in the upper

boundary selected area area
 161

Modeling – Cylinder – Fit cylinder using 2 click points

Command Name: PCCC

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

You can generate an adjusting cylinder through a set of points using this command.
For estimating the rough position of the cylinder you click two points on the cylinder
surface. Ensure you have enabled the object snap “node”.
Command: PCCC
>>Cylinder<<
Specify point on cylinder or [paraMeters] <paraMeters>: (Snap first point on the cylinder surface)
Specify point on cylinder or [paraMeters] <paraMeters>: (Snap second point
on the cylinder surface)
The cylinder will be fitted and a kubit cylinder is inserted in the drawing.
If the fitting fails following message appears:
No cylinder detected. Please, check point cloud parameters (noise etc.)
There are different reasons for this, e.g.
• The point cloud parameters are not set correctly set point cloud
parameters, can be accessed directly via command line option
“paraMeters”
• You did not snap the points on the surface of the cylinder to be fitted. Choose
a different view or cut out a part of the cloud to help you snap the points
properly.

1) Click two points on the cylinder surface

162

2) Cylinder fitted
If the cylinder fitting fails repeatedly with this command, you can use the command
"PCFITCYL2" (Modeling – Cylinder – Fit cylinder using visible points (clipped)).
This command works with an exact cut of the point cloud sections which belong to
the cylinder.

Note: The quality of the fitting result can be influenced by setting the point cloud
parameters (command line option “paraMeters”Set point cloud parameters…
).
 163

Modeling – Cylinder – Fit cylinder using visible points (clipped)

Command Name: PCFITCYL2

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

You can generate an adjusting cylinder through a set of points using this command.
Cut points belonging to the cylinder using the general commands to define section
definitions. Single points that do not belong to the wanted cylinder, as for example a
valve or a fragment of an adjacent cylinder, will automatically be filtered out.
Hint: If you want to fit many cylinders one after the other, a successive approach is
recommended, e.g. beginning with the definition of a slice including many cylinders.

Name the slice in the section manager and then cut out several cylinders. Using the
section manager you may always go back to the named slice to cut out additional
cylinders. Furthermore, you may turn back to the previous section with the command
Sections – Previous section definition.
164

Fit the cylinders with command: PCFITCYL2. If there are more than 100.000 points in
the selection you will be warned and asked whether you want to continue the fitting
process.
Now, the outliers will be filtered out of the visible point set and the optimal cylinder
will be calculated by minimizing the square distances.
Command: PCFITCYL2
Errors: 2.458 (mean) 18.9348 (max) (error values in AutoCAD units)
Used points: 12113, Outliers: 404 (adaptation information)
Finish (ESC or ENTER)? (ENTER key, in order to generate the cylinder,
ESC in order to abort, the cylinder will not be generated)
The result will be an AutoCAD cylinder of the "kubit cylinder" type with fixed axis on
the current layer.

You find further information according kubit cylinders in chapter 4.3kubit Cylinders of
this manual.

Note: The quality of the fitting result can be influenced by setting the point cloud
parameters (Set point cloud parameters… ).
 165

Modeling – Cylinder – Fit cylinder

Command Name: KCFIT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

A best fit cylinder is calculated for a selected set of points and is inserted into the
drawing as kubit cylinder.
For a free cylinder at least nine points on the lateral surface are needed for fitting.
With restrictions three points on the lateral surface are sufficient.
The calculation is done according to the least squares method. That means: the sum
of the squares of the orthogonal distances of all selected points from the surface of
the resulting cylinder is minimized.

Object list; contains Object selection buttons. Clicked Setting of

all objects selected points and other AutoCAD objects restrictions for
for the fitting. may be selected for the cylinder the cylinder.
calculation.

Status information of Activate/deactivate or remove objects Cylinder is inserted

the best fit cylinder that are used for the plane fitting.
on the current layer.

When clicking [OK], the kubit cylinder is inserted into the drawing. By default it is
placed on the current layer. The cylinder axis is locked by default. The extent of the
cylinder results from the convex shell of all points used.
166

Object selection for the cylinder

You can use different types of objects for the cylinder calculation:
 Clicked points
 AutoCAD objects, points, lines and block references (insertion point)
 Points from multiple oriented images (method spatial intersection); only
available if the image management is turned on or at least two oriented images
are in the drawing.
The object selection is controlled by the object selection buttons.
The objects used for the calculation are shown in the object list. The error information
(mean and maximum distance from the cylinder surface) are displayed for each
object in AutoCAD units. The accuracy of display depends on the AutoCAD settings.
(Menu: Format  Units).
Certain objects (clicked points, AutoCAD points, block references and lines) can be
fixed on the cylinder surface to be adapted. To do so activate the object in the
column “Fixed” in the object list. The fixed objects become bases of the cylinder
surface (error value=0). All other objects are used for the fitting process. The number
of points that can be fixed depends on, among other factors, whether a restriction
has been defined and if so which.

Restrictions
Here you can define certain restrictions for the cylinder to be fitted. To do so combine
the alignment (parallel or vertical) with a reference object (kubit plane, kubit cylinder,
AutoCAD line, UCS plane).
Restrictions for the Status
cylinder fitting.

Reference object for Select reference

the cylinder object (kubit plane or
orientation restriction AutoCAD line or
kubit cylinder) from
drawing.

You find further information according kubit cylinders in chapter 4.3kubit Cylindersof
this manual.
 167

Modeling – Cylinder – Draw cylinder

Command Name: KCNEW
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

By clicking the axis points and stating the radius you generate a new cylinder with
this command.
Command: KCNEW
Specify start of cylinder axis:
Specify end of cylinder axis:
Diameter <1.000.000> (pull the cylinder to the wanted size,
enter the diameter
or ENTER key in order to take over the last diameter)
You may change the attributes of the cylinder at any time via the AutoCAD properties
window.
The generated cylinder is not fixed to its axis.
You find further information according kubit cylinders in chapter 4.3kubit Cylinders of
this manual.
168

Modeling – Cylinder – Generate AutoCAD 3D solid

Command Name: KCSOLID
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

You may transform kubit cylinders into AutoCAD solids with this command.
Command: KCSOLID
Select cylinder:
Select objects: (click on cylinder to be transformed)
Erase or keep original cylinders? [Keep/Erase] <Keep>: K
(K or ENTER key, in order to keep the original cylinder,
E in order to delete the original cylinder.)
1 cylinder(s) successfully converted.
Kubit cylinders serve as design aid. They are custom entities, with which you can
only work when using the our software. If you want to forward the project to a third
party, you have to change the objects into a format, which is compatible with the bare
AutoCAD. Therefore the last step in editing the measured cylinders is to transform
them into AutoCAD solids. Those cannot be changed in their geometry. Therefore the
transformation should only take place when the geometry is correct.
You will recognize the transformation, when the cylinders do not look hollow but solid.
 169

Modeling – Truncated cones – Fit circular truncated cone

Command name: FCCREATECIRCLE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

Truncated cones with a circle as their base shape can be modelled with this function.
This kubit cone is especially suitable for modelling from point clouds. The cone's axis
can be locked, so that when stretching or shortening lengthwise the position of the
surface skin on the point cloud stays as it is (AutoCAD properties
window).Furthermore kubit cone can be used as a reference surface for a
deformation analysis and to create a deformation true solid (Modeling – Analyze
frustum of a cone in a point cloud).
The creation of the cone is done in three steps:
1. As the first step, the circle is defined in 3D space, that will determine the
profile and the position of the axis of the cone. The circle requires at least
three construction points on the circumference of the circle. From the selected
points the average plane is determined, to which the cone's axis will be
perpendicular, and then the circle is computed. With more than three points
the averaged circle is determined. The number of points that have already
been selected is displayed during input.
2. The height from the profile either upwards or downwards as well as the slope
angle of the surface skin is determined from the subsequently entered points.
It is sufficient to use just one point. For better accuracy it is recommended to
select multiple points. These points have no influence on the cone's axis.
3. At the end it is stated whether the cone's axis, when creating the cone, should
be fixed (that means locked)."Fixed axis", as used here, means that the
truncated cone can only be modified in its height. This property can also be
separately edited in the properties dialog.
For an upright standing cone shaped tank one would proceed as follows:
1. The point cloud will be loaded that will be used to model the scanned tank
(Point cloud - Insert point cloud).
2. Next the visible point cloud region would be cut back to two thin slices. For this
use the command Sections - Define slice(UCS) (PCS) or Sections -
Define multiple slices (PCMSC)
3. Now the truncated cone is created. Here, to determine the circular profile, a
few points in the lower thin point cloud slice are selected. To define the height,
the points in the upper thin slice are used. The cone's axis should be fixed
(locked).
4. Lastly, the whole of the point cloud region is again made visible and the grips
to stretch the already created kubit cone can be used to again move the upper
and lower cap surfaces to fit it onto the whole of the cone shaped region of the
point cloud. Thereby the position of the surface skin and the axis stay as they
were, it's just the length that is adjusted.
170

Shown in the figure above, from left to right, in top view and as perspective view, are
the following:
• the point cloud of the scanned truncated cone (tank or tower),
• the two thin point cloud slices and
• the resulting circular truncated cone.
 171

Modeling – Truncated cones – Fit elliptical truncated cone

Command name: FCCREATEELLIPSIS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

Truncated cones with an ellipse as their base shape can be modelled with this
function. This kubit cone is especially suitable for modelling from point clouds.The
cone's axis can be locked, so that when stretching or shortening lengthwise the
position of the surface skin on the point cloud stays as it is (AutoCAD properties
window).Furthermore kubit cone can be used as a reference surface for a
deformation analysis and to create a deformation true solid (Modeling – Analyze
frustum of a cone in a point cloud).
The creation of the cone is done in three steps:
1. As the first step, the ellipse is defined in 3D space, that will determine the
profile and the position of the axis of the cone. The ellipse requires at least five
construction points on the circumference. From the selected points the
average plane is determined, to which the cone's axis will be perpendicular,
and then the ellipse is computed. Should more than five points be selected the
average ellipse to fit the points will be determined. The number of points that
have already been selected is displayed during input.
2. The height from the profile either upwards or downwards as well as the slope
angle of the surface skin is determined from the subsequently entered points.
It is sufficient to use just one point on the surface skin. For better accuracy it is
recommended to select multiple points. These points have no influence on the
cone's axis.
3. At the end it is stated whether the cone's axis, when creating the cone, should
be fixed (that means locked). "Fixed axis", as used here, means that the
truncated cone can only be modified in its height. This property can also be
separately edited in the properties dialog.
For an upright standing cone shaped tank one would proceed as follows:
1. The point cloud would be loaded that will be used to model the scanned tank
(Point cloud - Insert point cloud).
2. Next the visible point cloud region would be cut back to two thin slices. For this
use the command Sections - Define slice (UCS) (PCS) or Sections -
Define multiple slices (PCMSC)
3. Now the truncated cone is created. Here, to determine the elliptical profile, a
few points in the lower thin point cloud slice are selected. To define the height,
the points in the upper thin slice are used. The cone's axis should be fixed
(locked).
4. Lastly, the whole of the point cloud region is again made visible and the grips
to stretch the already created kubit cone can be used to again move the upper
and lower cap surfaces to fit it onto the whole of the cone shaped region of the
point cloud. Thereby the position of the surface skin and the axis stay as they
were, it's just the length that is adjusted.
172

Shown in the figure above, from left to right, in top view and as perspective view, are
the following:
• the point cloud of the scanned truncated cone (tank or tower),
• the two thin point cloud slices and
• The slightly elliptical truncated cone that was created with labelled axes
dimensions.
 173

Modeling – Truncated cones – Create a truncated cone

Command name: FCCREATE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

Truncated cones with an ellipse as their base shape can be freely created with this
function.
Note: This command is not very well suited for modelling truncated cones in point
clouds.To do that it is better to use the commands Modeling – Truncated cones –
Fit circular truncated cone and Modeling – Truncated cones – Fit elliptical
truncated cone.
The cone's axis can be locked, so that when stretching or shortening lengthwise the
position of the surface skin on the point cloud stays as it is (AutoCAD properties
window).

The creation of the cone is done in five steps:

1. Firstly the ellipse is created parallel to the UCS X-Y plane, which will represent
the profile of the truncated cone. First pick the centre point of this base ellipse.
2. Now pick the end point of the first semi-axis.
3. Then the length of the second semi-axis can be entered.
4. Now the height of the truncated cone is entered and
5. the input of the taper angle to the first semi-axis.
6. At the end it is stated whether the cone's axis, when creating the cone, should
be fixed (that means locked)."Fixed axis", as used here, means that the
truncated cone can only be modified in its height. This property can also be
separately edited in the properties dialog.
174

Modeling – Truncated cones – Explodeto AutoCAD 3D solid

Command name: FCTOSOLID
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

With this command you can convert kubit cones into AutoCAD solids (3D solids).
Command: FCTOSOLID
Select cone:
Select objects: (click on the cone(s) to be converted)
Delete or retain cone? [Retain/Delete] <Retain>:D
(R or ENTER key, to retain the original cone,
D, to delete the original cone)
1 cone successfully converted.
1 cone deleted.
kubit cones serve as modelling and construction aids. There are application specific
objects, which you can only work with in connection with our software. If you wish to
hand over the project to a third party, you must first bring it into a format that pure
AutoCAD can recognise. As the last step in the processing of the surveyed cone is
the job of converting it into an AutoCAD solid (3D solid).They can then no longer
accept any changes to their geometry, therefore this step should only be undertaken
when the geometry is correct.
You recognise the conversion in that the cone appears to be no longer "hollow", but
is displayed as a solid object.
 175

Modeling – Fit 3D solid

Command name: PCFITSOLID

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Modeler

This command fits any 3D solid into a point cloud.

176

Help – Manual
Command Name: PCHELP
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler

This command opens the manual as PDF file.

 177

As-Built – About
Command Name: KUBTABOUT
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler,

This provides information about the current version and about important paths.
Furthermore it enables the fast access to data within the most important software
directories, like the application data directory, the installation directory and the
directory which contains the configuration file.
The following window will open:

Clicking on these
buttons opens an
Explorer window with
the according
directory.

Link to the web page. Closes the window.

178

As-Built – Settings
Command Name: KCSETTINGS
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler

Here you can display and edit important configuration data of As-Built. As a result,
you can adjust As-Built to your individual needs.
Clicking the command will open following window:

On the left side you see all key entries. ‘Value’ on the right side gives you the actual
value of a selected key entry, which you may also change. ‘Default value’ states the
standard setting of As-Built. If you want to reset to the standard setting of a value
click .
The following table provides an overview over the possible adjustments, their
meaning and possible settings.
 179

Entry Possible Description

values
Administration
Configuration file for Path and file name Path and name of the configuration file with the
company guidelines company guidelines. Also see chapter “Adaption
and Configuration of As-Built”
Check for updates Yes/no
automatically
Show Getting Started Yes/No
dialog
Drawing
Drawing unit Millimetres ... Here you set the length unit for your AutoCAD
Parsec drawing. If one drawing unit corresponds exactly
one meter you have to select „meter“ here. This
setting which also can be done in other places in
As-Built also influences the size of As-Built blocks
and is used for the image orientation in As-Built.
Block scaling factor Any number > 0 Multiplication factor for block sizes and 3D
dimensions.
With this value you can adapt the size of the As-
Built blocks. The factor refers to the size in the
template file and the drawing unit currently set.
Layer
Object(s) for which the Any name Layer name for an image, a block or geometry.
layer is stated
Blocks (List of As-Built blocks)
Block name Any string Name of the block that is to be used for certain
As-Built elements.
Corresponds to the name of the file in the
directory DWGBASE that is to serve as template.
Attribute Any string Name of the attribute in a block template which
As-Built uses for certain commands.
Image generation
Automatic generation of image names
Prefix Any string Prefix for the automatic generation of image
names. [Name of the new image] = [Prefix][Name
of the original image][Suffix]
Suffix Any string Suffix for the automatic generation of image
names. [Name of the new image] = [Prefix][Name
of the original image][Suffix]
Image type Tif/ bmp / jpg / png Image format (file extension) for the automatic
generation of image names. Typical are "tif",
"bmp", "jpg" and "png". If you leave this field
empty the file format and extension of the original
are applied.
Image path Folder Default path (folder) for the automatic storage and
naming of images.
180

You could for instance write "D:\Project\Images".

If you leave this field empty the folder of the

original image is assumed as destination for the
images.

Specifications relative to the location of the

original image are allowed as well. Following
syntax is applied:

• „\Images“ – directory “Images“ directly

under the root of the current drive, that
means the drive of work directory of
AutoCAD. Generally this value will be
dissolved to “C:\Images“.
• “.\Images“ – The point in front of the back
slash means the directory of the original
image. If the original image is stored
under “D:\Project“ the resulting image will
be stored under “D:\Project\Images“.
• “..\Images“ – “..“ means one level above
the directory of the original image
directory. If the original image is stored
under “D:\Project“ the resulting image will
be stored under “D:\Images“.
Path type Absolute, Relative, Path type of the image file that shall be used
No path when saving the image in the drawing: "Absolute":
the whole path of the image is stored. "Relative":
the image path is stored in relation to the drawing
file. "No path": no path is stored (makes only
sense if image and drawing are in the same
folder).
“Pathtype“ is not related with the “Image path“.

Use TIFF compatibility yes / no TIFF saving option for compatibility with AutoCAD
mode 2000 to 2006
Directory of camera Any string If you leave this field empty (default) the folder of
parameter files the original image is used. Otherwise the defined
folder is searched for the camera parameter files
(*.vp2).
Use automatic zoom to yes / no Image rectification / image orientation: Do you
image point want to enable automatic zoom to the image point
after the control point has been selected, as soon
as an estimation for the position can be
calculated? Default: yes
Multi image evaluation (3D Drawing)
Maximum distance of the 0.1 Maximum distance of the image rays (in drawing
image rays (in drawing units) for the 3D drawing with multiple oriented
units) images. If the distance is larger than this value a
warning message is displayed. This Threshold
refers to a distance of 10 metres from the camera
position and is being scaled accordingly.
Minimum angle of the 10 Minimum angle of the image rays (unit Degree) for
 181

image the 3D drawing with multiple oriented images. If

rays (unit degree) the angle is smaller than this value a warning
message is displayed.
Point Clouds
System
Set object snap for point yes / no Object snap settings will automatically be adjusted
clouds tobe suitable for point clouds.
Set system variable yes / no Specifies whether the system variable
PLINETYPE PLINETYPE shall be modified at AutoCAD startup
to create only polylines that are compatible with
As-Built.
Default value for making Number 0 to 90 While drawing and modeling you can set the pint
point clouds transparent clouds transparent using the according option in
the Section manager. The default value defines
the transparency level that is set in the Section
manager when opening a new drawing.
ScanLabel
Size (in metres) Any number > 0 Size of a Scan Label in (meters) (>0)
Colour number >=1 and Colour of the layer the Scan Labels are stored on
<=255 (AutoCAD index colour)
Text style string Name oft he text style for the Scan Label
annotation
Layer name string Name of the layer the Scan Labels are stored on
ScanNav
Isolate scan yes / no Specifies whether the selected scan shall be
isolated for scan navigation
Temporary point cloud Number 0 to 90 Defines the temporary transparency level when
transparency selecting a ScanLabel
Pattern recognition
Desired block size in Any number> 0 This value defines the size of cubic blocks for
metres point queries. It influences mainly the
performance oft he pattern recognition. One block
should have a size to hold 1 to 10 million points.
The default setting for this value is 3.5 metres and
is optimized for working with buildings and plants.
Only change this value if you want to work with a
different structures size, e.g. terrain models or
structures in mm-sizes .the unit of this value is
metres!
Plant
Angle tolerance number Angle tolerance for fitting beams
Text height for export number Text height (in drawing units) for exporting pipe
commands lines. Command PCEX (Export to Polylines) or
export of beams, command PCEXSTEEL
Building
Construction
Wandbruch yes / no Break wall lines with window and door
commands?
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Stairs
Dimension unit Millimeters … Unit for dimension annotation
Parsec
Arrow size number Scaling factor for stair case arrow blocks
Feature Data
Viewer mode yes / no Do you want to run the feature data management
as a viewer? In viewer mode no data can be
added or modified. It can only be viewed. No
license needed.
Decimal marker for comma or point Decimal marker for numbers when exporting data
numbers to text files
Column separartor Any string Column separator when exporting data to text files
(',' or ';' or 'TAB', ...)
Comment sign Any string Comment sign when exporting data to text files
('#' or '$' or '*', ...)
Table Export Type One file per table/ Data export to tables chose the option that suits
one file with one your needs
universal table /
One file with all
tables
Export XML scheme yes / no Export XML scheme?
Code page ASCII / Code page for data export tot ext files ('ASCII' or
Unicode UTF8 / 'Unicode UTF8' or 'Unicode UTF16 (Little Endian)'
Unicode UTF16 or 'Unicode UTF16 (Big Endian)')
(Little Endian) /
Unicode UTF16
(Big Endian)
Label size Any number Height of a label for area objects in the drawing (in
AutoCAD units)
Pattern recognition
Tolerance Polygon Any number Tolerance forthe recognition of gaps when
recognition creating As-Built area objects (in AutoCAD units)
(distance in which are assumed tobe the same)

Tolerance Any number Tolerance for the recognition of gaps when

Pattern recognition recognizing door symbols (in AutoCAD units)
(distance in which are assumed to be the same)

Total Station
System
Observation point – integer Number of decimals to be used for calculation of
Precision of coordinates coordinates from measured values
Commandline send mode "1" or "2" "1" or "2", mode "2" can be used experimental, if
coordinates are sent fragmentary to command
line.
Show 3D label Yes / no Should 3D labels been shown?
 183

Use As-Built drawing Yes / No Set the path to locate drawing templates to the
template path As-Built template folder. This will be the default
path in the “New drawing” dialog box.
Points and Protocol
Instrument station protocol Yes / no Turns the protocol function on or off
Yes:A protocol file will be created in which the
Control points protocol Yes / no coordinates of the stationing data, the control
points, the observation points and forward steps
Observation points protocol Yes / no are recorded. The file has the name of the
drawing with the ending .TPR and lies in the
directory of the current drawing.
Points by intersection Yes / no
protocol No: No protocol file will be created

Stake out protocol Yes / no

Observation point - Type Block / AutoCAD Display type of observation points in the drawing:
point AutoCAD point object or Observation point block
Observation point - Unique per Numbering definition of observation points:
Number drawing / Elective - unique per drawing or
Zero at new station
- starting with Zero when new station
Orientation
Scale tolerance any number Tolerance limit for the scale used for Free
Orientation. If value exceeded traffic lights switch
from green to yellow.
Deviation of coordinates any number Tolerance limit for coordinate deviation used for
Free Orientation. If value exceeded traffic lights
switch from green to yellow.
Standard deviation any number Tolerance limit for standard deviation used for
Free Orientation. If value exceeded traffic lights
switch from green to yellow.
Stake Out
Maximum distance* any number Deviation from desired set value. If value
exceeded a warning message will be shown.
Construction
Breakwall Yes / no Shall the wall lines be broken when inserting
windows or doors?
Instrument
Average refraction any number All total station measurements are corrected
coefficient default=0.13 regarding refraction/earth curvature using this
coefficient. If the value is set to 1.0, no correction
will be applied.
Approach measurement Yes / no If the measurement point is approximately known,
point automatically it will be approached automatically by motor drive.
E.g. Free orientation, over-determined
controlpoint measurement.
LeicaTPS1200GeoComTim Milliseconds value Time duration [msec]. Duration, how long As-Built
eout waits for response after sending a GeoCOM
command to the total station. Only valid for
instrument profile “Leica TPS1200 total stations”
WMS Distance offset any number Distance from Disto front face to instrument origin
184

which has to be added to the Disto measurement

GeodimeterDelay any number Communication delay time in milliseconds for
Geodimeter instruments.
Leica delete measurement Yes / no At some Leica instruments the stored angle and
after receiving distance measurements has to be deleted before
starting a new angle observation. Otherwise the
old vertical angle will be send.
LeicaDelay any number Communication delay time in milliseconds for
Leica instruments (time between receiving of a
measurement and sending of delete command).
This setting has only consequences if value "Leica
delete measurement after receiving" is set to
"yes".
Leica prism search mode "1" or "2" "1" for Leica PowerSearch or "2" for Leica
SearchTarget
TopconDelay any number Holding time in milliseconds between command
for changing the measuring mode and command
for releasing a measurement.
DolmazonVectographSD any number DolmazonVectograph BC9000 - offset for slope
Offset distance
Dolmazon4DLasergraph any number Number of generated points per second in 2D
samplingrate2D tracking mode
Alternative Bluetooth mode Yes / no Workaround for an error that sometimes occurs
with Leica instruments: When working with
Bluetooth the communication sometimes “friezes”
in such cases only switching to the alternative
Bluetooth mode solves the issue
Sounds
Soundtype Sound file / system You can choose between "Soundfile" if you want
beep /no sound to be notified by a sound file or "Systembeep" if
you want to be notified by the computer's system
beep. The first has to be selected if the computer
does not have system beep (e.g. notebooks)
Error File path Path for WAV file for sound notification when error
message
Success File path Path for WAV file for sound notification when
sending of measured value of hand-held laser
was successful
BelowZtolerance File path Path for WAV file for sound notification when
measured below Z tolerance
AboveZ tolerance File path Path for WAV file for sound notification when
measured above Z tolerance
Measurewithoutactivecomm File path Path to the WAV file for a notification sound in
and case a measurement was initiated without an
AutoCAD command being active.
GNSSCountdownstart File path Path for WAV file. This sound is played, when the
countdown for the measurement starts.
GNSSAveragingstart File path Path for WAV file. This sound is played when
collecting of coordinates for the averaging starts.
GNSSMeasurement File path Path for WAV file. This sound is played, when the
 185

finished coordinate measurement is finished.

The values as given here in the table are saved in the FARO configuration file. That
file is named FaroConfigCurrentUser_en.cfg and is located in the application folder
under \FARO. Every time you start As-Built these values are read; every time you
finish As-Built these values are brought up to date. Should this file be destroyed (e.g.
breakdown during writing process), As-Built automatically uses the back-up copy,
which is created under the name FaroConfigCurrentUser_en.cfg.bak after every
use. Thus you can continue working. Changes made during the last use of As-Built
are, however, lost. In case the configuration file is missing, As-Built automatically
creates a new one that is equipped with As-Built default settings. A message will
appear on the screen.
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As-Built – Getting Started

Command Name: KUBT_GETTING_STARTED
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler

This command opens a dialog where you can access tutorials, videos and further
information about As-Built for AutoCAD.
The “Getting Started” dialogue box appears by default when starting AutoCAD. By
selecting the option “Show this dialog at startup” you can switch off this behaviour for
the currently installed program version.
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As-Built – FARO Assist

Command Name:
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler

This command opens the FARO Assist product page for As-Built for AutoCAD in the
Internet browser. Here you will find easily navigable useful information about the
product including videos, documents and downloads.
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As-Built – Knowledge Base

Command Name:
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler, Building Plans, Photo, TS Design

This command opens the FARO Knowledge Base product page for As-Built for
AutoCAD in an Internet browser. Here you will find useful information about the
product and help for helping yourself.
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As-Built – Software Update

Command Name: _KUBT_VERSIONCHECK
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler, Building Plans, Photo, TS Design

This command checks whether there is a newer version of the software. If yes, a
download is offered.
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As-Built – Licence Management

Command Name: KUBT_SHOW_LICENCE_INFO
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler, Building Plans, Photo, TS Design

With this command you can check the license status of your software. You can also
add, update and transfer licenses to other machines or you may collect the license
information to a c2v file and update the license from a v2c file.

A valid license is necessary to allow the software to work, either for a trial period or
for the terms defined in a purchased entitlement. A network license can be used by
any computer on the network, while a local license is only locally visible. A license
can be provided in a softlock or a hardlock (dongle).
The license manager shows all relevant product versions for the current application.
Each product has the following information:
• Scope – Indicates from where the license is available: local, remote (network)
or port-lock (dongle);
• In Use – Indicates if the license is being used by the current application;
• Product – Name of the product including version;
• Type – Type of the license: Trial, Perpetual or Temporary;
• Days Left – Number of days to the license expiration. Applies for trial and
temporary types only;
• Host Name – Indicates the server from where the remote license is available.

Add a license
To add a license click the according under More Options and enter your product
key.To apply a product key, the computer needs to have internet access for
communication with the licensing server.
 191

Update Licenses
The license update is the process of updating an existing license from an older
software version to a more recent one. This process needs internet access. You may
check for license updates. The software will tell you if there is a more recent version
of the software and if you are eligible for the update (with a valid maintenance
contract).Applying the update in this case will not have effect until the correspondent
version is downloaded and installed.

Transfer Key
The transfer key functionality helps moving a license key from one computer to
another. If you click this option, a list of all transferable license keys in the network is
shown. Select the desired key and click the button Transfer to move it from the
network to a local computer.

Collect license information

Collecting license information is the first step of a manual procedure of adding or
updating a license. If you click this option a Save File dialog opens. The generated
c2v file (customer to vendor) is used either for product key activations or for license
updates. Send the c2v file with your license request to FARO. You will receive a v2c
file from FARO with the according license. This file is then used for “Update from file”.

Update from file

Updating a license from a v2c file is the last part of a manual process of adding or
updating a license. If you click the option Update from file, a Load File dialog opens
for loading the v2c file you received from FARO.

Further information about licensing is to be found in the Knowledge Base:

• for As-Built for AutoCAD specifically.
• General (network licenses etc)

Note: When you start the software without a valid license and you try to execute a
feature, the software will show a message that informs you that you do not have a
valid license. In the same dialog you are offered to select a time limited free of charge
trial.
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As-Built – Customize User Interface

Command Name: KUBT_CONFIG_PRODUCTS
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler, Building Plans, Photo, TS Design

As-Built for AutoCAD is a product with extensive functionality for the evaluation of
point clouds, photogrammetry, feature data acquisition as well as a total station
interface.
This command allows you to show and hide menus and Ribbon tabs to make the
user interface easier to navigate.
 193

You also have the option to run the feature data management in viewer mode. In this
mode you may look at feature data without needing a license. But you are not able to
add or edit feature data. Please refer to the Feature Data manual for more
information.T his way As-Built for AutoCAD can be distributed free of charge together
with the structured data.
194

As-Built – Version Manager

Command Name: KUBT_SELECT_KUBIT_BOX_VERSION
Ribbon tab: As-Built Modeler, Building Plans, Photo, TS Design

If you have more than one As-Built for AutoCAD version installed on your computer,
you can select in the Version Manager with which version you want to work. After
calling the command the following dialogue box is displayed:

You can select the appropriate version form the pick list or remove the currently
loaded version(Select "None (unload current version)"). After confirming the
selection with [OK], you will be prompted to restart AutoCAD so that the changes can
take effect.
Should you ever have completely unloaded As-Built, then none of the As-Built
commands will be able to be called from the AutoCAD menus and ribbon tabs. If this
should be the case, you will only be able to start the Version Manager from the
AutoCAD command line, to reload aversion of the As-Built for AutoCAD. Enter
KUBT_SELECT_KUBIT_BOX_VERSION.
 195

10.2 As-Built Analysis Tools

Analysis – Clash Detection

Command Name: PCCLASH
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant
With this command you can check whether there is a clash between surface objects
and the point cloud(s). If so, you can manage the clashes within the structure view
(clash list).
The collision analysis is always performed on the currently visible part of the point
cloud(s).

A wizard guides you through the process of clash detection.

Step 1:
In the first step, you must select surface objects with which the analysis is to be
performed. All object types that can be converted to AutoCAD solids by using the
_EXPLODE command are supported, e.g. kubit cylinders or Plant 3D equipment etc.
196

You must also specify whether all clashing points are to be combined as one set of
points or in several sets of points (clash clusters) per object.
If several clash clusters are desired, you must specify a distance "a" (in AutoCAD
units) from which points are to be assigned to different clashes.
Another option is to perform the clash detection with a clearance "t". If points with a
distance <= "t" from the surface objects are found, these are also considered as
clashes (green area). Without clearance, only internal points are considered clashes
(red area).
Click "Start analysis" to start the clash detection. This can take some time depending
on the number and complexity of the selected surfaces and the number of visible
points around them.
If the point cloud is very dense and many surface objects have been selected, the
calculation can take a long time. This can be speeded up by reducing the number of
points to be used. Under "Thin out points" you can specify the percentage of points in
the point cloud to be used for the calculation. However, it may happen that individual
clashes with very few points can no longer be found in thinned point clouds.
 197

Step2:
After the analysis, the number of clashes is displayed. With "Previous" you can
change the parameters of the clash detection and repeat it.

If you are satisfied, enter a name for the new clash objects to be created and select
"Finish". Note: the name must no contain any spaces or numbers. The clash objects
are then marked in the drawing as 3D solids on a separate layer and inserted in the
clash list (feature data structure view) with attributes:

The attribute "ClosestDistanceToSurface" specifies the minimum distance of the

points from the surface object. If it is zero, the points lie within the surface object.
The attribute "NumberOfPoints" shows the number of points within the clash object.
The center position of the clash object is output in the attributes (PosX, PosY, PosZ)
as WCS coordinates.
198

With the attribute "Status" the user can define the significance of the clash. After a
double click on the Status attribute the following dialog appears:

Each value is assigned - via visualization - a different color:

Attribute values and visualization can be flexibly customized. Details can be found in
the feature data management manual and the feature data tutorials. (As-Built –
Getting Started )
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Analysis – Analysis of arbitrary surfaces/solids

Command name: PCDISTCOL
Ribbon tab: As-Built Analysis

This command creates a new point cloud, in which all of the points can be coloured in
relation to their distance from AutoCAD standard surface geometry.
The following AutoCAD object types are supported:
• 3D Solid
• Region
• Surface
As well as these objects kubit planes, kubit cylinders and kubit cones are also
supported.
After starting the command, the following dialog opens:

For the distance analysis, select one or more surface objects. The maximum
deviation from the surface defines the range within which the distances from points to
the object are determined. Points outside this range will not be considered.
The determined distances are stored in the distance point cloud (in E57 format). This
is designed exclusively as a data storage device and is not suitable for any other use.
You can select your own path and name as the storage path of the distance point
cloud or use the [A] button to accept the automatic suggestion. The suggested path
of the distance point cloud is formed from the path of the original point cloud and the
addition "_deviation_[unit]. e57".
The button [Start analysis] starts the distance calculation and opens the dialog
"Colorize an analyzed point cloud". With this you can configure a distance-coded
colorization for the previously analyzed point cloud. A new ReCap point cloud is
created, which is inserted into the drawing.
You can find a detailed description of the "Colorize an analyzed point cloud" dialog
under Analysis – Create Legend. The dialog can also be called up later with the
PCDISTCOLEDIT command independently of the analysis command.
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A suitable legend can be created with the command PCDISTCOLLEGEND

(Analysis – Create Legend).
Notes on creation of appropriate objects
Convert AutoCAD mesh
Mesh CONVTOSOLID 3D solid
Mesh CONVTOSURFACE Surface

Convert AutoCAD Polyface Mesh

Polyface Mesh EXPLODE 3D surfaces CONVTOSURFACE Surface
(planar)

AutoCAD Block reference (providing that it contains surface geometry):

Block reference EXPLODE further conversion dependent on the objects present
in the block reference

Notes on practical application

Dependent on the number of points and the number and complexity of the selected
objects, the creation of the deviation point cloud can take anything between a few
minutes to several hours. The following notes help with the optimization of the
computational overhead and thereby the computation time.
1. Point cloud clipping: Using the region commands isolate the parts of the point
cloud that are relevant for the computation, in this example the beam and part of
the wall.

Figure 2: Clipped point cloud

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2. Reduce the point density: Set the parameter “Point cloud density for fitting”
(command: PCSETPARAMS) to a low value. The default value is 100. For ReCap
data, that have been created from terrestrial laser scans, a reduction of the point
density to a value less than 10 should be used. This accelerates the computation,
but it also leads to a less dense point cloud results:

Figure 3: Appearance of the point cloud density

Tip:
If you want to more accurately analyse geometric primitives such as planes, cylinders
or truncated cones, then use the dedicated analysis commands
(PCPLANEANALYSIS , PCCYLINDERANALYSIS ,
PCFRUSTOCONICALANALYSIS ).
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Analysis – Colorizean analyzed point cloud

Command name: PCDISTCOLEDIT
Ribbon tab: As-Built Analysis

This command creates a new ReCap point cloud (RCP/RCS) from an analysis or
distance point cloud (E57) (Analysis – Analysis of arbitrary surfaces/solids). A user-
defined color scheme is used for the colorization.
The following dialog opens when the command is started:

The distance point cloud from the previous analysis is already preselected.
Otherwise, please select the desired file yourself.
The boundaries of the visualization determine the range within which points are
included in the new point cloud. Points outside the boundaries are cropped off. The
[Reset] button allows you to restore the bounary values with which the distance
analysis was originally performed.
For easier estimation of these values, the histogram (occurrence distribution) of the
distance values is displayed.
The colour scheme for the colorization of the point cloud can be flexibly configured.
There are basically two different types:
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Continuous color gradient Colour increments

In continuous color gradient, colors are set for discrete distance values, between
which color gradients are calculated. The graded color scheme, on the other hand,
colors distance areas with only one color and sharp borders to the adjacent fields.
Color schemes can be created, loaded, saved and deleted using the "Edit" button.

The [+] and [-] buttons can be used to add or remove rows for values (ranges) and
colors. The individual colours, values or descriptions can be edited directly in the
lines by double-clicking.
Finally, specify the path for the result - the colorized ReCap point cloud. The [A]
button can be used to generate a default path and name. The suggestion is the path
of the distance cloud - supplemented by the name of the color scheme used.
Optionally, point clouds present in the drawing can be unloaded if desired.
After all settings have been made, start the colorization with the [Start] button. The
newly created point cloud is inserted into the drawing and displayed.
[Cancel] aborts the command. [Close] quits the dialog and saves the settings made
for a new execution of the command.
A matching legend can be created with the command PCDISTCOLLEGEND
(Analysis – Create Legend).
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Analysis – Create Legend

Command name: PCDISTCOLLEGEND
Ribbon tab: As-Built Analysis

This command creates a legend for a point cloud created and colorized using As-
Built analysis commands. It represents the color scheme defined byAnalysis –
Analysis of arbitrary surfaces/solids (PCDISTCOLEDIT).
If you have not performed an analysis and simply want to create a legend for your
point cloud colorized with AutoCAD tools according to elevation or intensity, you can
also use this command.
The dialog box shows you for which property (distance, elevation or intensity) a
legend is created.

The interval size and text height are configurable. The interval size only influences
the label subdivision, while the text height determines the size of the entire legend.
The text height must be specified in drawing units.
After confirming the settings with [OK] the insertion point (bottom left corner of the
legend) is requested. The legend is inserted in the XY plane of the current UCS. All
drawing objects in the legend are grouped together. Various display parameters such
as overall size, text height or line color can be modified using AutoCAD tools.
The format for the displayed values (in the dialog as well as in the legend) can be
controlled by the AutoCAD system variable DIMZIN.
Tip: The height of the inserted legend can be estimated using the following formula:
Height = 3 x text height x number of intervals.
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Analysis– Plane – Analysis of planes in a point cloud

Command Name: PCPLANEANALYSIS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Analysis

With this function parts of a point cloud can be analysed and modelled with respect to
a reference plane (e.g. walls, floors, excavations or terrains).Deformations can be
determined and displayed. It also allows you to create AutoCAD solids from those
objects that deviate above or below the optimum plane and display them. The
AutoCAD command _MASSPROP can be used to determine the volumes of the
solids.
This command has many options and they can impact on each other. We therefore
recommend that you read through the whole of this section before you start working
with this powerful feature.

Original point cloud Coloured in accordance with the variance

from the reference plane

Modelled AutoCAD solid Variances displayed as 3D polyline grid

206

Next open a drawing with an ReCap point cloud.Now you can analyse the point cloud
using the three UCS planes (XY, YZ or ZX) as the reference plane or to a not yet
aligned kubit plane. To fit planes to the point cloud use the command
Modeling/Construction - Plane - Fit plane (KPFIT).
Hint: The property "limited" or "unlimited" of the kubit plane is taken into
consideration during the analysis. Further information on kubit planes and their
properties can be found in section 4.2 Planes.
The command PCPLANEANALYSIS opens a dialogue box where you can enter the
basic settings to be used in the flatness analysis. Buttons with a question mark
behind them, must first be clicked so that the button [Start analysis] can be enabled
and the analysis can now start. Here you can see a fully completed dialogue box:

In the "Reference surface object" pane is the most important input. The plane that
will be used as the reference plane for modelling, volume computations and/or
deformations analysis is defined here.
If you want to use a kubit plane as the reference plane, select the option "kubit plane"
and the button [Select plane...] will then be enabled. By clicking on this button the
dialogue box will be temporarily hidden and you can click on the desired plane in the
drawing.
The option "Automatically from UCS or kubit plane" refers to the alignment of the
grid for the analysis/modelling. If it is ticked the grid will be automatically aligned to
the axes of the selected reference plane. If it is not ticked, then after clicking on the
button [Alignment...] you can yourself define the axes orientation by clicking on
three points in the drawing.
In the "Parameters" pane, the second most important dialogue box lies behind the
[Settings...] button. Here the parameters are set that will have a significant influence
on the desired results of the analysis and modelling.
 207

How these parameters influence the results will be explained below.

When you have set all of the parameters and selected the results that you want, you
can start the analysis and modelling by clicking on the [Start analysis] button in the
main dialogue box.
208

What results are possible?

in the "Results" pane you can choose depending on what task you are doing: Choose
either flatness analysis or modelling (e.g. for volume computation), depending on
which results that you want to generate:
 Solid: Select this option when you want to model walls, floors, excavations or
terrain and compute volumes. One or more AutoCAD solids will be created that
represent the variances between the reference plane and the point cloud data.
Should there be variances on both sides of the reference plane, then two solids
will be created. Please note, if you want to create only one solid, then it is best
to have the reference plane located somewhat outside of the point cloud.
Otherwise it can lead to problems when modelling in AutoCAD, in the situation
where the solid that is to be created is very thin and lies very close to the
reference plane. The AutoCAD command _MASSPROP can be used to
determine the volume of each of the solids. Otherwise you can with the aid of
the AutoCAD commands for boolean operations further model the two solids
(see the examples further below). (AutoCAD menu "Modify" ("Solid editing"
"Union"/"Subtract"/"Intersect").
 Polyline grid with deviations: Creates 3D polylines, which form a grid that
precisely nestles onto the point cloud, with the variance values shown as text
on the vertices of the grid. Additionally the outermost grid lines are annotated
with the x/y values, which are to be found in the ASCII table of the cell points.
Thereby the deviation values from the ASCII table are to be found again in the
drawing. The nomenclature is on a separate layer and can be hidden when
they are not needed.
 209

 Grid of points: Creates AutoCAD points on the vertices of the grid. A thinned
out point raster is created, in comparison with the point cloud. How new points
are defined in respect to the variance between the point cloud and the
reference plane is explained below in a diagram for the sampling methods. By
exporting these points as a DXF or DWG file they can then be further modelled
in other systems. Warning: Please only use this option for smaller numbers of
points, less than 10,000 points, otherwise AutoCAD will have problems dealing
with such a large number of objects.
 Label highest/lowest value: This option creates an annotation, there in the
point cloud where both of the absolute extreme points lay, in relation to the
reference surface:

Lowest value/point highest value/point

The tip of the small triangle marks the precise point. The value corresponds to
the respective deviation from the reference surface.
 Point cloud: Creates a new point cloud file in E57 format, in which the
deviations of the points from the reference plane are stored as intensity values.
This point cloud is designed exclusively for data storage. It is used to create a
colorized ReCap point cloud (RCP) - like the one below - with the help of the
PCDISTCOLEDIT command (Colorize an analyzed point cloud), which is
automatically started in the next step.

 ASCII sample points: Creates an ASCII file (.txt) with all of the information of
the polyline grid. They can be imported into other CAD systems and statistical
software:
210

With the entries for "Directory" [...] and "Name" you define the file name and the
path for the generated point cloud and ASCII file. The individual composite file names
parts can be likewise edited. They are updated as soon as the main name is
changed in the text box "Name".
All of these new results (solid objects, the deviation grid with its annotations, ...) that
have been directly created in the drawing are automatically placed on a new layer, so
that you can show and hide them separately. You can change the name of the
default layer by using the As-Built command Settings Layer Analysis Tools .

How do the parameters influence the results?

The parameter "Maximum point distance from the reference surface" of the
Analysis Parameters dialogue box determines which points in the original point cloud
should be used in the calculation. All of the points with a distance smaller than the
value entered here will be used. If you can first clip out the point cloud, then you can
enter here a relatively large number or simply just select the option "Unlimited
distance". Only visible points are taken into consideration.
"Exaggerated scale":A value of 2 or 3 for the exaggerated scale significantly
increases the displayed "hills” and "valleys" of the solids and polyline grids and make
the variances much easier to see. The actual variance is simply multiplied by this
factor. A factor of 1 gives the original variance. Warning: If you are modelling to
scale and want to determine non-exaggerated volumes, then set this factor to a value
of 1.
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The grid size in the X and Y directions determines how many grid cells will be used
in the calculation. If you set values that will require a very long time to compute (over
10000 cells), then when you close the parameter dialog box with [OK] a warning
message will be displayed. The grid size influences the accuracy of the volumes, as
does the resolution when modelling and the deformations analysis. For computing
more precise volumes we recommend that a smaller grid size and the "Average"
sampling method be used.
To explain the usual settings we shall take a look at the point cloud together with the
generated polyline grid and the variance values. You should see something similar to
this:

Red variances with negative

prefixes - , purple variances with
positive prefixes

Blue circles mark cells

that do not contain any
points. The value -16
has been interpolated.
These points will be used in The option “Interpolate
accordance with the chosen holes in the grid” has
“Sampling method” to been selected.
determine the value (-7.1).

Grid size

There are four sampling methods:

• Average: Averages all points within the area defined by the grid size around the
grid position (recommended for volume computations)
• Minimum: The smallest absolute variance in the area around the grid position.
• Maximum: The largest absolute variance in the area around the grid position.
• Nearest point: The value will be used of the nearest point to the grid position.

A 3D solid will be created when the appropriate option has been selected. In the
example shown below the option "Interpolate holes in the grid" has been
selected, so that the missing upper corners and the scan holes in the wall will be
"filled".
212

Note: The resolution of the surface of the solid is determined by the grid size. The
exaggerated scale factor is also applied to the solid. Set this value to one when you
want to create a model that is a true copy of the original.

From a point cloud, in which for example both sides of a wall have been scanned,
you can with the sampling methods Minimum and Maximum determine the solid for
the wall by combining together two plane analyses.
First the point cloud that is to be modelled is isolated. Next a kubit plane is placed
outside of the point cloud, so that the kubit plane has approximately the same
alignment as the wall and has a certain distance from all points in the point cloud
(e.g. this can be done using fitting and parallel offset of the plane).Now to create the
solid the analysis is carried out once using the sampling method Minimum and once
using the sampling method Maximum. Using the two solids that have just been
created the minimum solid will be subtracted from the maximum solid, with the aid of
the AutoCAD command "SUBTRACT", and the remaining solid is that of the wall.

In the above figure you can see from left to right:

• purple - the kubit plane,
• the scanned point cloud of both sides of a window in a wall,
• blue – the maximum solid,
• green - the minimum solid and
• red - the resulting wall, produced by subtracting the minimum solid from the
maximum solid.
 213

Note: The sampling method jumps instead to the other side of the point cloud, where
points are to be found (to be seen above as artefacts in the green minimum solid).To
correct this, for creating the minimum solid the parameter "maximum point distance"
should be set to the distance of the window pane to the kubit plane. This method has
been used in the corrected error figure below.

Equally, it is possible to analyse a wall from both sides with the "Average" sampling
method and a previously measured "maximum point distance" to the window pane.
The distance can be measured with the aid of the function Modeling/Construction
–Plane –Perpendicular projection of points onto a plane (KPPERPRETURN).The
wall is then created form these solids using the boolean operations in ("Modify"
"Solid Editing").This wall is, because of the sampling method used, a truer solid and
more error tolerant.
214

In the above figures you can see from left to right:

• the point cloud with its two kubit planes (beige),
• blue - the average solid from the outside,
• green - the average solid from the inside and
• red - solid of the wall, obtained by using the boolean subtraction (AutoCAD
command "SUBTRACT") on both of the average resulting solids from a base
cuboid.The base cuboid is formed using the outermost corner points of both of
the average solids.
 215

Analysis– Cylinder – Analysis of cylindrical shapes in a point

cloud
Command Name: PCCYLINDERANALYSIS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Analysis

Cylindrical shaped regions of a point cloud (e.g. a tank or a well) can be analysed in
various ways with this feature. Deformations can be determined and visually
displayed, volume computations can be made based on the real shape (including
built up deposits: so called 'deadwood').It is also easy to create an AutoCAD solid of
the variances to the ideal cylinder as a separate object and get a visual display of it.
This command has many options and they can impact on each other. We therefore
recommend that you read through the whole of this section before you start working
with this powerful feature.

Initially open a drawing with an ReCap point cloud in it and fit a kubit cylinder, by
using, for example, the command Modeling/Construction - Cylinder - Fit
cylinder using visible points (PCFITCYL2).
The command PCCYLINDERANALYSIS opens a dialogue box where you can enter
the basic settings to be used in the cylinder analysis.
Buttons with a question mark behind them, must first be clicked so that the button
[Start analysis] can be enabled and the cylinder analysis can now start.
216

Here you can see a fully completed dialogue box:

In the "Reference surface object" pane, a click on the button [Select cylinder...]
starts the most important input: The kubit cylinder, one of the theoretical shapes,
should be selected and the break point should be defined. The break point is
required for unwrapping the cylindrical point cloud onto the plane. It can later be used
as the coordinate origin in the unwrapped analysis results.
You can, when computing volumes, optionally take account of a "volume deduction
(dead wood)" in the form of an AutoCAD solid.
In the "Parameters" pane, the second most important dialogue box lies behind the
[Settings...] button.
Here the parameters are set that will have a significant influence on the desired
results of the analysis and modelling.
 217

How these parameters influence the results will be explained below.

In the "Options" pane you can decide if

• holes in the raster grid should be interpolated or not
• the variances from the theoretical cylinder should have a prefix
• the coordinate system for the unwrapped results should be based on the break
point
• it should be unwrapped in a clockwise direction

When you have set all of the parameters and selected the results that you want, you
can start the analysis and modelling by clicking on the [Start analysis] button in the
main dialogue box.
218

What results are possible?

In the "Results" pane you can choose depending on what task you are doing:
deformation analysis, volume computation or modelling the results that you want:
 Solid: Select this option if you want a solid that is similar to the theoretical
cylinder but generated from the point cloud as a deformed model, e.g. for wells,
towers or similar.
 Polyline grid with deviations: Creates 3D polylines, which form a grid that
precisely nestles onto the point cloud, with the variance values shown as text
on the vertices of the grid. Additionally the outermost grid lines are annotated
with the x/y values, which are to be found in the ASCII table of the cell points.
Thereby the deviation values from the ASCII table are to be found again in the
drawing. The nomenclature is on a separate layer and can be hidden when
they are not needed.

 Grid of points: A thinned out point raster is created, in comparison with the
point cloud. How new points are defined in respect to the variance between the
point cloud and the reference plane is explained below in a diagram for the
sampling methods. By exporting these points as a DXF or DWG file they can
then be further modelled in other systems. Warning: Please only use this
option for smaller numbers of points, less than 10,000 points, otherwise
AutoCAD will have problems dealing with such a large number of objects.
 Label highest/lowest value: This option creates an annotation, there in the
point cloud where both of the absolute extreme points lay, in relation to the
reference surface:
 219

Lowest value/point highest value/point

The tip of the small triangle marks the precise point. The value corresponds to
the respective deviation from the reference surface.
 Point cloud: Creates an unwrapped planar point cloud file in E57 format, in
which the deviations of the points from the reference plane are stored as
intensity values. This point cloud is designed exclusively for data storage. It is
used to create a colorized ReCap point cloud (RCP) - like the one below - with
the help of the PCDISTCOLEDIT command (Colorize an analyzed point
cloud), which is automatically started in the next step.

The mean plane is the unwrapped ideal cylinder, the points in the new cloud
have the same distance to this plane, as previously to the skin of the reference
cylinder. The origin of the new point cloud is precisely that of the break point.
All of the points in the unwrapped cloud are defined in terms of the cylinder's
coordinate system. Y is the elevation parallel to the cylinder axis. X is the arc
length along the perimeter of the theoretical cylinder. Z is the variance to the
theoretical cylinder.
 ASCII sample points: Creates an ASCII file (.txt) with all of the information of
the polyline grid. They can be imported into other CAD systems and statistical
software:
220

 ASCII deviation: This option is a very powerful tool for analysing

deformations. When imported into software such as Excel it looks like this:

From the third line, the table contains the variance values of the grid beginning at
the bottom edge of the cylinder.
The last line belongs to the top slice of the theoretical cylinder. Especially
interesting are the last six columns. They contain the volumes for every line (that
means every slice of the object) and the total volume from the base of the cylinder
to the slice. If, in the dialogue box, Volume deduction (deadwood) was selected,
then not only would the deducted volumes be shown but also the totals too. In the
column after the variances the circumferences of the individual slices are also
shown.
Note:The accuracy of all of the stated volumes and circumferences are defined
by the parameters "Grid size" and "Sampling method.For computing more precise
 221

volumes we recommend that a smaller grid size and the "Average" sampling
method be used.
From the table an Excel diagram that looks like this can also be generated:

With "Directory" [...] and "Name" you define the file name and the path for the
generated results.The individual composite file names can be likewise edited, they
are updated as soon as the main name is changed in the text box "Name".
All of these new results (solid objects, the deviation grid with its annotations, ...) that
have been directly created in the drawing are automatically placed on a new layer, so
that you can show and hide them separately. You can change the name of the
default layer by using the As-Built command Settings Layer Analysis Tools .

How do the parameters influence the results?

The parameter “Maximum point distance from the reference surface” of the
Analysis Parameters dialogue box determines which points in the original point cloud
should be used in the calculation. All of the points inside of and outside of the
theoretical cylinder with a distance smaller than the value entered here will be used.
If you first clip out the cylinder, then you can enter here a relatively large number.
Only visible points are taken into consideration.

”Maximum expected deviation

222

“Exaggerated scale”: A value of 2 or 3 for the exaggerated scale significantly

increases the displayed "hills and "valleys" of the solids and polyline grids and make
the variances much easier to see. The actual variance is simply multiplied by this
factor. A factor of 1 gives the original variance. Warning: If you are modelling to
scale and want to determine non-exaggerated volumes, then set this factor to a value
of 1.
The grid size in the X and Y directions determines how many grid cells will be used
in the calculation. Both of the directions represent the arc length and the elevation of
the cylinder grid cells. If you set values that will require a very long time to compute
(over 10000 cells), then when you close the parameter dialog box with [OK] a
warning message will be displayed. Note: The grid size influences the accuracy of
the volumes, as does the resolution when modelling and the deformations analysis.
For computing more precise volumes we recommend that a smaller grid size and the
"Average" sampling method be used.

The wall thickness defines a value that will be subtracted from all of the calculated
cell values. Positive values, for external scans, will allow internal volumes to be
determined (e.g. for tanks).In the opposite way, negative values for internal scans will
similarly produce external volumes.
To explain the usual settings we shall take a look at the unwrapped point cloud
together with the generated polyline grid and the variance values. You should see
something similar to this:
 223

Red variances with negative

prefix – variances within the
cylinder. The option “Show
variances with prefix“ has been
selected.

Blue circles mark cells

that do not contain any
points. The value -16
has been interpolated.
The option “Interpolate
These points will be used in
holes in the grid” has
accordance with the chosen
been selected.
“Sampling method” to
determine the value (-7.1).

Grid size

The options “Coordinate system of the

break point” and “Unwrap clockwise”
have been selected.

There are four sampling methods::

• Average: Averages all points within the area defined by the grid size around the
grid position (recommended for volume computations)
• Minimum: The smallest absolute variance in the area around the grid position.
• Maximum: The largest absolute variance in the area around the grid position.
• Nearest point: The value will be used of the nearest point to the grid position.
224

Analysis – Analyze frustum of a cone in a point cloud

Command name: PCFRUSTOCONICALANALYSIS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Analysis

Conical shaped regions of a point cloud (e.g. a tank or a tower) can be analysed in
various ways with this feature. Deformations can be determined and displayed.
Volume computations can be made based on the real shape (including
deformations and built up deposits: so called 'deadwood').It is also easy to create an
AutoCAD solid of the variances to the ideal truncated cone as a separate object and
get a visual display of it.
This command has many options and they can impact on each other. We therefore
recommend that you read through the whole of this section before you start working
with this powerful feature.

Initially open a drawing with an ReCap point cloud in it and fit a kubit truncated cone,
by using, for example, the command Modeling/Construction - Truncated cones -
Fit elliptical truncated cone (FCCREATEELLIPSIS).
The command PCFRUSTOCONICALANALYSIS opens a dialogue box where you
can enter the basic settings to be used in the truncated cone analysis. Buttons with a
question mark behind them, must first be clicked so that the button [Start analysis]
can be enabled and the cone analysis can now start. Here you can see a fully
completed dialogue box:
 225

In the "Reference surface object" pane, a click on the button [Select cone...] starts
the most important input: For the kubit truncated cone, one of the theoretical shapes
should be selected and the break point should be defined. The break point is
required for unwrapping the conical point cloud onto the plane. It can later be used as
the coordinate origin in the unwrapped analysis results.
You can, when computing volumes, optionally take account of a "volume
deduction(dead wood)" in the form of an AutoCAD solid.
In the "Parameter" pane, the second most important dialogue box lies behind the
[Settings...] button. Here the parameters are set that will have a significant influence
on the desired results of the analysis and modelling.
226

How these parameters influence the results will be explained below.

In the "Options" pane you can decide if
• holes in the raster grid should be interpolated or not
• the variances from the theoretical cylinder should have a prefix
• the coordinate system for the unwrapped results should be based on the break
point
• it should be unwrapped in a clockwise direction
When you have set all of the parameters and selected the results that you want, you
can start the analysis and modelling by clicking on the [Start analysis] button in the
main dialogue box.
 227

What results are possible?

In the "Results" pane you can choose depending on what task you are doing:
Deformation analysis, volume computation or modelling and what results you want:
 Solid: Select this option if you want a solid that is similar to the theoretical
truncated cone but generated from the point cloud as a deformed model, e.g.
for fountains, towers or similar.
 Polyline grid with deviations: Creates 3D polylines, which form a grid that
precisely nestles onto the point cloud, with the variance values shown as text
on the vertices of the grid. Additionally the outermost grid lines are annotated
with the x/y values, which are to be found in the ASCII table of the cell points.
Thereby the deviation values from the ASCII table are to be found again in the
drawing. The nomenclature is on a separate layer and can be hidden when
they are not needed.

 Grid of points: Creates AutoCAD points on the vertices of the grid. A thinned
out point raster is created, in comparison with the point cloud. How new points
are defined in respect to the variance between the point cloud and the
reference plane is explained below in a diagram for the sampling methods.
By exporting these points as a DXF or DWG file they can then be further
modelled in other systems. Warning: Please only use this option for smaller
numbers of points, less than 10,000 points, otherwise AutoCAD will have
problems dealing with such a large number of objects.
228

 Label highest/lowest value: This option creates an annotation, there in the

point cloud where both of the absolute extreme points lay, in relation to the
reference surface:

Lowest value/point highest value/point

The tip of the small triangle marks the precise point. The value corresponds to
the respective deviation from the reference surface.

 Point cloud: Creates a new planar point cloud file in E57 format, in which the
deviations of the points from the reference plane are stored as intensity
values. This point cloud is designed exclusively for data storage. It is used to
create a colorized ReCap point cloud (RCP) - like the one below - with the
help of the PCDISTCOLEDIT command (Colorize an analyzed point
cloud), which is automatically started in the next step.

The mean plane is the unwrapped ideal truncated cone, the points in the new
cloud have the same distance to this plane, as previously to the skin of the
reference cone. The origin of the new point cloud is precisely that of the break
point. All of the points in the unwrapped cloud are defined in terms of the
cone's coordinate system. Y is the elevation parallel to the cone axis. X is the
arc length along the perimeter of the theoretical cone. Z is the variance to the
theoretical cone.
 229

 ASCII sample points: Creates an ASCII file (.txt) with all of the information of
the polyline grid. They can be imported into other CAD systems and statistical
software:

 ASCII deviation: This option is a very powerful tool for analysing

deformations. When imported into software such as Excel it looks like this:

From the third line, the table contains the variance values of the grid beginning at
the bottom edge of the truncated cone.
The last line belongs to the top slice of the theoretical truncated cone. Especially
interesting are the last six columns. They contain the volumes for every line (that
means every slice of the object) and the total volume from the base of the cylinder
to the slice. If, in the dialogue box, Volume deduction (deadwood) was selected,
then not only would the deducted volumes be shown but also the totals too. In the
column after the variances the circumferences of the individual slices are also
shown.
230

Note: The accuracy of all of the stated volumes and circumferences are defined
by the parameters "Grid size" and "Sampling method. For computing more precise
volumes we recommend that a smaller grid size and the "Average" sampling
method be used.
From the table an Excel diagram that looks like this can also be generated:

With "Directory" [...] and "Name" you define the file name and the path for the
generated results. The individual composite file names can be likewise edited, they
are updated as soon as the main name is changed in the text box "Name".
All of these new results (solid objects, the deviation grid with its annotations, ...) that
have been directly created in the drawing are automatically placed on a new layer, so
that you can show and hide them separately. You can change the name of the
default layer by using the As-Built command Settings Layer Analysis Tools.

How do the parameters influence the results?

The parameter "Maximum point distance from the reference surface" of the
Analysis Parameters dialogue box determines which points in the original point cloud
should be used in the calculation. All of the points inside of and outside of the
theoretical cone with a distance smaller than the value entered here will be used. If
you first clip out the cone, then you can enter here a relatively large number. Only
visible points are taken into consideration.

“Maximum expected deviation“

 231

"Exaggerated scale":A value of 2 or 3 for the exaggerated scale significantly

increases the displayed "hills and "valleys" of the solids and polyline grids and make
the variances much easier to see. The actual variance is simply multiplied by this
factor. A factor of 1 gives the original variance. Warning: If you are modelling to
scale and want to determine non-exaggerated volumes, then set this factor to a value
of 1.
The grid size in the X and Y directions determines how many grid cells will be used
in the calculation. Both of these directions represent the either the upper or the lower
arc length and the elevation of the truncated cone grid cells. It will be the longer arc
length (upper or lower) of the truncated cone that will be used as the reference
distance. The grid size will be fitted in both directions on the cone to obtain an
equally spaced grid. If you set values that will require a very long time to compute
(over 10000 cells), then when you close the parameter dialog box with [OK] a
warning message will be displayed. Note: The grid size influences the accuracy of
the volumes, as does the resolution when modelling and the deformations analysis.
For computing more precise volumes we recommend that a smaller grid size and the
"Average" sampling method be used.

The wall thickness defines a value that will be subtracted from all of the calculated
cell values. Positive values, for external scans, will allow internal volumes to be
determined (e.g. for tanks).
In the opposite way, negative values for internal scans will similarly produce external
volumes. To explain the usual settings we shall take a look at the unwrapped point
cloud together with the generated polyline grid and the variance values. You should
see something similar to this:
232

The options “Coordinate system origin

from break point” and “Unwrap in
clockwise direction” have been
chosen.

Red variances with a negative

prefix – variances within the
cone. The option “Show
variance with prefix” has been
selected.

Blue circles mark cells that do

not contain any points. The
value -0.0644 has been
interpolated. The option
“Interpolate holes in the grid”
has been selected.

Grid size
These points have been used
according to the selected
“Sampling method” to
determine the value (-0.0673).
 233

There are four sampling methods:

• Average:Averages all points within the area defined by the grid size around
the grid position (recommended for volume computations, see below)
• Minimum:The smallest absolute variance in the area around the grid position.
• Maximum:The largest absolute variance in the area around the grid position.
• Nearest point: The value will be used of the nearest point to the grid position.
234

10.3 As-Built Plant Tools

Prepare – Settings
Command Name: PCCFG
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With the help of a wizard you configure all the settings you need for tracing the pipe
run (Pipes– Walk The Run, Walk the run), for applying constraints (Pipes–
ApplyConstraints) and for the export (Export).
All settings are save in the Plant Model (also refer to Prepare – Edit ).

Step 1 of 4 – Units

Here you set the units of the length unit of the Plant Model (PSPM). The length unit of
the current drawing with its point cloud you can set in KUBT_PC_CONFIG. This
separation allows you - without any further scaling - to work with a point cloud that
has meters as unit while your plant model is defined in inch.
When you want to create models for AutoCAD Plant 3D, “Override Inch (US Survey)”
should be ticked. This setting will only be evaluated, when the drawing’s linear unit is
set to Inch (US Survey). If this is so and if “Override Inch (US Survey)” has been
 235

ticked, then the components such as flanges and valves will be drawn in Inch
(International) instead of Inch (US Survey). The background for this option, is that in
the USA it is usual to work in Inch (US Survey), however AutoCAD Plant 3D supports
exclusively Inch (International) or millimetres. Although the difference is very small (1
ft (survey) = 1.0000019685039 ft), it leads to errors in Plant 3D Model (Drops).
“Override US Inch” has nothing to do with the plant model linear units rather only with
the drawing’s linear units!

Step 2 of 4 – Point cloud parameters

The fitting algorithms used for ‘walking the run‘ need an estimation of the point cloud
parameters for the noise (n) and the average point distance (a). The current setting

are displayed here. If you want to change them, use the button. Everything
else is described in this command reference under Point clouds – Set point
cloud parameters.
236

Step 3 of 4 – Fitting parameters

Normally these settings do not have to be changed. At the end of this chapter you
find a brief description of the individual parameters.
 237

Step 4 of 4 – Layers and tolerance parameters

These settings normally do not have to be changed. At the end of this chapter you
find a brief description of the individual parameters.

Description of the parameters

Name of the Description
parameter

Manual pipe
Search region size Defines an initial size for the search region for points
around the two points that have been clicked for measuring
the pipe
238

Auto-pipe

Radius deviation Defines how much the auto-fit pipe is allowed to differ from
threshold the nominal radius.
Direction deviation Defines how much the auto-fit pipe is allowed to differ from
threshold the nominal axis.
Position deviation Defines how much the auto-fit pipe is allowed to differ from
threshold the nominal insertion position.
Quality threshold Defines the minimum percentage of points that belong to
(amount of points the pipe and do lie within the search region for the auto-fit
belonging to the pipe.
pipe)

Initial length of Defines the initial length of the search region for the
search region automated pipe fitting.
RANSAC

These parameters must not be changed by the user!

Layers

Layer for temporary Name of the layer for temporary auxiliary graphics (e.g.
auxiliary when measuring geometry in Prepare – Edit )
Layer for axis Name of the layer for the axis polyline being created during
polygon export (see also As-Built – Settings)
Layer for Name of the layer for the annotations (inscriptions) being
inscriptions created during export (see also As-Built – Settings).
Layer for 3D solids Name of the layer for beams that have been converted to
(beams) solids.
Tolerance parameters

Angle threshold for Defines the maximum deviation angle between the axis of
pipe extension by the extended pipe and the original pipe axis.
point

ApplyConstraints: (see also Pipes– ApplyConstraints).

Threshold when If a pipe axis is moved for a distance greater than specified
moving pipe axes here, the situation will be marked as a “problematic spot”
(if the highlighting of violated constraints has been
activated).
 239

Prepare – Edit Plant Model

Command Name: PCEDITPSPM
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

The command for fitting pipes PCWTR, which is explained under Pipes– Walk The
Run and the command for fitting steel PCFITBEAM (Beams – Fit beam) require
one or more catalogs for the types (standard pipes with nominal radius, standard
elbows, beam profiles, etc) that do exist within the plant. These catalogs can be
managed and even extended using the PCEDITPSPM command.
All settings for Walk The Run and especially the catalogs of the plant types are called
Plant Model (PSPM). The plant model is stored completely inside the AutoCAD
drawing. But you may also export it to a text file and import it into another drawing.
This is also done with the PCEDITPSPM command.
When running the command following window opens:
240

The dialog consists of four parts:

1. At the top are the two buttons for loading and saving the Plant Model from the
drawing. We prepared some Plant Models for you. You find them in the
installation folder of the As-Built in the subdirectory \PSPM:
kubtAmericas201x.txtis derived from catalogs with American standards.
kubtISO201x.txt is derived from ISO catalogs and it is in millimeters.
StructuralPSPM.txt is the catalog for steel beams.
Try which Plant Model meets your project requirements and adjust it further if
needed.
The button [Import Plant Model ...], allows the import of multiple models. The plant
model can be imported from AutoCAD Plant 3D catalogues and pipe classes for
piping systems and steelwork, from a Revit MEP export file and from special
generic file formats.
2. The biggest part are the control elements for the manipulation of the Current
Catalog on the left. The Plant Model may contain multiple catalogs. A catalog is a
number of types like pipes, elbows, t-branches etc, which are combined to a
complete pipe run during Walk The Run (PCWTR).
3. In the middle you find the Active Set. The Active Set are those plant types which
are offered during Walk The Run. The active set can comprise types from
different catalogs. While a catalog may contain dozens or hundreds of types the
Active Set should not be too large. This way clearness and speed of Walk The
Run are improved. This means the active set should only contain types that
actually exist or are expected in the current point cloud.
4. On the right you find the list of Insulations. These are the insulation sizes (in
units of the Plant Model), which are used during the pattern recognition during
Walk The Run.

The most important buttons and functions of the dialog are explained here:

[Import Plant Model...]

The Import function offers the
possibility to use the types and pipe
classes supplied with Plant 3D, or from
separately available catalogues, in
Plant Model (PSPM).Furthermore a file
with pipe classes from Revit MEP can
be imported, when such a file was
previously exported by As-Built Revit.
In addition, it is planned for the
compatibility with other applications
also to be able to import using a
special generic file format.

Notes on importing from Plant 3D:

The location of the catalogues and pipe classes can be determined from the system
variable PLANTCONTENTFOLDER. Moreover the project related pipe classes are
saved in the project folder. When you intend to later export as Plant 3D objects
 241

(Pipes and beams - Export), you must definitely select for the import the
appropriate pipe class from the project folder. The current drawing (even if it’s empty)
should be part of the target project.
Due to the numerous formats of the fittings descriptions it is however only possible to
make a complete import if the current drawing belongs to a Plant 3D project.
Otherwise it is only possible to do a reduced import based on types from the selected
catalogue and pipe classes.
The types that were not imported will be listed in a report window.
Analogous to the concept in Plant 3D complex types (e.g. valves with multiple
connections or complicated structural shapes) will be principally represented by block
definitions. The block definitions used by PLANT MODEL are characterised by the
prefix "kubt_".

The profiles that are needed for beam recognition can be imported directly from the
AdvanceSteel profile database. Thereby after modelling there is a trouble free
transformation of the As-Built beams into AdvanceSteel beams(Export – ExportS.
315).
After selecting the import option for AdvanceSteel, the desired profile database for
AdvanceSteel must be entered. It is first searched for in the default folder of the
database. Should the database have been saved to another location, please
navigate to it there.
After selecting the database you can select the desired profile ranges in the following
dialogue box. You can select the profile ranges from different types or catalogues. At
the moment only standard profiles are supported.
The import is carried out in the As-Built Plant “AdvanceSteel” catalogue.

[Sort…]
This button allows sorting the types of the current catalog.

Sort by type means grouping using generic terms like pipe, t-branch, elbow, inline
fitting. Sort by size means sorting by the nominal size (diameter).

Filter
242

Items in the catalog list can be found via full-text filter. The object which is the first
that contains the string entered here will be selected. The list is reduced to all entries
that contain the entered string. The filter is not case sensitive.

[Rename…], [Add…], [Remove]

In the section ‘Current Catalog’ allow the according changes.

[Add Pipe…]
This button allows creating a new pipe type and adds it to the catalog. Following
dialog opens:

You may enter the geometrical data as well as the name of the pipe. This name will
be displayed during Walk The Run.
The Measured Diameter is the one actually expected as outer diameter in the cloud.
By clicking [From CAD…] you may determine it directly from the point cloud. The
dialog disappears and you are prompted to click two points on the surface of a pipe.
The Measured Diameter is displayed in the current unit of the drawing or the point
cloud.
The Nominal Size (diameter) usually is a positive integer, which has to correspond
exactly with all other types (e.g. elbow) that can be linked with the pipe.

[Add Elbow…]
This button allows creating a new elbow type and adds it to the catalog. Following
dialog opens:
 243

You may enter the geometrical data as well as the name.

The Nominal Size of both arms (1) and (2) of the elbow are not entered here but
selected from a list. The list consists of all nominal sizes off all previously entered
pipes (by [Add Pipe…]). The Diameters are the actually expected pipe diameters
inside the point cloud. The fuzziness is a measure which defines how far a pipe
grows into an elbow during pattern recognition. If you are not sure what to enter here
just keep the default 0.
When clicking the buttons [A/symmetrical elbow from CAD…] the dialog disappears
and you can pick the real geometry from the point cloud. For symmetrical elbows the
average is calculated from the picked radiuses of both arms (1) and (2).

[Add Fitting…]
This button allows creating a new type of inline fitting and adds it to the catalog.
Following dialog opens:
244

Following figure explains the parameters. Coordinate system is defined by the axis of
pipe (1) and the plane determined by both direction vectors:

a a
b c
(1) (1)
(2) angle
(2)

Side view: Planes containing pipe Top view: Planes containing pipe
axis are perpendicular to the paper axis are parallel to the paper plane.
plane.

Legend
a = Length
b = Distance between the planes
c = Eccentric
angle = Angle
 245

For coaxial fittings like flanges, valves or reducers only the Length parameter will
differ from 0. For regular eccentric reducers Eccenter and Angle will be 0.
The fields are filled in the same way as when adding an elbow ([Add elbow]).
The parameters can be derived from the point cloud. Usually the command line
option [Fitting with parallel axis from CAD…] will be applied. For coaxial fittings one
has to set Distance between planes to 0.

[Add T-Branch…]
This button allows creating a new type of t-branch and adds it to the catalog.
Following dialog opens:

The fields are filled in the same way as when adding an elbow [Add elbow].
In the edit dialogs for elbow, Tee and fitting you can select a block definition for a
more detailed representation. Previously the block definition has to be created or
modified using the PCBLOCKCONVERT command.
If the geometry of the selected block definition does not fit the PLANT MODEL
definition following dialog is shown:
246

Choosing [Yes] the geometry of the block definition overrides the Plant Model
(PSPM) definition. Selecting [No] keeps the PLANT MODEL definition and discards
the block.

[New Generic …]
Generic types are types (like crosses) which do not belong to other type by reason of
their geometry or function. Following dialog opens:

At first only one connection port is defined. That is valid for caps or blind flanges.
More connection ports can add by . Their geometrical definition is described in the
fields point and direction. The AutoCAD syntax for the input of 3D coordinates is
valid.

Compatibility
All dialogs for editing of type definitions contain the button [Compatibility …]. There
you can define the parameter for end type and facing of the ports. These parameters
are used in WalkTheRun for filtering the matching types.(To be able to do this the
box “Strict compatibility check” must be ticked).
 247

A port without end type and facing is compatible to all other ports with the same
nominal size.

[Add Steel Profile…]

This button allows the definition of a new type of beam for the later use in
PCFITBEAM (Beams – Fit beam).

With [Profile from CAD…] you are prompted to select a 2D polyline from the drawing
which represents the profile of the beam to be created later.

If there are axis points you may also define these, else the balance point of the
polygon defines the axis.

[Edit Type…]
The currently highlighted catalog entry is displayed in the according dialog window
and its settings can be edited.

[Edit Type as Text …]

This function will rarely be used. The part of the PSPM file (Plant Model), that
belongs to the highlighted type is displayed an can be edited directly. This function
should only be used after a training by FARO.
248

[Toggle Symmetry]
Many plant types have a symmetrical structure. That means their mounting position
does not matter during Walk The Run and thus the wizard shall offer only of both (or
more) mounting positions. The status field ‘Details of selected catalog item‘ displays if
– due to its geometry – the object can be recognized as symmetric (has symmetry
axis). In this case you may decide if the object shall be ‘handled as symmetric’ during
Walk The Run. If you are not sure we recommend to toggle the symmetry so
‘handled as symmetric’ is displayed as status.

[>]
This button adds the currently selected catalog items to the Active Set. Only the
types of the Active Set are used when walking the run (Pipes– Walk The Run) or
when fitting beams (Beams – Fit beam).

[>>]
This button inserts all of the types in the current catalogue of the “Active selection”.
Even those, which because of the current filter settings, are not visible. These types
 249

are used in “Walk The Run” (Pipes – Walk The Run) and PCFITBEAM (Beams –
Fit beam).

[Rename…], [Add…], [Remove]

In the section ‘Active Set‘ allow the according changes.
250

Prepare – Define a block for a plant object

Command name: PCBLOCKCONVERT

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

For a detailed display of the plant objects you can use AutoCAD block definitions. But
before using them you have to define the position and direction of the connection
points.
Prior using the PCBLOCKCONVERT command you have to insert a suitable block
reference.
After running the command and selecting the block reference you get following
options in the command line:

Select an option [Add/Delete/Move/diRection/eXit]:

Add: Define a new connection point. Choose the first point for position and
the second one for the direction. The new connection point is
symbolized by an arrow.
Delete: Select the according arrow to delete the connection point.
Move: Define the new position of the selected connection point.
diRection: Change the direction of the selected connection point.
eXit: Exit the command by this option to save the changes.
If the defined connection points are collinear you get a further option <rOtation>. With
this option you can define the general rotation of the component and define it’s z-
axis. The defined rotation is symbolized by a blue arrow.
Please note the changes will only be saved by
using the <eXit> option.
After that you can erase the block reference.
To use the block based representation for a plant
object, you have to add it to the PLANT MODEL.
To do so run the command PCEDITPSPM
(Prepare – Edit Plant Model
 251

Pipes– Walk The Run

Command Name: PCWTR
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command allows semi-automatic tracing and recognizing of a pipe run including
existing components (Walk The Run - WTR).
Following start window opens:

Selection of the first pipe via

two points on the pipe’s
surface.

Selection of the continuing

pipe from an existing
connection point.

Pre-calculate cylinders for the

current point cloud section.

Find a new run:

The pipe is recognized after you clicked two points on the pipe’s surface. After the
cylinder fit was successful the suitable pipe type for this diameter is searched from
the PLANT MODEL.
Select two points on a pipe
First point or [change Insulation/select Object/paraMeters]: i
The ends of the pipe are not limited to the extends of the clicked points. The pipe is
extended as far as possible. Changes of direction or parts that tangent the pipe stop
the pipe extension.
If the algorithm finds more than one suitable pipe type, it offers them for selection.
When the first picked point lies on the surface of a previously computed cylinder, this
will be displayed and can be immediately used, by either pressing ENTER (or option
“b”). The pipe run tracer will then be continued from the picked point in the direction
of the farthest pipe end, which will also be indicated by an arrow.
Should the previously computed cylinder not be used for the first pipe, then the pipe
recognition will be started by the picking of the second point.
Besides the input of the pipe points, you may also change the insulation that shall be
considered. To do so simply use the command line option ‘i’.
252

With the “select Object” option, a Plant pipe or even a Kubit cylinder can be used as
the start object.
The “paraMeters” option opens the settings dialogue box for the point cloud
parameters.

Continue a run or branch:

To continue a pipe run you may also select the free end of any pipe run component.
If the selected component has exactly one free connection point the continuing pipe
is searched from that point. If however there are multiple free connection points you
have to define where to continue by clicking close to the desired connection point.
Please use the object snap ‘node‘.

Select a plant object or [changeInsulation]:

Specify point close to the desired connection point by Osnap or [changeInsulation]:

After initializing Walk The Run the control center opens. Here you control all further
action and get feedback on the current results. The basic workflow is described in the
following.
Pattern recognition will only be carried out for pipes (cylinders). Here there are three
methods which will be used:
1. Local temporary computation of all cylinders around the current position of
the pipe run tracer
2. Use of the pre-computed cylinder or the already existing pipes
3. Selection of a specific pipe type as the continuation using the 2 point
method

The button “Pre-compute cylinders” starts the command Pipes – WTR – Pre-
compute Cylinders. All further information is to be found in the appropriate section.
If a pipe was detected by one of these methods the algorithm automatically starts
searching for a suitable continuation. It checks for all compliant fittings and
components (nominal size) of the Active Set if - when inserting them - a continuation
can be found in the point cloud at their free pipe end.
Detected components with valid continuations are immediately displayed in the
control center and sorted by their quality. A color scheme provides fast overview. And
you get a preview in the drawing for the selected list entry.

If the connecting component was selected and inserted the continuing pipe is
automatically extended as far as possible. The new pipe end is the new start point for
the next search for suitable components.
 253

For supporting the pipe tracing the continuing pipe can also be defined manually by
clicking two points on its surface ([Other pipe]).

Removes the last inserted item

Manually define continuing pipe

Extend the last pipe that has been

inserted

Filtering the objects by text comparison

Use cutback elbows

If ticked, the compatibly will be

determined not just using the nominal
diameter but also through comparing the
type of connection and face.

If it is checked valves, flanges etc.

without changes of the normal size are
not used during the search.

Currently used insulation plus display

option

List of suggesteditems

List of generally suitable items

Insert selected item and continue the

Pan and zoom with 3D orbit search

[Undo] removes the last component inserted and pans the current view to the new
pipe end.
The definition of another pipe speeds up the search or allows the continuation if the
automatic search fails to find the next pipe. At components with more than one
connection point (like t-branches) you may also select the branching pipe. However,
the run will be continued in the main direction.
254

When the continuation pipe has the same diameter, then there will be only a few
proposed fittings that can be used. It is different when the diameter varies and/or it is
also possible that several other pipe types would fit.
In the list of proposals there are also components which could fit when used together
with the use of a (concentric) reducer. So by changing the nominal size from DN 200
to DN 250 it could be that both an elbow of DN 200 nominal size with a following
extension and also one of DN 250 with a leading reducer would be compatible.
These combinations are marked in the list with an icon.
To be able to use this nominal size adaptation the appropriate reducer components
must be available in the current selection.
In addition to these variants of the nominal size adaptations, components with the
same nominal size will always be available, that means when the other pipe, for
example, is DN 300, even though the current pipe run end has a nominal size of only
DN 150, then elbows or tees with a nominal size of DN 150 will also be listed.
If Walk The Run does not detect the correct length of a pipe you can extend (or
shorten) it manually ([Extend pipe to point]). The extension can be made by
keeping the existing axis or by fitting the pipe anew (getting a more accurate
alignment). Additionally you have to option to let the pipe grow.
Select point up to which to extend the pipe or [noGrow/noFit]:
If the extension results in an axis deviation that is larger than the tolerance defined
with PCCFG (Prepare – Settings), following message opens:

Filtering the types can speed up the search, because only the types which
correspond to the entered text will be considered. And the search result will be more
clearly.
The tick in "Faster search" does not take into account during the search any fittings
which have only collinear connection points and a consistent nominal diameter, such
as valves and flanges etc. Accordingly, such fittings are no longer to be found in the
coloured list of suggested fittings, but rather they must always be inserted manually
from the black part of the list.
The tick in "Strictly check for compatibility" further restricts the fittings used in the
search, in that additional information to the type of connection and the face will also
be included. Thereby after a flange only flanged-fittings are available for selection.
 255

The connection types and the faces are coded using abbreviations, according to the
origin of their data. By default the abbreviations used in the compatibility matrix in
Autodesk Plant 3D are also used here. Should this matrix not be valid because of
other abbreviations or compatibility requirements, then it can be customised by
editing the text file PlantEndTypes.txt to be found in the installation folder of As-Built.
The changes will then apply to all newly created PLANT MODEL.
The insulation thickness can be changed during the search. The search is then
repeated with the changed pipe diameter. The option for the display of the insulation
affects the visualization of a plant object like shown in following sketch:

Show insulation Do not show insulation (the insulation is indicated

by a circle)

The list of suitable components shows in black all components that would generally fit
at the currently free connection point. As the search is in progress colored items are
automatically added in the upper list, that represent those items for which a
continuation was found in the point cloud.
If the correct component is present and highlighted you can confirm the selection by
double clicking it or by pressing ENTER or clicking [Insert and continue …] without
needing to wait until the automatic search is finished.
If you have activated the cutback elbow mode, then cutback elbows can also
appear in the list, as well as cut off pipe bends. These are also marked by a separate
symbol:
256

You can see what the current cutback angle is by right clicking this entry.
Furthermore, you have available options to manually change or measure this angle:

Measure cutback angle and insert

There are two options to measure the cutback angle:
Choose measurement option [Angle/Circle]:
With the option Angle you will be prompted for two tangential lines on the legs of the
cutback elbow:
 257

First point for first tangent:

Second point for first tangent:
First point for second tangent:
Second point for second tangent:

The option Circle on the other hand will prompt you for points on the connecting
circle of the cutback elbow. In an ideal situation you will be able to identify these
connecting circles (circular cross sections) as welded joints in the point cloud.
258

Circle 1 - Select 1. point on circle:

Circle 1 - Select 2. point on circle or [Undo]:
Circle 1 - Select 3. point on circle or [Undo]:
Circle 1 - Select 4. point on circle or [Undo/Finish] <Finish>:

Circle 2 - Select 1. point on circle:

Circle 2 - Select 2. point on circle or [Undo]:
Circle 2 - Select 3. point on circle or [Undo]:
Circle 2 - Select 4. point on circle or [Undo/Finish] <Finish>:

If the new cutback angle derived from both options lies within the tolerance, then the
cutback elbow will be inserted and WTR (Walk The Run) can be continued. You can
set the angular tolerance in the As-Built Settings:
 259

Cutback elbows can be inserted with their original angle (from the component
definition), (Option Insert with standard cutback angle).

As the third option there is Change cutback angle and insert:

Here you can manually enter the cutback angle (decimal degrees) or determine it by
measurement (for this see the option Measure cutback angle and insert). The
cutback elbow is first inserted after you have clicked the button Insert.

Except inline fittings all components are automatically placed according to the
continuation found. Due to their constant axis inline fittings have to be placed
manually on the pipe axis.
260

Specify insertion point at the start of plant object or [Toggle]:

The option [Toggle] swaps the insertion point from the start to the end or any
appropriately relevant intermediate points of the fitting (e.g. rear side of a flange) and
conversely, looking in the direction of the run.
The current insertion point is marked with a red ring (This ring is
clearly visible when in AutoCAD show/hide line widths is
activated).
The finally chosen insertion point will then be orthogonally
projected onto the centreline, to precisely define the insertion
point of the fitting.

If the automatic search was finished and the suitable component is still not shown as
colored entry, you may select a component from the black part of the list and insert it
manually. When inserting manually you have to position the component directly at the
free end of the run. Only inline fittings can automatically adjust the right position
along the axis.
Elbows and t-branches can be rotated into the desired position. If moreover the
component is not symmetrical you can also select the relevant connection point.

Connection point for insertion

Alignment for the item with the possibility

to define it by selecting a point

When defining the alignment by a point, a dynamic preview is displayed. Depending

on your direction of view you may

Select rotation of object by point:

or you

Select rotation of object by direction <Cancel>:

 261

If - from your current direction of view - it is possible to define the alignment by one
single point, then you simply press ENTER after having chosen the (first) point and
you get back into the dialog. Otherwise click a second point to define the direction.
The second option allows the alignment of the rotatable tie-in point around the centre
point of a self defined circle. The definition is done by picking at least three points on
the circumference. By selecting more than three points the best possible circle will be
used.
As described above, inline fittings can be positioned anywhere on the pipe axis. A
dialog window for manual insertion is only shown if the component is not symmetric
and thus one has to define the relevant connection point.
262

Pipes– WTR – Pre-compute Cylinders

Command Name: PCPC

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

“Walk The Run” works significantly faster when the pipes are previously known. For
this purpose an algorithm has been developed, with the help of a RANSAC (random
sample consensus) method, which evaluates the current selected part of a point
cloud and attempts to detect all of the cylinders.
This command can be started by either clicking the “Pre-compute cylinders” button in
the WTR dialogue box or with the command PCPC.

Starts the pre-calculation of cylinders in

the currently selected part of the point
cloud

When the user starts the cylinder detection the following dialogue box is displayed:

A progress bar shows the actual state of the calculation. The already elapsed time is
shown together with the remaining time, which is determined based on the
calculation up to now. The user can interrupt the command by clicking the
“Intermission” button without losing the cylinders that have already been computed.
An interrupted calculation can be resumed within the same session by starting the
command again, provided that the selected part of a point cloud has not been
changed. Moreover the user has the possibility to completely end the calculation and
insert the already detected cylinders as Kubit cylinders into the drawing. If an
interrupted calculation is resumed within the same session and starts the pre-
calculation of cylinders again, the following window is displayed:
 263

Here there is the possibility to continue the calculation from the point where it was
previously interrupted, to start a new calculation or to insert the cylinders that have
already been detected into the drawing.

If the pre-calculation of cylinders is allowed to run to the end,

a message box is displayed, that informs the user how many cylinders have been
generated and on which layer they have been placed.

Under Settings > Plant > Pre-compute Cylinders there are various parameters that
can be set.
Layer > Pre-computed cylinders:
Here enter the name of the layer on which the pre-computed cylinders should be
created.

Plant > Pre-computed cylinders > Type of use:

264

This setting defines that local cylinders can use the pre-computed cylinders that are
currently available in the drawing. Local cylinders are temporarily determined during
the pipe run tracer in the vicinity of the current position. This computation takes only a
few seconds, but can also be switched off with the option “Only pre-computed
cylinders”. With the option “Automatic” a sequential creation can be used from the
suggestions for the continuation of the run. When the use of the pre-computed
cylinders brings no suggestions, it is then that the computation of the local cylinders
is started.

Plant > Pre-computed cylinder > Box size for cylinder detection:
 265

This is the size of the RANSAC boxes that the part of a point cloud will be divided
into. Here the user must be aware that in an ideal situation a box is so big that it is
only possible for it to hold one cylinder. When cylinders in a plant are computed, that
have only large pipe diameters, it is advisable to adjust the size of the boxes
accordingly. Thereby fewer boxes will be generated and the computation will be by
that accelerated.

A further important parameter for the pre-calculation of the cylinders is the noise
value, which can be set under:

A shell model of the cylinder is generated with the help of the noise. The noise
defines a shell, that should hold the points of the cylinders that are being searched
for.

The noise defines a shell, that

should hold the points of the
cylinders that are being
searched for.
266

Pipes– Exchange a plant entity

Command Name: PCEXCHANGE

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command allows the exchange of an existing plant entity.

First select the plant entity for exchanging.

In the following dialog, you get all possible types for exchanging:

Text filter to reduce the selection size

Use cutback elbows

Restriction for just compatible

connection components

Possible components to swap

With [Ok] you can insert the new entity.

When using this command, the component to be swapped must have at least one
connection to another component.
 267

Pipes– Set link

Command Name: PCSL
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command allows to explicitly connect plant objects.

You can choose between two methods for selecting the relevant connection points:
• Use the shortest distance between connection points to connect
• Connect the selected points (nearest free connection point to clicked point
during object selection)
To toggle the method use the option in the command line:

Current Setting: Use the shortest distance between connection points to connect
Select a plant entity or [setting Toggle] <setting Toggle>:

If the plant objects have not free connection points, you get a message in the
command line:

No connection possible because at least one of the selected connection points is already in use.
268

Pipes– Remove link

Command Name: PCRL
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command allows to explicitly disconnect plant objects.

Only the links between the selected objects are removed.

 269

Pipes– Set new links

Command Name: PCRELINK

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command allows the explicit connection of a large number of Plant objects in a
single step.

With connections it is shortest connection between two tie in points that is valid.
Thereby, if applicable, any already existing connections will be removed.

After starting the command all of the objects are to be selected that are to be
connected.

Select entities

Thereafter the maximum distance, in drawing units, must be entered, within which
two tie in points should be connected.

Specify distance or <100>:

This maximum distance should not be too large, otherwise, for example, the free
ends of adjacent pipes could also be connected.

It is not checked at all to see how compatible the connections are to each another.
270

Pipes– ApplyConstraints
Command Name: PCAC
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command is applied at the very end after having used the command Pipes–
Walk The Run (PCWTR) to Walk The Run.
All objects of a pipe run or several pipe runs have been created and do fit – at least
locally – optimal to the point cloud. For creating a global ideal and consistent model
• Contact/connection of the components (incidence) and
• Collinearity of the axes of all components

have to be generated. This is only possible now, because during tracing the pipe run
the position of all components that need to be considered is not yet known. This
operation slightly changes all objects and the optimal direction of these changes
depends on all connected components (possibly of multiple runs).
Running the command PCAC opens the dialog ‘Plant Systems: ApplyConstraints’:

When
opening the
dialog the
first time,
further
The status elements
section explains are still
the current disabled.
progress in the
process
 271

You work in two steps using this dialog. First click the [Select Plant Objects] button to
select at least one component of the plant section to be corrected. The dialog
disappears and you are prompted the following in the AutoCAD command line:
Select plant objects:
Select objects:
It is sufficient to select one single component of the section, since the whole
connected section is recognized automatically. If you selected all desired
components, just press ENTER and the command line prompts:
Review all connected objects [Continue] <Continue>:
At the same time all Plant objects which are connected with the component you
selected are highlighted in green. This way you can visually check if the resulting
assemblage is what you want. If that is the case, confirm your selection with ENTER
and you get back to the dialog.

The number
of all objects
connected
with your
selection is
displayed.
272

Now you can start the automatic correction for the creation of connectivity and
collinearity by clicking the [Start ApplyConstraints] button.
Although the process is capable of correctly adjusting most of the pipe runs of
practical use, it may happen on rare occasions or with uncommon sequences of plant
objects, that the automatic process does not manage to fulfil all of the constraints.
For this reason, you have the choice to activate the checkbox „highlight violated
constraints with colored lines“ in the dialog. Hence, in the results of Apply
Constraints, three problem classes are being identified and all of the occurrences are
going to be visualized by lines of the colors green, red and blue.
Problem Class Line Color Graphical Representation

Significant movement at the a single line is drawn perpendicular to the resulting

green
end of a pipe axis axis for showing the track of the movement

Two connection points are not two lines represent the directional vectors of the
coincident red connection points, a third one is connecting the
coordinates of the connection points

Two connection points are two lines represent the directional vectors of the
blue
coincident but not collinear connection points

Regarding the first problem class, you are able to configure yourself which amount of
axis movement you want to be considered as „significant“ change. You may use the
command Prepare – Settings to configure the corresponding value on page 4 of
that dialog.
 273

Pipes– Change insulation

Command Name: PCSIN
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you may add or remove insulation to/from plant objects.
The insulation values have to be defined for the drawing advance (PCEDITPSPM,
Prepare – Edit Plant Model).
274

Pipes– Select pipe run

Command Name: PCSPR

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you may add all parts of a pipe run to the current selection set of
AutoCAD. You have to select only one part of pipe run.

This is useful if you want to change common properties of all parts of a pipe run
simultaneously in the property window.
 275

Pipes– Configure plant object’s appearance

Command name: PCCTRLDISP

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you can change the display of plant objects.

In the left picture you can see the block representation of a fitting. If no block
definition is available, you only get the generic shape like the right figure.

The display of insulation can be complete as in the left picture or only be symbolized
by a centric ring like in the right figure.
276

Pipes– Fit bent pipe

Command name: PCFITBENTPIPE

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command allows modeling bent pipes inside a point cloud. The result is a 3D
solid and/or a spline for the axis with a set of circles representing pipe cross-sections.

The process is like this. You click two points of the point cloud at the beginning of the
pipe/tube approximately in direction of the axis (dark dots in the figure above). The
distance between both points tells the software the desired sampling.
If tracing the run stops - e.g. at a tight bend – you may click two further points (light
dots in the figure above). The single segments are connected automatically. If
AutoCAD fails to create the 3D solid, select the [Undo] option. You may then try to
achieve the creation by clicking two slightly different points or you finish the run.
In addition, the [Options] command line option can be used to open the following
dialog for configuring pipe tracing and output.
 277

Three different radius modes are available:

• Constant from start:
The radius is determined once at the beginning of the pipe tracking. Then the
system tries to generate the entire pipe with this radius.
• Constant from average:
Each radius of a found pipe section is used to recalculate the average of the
radii. The pipe is then produced with the average radius.
• Variable:
The radius of each pipe segment is used as calculated.

As a result, the 3D solid and/or the axis line and circles in the drawing can be
created.

Figure: point cloud Centerline with circles 3D solid

278

Beams – Fit beam

Command name: PCFITBEAM

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you may model beams (straight prisms with constant profile)
Following dialog opens:

The last three Temporarily leave

profiles used the dialog and
navigate to a
different view in the
drawing.
In general the
beams are
positioned
approximately by Filter the list on
clicking two points primitive form.
and then fitted Dimensions of
automatically. the highlighted
profile.
If this option is Profile highlighted
disabled, the in the list below
positioning is done
manually by clicking
up to five points. List of all available
profiles according to
the Active Set in
EDITPSPM

Objects are Automatic type

positioned recognition
approximately, the
fitting is postponed
until you click Check point cloud
[Close] . parameters and
change if necessary
Available if
“Automatic“ is
enabled. Modeling beams
with the selected
profile; the dialog
Beams are created closes temporarily.
precisely vertical,
should the deviation
from the vertical lie Close the dialog. If
within the given the “Postpone
tolerance. Fitting“ option is
enabled, the objects
will now be fitted.
 279

In this dialog you select the type of beam to be modelled das well as the modelling
strategy. If you click on [Insert], one of the icons or double click an item in the list, the
dialog closes and you can start modelling a number of according beams.
The automatic fitting of the beams (alignment and length) may take several seconds
on slow computers. If you want to avoid this delay, you select the “Postpone Fitting“
option. The beams are then positioned only approximately but very quick and
highlighted with a bal in the middle. When [Closing] the dialog the fitting for all beams
is run as a batch. In the following figure you see a possible intermediate result before
you clicked the [Close] button (the beams have not yet been fitted to the cloud).

Aligned, fitted
inserted but beams
fitting (default
postponed
setting)
(green ball)

inserted but
fitting
postponed
(red ball)

After [Close] the batch runs and you get the results:
280

The batch can be paused by pressing <ESC>. If you later return to Fit beams and
press [Close] again, the remaining beams will be fitted.
The option "Automatic Alignment" can be configured here:
KUBT_PC_CONFIG  Plant  Angular tolerance
If the centreline of the beam or its profile alignment varies less than the specified
angle from the perpendicular, then it will be aligned precisely vertical.

If the profiles have axes, they will be displayed in the dialog. The active axis (large
cross X) can be swapped by pressing the middle mouse button. This axis will be
used later for export or for alignment of beam to each other. The profiles that appear
at the top of the dialogue box originate from the AutoCAD Plant 3D catalog.
C:\AutoCAD Plant 3D 2014 Content\CPak Common\Structural Catalog.acat:
If the type of the beam is unknown then click on the button [Identify type...]. Read
about it in the following section:
Automatic type identification
After clicking the button [Identify type...] you will be prompted for two points. These
must lay on one face of the beam. Select two points that both lay on a face that is
clearly identifiable in the point cloud. There should only be the face of the beam
between the two points (no branches or other objects). Click something like this:
 281

After entering both points then follows the computation of selected face (with a
progress bar). Then the following dialogue box appears:

Progress of the ongoing in the Filter the list on Temporarily leave the dialog
background comparison of the primitive form and navigate to a different
“current selection“ from thePSPM. view in the drawing.
The list expands…

Shift the candidate point cloud slice

along the beam centreline.
Following the shifting of the slice or Hierarchy of
the removal of points, the the suitable
computation of the hierarchy should types. At the
be started again. top of the list is
the best one.
The selected
Previous face from profile is
thetwopicked points. depicted on the
left.

Section through the point Automatically display

cloud and in blue the the most suitable
profile ofthe current type in the list.
selection in the list. The
actual noise setting (n) is
displayed in white.
Return to the main dialog

Return to the main Insert the selected

dialogue box. The type into the point
currently selected type cloud. All of the
is also selected in the normal options can be
main dialog. applied.
282

With the appearance of the dialogue box there begins in the background a
comparison between all of the types of the "current selection" from the PLANT
MODEL and the point pattern. All of the types that match the selected face will be
displayed in a sorted list in the right hand side of the dialogue box. At the top of the
list is always the type that, according to the pattern recognition, best fits. As time
progresses the best candidate will change and will be automatically marked. With the
button [Insert beam] is the process of identifying the type is ended and
simultaneously an object of this type is inserted. When you are satisfied with the
identification of the type, you can also return to the main dialogue box using the [Use
type] button.
Left - in the green highlighted graphic - the selected candidate is visualised over a
slice of the point cloud. As long as the search has not been finished and a manual
choice has not been made, the profile is displayed in a light blue colour. If the choice
has been decided (by clicking in the list or because the search has finished) the
profile is displayed in dark blue.
The face initially selected by picking the two points will be displayed slightly thicker
and bright blue. The point cloud noise used by the drawing is displayed white around
the object. The noise corridor should be just wide enough so that all significant points
lay within it.
The graphic should look something like this:

What is the purpose of the option "Select best type"?

Should one of the compared candidates in the list be clicked on with the mouse the
automatic change to the currently assumed best one is stopped. Should the best type
be automatically selected, then the check box "Select best type" must be ticked.
Solutions for typical problems
Both of the following effects occur quite commonly:
1. If the two points picked to define the first face inadvertently do not lay on the
same face, the point cloud appears to be very wide or skewed in space and
often it is not horizontally or vertically aligned:
 283

Exit the type identification [Cancel] and start again selecting better points.

2. If there is too much point cloud noise, points from other objects can be a
problem:

Completely exit the command and enter the correct point cloud noise setting
(PCCFG, second step of the assistant).

Delete and shift the slice to be analysed

To assist the pattern identification process
• the point cloud slice can be shifted along the axis of the beam
and/or erased in the graphic window.
• and/or erased in the graphic.
In both cases the background will be changed to a pink colour. The button
[Recalculate] is now enabled as the background pattern identification is no longer
being calculated from the current point cloud data. When you are finished with
shifting or erasing the slice and the pattern identification has not brought a
satisfactory result the calculation must be started again.
The mouse pointer, when it is in the graphic window, will change to a square. To
erase the erroneous points, just click on them. The points are not really removed
from the point cloud, they are just ignored in the pattern identification process:
284
 285

Beams – Edit beam

Command name: PCEDITBEAM

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you can edit an existing beam (kubitplantbeam).

This can be useful after PCFITBEAM with activated “Postpone Fitting” or if the
position or type of a beam seems not to match the point cloud.
This command will ask for a beam and refit the selected object. Afterwards it offers
same options as PCFITBEAM. Especially command line options “Retry” (in case of
flipping is needed) or “Swap” (change of type is needed) can help to optimize an
already existing beam.
286

Beams – Show the alignment of the beam:

Command name: PCSHOWALIGNSTEEL

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command the precise alignment of the beam can be visualised. Especially
small deviations from the horizontal or vertical can be recognised without the need to
re-measure it The command toggles between visualisation and off.
A completely skewed beam looks like this when the visualisation is switched on.

 The magenta coloured circle means that the axis is neither horizontal nor
vertical.
 The orange coloured circle shows a tilting of the profile around its own axis.
 The red axis means that the axes of the beam are not parallel to the user
coordinate system (UCS).
This marking shows not the deviation from the point cloud but deviation from a typical
beam construction.
Hint: The command LIST displays the associated angle (deviation from a typical
position).
After applying PCACSTEEL (ApplyConstraints for beams) a network of beams
usually looks like this:
 287

Only the diagonals are marked magenta. The axes are green, because they match
the UCS. All slight tiltings and slight deviations from the horizontal or the vertical
positions are eliminated up to a predefined threshold value. The vertical beam, rear-
right, has in this example a large rotation. This stays as it is, as can be seen by the
red axis.
288

Beams – Switch customisation of the beam

Command name: PCTOGGLETOFITSTEEL

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

A beam has been marked with a green or red sphere, when its position has not been
optimised with the point cloud. That happens when a beam has been copied or
PCFITBEAM (Fit beam) was used with the mode “Deferred fitting”.

Fitted beam:

The status of one or more beams can be changed with this command. No fitting of
the beam is carried out.
A possible areas of use for the beam is as follows:
 289

A network of beams is to be modelled. Four steel beams will be fitted using

PCFITBEAM:

Now these beams will be copied (AutoCAD command _ARRAY or COPY):

290

The beams marked with a green sphere have not yet been fitted.
Subsequently run PCFITBEAM again and immediately click on [Close]. Now you get
the possibility to fit the eight marked beams onto the point cloud.
 291

Then the results are checked. If a steel beam appears to be badly fitted, then it can
be marked and fitted again using the command PCTOGGLETOFITSTEEL. In many
cases it helps.
When the copying has been precisely carried out and steel beams, for example in
shadowed areas without any scan points, should not be fitted, then the later fitting of
the beams can be prevented with this command. PCTOGGLETOFITSTEEL is a
switch command to select between three states. The green sphere symbolizes the
automatic fitting method which uses the configuration parameters from the “Fit beam”
dialog. A fitting without any restrictions is symbolized by the red sphere. Besides
automatic fitting and fitting without restriction, i.e. free fitting, the user has the option
to disable the postponed fitting.
292

Moreover, the user can select a set of beams and start the command
PCTOGGLETOFITSTEELwith the selected beams. If all beams have the same state
(automatic fitting, green sphere for example) the states get switched in a predefined
order:
Green  red  off.
If the user chooses a set of beams with different states, the user will be asked which
fitting method shall be set for all selected beams.
 293

Beams – ApplyConstraints for steel

Command name: PCACSTEEL

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you can align a set of beams (kubitplantbeam) one to each other.
This is nice for further (static) analysis or further design based on the real conditions
in other software (E. g. Revit® after export using PCEX). Here are the results of the
operation in a top view (actually the whole 3D construction was optimized!):

Beams will become orthogonal and coplanar. Additionally beams will extended to
their next neighbors.
The command starts with a dialog to give you some options:
294

The best matching coordinate

system will be created as UCS.
Beams will be orthogonal in this
system.

Short green lines will visualize

necessary movements of every
beam. One line from start and one
line from end point of the original
beam to the new axes will be
drawn.

There is a parameter that limits the tilting of the axis, the Displacement tolerance.
The Rotation tolerance influences the allowable rotation around the axis. Extension
and Shortening influences the intersection.
PCACSTEEL guarantees to move a beam’s endpoint not more than Tolerance value,
except for extending the beam. This means the Tolerance has to be significantly
smaller than the shortest beam but large enough to compensate the biggest
deviation from the perfectly shaped steel network.
In following figure the green arrows are guaranteed shorter then Tolerance:

How does one come to a good value for the Displacement tolerance?
We look for the worst situation (from Top view and any side view). Then we draw a
line without object snap (red line in following figure). With the length of this line we
had to correct the bad beam.
We add something like 20% on this length to be safe and this will be a good
tolerance. Tolerance should be significantly shorter than the shortest beam involved.
295
296

Beams – Adjust steel

Command name: PCADJUSTSTEEL

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you can align a set of beams (kubitplantbeam) to one reference
beam.
Usually this is used as a post edit command after PCACSTEEL. If after the global
command some beams are still not adjusted (e. g. because for them a longer
tolerance is needed) you may apply this command.
First select a set of beams which you want to adjust. There is an option [Tolerance]
with same meaning like in PCACSTEEL
Last step is to define the reference beam.
Here we adjust three beams to the rightmost beam:

The maximum deviation (always smaller than the tolerance) will be given in the
command line.
 297

Beams – Extend steel to steel

Command name: PCEXTENDSTEELTOSTEEL

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you can extend a set of beams (kubitplantbeam) to one reference
beam. Usually this command is used as a post edit command after PCACSTEEL and
PCADJUSTSTEEL.

Usually all beams including the reference will be coplanar but command will work
anyway. The maximum deviation (distance between the planes containing the
beams) will be given in the command line.
298

Beams – Extend steel to point

Command name: PCEXTENDSTEELTOPOINT

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command you can extend a set of beams (kubitplantbeam) to a point.
Usually this command is used as a post edit command after PCACSTEEL and
PCADJUSTSTEEL.
For every beam the point will be perpendicularly projected on beam’s axes. The
beam will be extended to projected point.
 299

Beams – Intersect beam axes

Command name: PCINTERSECTAXISSTEEL

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command (KUBITPLANTBEAM) the steel beams can be trimmed. Thereby
all of the selected steel beams are either extended or shortened. But the straight
beam axes are not (!) changed.
This command is usually the second step in a process, at the end of which there
exists a perfectly aligned network of steel beams.
1. Fit beams PCFITBEAM (Beams – Fit beam)
2. Intersect beams PCINTERSECTAXISSTEEL
3. Check intersection and where necessary, by using the grip handles, manually
adjust it to the approximate correct length.
4. Show axes by using PCSHOWAXISSTEEL (Beams – Visualize beam axes)
5. Automatically select axes with PCADJUSTAXISSTEELAUTO (Beams –
Align beam axes automatically)
6. Check and where necessary correct axes with PCADJUSTAXISSTEEL
(Beams – Align beam axes manually)
7. Align the beams orthogonally and coplanar with PCACSTEEL (Beams –
ApplyConstraints for steel)

The intersection of the beams has a significantly higher priority than

PCADJUSTAXISSTEELAUTO (Beams – Align beam axes automatically). The
fixing of the axes is important when dealing with “stacked” beams, where the axes
should not lie in the middle of the profiles.
300

Beams – Visualize beam axes

Command name: PCSHOWAXISSTEEL

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command (kubitplantbeam) the axes of the steel beams can be hidden and
shown.

The axes can be exported (Export; PCEX) and are used by PCACSTEEL
(Beams – ApplyConstraints for steel) and aligned to each other.
 301

Beams – Align beam axes automatically

Command name: PCADJUSTAXISSTEELAUTO

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command the software looks for, in all of the selected beams, those axes
which lead to a complete and connected axis system. “Stacked” beams can be seen
in the image. At the arrow there is a gap, because the axes of the beams still run
centrally:

The objective is to select the axes, for example, in such a way that touch each other:

For the automatic detection of an optimal axial position it is necessary that the axes
of the steel beams are brought together and that they touch each other. This is
achieved by previously running the command PCINTERSECTAXISSTEEL (Beams
– Intersect beam axes).
The results of the axis search can still be manually revised: PCADJUSTAXISSTEEL
(Beams – Align beam axes manually).
302

Typically the next step after axis alignment is PCACSTEEL (Beams –

ApplyConstraints for steel). So is a connected axis system produced:

Here is the axis model (Export; PCEX):

The complete workflow for stacked steel beams is shown in

PCINTERSECTAXISSTEEL (Beams – Intersect beam axes).
 303

Beams – Align beam axes manually

Command name: PCADJUSTAXISSTEEL

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

With this command the axis in the selected beams can be changed.

One clicks in one of the selected beams in the vicinity of the desired axis. The axis
change will be applied to all of the selected beams.
Usually the reason for this manipulation is that in the end one wants to have a
complete and connected axis system.
The complete workflow for stacked steel beams is shown in
PCINTERSECTAXISSTEEL (Beams – Intersect beam axes).
304

Tie-in points– Determine tie-in points

Command name: PCTIEINPOINT

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command is for determining the position of a tie-in point (Tie-in Point). In
particular its coordinates and direction are determined. Additionally the alignment of
the bolt holes (angular positioning around the centreline) can be ascertained. Here is
a possible result:

Starting the command the displays following dialogue box:

 305

Methods for
determining the
centerline

When measuring tothe rear face of

the flange: enter the flange Determine the plane
thickness here or use that of the (front face of flange)
selected flange

Select from the

appropriate flanges in
the PSPM

Direction of the
centreline will be
reversed

Quality information Plot the results:

and/or create it as
plant object
On [OK] retain the Determine the
construction graphic alignment ofthe bolt
(which points have holes.
been picked).

The command allows for several procedures. Depending on the shadows in the scan
select a suitable possibility. The following variants are possible for determining the
tie-in point data. It is initially assumed that the front face of the flange, or at least its
front edge, is visible in the point cloud:
The pipe that is coaxial with the flange is easily recognisable
Select this button and click on two points somewhere along the pipe.
The software fits a cylinder as precisely as possible to the pipe
between the two picked points. The centreline of the cylinder is also
the centreline of the tie-in point. The tie-in point must lie somewhere
along this straight line.
306

This is usually the most precise method of determining the centreline, as a large
number of points has been used - the whole cylinder between the two picked points
are used for the fitting procedure.
Now the plane of the front face is determined by clicking the button
depicted on the right. At least one point must be clicked on the front face,
or if need be on the edge of the front face. Should more points be
selected then an averaging process follows which gives a more precise
result. Thereby all the data for the tie-in point has been calculated.

The cylindrical external face of the flange is easily recognisable

If there is no recognisable coaxial pipe, this button can be used. At
least three well spread points should be picked on the lateral surface
of the flange. The centreline has not yet been determined.
In the second step the plane of the front face of the flange
is determined. Click on the button shown on the right.
Then click on at least three points. A plane is determined from these
points. The software can together with the first three points (that project a
circle onto the plane) calculate all the data for the tie-in point.

Die The edge of the flange is easily recognisable

In this method all of the data for the tie-in point are ascertained in the
first step. After clicking on the button shown on the left, three points
are picked that lay well spread out on the edge. These points are used
both for the determining the plane and also for determining the lateral
surface. This method is especially imprecise if only three points are
used, because in laser scans the limitations of the system only allow for an
inaccurate definition of edges.

The accuracy can, in all three cases, be assessed in the "Quality information" status
field. Both figures are length information given in the AutoCAD linear units and
should lie within the bounds of the desired accuracy. The distance shown is that of
the worst point to the centre of the plane and to the centre of the circle. In some
cases, quality values can only be calculated if more points are picked than above
mentioned minimum number (and the number shown on the button icons).
Often the front face of the flange in the point cloud is not discernible because it is
covered by another flange or is in a shadow. In this case all variants can also be
used on the rear face. Then it is necessary to additionally give the "Shift", the flange
thickness. To illustrate the point, all icons on the buttons will be rotated when entering
a shift value that is not equal to zero:

The flange thickness as a value for the move can also be automatically set using the
button “Use the thickness of the selected flange”.
 307

For better accuracy measurements on the edges (rim of the flange) should be
avoided. Consider using measurements on the rear face of the flange (with the
additional shift information). Keep a watch on the quality information. Use more
points than the absolute minimum. If there is a coaxial pipe, use it.
After the data for the tie-in point has been ascertained, a [Rotation angle] can be
optionally entered. This describes the rotation of the flange by means of the position
of the bolt holes.

The graphic, with the exception of the arrows, disappears when [OK] is clicked, the
option "Receiveddefininggraphic" is then active. Textual information on the position
and alignment of the tie-in point is added. Lines are to found on the inside of the
arrow that can be used for further construction work. If you need these then simply
erase the arrow.
Or else use the possibility, to directly create a Plant object, which then, for example
after exporting as an Autodesk Plant 3D component, use it as the starting point for
some advanced modeling.
308

Export – Export
Command Name: PCEX
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Plant

This command is used after the creation of pipes using PCWTR (Pipes– Walk The
Run) and alignment using PCAC (Pipes– ApplyConstraints) or after the creation of
beams using PCFITBEAM (Beams – Fit beam) and alignment using
PCADJUSTSTEEL (Beams – Adjust steel). It will be export objects or export files
that will be created, depending which was selected from the available options in the
following dialogue box:

All of the possible export possibilities for pipes and steel beams are offered in this
dialogue box. For exporting as AutoCAD objects there are additional options that can
be selected by ticking the appropriate box and can therefore be combined in many
different ways.
After confirming using the[OK] button the dialogue window is closed and in the
AutoCAD command line the following prompt appears:
Select plant objects:
For steel beams all of the objects that are to be exported must be selected. For pipes
it is sufficient to select just a single component of a connected section, as the whole
of the associated network will be automatically recognised. When you are finished
select all of the desired objects, press the enter key and in the command line you will
see:
Review all connected objects [Continue] <Continue>:
 309

All of the Plant objects, that are connected to the objects that you selected, will be
simultaneously highlighted in green, so that you can visually check if the resulting
network is as you intended. If this is the case, confirm the selection by pressing the
enter key to start the export function that you defined.

Notes on exporting pipes:

Next situation could exist:

Option AutoCAD Objects, Export to tagging objects

The export as tagging objects needs a structure definition in the drawing. If there is
no one you get a dialog for selection. Choose a structure definition with the extension
“export” and run the export command again.
The predefined structure definitions contain following classes:
Line: group of all items of a pipe run until next branch
PlantObject: base class for certain types as elbow, pipe etc.
Pipe: type pipe
Elbow: type elbow
InlineFitting: type inline fitting
Branch: type Branch
ConnectionPoint: common point at two entities are connected via their
connection points
310

The export result is also confirmed in the command line:

Export (tagging) has created 16 objects.

For more detailed information please refer Tagging in 3D space.

Option AutoCAD Objects, Export names to text

Option AutoCAD Objects, Export as polylines (simple)
Option AutoCAD Objects, Export the start points
These three options may be used as single option as well as in all possible
combinations.
By combining all three of these options, the results are 3D polylines which represent
the axes lines plus AutoCAD text which contains the object names.
The polylines run from branch to branch or end at free pipe ends.
The texts have their insertion points on the axis and in the middle of the labelled
objects.
Start points are placed at start and end points of all objects (like valves, flanges and
elbows).
 311

After the export the command line confirms with:

Export (polylines) has created 16 objects and 23 vertices.

You can use the command PCCFG (Prepare – Settings) to configure the layer for
the export.

Option AutoCAD objects, export as polylines (separated):

This option creates polylines, each with a nominal diameter on different layers, the
nominal diameter is the name of the layer, and with different colours, whereby the
axis lines on reducer components are non-continuous. Three circles are inserted
representing a “wire-frame sphere symbol” on the non-continuous locations. The
circle symbols are always placed on the tie in point of the largest of the nominal
diameters. The circles are green for concentric reducers and for eccentric reducers
they are red. Only for eccentric reducers is there a gap, the length of the component,
between the polylines.
312

This special export function facilitates, by using a special workflow, to relatively easily
“trace” the pipeline from the resulting elements in AutoCAD Plant 3D or other
applications. Commands which convert centerlines to pipe runs can be applied on the
content of a entire layer because on this layer it will find only axis of a specific
nominal size!
In this way you can also in Plant 3D, for example, set pipe bend connectors into the
pipe run. Furthermore it is recommended not to first place valves and other in-line
fittings in this way when walking the run with As-Built Plant (Pipes– Walk The Run),
but later to first set them in the target application.
 313

Option AutoCAD Objects, Export as 3D solids

The As-Built plant objects are exported as AutoCAD solids. The plant objects will be
preserved.
The diameter of the new solids contains an eventual insulation.

The confirmation you get via command line:

Export (solids) has created 16 objects.

Hint: If you want to export only single As-Built plant objects to AutoCAD solids just
use the EXPLODE command.

Option Plant 3D (AutoCAD Plant 3D 2013 and above)

If you work with AutoCAD Plant 3D (version 2013 and above) you can export the As-
Built plant objects as Plant 3D objects. The As-Built plant objects will be preserved.
For a successful export please observe the following:
- The used Plant Model (PSPM) has to be imported from a AutoCAD Plant 3D
spec.
- The catalog name has to correspond to the spec name.
- When you run the command PCAC use the strategy 2. This way you maintain
the defined geometry of elbows and Tees, Thus a correctly linked Plant 3D
model can be generated from the exported components..
- If you use flanged fittings like valves you do not have to create the flange at
the pipe side. The export joints the components according to the joint types
defined in the project setup. That means gasket and bolt set will be created
automatically.
- For the automatic connection between two flanges you have to place both
flanges with a distance equal the thickness of the suitable gasket in the
specification. It is easier to place only one flange. The counterpart will then be
created automatically by Plant 3D.

The confirmation you get via command line:

Export (Plant 3D) has created 16 objects.

Option Revit MEP:

For this option you must have first created a As-Built plant model from a pipe classes
file in As-Built for Revit (Prepare – Edit Plant Model, “Import plant model…”) button.
The model so created can then be exported to a text file and from that the pipe run
can be imported into Revit MEP with As-Built Revit.
314

Option generic:
This option is for working in a special file format, that has been developed for external
developers. Thereby the following workflow should be possible for any pipeline
software, even when they don't support any point clouds:
External software  *.PMD file (Plant Model Definition) As-Built plant model
Such a *.PMD file can then be imported into As-Built Plant (Prepare – Edit Plant
Model, “Import plant model...” button). After walking the run and using Apply
Constraints comes the export using the “Option generic”:
Command PCEX,  *.PMI file (Plant Model Instances)  Import in external software

Notes on exporting beams:

Option AutoCAD Objects, Export as 3D solids

This option serves to convert proprietary As-Built beams (kubitPlantBeam created
using PCFITBEAM, Beams – Fit beam) into 3D solids. The standard AutoCAD
objects so created can, for example, using a DWG or IFC interface, be sent to other
software programs or be further processed with the on-board resources of AutoCAD.

Option AutoCAD Objects, Export as axis lines:

Axis lines will be created from the start to the end of the beam. The layer where the
line entities will be placed is configurable (Prepare – Settings).

Option AutoCAD objects, export as annotation text:

An AutoCAD text entity with the name of the beam will be inserted on the centre point
of the beam axis. The layer where the text entities will be placed is configurable
(Prepare – Settings).
 315

Option SDNF
A SDNF file will be created form the As-Built steel beams, that can be read by many
steelwork software applications (for example Autodesk Revit, but also by other
products such as INTERGRAPH and AVEVA.
SDNF stands for Steel Detailing Neutral Format.

Option Advance Steel

This option can only be used if the extensions “Advance Steel and Advance Concrete
Plug-in for Revit 2015” are also installed. Depending on the version of the plug-ins
either a *.GTC or *.GMXL will be created, which will allow the import of the adapted
and aligned beams into AdvanceSteelor Revit.
Please note that the export only works correctly if you have imported Advance Steel
catalogs (see Prepare – Edit Plant Model S.241 ).
316

10.4 As-Built Feature Data Management

Feature Data Management

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Feature Data

The Feature Data Management of As-Built for AutoCAD contains a large set of
commands. It serves for appending additional alphanumerical data to your drawing.
To each graphic object project-specific feature data or links to further documents
(e.g. pictures) can be assigned. These will be displayed in a clearly arranged data
tree and can be processed further.
The Feature Data Management can be used for the highly efficient recording and
structuring of building floor plans. With the aim of creating qualified CAFM4 suitable
data structures. Components and pipelines in industrial plants can be labeled and
managed or a green space and tree cadastre can be created.

Further information about the feature data management ofAs-Built for AutoCADcan
be found in the manual for the Feature Data Management, which is part of your
installation. You may find a link on the As-Built Feature Data ribbon tab under “Help”.

4
Computer Aided Facility Management
 317

10.5 As-Built Building Plans

Walls – Align walls
Command Name PCALIGNWALLS

Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

This command serves to automatically align and axially align existing (wall) lines. The
aim is the creation of architectural type plans, that, where possible, have:
• Wall lines that are parallel to each other
• Rooms that have square corners
• Rooms/walls that are axially aligned
When surveying existing building data it is difficult to achieve this aim without the help
of additional means. It often results in only approximate right angles and almost
parallel lines. It is here where the algorithm of this new command comes in to play:
The lines and polylines selected by the user are analysed in their entirety with
respect to similarly aligned lines and approximate axial alignments. Reference
directions are computed from numerous other similar directions and axial alignments,
to which the lines are then oriented.

Workflow
“Align Walls” is carried out before the wall lines are given any further building
elements such as doors, windows, blocks etc.
1. Read in the point cloud and prepare it (clipping, define slices ...)
2. Create wall lines (e.g. with “Fit outline plan”)
3. Align Walls
4. Create other building elements (e.g. doors, windows, stairs, equipment
blocks ...)
5. Dimension / annotate / complete the plan

Command sequence
After starting the command the wall lines must be as first selected. Allowed at the
moment are lines and polylines without any curved elements.
Command: _KUBT_ALIGNWALLS
Select wall lines and polylines for fitting:
Then the settings dialogue box is displayed:
318

• Incremental angle for the reference direction: In which angular steps should
the walls be aligned? The values 90° (default), 45°, 22,5° and 30° can be used.
• Search radius at line ends for joining: When aligning walls, the existing line
connections are first disconnected from one another. The command automatically
reconnects the ends of the line sections, when the distance between the end
points of the lines lays within this radius.
• Maximum deviation from reference direction: Wall lines are only aligned when
the distance from the original line does not exceed this value.
• Maximum rotation angle for lines: Wall lines are only aligned when the rotation
angle does not exceed this value.
• Maximum deviation for axial alignment: Wall lines are only axially aligned with
each other when the distance from the original line does not exceed this value.
Normally this value should be set somewhat higher than “Maximum deviation from
the reference direction”, so that the directionally fitted walls can still be axially
aligned.
• Align to the X direction of the UCS: This setting should be activated when the X
axis of the current UCS is to be used as the reference direction, that means the
plan must be aligned on the UCS. If it is not activated, the command computes
the reference direction itself, based on the selected wall lines.
Confirm with [OK] when you are finished.
Now you get a preview of the aligned lines.
The aligned wall lines are displayed coloured next to the original wall lines. Every
reference direction used is assigned its own colour. It is thereby indicated which lines
have been aligned with each other and those which have not.
 319

Lines with the same colour belong

to the same reference system and
have thereby the same alignment.
In the adjacent example three
reference directions have been
defined.

On closer inspection it can be seen that:

The thin lines are original walls, the coloured lines are the
aligned walls.

With the option “Keep” you accept the aligned lines. You then replace the original
lines. The colours disappear. The option “Discard” returns you to the original state.
The settings dialogue box is re-opened and if necessary you can start a new attempt
with different parameters.

The procedure in detail

To be able to better understand the results and the settings the procedure will be
described in more detail in the following:
The command has three steps in its procedure:
1. Rotate all of the selected wall lines to the most appropriate reference system,
should they be within the allowable deviation tolerance value. This deviation
tolerance value is comprised of the parameter "Max. deviation for the reference
direction" which on the one hand, represents the maximum deviation from the
original wall axis, and on the other hand the parameter "Max. rotation angle for
walls", which defines the maximum allowable possible rotation. The second
parameter is important, so that short wall segments do not lead to artefacts in the
floor plan. But in most cases this can be ignored.
The reference direction is calculated by the algorithm based on the lines selected.
It could be several.
2. Axial alignment = move all wall lines, when the amount of the move lies within
the set tolerance value “Maximum deviation for axial alignment”. It is usual to set
320

to a higher value than the first parameter "Max. deviation for reference directions",
thereby the rotated walls can also be axially aligned.
3. Fix wall lines with each other: When their end points lay close enough to each
other, that means within the set radius (“Search radius at line ends for joining”),
then they will be trimmed or extended with each other, thereby the result is once
again the creation of a closed floor plan.
 321

Building Elements – Door

Command Name: PSBINSERTDOORS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command draws a door symbol into an existing wall line and annotates it
optionally with height and width of the opening.
This command contains options for point measurement with a total station, options
for clicking in a point cloud, as good as options for distance measurement.
The following dialogue opens:

Depending on the Example single door: With threshold:

selected door type Simple door symbol:
the preview looks
different:
double door

With reveal and

with reveal: threshold:

sliding door

Opens dialogue
for selection of
door type.
322

The button Change door type… opens a selection dialogue:

By clicking an image you select a type (white background). You can choose between
swing doors and sliding doors but you also have the chance to select a door symbol
you defined yourself (AutoCAD block). For the latter you have to design the symbol
beforehand and save it in a separate drawing. With the button ”...“ you select this
block template.
In the frame Design Wall you may set if and how the wall lines shall appear when
inserting the door. You can decide if threshold and reveal shall be drawn as well or if
you only want to draw the door symbol and if the wall lines shall be broken up or not.
In the frame Design of door symbol you can choose between different designs for
the door symbol and you can state if it shall be a double door. Depending on your
selection the sketches will show you what the result will look like. If you selected
“Block“ as door type you can decide if it shall be exploded subsequently.
Confirm your selection with OK. You will return to the dialogue "Insert door". (see
figure above). The preview shows you the elements to be measured. Now you can
make further settings for prompting and input of items to be measured, e.g. door
reveal and opening dimensions.

Door reveal
- Option Fit to selected line: The reveals of the door are defined by the
selected end points of the wall line. In case that the wall line has been
determined by two points only this option is usable. After closing the
dialogue only the orientation of the door symbol is prompted in the
command line:
Select wall line or [two Points] <Points>: (Click the line)
Select point for direction of door swing or [Undo]: (Click point for opening direction)
 323

- Option Points on both sides (R1 and R2): If you are able to pick both
reveals of the door from the point cloud choose this option. After closing the
dialogue the following is prompted in the command line:
Select wall line or [two Points] <Points>: (Click the line)
Select point on the reveal or [Undo]: (Click point on first reveal)
Select second point on the reveal or [Undo]: (Click point on second reveal)
Select point for direction of door swing or [Undo]: (Click point for opening direction)
- Option Point on one side (R1 or R2): If you are able to pick only one
reveal of the door from the point cloud you have to enter an additional value
w for the width of the door. You can enter the width directly in the dialogue
or you activate the option "In command line" and you will be prompted for it
later. After closing the dialogue the following is prompted in the command
line:
Select wall line or [two Points] <Points>: (Click the line)
Select point on the reveal or [Undo]: (Click point on reveal)
Enter value for door width or [Undo]: 1.1 (Enter the value)
Select side or [Undo]: (Click side for opening direction)
Select point for direction of door swing or [Undo]: (Click point for opening direction)
- Option Measure of length: Here you do not have to pick any point. You
can enter the width w of the door directly in the dialogue or you activate the
option "In command line" and you will be prompted for it later. Additionally
you will be prompted for the distance from the corner to the reveal. This
means the length measure from the end of the selected reference line. It is
important to pick the line on that end from which you measured this length.
Reference line
distance from the
corner to the reveal

After closing the dialogue the following is prompted in the command line:
Select wall line or [two Points] <Points>: (Click the reference line)
Enter distance from the corner to the reveal [Undo]: 0.57 (Enter measured distance)
Enter value for door width or [Undo]: 1.3 (Enter the value)
Select point for direction of door swing or [Undo]: (Click point for opening direction)

Door opening dimensions

The dimensions of the opening of the door is optional. It is activated by ticking “Give
dimensions”.
You can either enter the opening dimensions manually or pick two points.
- 2 Points (lintel/sill) respectively (left/right): You will be asked in the
command line for two points which represent the opening measurement.
The distance of the points in Z direction is used for the opening height,
while the distance of the points in the XY plane is used for the opening
width.
Measure point on the threshold or [Undo]: (Click point on lower edge of the door)
Measure point on the soffit or [Undo]: (Click point on upper edge of the door)
Height of opening: 2.34216 (calculated door height)
Select first point for opening width or [Undo]: (Point on one side edge of the door)
Select second point for opening width or [Undo]: (Point on other side edge of the door)
324

Width of opening: 0.90246 (calculated door width)

- Value: This option is used for directly entering the measurement. You can
either enter it in the dialogue or it will be asked in the command line later if
“In command line” is activated.
Enter value for opening height or [Undo]: 2.3 (enter measured value
or overtake it from hand-held laser box)
Enter value for opening width or [Undo]: 0.9 (enter measured value
or overtake it from hand-held laser box)
- Use door width: An additional option for the opening width is to adopt it
from the measured door width.
- Finally you can additionally set if the dimensioning shall be placed
automatically or manually.

Automatic mode
The automatic mode is activated by ticking “Keep settings for next command
executions (automatic mode)”. This option is intended to insert doors of the same
kind without having to make all settings anew every single time. The next time this
command is called up, the dialogue will not be displayed. The settings will be
adopted as they had been made the last time. We recommend to use “In command
line” for entering the values (e.g. door width). If needed the automatic mode can be
switched off by a command line option.
After having done all settings you close the dialogue with OK.
Next you are prompted to enter a line or two points where the door symbol shall be
placed. If you select “two points” the door is placed matching between those. If you
select “line” you will be prompted for the position and width of the door.
In case you selected a symbol for a door with reveal you will be asked in the
command line for a point or a line for the second wall line or for the wall thickness.
Enter thickness of wall or [Line/Position/Undo]<Line>:
(Enter the thickness of the wall))
Now the values and points are prompted according to the settings in the dialogue.
The door symbol is inserted at the height of the first point of the reveal. It is by
standard put on the layer DOOR. It lies parallel to the XY plane of the UCS. The
reference line is broken up at the reveal. The dimensioning block is by standard put
on the layer DOORDIMENSIONING. The door reveal as well can be put on a
specified layer.
You can adapt the default layers for the individual door elements with the command
As-Built – Settings.
If the door type double swing has been selected, the window “Insert door“ offers the
additional option “Asymmetrical swings“. If this option is selected and the button
Measurements is clicked, a window opens where one can choose if the asymmetry
shall be determined by picking a point or entering a value for the length.
 325

Create feature data objects

This option can only be applied, when you use the FARO feature data management.
If the used structure definition has a predefined class "Door", a feature data door
object will automatically be generated in addition. The attributes "Height" and "Width"
will automatically be filled with the opening measurements.
Hint: If you use the AutoCAD function „Geometric constraints“, in some cases the
wall lines may not broken automatically.
326

Building Elements – Window

Command Name: PSBINSERTWINDOW
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command inserts a window symbol into an existing wall line.

This command contains options for point measurement with a total station, options
for clicking in a point cloud, as good as options for distance measurement.
The command supports a certain set of default representations of windows:
Simple window Window with offset reveal
without break up of
wall lines

with break up of wall

lines

With frame

General rules for FARO windows

• A reference line has to be set. The reference side is that side of the wall from
which the window is measured. (Total Station interface: The side where you stand
with your instrument.) For the reference side more values are measured (e.g. two
points of the reveal) than for the opposite side (just one point of the reveal).
• The window is perpendicular to one of the two sides of the wall. You may choose
the side.
• The window frame is always placed directly at the window rabbet.
• The window lines will automatically be placed on different layers
- The window reveal is by default put on the layer WINDOWREVEAL.
- The reference line is interrupted at the reveal, and the intermediate part is
assigned to the layer WINDOWOPENING.
- The lines symbolising the window frame are by default put on the layer
WINDOWFRAME.
You can adapt the window elements to your individual demands with the command
As-Built – Settings…
 327

Workflow
6. When running the command the following dialogue opens:

Here you set how the window is measured/inserted. The several possibilities are
explained later on. With the button Change window type you can select the
representation of the window:

Select the window type by clicking on

one of the previews.

Here you define if the window shall be

drawn with or without glass pane.

without frame

Here you decide whether the lines of walls are broken up or

kept as they are.

Confirm your selection with OK. You get back to the main dialogue.
7. Next you are prompted in the command line to select the lines of the wall where
you want to insert the symbol for the window. The second line of the wall can
optionally be defined by:
328

- Specification of the thickness of the wall

- Clicking a point
- Specification of a second existing line
Select reference line (inner wall): (Click line or polyline for reference wall)
Enter wall thickness or [Line/Position/Undo] <Line>: .24 (Enter value for line thickness
or option ‘P’ for ‘Point on other side of wall“
or option ‘L’ for ‘Line for other side of wall’)
8. Following the values and points are prompted according to the settings in the
dialogue.

Simple Window
The window is assumed to be symmetric. Is has no rabbet and the reveal is
rectangular to one of the wall lines.

The reveal s are parallel to each other.

Window with offset reveal

The window is assumed to be symmetric. The following measurement options are
available:

The window with offset reveal has two different reveal widths. The rabbet is
rectangular. The measurement of the reveal on the reference side is similar to the
simple window.
 329

The particular elements to be measured:

Window reveal (reference side)

This setting is valid for all window types.
- Point on both sides: If you can pick both sides of the reveal from the scan,
select this option. After finishing the dialogue, following queries appear in the
command line:
Select reveal point (R1) or [UNdo] (Click point Ri1 on one reveal side)
Select second reveal point (R2) or [UNdo]:
(Click point Ri2 on second reveal side)
- Point on one side: If you can pick only one side of the window reveal from the
scan, you have to enter a measurement w1 for the window width. You can either
enter this measurement in the dialogue or you activate ‘In command line’ and it
will be asked in the command line later. After the dialogue has been closed,
following command line sequence will appear:
Select reveal point (R1) or [Undo]:
(Click point Ri 1 or Ri2 on reveal side)
Enter value for width of the window (w1) or [Undo]: 1.4
(Enter measured value for window width wi)
Select side or [Undo]: (Select point for the side of the window)
- Measure of length: Here you do not have to pick any points at all. You can either
enter the window width w1in the dialogue or you activate ‘In command line’ and
the measurement will be prompted in the command line later. You will also be
asked for a progressive distance in the command line. This means that you have
to enter a distance measure from the end of the reference line. It is important to
pick the reference line on the side from which the measures have been taken:
Enter distance from the corner to the reveal [Undo]: 0.57
(enter measured progressive distance)
Enter value for width of the window (w1) or [Undo]: 1.4
(enter value for window width wi)

Window reveal (second side) (only ‘window with offset reveal’)

This settings determines how much the window opening is tapered or widened by the
reveal. It is assumed that the window is symmetric. There are three possibilities:
- Point R3on one side:Click a point on the reveal behind the rabbet. After the
dialogue has been closed, following query appears in the command line:
Select reveal point second side (R3) or [UNdo]:
- Reveal offset r: If you cannot pick a point on the reveal, enter a manually
measured value for the offset. It is only possible to enter positive values for the
reveal offset. For a widening of the window opening to the "other side", select the
"to widen" option and for a tapering select the "to narrow" option. If you have
stated the reveal offset within the command line you will be prompted:
Enter value for reveal offset (r) or [UNdo]:
Enter measured or gripped value for the reveal value r.)

- Window width w2:Alternatively, you can also measure and enter the second
reveal width by hand.
330

Window frame
The settings determine how deep the reveal and the frame sit in the opening. There
are three ways to determine the depth:
- Point F on window frame: If you can pick the front of the reveal directly, choose
this option. If you have selected a window type ‘with frame’ you will be prompted
to pick the front of the frame. After closing the dialogue, following prompt appears
in the command line:
Select point F on the frame (F) or [Undo]:
- Depht of cill d1 (reference side)or d2 (second side) : If you cannot pick a point,
enter a value measured manually. After closing the dialogue, following query
appears in the command line:
Enter value for cill depth (d1) or [Undo]:.12
- Frame thickness t: This item is only shown if you have selected a window type
‘with frame’. It defines the distance between the two lines representing the glass
pane. If you enter Zero only one line is drawn.

Frame thickness (t) = 0

Rectangularity
This setting decides, to which wall side the window will be perpendicular. You can
choose between “Reference side” and “Second side”. If both wall lines are parallel to
each other, this setting makes no difference.

Automatic mode
The automatic mode is activated by ticking the field ‘Repeat these settings for next
command executions’. This option is intended for inserting several windows of the
same kind without having to make all settings anew every single time. The next time
the command is called up, this dialogue will not appear. We recommend using the
option ‘in command line’ for entering values (e.g. reveal width).

Window dimensioning
If you select the field ‘Add dimension annotation’, the command Dimension –
Window dimension annotation is called up after this command.
 331

Building Elements – Staircase

Command Name: PSBINSERTSTAIR
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command enables you to generate a staircase as a floor plan illustration.

It contains options for point measurement with a total station, options for clicking in a
point cloud, as good as options for distance measurement.

original state:

original state:

Requirements
Before this command can be executed, several graphic elements of the staircase
have to exist already.
• The edge of the staircase: The boundary line to the right and the left of the steps
may consist of a mass of lines, polylines and arcs.
• The steps: These have only to be available as rough measurement, which means
they do not have to reach the edge of the staircase or they may exceed the
staircase. Not all step lines have to be stated; optionally As-Built may calculate
the steps. All step lines have to be within the edges of the staircase (stair string).
Steps may be lines or one-segment polylines (without arc).

Command sequence
After starting the command the following dialogue box opens up:
332

Depending on the method of

observation chosen the dialogue box
will appear somewhat differently:

The button [Change measuring mode...] opens a selection dialogue box:

You can choose one of three methods of observation:

• Existing steps
• Going
• First and last step
 333

After you have made a selection dismiss the dialogue box with [OK] and you return to
the dialogue box "Measure Staircase".
Depending on the measuring mode the subsequent procedure will be different:

Existing steps
All steps have been surveyed in advance and exist as line segments.
These lines now have to be selected.

This area is empty.

It is not at all necessary to
enter any further information
for the risers and goings.
They result from the existing
line work.

An optional input is an offset

for the nosing (step
overhang) on the steps.
A separate line that is
parallel to the stair step is
then drawn on a separate
layer:

Activate automatic mode

Create / do
(for a description see
not create
below)
stair

Confirm the dialogue box with [OK].

You will now be prompted in the command line for the step lines.
First for the bounding lines for the flight of stairs:
Select boundary lines for the first edge of the staircase:
Select objects: (Select a number of lines, polylines or arcs for one
of the two stair strings. Confirm with ENTER!)
Select boundary lines for the second edge of the staircase
Select objects: (Select a number of lines, polylines or arcs for one
of the two stair strings. Confirm with ENTER!)
Now the data for the steps:
Select Line for the first step of the staircase or [UNdo]: (Select a line or a one-segment polyline
for the first step).
Select existing step lines: (Select lines or one-segment polylinesfor the other steps).
334

The last prompt is for the slope direction.

Point for the arrow direction or [Confirm] <Confirm>: (Move the mouse until the arrow points in
the right direction and then click the mouse)
The result can look something like this:
Tip: To efficiently survey the stair steps first call the command "Survey
segments".

Going:
Here, a line for the first step will be requested, as well as a value for the
going (depth of a step).
Based on the number of
steps entered and the
goings of the steps, the
flight of stairs will be
constructed.
The first step is given and
all other steps run parallel to
this step.

“In the command line“ means that you will be

prompted later in the command line for the value.
This can make sense when using automatic
mode.

An optional input is an offset

for the nosing (step
overhang) on the steps.
A separate line that is
parallel to the stair step is
then drawn on a separate
layer:

Create / do not create Activate automatic mode (for a

stair dimensions description see below)

Confirm the dialogue box with [OK].

You will now be prompted in the command line for the step lines.
First for the bounding lines for the flight of stairs (see "existing steps" above):
Now the data for the steps:
Select Line for the first step of the staircase or [UNdo]: (Select a line or a one-segment polyline
for the first step).
Specify Point for direction of the staircase: (Click or measure a point in the direction
of the staircase).
 335

The last prompt is for the slope direction.

Point for the direction of arrow or [Apply] <Apply>: (Move the mouse until the arrow points
in the right direction and then click the mouse)
The result can look something like this:

First and last step:

Here you have to enter the first and the last step. The first step has to be a line or a
polyline; the last step may be entered as additional line, as measurement point or as
linear measure.

Line and Line and point Line and length

second line
Based on the number of steps
entered the going (step depth) for
a step will be automatically
calculated.

“In command line“:

You will be prompted later in the
command line for the value.
Possibly makes sense when using
the automatic mode.

The three ways for entering the

length of the stairs

An optional input is an offset for the

nosing (step overhang) on the steps.
A separate line that is parallel to the
stair step is then drawn on a separate
layer:

Create / do not Activate automatic

create stair mode (for a description
dimensions see below)
336

Confirm the dialogue box with [OK].

You will now be prompted in the command line for the step lines.
First for the bounding lines for the flight of stairs (see "existing steps" above)
Now you will be prompted for the data for the stair steps:
Select Line for the first step of the staircase or [UNdo]:
(Select a line or a one-segment polyline for the first step).
Select line for last step of the staircase:
(Enter a line or a one-segment polyline for the last step).
OR
Select point for last step of the staircase: (Select a point to define the length of the flight of stairs)
OR
Specify Point for direction of the staircase:
(Click on a point for the direction of the flight of stairs)
The last prompt is for the slope direction.
Point for the direction of arrow or [Apply] <Apply>: (Move the mouse until the arrow points
in the right direction and then click the mouse)
The result can look something like this:

Stair dimensions
If you ticked the box for "Add dimension annotation", then following this command the
command Annotation–Staircase dimension annotation will be called.

Layer
The individual elements of the stairs are automatically placed on a special layer:
Element Layer
Steps STEPS
Edge of the staircase (stair string) [stay on their layer]
arrow STAIRCASEDIMENSIONING
dimensioning block STAIRCASEDIMENSIONING
Nosing on steps STEPSNOSING

Automatic mode
The automatic mode is activated when you ticked the box "Keep settings for next
measurements (automatic mode)".This option allows you to survey several similar
stairways without having to enter new values each time. The next time the command
is called the dialogue box will not be displayed. The settings will be used that you set
last time. When using the automatic mode it is recommended that to enter values that
 337

could change (e.g. the number of steps) then use the option "in command line" for
each item.

Individual customisation
There are the following possibilities to individually customise the appearance:
• Layer: The preset layer can be altered with the help of the Settings...
command. In order to do so, change the according entries in the category "Layer -
stairs".
• Use the Settings... under the entry "Building - Stairs – Arrow size" in order to
adapt the size of the arrows.
338

Building Elements – Segments

Command Name: PSBSTARTSTOPLINE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

This command allows the simple measurement of line and polyline segments.
With this command you can consecutively measure strings of lines, without any
further command input.
The number of points per segment and type of object can be chosen freely.
Here is the command sequence for lines where the number of points = 2, individual
lines each with a start point and an end point:
Command: PSBSTARTSTOPLINE
Number of points per segment or <2>:
Select object type or [Polyline/Line/UNdo] <Line>:
1. segment point or [UNdo]:
2. segment point or [UNdo]:
1. segment point or [UNdo]:
2. segment point or [UNdo]:
1. segment point or [UNdo]: (…and so on)
With the option "undo" the last observed point will be undone.
The graphic result of the surveying of e.g. steps could look like this:
 339

Building Elements – Rectangle

Command Name: PSBRECTANGLE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command allows you to draw a rectangle (e.g. sectional view of a pillar) with just
a few clicks in the point cloud. The rectangle always lies in the XY plane of the
current UCS with the Z coordinate of the first picked corner point. When selecting the
option “Positioning with distances“ the Z coordinate will be set to Zero.
Previous hint: This command contains options for point measurement with a total
station and options for distance measurement.
There are different measurement modes depending on the points that you can pick
easily from the point cloud.
Running the command opens following window:

Select this mode if you cannot aim at Select this mode if you can aim at one
any corner of the rectangle directly corner of the rectangle directly
(e.g. rectangular base of a pillar with (e.g. ordinary rectangular pillar)
bevelled corners)

Select this mode if you cannot

aim at any corner directly and if
you do not want to measure the
edges by hand.

Optional dimension annotation:

If activated, a leader containing
width and height will be inserted
additionally.
The number of decimal places
can be adapted.
To adapt the text height you
may go to the As-Built Settings.

If you activate this field, the

rectangle will be aligned to the
XY axes of the current UCS. In
this case you will need fewer
measurement points.

The option “Positioning with points“is recommended for picking from the point cloud.
Select “Positioning with distances“ if you like to add something using a hand-held
laser or measuring tape.
340

Select this mode Select this mode

if you can indicate two lines parallel to if you can indicate one parallel
the edges of the rectangle. reference line and the distance to one
reference point.

You select a mode by clicking on its icon. Confirm with OK.

Now you are asked to measure the points of the rectangle. Depending on the mode,
the process differs:
 341

Mode “Indirect corner input”:

Mode = indirect corner (the current mode is displayed
First point on first side or [Undo]: (Click one point on one side of the rectangle)
Second point on first side or [Undo]: (Click a second point on this rectangle side)
Point on the second side or [Undo]: (Click a point on an adjoining side of the rectangle)
Following dialogue appears:

The preview is immediately adjusted to

the settings.

Enter the length of the rectangle edges

here.
If “calculate from measured points” is
activated, the length of the edge is
determined by the measured points.

Here you can indicate whether the

rectangle is to be a square.

If the automatic mode is activated, the

dialogue will not appear the next time.
The settings are adopted as you have
made them during the last usage.
This option is suitable for measuring
several rectangles of the same kind
without having to make all settings
anew.
342

Mode “Direct corner input”:

Mode = direct corner (the current mode is displayed)
Corner of rectangle or [Undo]: (Click one corner of the rectangle)
Point on rectangle side or [Undo]: (Click a point on one edge of rectangle)
Following dialogue appears:
The preview is immediately adjusted to
the settings.

Enter the length of the rectangle edges

here.
If “calculate from measured points” is
activated, the length of the edge is
determined by the measured points.

Here you can indicate whether the

rectangle is to be a square.

Determines on which side the rectangle

is to be drawn.

If the automatic mode is activated, the

dialogue will not appear the next time.
The settings are adopted as you have
made them during the last usage.
This option is suitable for measuring
several rectangles of the same kind
without having to make all settings
anew.

Mode ”Indirectly through points”:

Mode = indirectly through points (the current mode is displayed)
First point on first side or [Undo]: (Click a point on one edge of the rectangle)
Second point on first side or [Undo]: (Click another point on this edge of the rectangle)
Point on the second side or [Undo]: (Click a point on an adjoining edge of rectangle)
Point on third side or [Undo]: (Click a point on an adjoining edge of rectangle)
Point on fourth side or [Undo]: (Click a point on an adjoining edge of rectangle)
There is no separate dialogue for this mode.
 343

Mode "Two perpendicular reference lines" :

Mode = Two perpendicular reference lines (the current mode is displayed)
Select first reference line [Undo]: (specify one reference line)
Select second reference line [Undo]: (specify a second reference line)
Distance to first reference line [Undo]: (specify a distance)
Distance to second reference line [Undo]: (specify a distance)
The following window will appear:

Specify the rectangles edge length.

Specify here if the rectangle shall

transform into a square

If the automatic mode has been

activated, this window will not open
when the command is started for the
next time. The settings from the last
execution of the command will be taken
over.
This option is suitable for the
measurement of many equal rectangles
without having to change the settings
every time.

The lengths may also be transferred directly from the hand laser into the window
using a Bluetooth connection. The same applies for the previously prompted
distances to the reference lines.
After setting the dialog options and confirming these with OK the following prompt will
appear:
Select position [Undo]: (specify the position of the rectangle)
344

Mode "One reference line":

Mode = one reference line (the current mode will be shown)
Select reference line [Undo]: (specify a reference line)
Select reference point [Undo]: (specify a point)
Distance to reference line [Undo]: (specify a distance)
Shortest distance to reference point [Undo]: (specify a distance)
The following window will appear:

Specify the rectangles edge length.

Specify here if the rectangle shall

transform into a square.

If the automatic mode has been

activated, this window will not open
when the command is started for the
next time. The settings from the last
execution of the command will be taken
over.
This option is suitable for the
measurement of many equal rectangles
without having to change the settings
every time.

The lengths may also be transferred directly from the hand laser into the window
using a Bluetooth connection. The same applies for the previously prompted distance
to the reference line and to the reference point.
After setting the dialog options and confirming these with OK the following prompt will
appear:
Select position [Undo]: (specify the position of the rectangle)
 345

Building Elements – Measure Recess/Ledge

Command Name: PSBRECESSMEASURE
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

With the command you can measure a rectangular recess or a rectangular spur. The
recess or the ledge will automatically be drawn into an existing (wall) line.
The command is composed in a way, so you are able to determine the needed data
with a manual measurement or with the total station.
After you have started the command, the following window will open. Here you will
have to select, with which measurement method you want to measure the individual
parameters of the recess or the ledge.

The schematic diagram shows the

measurement elements selected
below.

If you activate "In command line"

the value will be prompted within the
command line after closing the
window. It is suggestive to use this
command when also using the
automatic mode.

Automatic mode: If it is activated,

the command will start the next time
without the window but directly with
the command line prompt. All
existing settings from the window
will be regarded. It is advisable to
use this when you want to measure
several recesses at a time.

Distance from corner a: The distance from the corner of the room to the beginning
of the recess or the ledge. Click on the line/polyline segment that forms the side from
which the distance should be measured.

The wall line should be …and therefore the distance will

clicked here... be measured from here.
346

This value will either be sent into the field with a Bluetooth laser distance meter or
entered manually.
Point R1 on the reveal: The first point of the reveal will be measured with the total
station.

Recess width:
Recess width b: The width of the reveal or the ledge is determined manually and
entered here.
Point R2 on the reveal: The second point of the reveal will be measured with the
total station.

Recess depth:
Recess depth t: Measure the depth of the reveal manually and enter.
Point D in recess: Measure point on the back side of the back of the recess (or the
forward area of the spur).

After you have adjusted all settings, close the window with the [OK] key.
Now you will be prompted for a wall line. This can be a line or a 2D or 3D polyline.
Select wall line or [UNdo]:
In the next step you will be prompted for the set measuring elements in the command
line. An example:
Select reveal point R1 or [Distance/UNdo]:
Select reveal point R2 or [Width/UNdo]:
Select point D or [Depth/UNdo]:
Thereafter is the command finished, and a rectangular alcove will be inserted into the
selected line/polyline.

Automatic mode
The automatic mode will be activated by checking "Keep settings for next
measurements (automatic mode)". This setting is useful when you have to
measure many similar recesses or ledges, then you don't have to adjust the settings
again each time. When calling up the command again, the window will not open. The
settings will be adapted, as set the last time. It is suggested to use the "in command
line" option for the data entry (width of the reveal) when being in the automatic mode.
If needed, the automatic mode can be deactivated via an option within the command
line.
 347

Building Elements – Draw grid

Command Name: PSBDRAWGRID
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

With the command “Survey grid” you can fill a closed contour with grid lines. The
position, alignment and grid spacing are precisely definable with the assistance of
various optimised methods of measurement.
Typical areas of use are the drawing of ceiling grids or floor tiles/floor slabs.
This command includes options for point observations with a total station,
measurements in the point cloud, as well as options for measuring distances.
The methods of measurement can also be combined depending on the spatial
situation.
After calling the command the
following dialogue box is displayed:
You select here the method of
observation and with which individual
grid parameters you want to survey.
Grid alignment:
In which direction should the grid run?
Line: Select a line with
which the grid should be
aligned parallel to.
2 Points: Click or observe
two points, where the grid
should be aligned parallel
to the line joining the two
points.
UCS: The grid should be
aligned parallel to the XY
axes of the UCS.
348

Node:
Where should the intersection points lie? With both of these methods you must
explicitly define an intersection point:
Point: Simply click or observe a point.

Line intersection: Select two known lines and two parallel distances
from these lines. The intersection point of the parallel lines defines the
node.

Arc intersection (Bilateration): The node is defined by selecting two

known points and giving two radial dimensions The intersection point
of the two arcs is the node.
Grid spacing:
The spacing of the grid lines in two directions. If “In command line” has been
selected, then the value will asked for in the command line after the dialogue box has
been closed. This makes sense when used in connection with automatic mode.
Automatic mode:
If this is selected then the next time that the command is called it will not display a
dialogue box, but immediately the command line prompts. All of the current settings
in the dialogue box will be taken into account. This makes sense if several grids
should be consecutively surveyed.

After you have entered all of the settings, dismiss the dialogue box with [OK].
In the command line you are now prompted to enter each of the appropriate
dialogue settings:
Command: _TCADDRAWGRID
Grid boundaries:
Select objects: (Select the objects that form the closed contour)

Select reference line or [CAncel/UNdo]: (Pick the line)

Or:
1st point for grid alignment or [CAncel/UNdo]: (pick or observe a point)
2nd point for grid alignment or [CAncel/UNdo]: (pick or observe a point)

Node for the grid or [CAncel/UNdo]: (pick or observe a point)

Or
Nodal point by line intersection, select 1st line or [CAncel/UNdo]: (Pick the line)
Nodal point by line intersection, select 2nd line or [CAncel/UNdo]: (Pick the line)
Enter distance to the first reference line or [CAncel/UNdo] <1.0000>: 0.5 (Enter value)
 349

Enter distance to the second reference line or [CAncel/UNdo] <1.0000>: 0.3 (Enter value)
Or
Nodal point by arc intersection, select 1st point or [CAncel/UNdo]: (pick or observe a point)
nd
Nodal point by arc intersection, select 2 point or [CAncel/UNdo]: (pick or observe a point)
Select a side:
Horizontal distance from first point or [CAncel/UNdo] <0.0000>: 1 (Enter value)
Horizontal distance from second point or [CAncel/UNdo] <0.0000>: 2 (Enter value)

Enter 1st grid spacing or [CAncel/UNdo]<1.0000>: 0.1 (Enter value)

Enter 2nd grid spacing or [CAncel/UNdo]<1.0000>: 0.2 (Enter value)

The resulting lines are placed on a predefined layer called “Grid”.

With the assistance of the Settings command you can adapt the layer to your
individual wishes.
350

Edit – Fix lines to corner

Command Name: PSBCORNERFIX
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command is used for intersecting lines, polylines and arcs. It also works for
skewed lines, polylines and arcs. ‘Fix lines to corner’ can be used if, for example, the
corner of a room is obstructed, and you have to stop measuring on both sides before
the room corner.
Command: PSBCORNERFIX
Select first line, polyline or arc:
Select second line, polyline or arc:
In order to tell the command the direction in which you want to intersect, you always
have to pick the side of the line, polyline or arc to be intersected at.
Only the XY coordinates of the current UCS will be used for calculating the point of
intersection. That means that, for example, two skewed lines, polylines or arcs will
still be skewed after intersection i.e. do not really intersect, but appear to intersect
from top view in the UCS.
 351

Edit – Perpendicular return

Command Name: PSBPERPRETURN
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command is used to drop a point perpendicular onto a line.

Command: PSBPERPRETURN
Select line: (Select a line or another curve.)
Current modes: Projection=2D Break=On POints=On Line=On
(The current settings of the options are displayed.)
Direction of return or [Projection/Break/POints/Line/Undo]:
(Click or measure the point onto which the reference line is to be dropped)
The returned point is determined by the shortest distance between the selected point
and the reference line. The different command line options define how the point is
processed:
Option Value Description
Projection 2D The measurement to be fixed refers to the projection of the
line into the XY plane of the current UCS. Thus, the line
appears perpendicular to the reference line in the top view of
the current UCS.
3D The measurement to be fixed refers to the line itself.
Break On The line is broken at the base point of the perpendicular.
Off
Points On An AutoCAD point is inserted at the base point of the
perpendicular.
Off
Line On Measured point and base point of perpendicular are
connected by a line.
Off

Perpendicular line
measured or
clicked point (appears in the drawing
when option ‘Line‘ = On)

Base point of perpendicular

(interrupted here when option
‘Break‘ = On)
Reference line
352

Edit – Horizontal extend

Command Name: PSBEXTEND (Option [Horizontal])
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

This command is used to extend a line horizontally in the current UCS. That means
that a line running diagonally through the space is extended by a value that does not
refer to its direction in the space but to its projection on the XY plane of the current
UCS.
Command: PSBEXTEND
Select the line: (select the line to be extended)
Line horizontal extend by [By/Total/Horizontal/3D/to Point]: 0.20(Enter extension measurements)
Wall

The line is extended into the direction

Hand measured Line that lies closer to the selected
value
point.
Measured point
Very often you will find situations in
which you cannot aim at room
corners directly. In such cases just
measure to a point on the wall with
your instrument and the remaining
distance with a tape measure

All other options are explained under command 3D extend.

The command can be processed as transparent command within the command
‘Line’. In this cases, the extension is carried out from the last measured line end point
in the direction of the last line.
Command: line
Specify first point: (e.g. measure the first corner)
Specify next point or [Undo]: (e.g. measure before the next corner)
Specify next point or [Undo]: 'PSBEXTEND
(transparent call-up of the command )
Line horizontal extend by [By/Total/Horizontal/3D/to Point]: 0.20
(Remaining distance to wall corner)
Specify next point or [Undo]: (continue measuring)
The transparent use of the command ‘PSBEXTEND’ is of advantage when you want
to avoid interrupting the measurement of a line (e.g. the wall intersection line of a
room) because a corner is obstructed.
Remark: The extended part of the line should always be shorter than the original
line. Never extend a line by a factor longer than the original line because a little
measurement error could thus be multiplied.
 353

Edit – 3D extend
Command Name: PSBEXTEND (Option [3D])
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

This command is used for extending a line in a three-dimensional way.

Command: PSBEXTEND
Select the line: (select line to be extended)
Line 3D extend by [By/Total/Horizontal/3D/to Point]: 0.35
(e.g. Extension value of a stringboard)
The line is extended into the direction that is closer to the selected point.
With the command line options ‘By’ or ‘Total’ you can decide whether the line should
be extended by a certain value or to a certain total length. You can also enter
negative values to shorten the line. The option point allows the extension to the
height of a determined point. For further information about the option horizontal,
please refer to the command Horizontal extend.
The command can be called up within the command ‘Line’ as transparent command.
In this case, the line is extended from the last measured line end point along the
direction of the last line.
Command: line
Specify first point: (e.g. measure first wall corner)
Specify next point or [Undo]: (e.g. measure before the next wall corner)
Specify next point or [Undo]: ‘PSBEXTEND
(Call up the command as transparent command)
Line 3D extend by [By/Total/Horizontal/3D/to Point]: 0.20 (Enter extension value)
Specify next point or [Undo]: (continue measuring as usual)
If you use the command ‘PSBEXTEND‘ as transparent command, you can avoid to
interrupt a line since e.g. a corner cannot be measured directly.
Remark: The extended part of the line should always be shorter than the original
line. Never extend a line by a factor longer than the original line because a little
measurement error could thus be multiplied.
354

Edit – Perpendicular extend

Command Name: PSBPERPEXTEND
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command is used for the perpendicular, horizontal (in the current UCS)
extension of a line from the last line end point. The direction of the line (e.g. left or
right) and its length are to be entered or to be picked.
You may call-up the command as transparent command within other commands, e.g.
within the ‘Line’command:
Specify first point: (e.g. click first corner)
Specify next point or [Undo]: (e.g. click to recess)
Specify next point or [Undo]: ‘PSBPERPEXTEND
(transparent call-up of the command ‘PSBPERPEXTEND‘)
Enter length or [Right/Left]: 0.20 (e.g. depth of recess)
Select side [Right/Left] or pick point: (Pick point on side or entry)
Specify next point or [Undo]: (continue working)
In case you do not call up the command ‘PSBPERPEXTEND’ within another
command you will be asked to select the line to be extended. The line will be
extended on the side that is closer to the selected point. The new line will be drawn
on the current layer.
Command: PSBPERPEXTEND
Select line: (select the line to be extended)
Enter length or [Right/Left]: 0.20 (e.g. depth of wall recess)
Select side [Right/Left] or pick point: (Pick point on side or entry)
Remark: The newly calculated line end point can be adopted with RETURN the next
time ‘Line’ is called up.
Note: The base line for the perpendicular extension should be a long line. Never use
a value for perpendicular extension that is longer than the base line since a little
measurement error could thus be multiplied.
 355

Dimension – Absolute height

Command Name: PSBABSHEIGHT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command “PSBABSHEIGHT” works as the command “PSBRELHEIGHT” and is

used for measuring and dimensioning absolute heights.
You start with following request:
Command: PSBABSHEIGHT
Measure height point: (Snap point)
Following dialogue appears:
Select a height This settings shows that you are working with the command
symbol. ‘Absolute height‘. Changing to ‘Relative height‘ corresponds to the
command ‘Relative height‘.

You can enter a

prefix which will
appear in front
the height value.
(optional)

Preview of the
symbol and
height values.

Activate this field if you want to dimension several heights with the same
settings. You will only be asked to measure/enter the respective height
point/value.

If a height point has been entered, it also serves as insertion point for the
dimensioning block.
The dimensioning block is drawn on the layer specified in the As-Built Settings in
the section “Layers” under ‘Height dimensions’. If this value is kept empty, the current
layer will be used.
The dimensioning block memorises its relative height reference at the time of its
creation. Thus, if the relative height is changed later, it does not influence already
existing blocks.
356

Dimension – Relative height

Command Name: PSBRELHEIGHT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command ‘PSBRELHEIGHT’ works as the command ‘PSBABSHEIGHT’ and is

used for measuring and dimensioning relative heights (according to the current
reference height).
You start with following request:
Command: PSBRELHEIGHT
Measure height point or enter [Value]: (Snap point or option ‘V’ for manual entry)
Following dialogue appears:
Select a height This settings shows that you are working with the command
symbol. ‘Relative height‘. Changing to ‘Absolute heights‘ corresponds to the
command ‘Absolute height‘.

Preview of the
symbol and
height values.

You can enter

a prefix which
will appear in
front the
height value.
(optional).

Activate this field if you want to dimension several heights with the same
settings. You will only be asked to measure/enter the respective height
point/value.

If a height point has been entered, it also serves as insertion point for the
dimensioning block. Otherwise, it must be entered explicitly at the end of the
command.
The dimensioning block is drawn on the layer specified in the As-Built Settings in
the section “Layers” under ‘Height dimensions’. If this value is kept empty, the current
layer will be used.
The dimensioning block memorises its relative height reference at the time of its
creation. I.e. if the relative height is changed later, it does not influence already
existing blocks.
 357

Dimension – Room height

Command Name: PSBROOMHEIGHT
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command is used for dimensioning floor and room heights. After the command
has been started, following request appears in the command line:
Insertion point on the floor (Snap one point on the floor)
Point on the ceiling or enter [Value]: <Value> (Snap a point in the ceiling
or select option ‘M’ to insert the room height manually)
After the points have been measured, following dialogue appears:
The measured floor height is set as Absolute height of the measured floor point.
new reference height for all following
relative height dimensions.

Select a height symbol.

Preview of the symbol

and height values.

Here you can change

the room height that
had been measured or
manually entered.

Determine whether the room height is to be displayed

in reference to the floor (relative) or to the zero point
of the absolute height.

OK confirms the entries. The height symbol is inserted at the position of the floor
point.
The dimensioning block is drawn on the layer specified in the As-Built Settings in
the section “Layers” under ‘Height dimensions’. If this value is kept empty, the current
layer will be used.
358

Dimension – Convert relative to absolute height

Command Name: PSBRELTOABS
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command is used to convert relative heights to absolute heights. The command
works only for relative heights that have been created with kubit commands. These
are:
• Dimension - Room height
• Dimension - Absolute height
• Dimension - Relative height
• Dimension - Window dimension annotation
• ...
 359

Dimension – Convert absolute to relative height

Command Name: PSBABSTOREL
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command is used to convert absolute heights to relative heights. The command
works only for absolute heights that have been created with kubit commands. These
are:
• Dimension - Room height
• Dimension - Absolute height
• Dimension - Relative height
• Dimension - Window dimension annotation
• ...
360

Dimension – Set relative reference datum

Command Name: PSBREFDATUM
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

With this command you may set the reference datum for the relative height
dimension. The datum can be taken from a point or be entered manually.
Command: PSBREFDATUM
The reference datum is 0.000000
Measure point or enter [Value]: (Snap point for new reference datum or option ‘V’
for manual entry)
The reference datum has been set to 2.500000
All following relative height dimensions refer to this new reference datum.
 361

Dimension – Subsequent editing – Set reference height of height

dimension
Command Name: PSBREFBLOCK
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

With this command you may change the reference height of selected kubit height
blocks in the current drawing.
Command: PSBREFBLOCK
Select height blocks.
Select objects: (Select height blocks to be edited)
The reference datum is 0.9 (Status of the current reference height)
Measure point or enter [Value]: 300.5 (measure/enter reference height)
54 height blocks converted. (Status information number of converted blocks)

The shown reference datum is the one currently set for the drawing. This might differ
from the original reference height of the blocks to be edited.
362

Dimension – Subsequent editing – Show properties of height

dimension
Command Name: PSBHBLOCKLIST
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

With this command you may display the current properties for a kubit height block.

Command: PSBHBLOCKLIST
Select a block insert: (Click on the block you want)
Attribute: HEIGHT: absolute height: 2.6600, reference height: 0.0000, displayed
height: Absolute height (Display of properties)
 363

Dimension – Subsequent editing – Set absolute reference datum

Command Name: PSBABSDATUM
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

This command is used for changing the absolute height reference of the drawing.
A typical case for the usage of this command is when the absolute height reference
only becomes known after the survey project has been started. Then it is necessary
to adjust the already existing survey to the new height reference. The objects in the
drawing will be shifted by a certain height offset (Z direction in WCS), and the
attributes of the kubit height dimensions that already exist in the drawing will be
adjusted to the new height reference. Following kubit blocks will be updated
• Absolute and relative heights, floor and room heights
• Window dimensions (Breast and lintel heights)
• Arc dimensions
An example:
The start of a building survey: The first station is situated in the entrance area. The
absolute height reference is determined on the threshold of the entrance door at
0.00m. All absolute height dimensions refer to this point.
However, later it is demanded that all building heights refer to sea level. A nearby
height benchmark is measured and should be used as reference point. Its official
height is 111.81m. Now the survey, as completed so far, needs to be adjusted to this
height.
Following calculation ensues: The height benchmark had been measured at 0.70m
(above the threshold), but its official height is 111.81m. Thus, the height of the
threshold is:
111.81m – 0.7m = 111.11m

Height benchmark

Threshold

0,00
0,70 m

Sea level
111.81 m 111.11 m

Therefore, the drawing needs to be shifted 111.11m.

When running the command the following dialogue opens.
364

Besides important advice it provides the possibility to select the intersection points
file for adaptation. This file with the extension ‘rim’ is usually used for the ‘arc
intersection’ command of the TachyCAD software. Close the dialogue with ‘OK’.
Further query follows in the command line:
Command: absdatum
Enter the value: 111.11 (Enter value for height offset)
39 objects selected. (status display, which and how many
5 window dimension(s) converted. dimensions have been updated in the drawing)
1 arch dimension(s) converted.
3 height blocks converted.
Relative datum shifted. (Watch relative height has been adjusted)
Intersection measurements converted. (Note: Data in the intersection points file TachyCAD.rim
have been adjusted)
Current orientation deleted. (Note: Orientation data have been deleted,
new orientation necessary!)
Total objects shifted: 39

Important advice!
If used the wrong way, this command can jumble up your whole reference system. If
you change the current height reference, you should make sure to do so in all
drawings belonging to the project in order to keep the reference system consistent.
Please do not change the absolute reference datum after having flattened the
drawing (Flatten drawing). Since this affects the display of the attributes of the
height blocks. Unless, you excluded the height blocks from flattening by not selecting
them in the according command and making the appropriate settings inside the
dialogue window.
 365

Dimension – Subsequent editing – Define blocks

Command Name: PSBBLOCKDEF
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

As-Built is in the position to extend AutoCAD attributes by certain information which

allows to manage blocks, block attributes and their contents much safer and more
flexible.
So-called extended attribute definitions that allow you to assign not only text, but also
numbers, sets or constants can be added to attributes. For the insertion of the
individual elements of this attribute, an input mask is defined with the help of the
attribute definition.
You can use the command “Block definition” for two different uses:
• Adapting the blocks used in As-Built to meet your own requirements (e.g. The
number of decimal places, values for prefixes and suffixes)
• Definition of your own blocks with extended attribute definitions. The associated
command to insert the self defined blocks isInsert blocks
After starting the command the following dialogue box opens up:

If the drawing already contains block definitions, these are displayed under “Blocks”.
Select the block that is to edited. Under “Attributes” select the attribute that is to be
edited.
Block comment: You can add a comment for every block definition (optional).
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Attribute definition:
Here is the actual extended attribute definition, that must follow a specific syntax.
This syntax is described in detail below. You can find explanatory examples at the
very bottom.

Syntax of the attribute definition

In this list the structure of such an attribute definition is summarised.
ATTRIBUTEDEFINITION = ATTRIBUTIDSTRING ´ ´ COMMENTSTRING [´!´] [´#´ (ELEMENTSTRING ´;´)* ´#´]
COMMENTSTRING = TEXTSTRING
ELEMENTSTRING = ELEMENTIDSTRING ´ ´ TYPSTRING ´ ´ COMMENTSTRING (´ ´ PARAMETERSTRING)*
TYPSTRING = ´CONST´ | ´SET´ | ´USERSET´ | ´INT´ | ´FLOAT´ | ´STRING´
PARAMETERSTRING = TEXTSTRING | INTSTRING | FLOATSTRING | SETSTRING | LIMITSTRING | SETDEFAULTSTRING |
INTDEFAULTSTRING | FLOATDEFAULTSTRING | STRINGDEFAULTSTRING
SETSTRING = ´{´ (SETELEMENTSTRING ´,´)* ´}´
SETELEMENTSTRING = TEXTSTRING
SETDEFAULTSTRING = SETELEMENTSTRING | ´LAST´ | ´NODEFAULT´
INTDEFAULTSTRING = INTSTRING | ´LAST´ | ´NEXT´ | ´NODEFAULT´
FLOATDEFAULTSTRING = FLOATSTRING | ´LAST´ | ´NODEFAULT´
STRINGDEFAULTSTRING = TEXTSTRING | ´LAST´ | ´NODEFAULT´ | ´NEXT´
LIMITSTRING = ´NOLIMIT´ | FLOATSTRING
TEXTSTRING = ´ “ ´ Text ´ “ ´
INTSTRING = Integer number
FLOATSTRING = Decimal number
ATTRIBUTIDSTRING = Text
ELEMENTIDSTRING = Text
(Text must be without ´#´ or ´ “ ´!)

The sequences in parenthesis with added *, as in(ELEMENTSTRING ´,)*, means that the
sequence in parenthesis can be repeated any number of times. Entries in [ ] are
optional, I means “or”. All characters in inverted commas appear directly in the
attribute definition. The individual sequences are separated by blank characters.
There are no word wraps, all entries are done one after the other. Generally, every
attribute definition consists of three parts:
ATTRIBUTEDEFINITION = ATTRIBUTESTRING ´ ´ COMMENTSTRING [´!´] [´#´ (ELEMENT STRING ´;´)* ´#´]

• The ATTRIBUTESTRING is a simple sequence of characters and is used for the

identification of the attribute definition.
• The COMMENTSTRING describes the comment that is to appear in the input mask. It is
of the type TEXTSTRING and is therefore given in inverted commas. If an ! is given,
the attribute is definitely shown and its values must be valid. If no ! is given, the
user can decide whether he or she wants the attribute.
• The ELEMENTSTRING specifies the functionality of the input mask. An attribute may
have a maximum of five elements. The mask can be designed quite variable by
combining the individual elements. Following types of elements are possible: (the
name in parenthesis is the respective name of the type):
- Entry of constant texts (CONST)
- Selection of constant text elements, fixed (SET)
- Selection of constant text elements, changeable (USERSET)
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- Whole numbers (INT)

- Decimals (FLOAT)
- Free text entry (STRING)
The difference between SET and USERSET is that the user can change the entry for the
latter, while he can only choose from offered entries at SET. Beginning and end of an
element string are marked by the sign #.

Syntax and semantics of the ELEMENTSTRING

An ELEMENTSTRING contains, depending on the type, following sequence of elements:
ELEMENTSTRING = ELEMENTIDSTRING ´ ´ TYPESTRING ´ ´ COMMENTSTRING (´ ´ PARAMETERSTRING)*

• The ELEMENTIDSTRING is used for the identification of the element.

• In the TYPESTRING the element type described above is defined.
• In the COMMENTSTRING a comment can be defined that will then appears in the input
mask above the element. It is of the type TEXTSTRING. If you do not want t enter a
comment, enter blank inverted commas ‘’’’.
• The PARAMETERSTRING takes a different shape depending on the type of element.
Here it is determined what exactly can be selected or entered in the mask. Again,
it consists of different parts. The table shows you which sequence must be used
for which element type.

ELEMENT- TYP- COMMENT- PARAMETER- PARAMETER- PARAMETER- PARAMETER-

IDSTRING STRING STRING STRING STRING STRING STRING
(identification- CONST ignored TEXTSTRING
name) (constant text) (default value)
(identification - USERSET (Comment) LIMITSTRING LIMITSTRING SETSTRING SETDEFAULT-
name) (set of constant (minimal amount of (minimal amount of (set definition) STRING
text elements, characters) characters) (default value)
changeable)
(identification - SET (Comment) SETSTRING SETDEFAULTSTR
name) (set of constant (set definition) ING
text elements, (default value)
changeable)
(identification - INT (Comment) LIMITSTRING LIMITSTRING INTDEFAULTSTRING
name) (Whole number) (minimum value) (Maximaler Wert) (default value)
(identification - FLOAT (Comment) LIMITSTRING LIMITSTRING FLOATDEFAULTSTRING INTSTRING
name) (fractional (minimum value) (maximum value) (default value) (decimal places)
number)
(identification - STRING (Comment) LIMITSTRING LIMITSTRING STRINGDEFAULTSTRING
name) (text) (minimal amount of (maximum amount (default value)
characters) of characters)
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This structure is best explained by an example:.

Example:
IDConstType “Specify construction type:”
# IDValue STRING “Description” 1 30 LAST#
This attribute definition of the attribute CONSTRUCTIONTYPE leads to following
dialogue box:

Only one element of the type STRING was defined. The parameter string of this type
consists of the elements LIMITSTRING, LIMITSTRING and STRINGDEFAULTSTRING. The first two
resemble the minimal or the maximal number of characters respectively which are
intended for this attribute. In this example, text sequences between 1 and 30
characters can be entered. If the key word LAST is used as STRINGDEFAULTSTRING, it will be
attempted to offer the entry that has been entered last as template. Conversely, NEXT
is the successor of the last value, which is the next value for whole numbers. In text,
‘Papu’ becomes ‘Papu1’ and ‘Papu3’ becomes ‘Papu4’.
Another attribute definition leads to the attribute THICKNESS:
IDThickness “Enter glass thickness”
# IDConst CONST "" “Thickness: “ ;
IDWert FLOAT “Value:” 0.0 NOLIMIT LAST 1;
IDUnit USERSET “Unit” 1 3 {‘ mm’,’ cm’} LAST#
This leads to following dialogue box:
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Three elements have been defined. The first element IDConst of the type CONST puts
out the constant text “Thickness”. The element IDValue of the type FLOAT allows the
insertion of an decimal larger or equal to zero with one digit after the point. With the
last element IDUnit of the type USERSET a list is generated, from which the units “mm” or
“cm” can be selected, or an own value can be entered which has to between one and
three characters long.
Individually adapt FARO block templates
As-Built require, to be able to correctly run, various block templates, e.g. Instrument
stations and control points, height symbols, various dimensioning blocks etc.
These block templates are in the sub-folder \DWGBASE of As-Built1.
For each block template there is a template drawing. They contain the individual
AutoCAD entities (graphics and attributes), that belong to the particular block.
Open and edit these block template drawings as you require, the changes that have
been made will always be used in later projects as the template.
In this way you can, for example, adapt the number of decimal places or specific
prefixes or suffixes in the attributes.
The number of decimal places of a height dimension should be adapted.

1 You can also save them in a different folder, as long as the folder has been added to the AutoCAD support path (Pay attention
to the order).You do that by using the AutoCAD Options command (Command “_OPTIONS” - Tab - “Files” - “Search path for
support files”).
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You must adapt the attribute definition in the following places:

IDHA "Height value" ! #IDHKlTo STRING "Bracket" 0 1 "";  Definition opening bracket

IDHPrfxList USERSET "Height prefix" 0 20 {"OK ","UK ", "BRH ",  Definition prefix choices
"STH "} LAST;

IDHValue FLOAT "Height value" NOLIMIT NOLIMIT NODEFAULT Definition Height value
3;
From type FLOAT:
NOLIMIT=Min.Value unlimited
NOLIMIT= max.Value unlimited,
NODEFAULT=no default value ,
3=Decimal places

IDHKlTo STRING "Bracket" 0 1 ""# Definition closing bracket

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Dimension – Subsequent editing – Adjust blocks to UCS

Command Name: PSBBLOCKADJUSTL
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

This command is used for aligning FARO blocks with the XY plane of the current
UCS.
The position of the block itself is not changed. However, the block is rotated in a way
that it lies parallel to XY plane of the UCS.
Command: PSBBLOCKADJUSTL
Adjust all instrument and control points or selected [Blocks] <instrument and control points>:
(Select option)
If you confirm the selection ”Control points” with Enter, all blocks named “CONTROL”
(Control point blocks) will be adjusted.
However, if you select option “B” for ”Blocks”, you will be asked to pick objects:
Select blocks:
Select objects: (Select object)
If you confirm the selection with Enter, all selected blocks will be adjusted.
Important: Some blocks and their position in space reflect a geometry, e.g. the north
arrow. If you adjust such blocks with this command to an altered UCS, their correct
position will be lost. You can avoid such unwanted effects by locking the respective
layers during the processing of the command.
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Dimension – Create rotated arch plan

Command name: PSHROTARCH
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

The command “PSHROTARCH” is used for the construction of irregular arcs, and for
folding them into the ground map. It supports the description of contours which take
the shape of an arc in the ground plan or front view (e.g. Arcs above windows and
doors).
The command uses a 3D (or 2D) polyline as geometrical input information. The start
and end point of this polyline must define the true position of the arc. Important:
There should be a vertex of the polyline in the apex of the arc or close to it. The
intermediate points are projected into the arc plane, which stands vertically on the XY
plane of the UCS, and runs through the start and end point of the arc.
The command “PSHROTARCH” asks you to select a 3D polyline. The template for
the object selection is the last polyline that had been created in the drawing.
Select polyline [lasT] <lasT>:
Now following dialogue appears:

Normally, the lowest height (for arcs pointing upwards) or the highest height (for arcs
pointing downwards) are used for the rotation plane. The option “Use mean height at
end points” middles the heights of arc ends, which allows to ignore a height
difference that exists due to building tolerances, but are not relevant for accuracy.
The annotations at the rotated arc consist of the arc apex (middle of arc) and the
heights of the arc start and end points. However, if you have selected “Use mean
height at end points”, only the height of the arc start point will be displayed.
The dimensioning of the middle of the arc (apex) always refers to the highest point of
the adjusted arc created by As-Built Modeler. Following points need to be considered
to ensure that the dimensioned value matches reality as good as possible:
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 Measure enough points in regular distances along the arc. The more points you
measure, the better the adjusted arc matches the real shape.
 If possible, also measure a point in (or close to) the apex of the arc. If this is not
possible, measure the arc as symmetrical as possible.
The adjusted arch is created on the same layer as the measured polyline. The
rotated arc is set to the layer the name of which is set in the As-Built Modeler
Settings under the key “Layer” – “ArchPlanLayer”. If this value is kept empty, the
current layer will be used. The key “ArchDimensionLayer” is used for the height
dimensioning of rotated arch.
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Dimension – Window dimension annotation

Command Name: PSBDIMWINDOW
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

This command is used to dimension a window. The necessary values for cill and
lintel height as well as – optionally - the opening height and width will be prompted.
Following dialogue appears:

Here you configure which measurements you want to indicate.

Cill height and lintel height:

The measurements can either be picked in the point cloud or inserted manually.
- ‘Select point’ means that you will be asked for a point the Z coordinate of
which represents the height.
Measure point on the cill (Click point for lower edge of window parapet)
Measure point on the lintel or [UNdo]: (Click point for upper edge of window lintel)
- The option ‘Value’ is used for the direct insertion of the height values. They
are either inserted directly in the dialogue or will be asked later in the
command line when ‘In command line’ is activated:
Enter value for parapet height: .8 (insert measured height)
Enter value for lintel height or [Undo]: 2.9 (insert measured height)

The entry ‘Display heights’ determines which height the values for parapet and lintel
height refer to.
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Text alignment
Here you indicate how the dimensioning text is to be aligned.
- ’In selected line' means that you have to indicate a line at which the text is
to be aligned.
- With "Manually with statement of angle" you may either insert an angle
value for alignment or you click onto two points within the drawing
('Command line' option).
- With ‘Free position’ you can either insert an angle value for the alignment
or you click onto two points in the drawing. (Option ‘Command line’)

Opening height and Opening width

The dimensioning of clear height and width is optional. It is activated by ticking the
field ‘Window opening dimension’.
The clear measurements can either be measured or inserted manually.
- Difference Lht - Cht: This option automatically calculates the clear height
from the difference between the parapet height Cht and the lintel height Lht.
This is a default option. If for some reason the clear height does not
correspond with this difference please use one of the following two options.
- ‘Select two points’ means that you will be asked for two points in the
command line. The distance of these two points represents the clear
measurement. You may pick these points in the cloud or click on them
within the drawing. The distance of two points in Z direction is used for
clear height while the distance in the XY plane is used for clear width.
Measure first point for opening height or [UNdo]:
(Click point for lower edge of window)
Measure second point for opening height or [UNdo]:
(Click point for upper edge of window)
Height of opening: 2.34216 (calculated clear height)
Select first point for opening width or [LIne/UNdo] <LIne>:
Select second point for opening width or [UNdo]:
Width of opening: (calculated clear width)
- The option ‘Value’ is used for directly inserting the clear measurement. It is
either inserted directly in the dialogue or later in the command line if ‘In
command line’ is activated:
Enter value for clear height or [Undo]: 2.3 (insert measured value)
Enter value for clear width or [Undo]: 0.9 (insert measured value)
- The options "Use previous window width (reference side)" and "Use
previous window width (second side)" for the statement of the clear
width are active, when the dimensioning is opened via the "Measure
window" command.
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Display
You can control the text alignment of the opening annotations with ‘Display’:

perpendicular to height annotation parallel to height annotation

Automatic mode
The Automatic mode is activated by ticking the field ‘Keep settings for next
measurements’. This option allows to dimension windows of the same kind without
having to set all settings anew every single time. The dialogue will not be displayed at
the next call up of the command. The settings will be taken over as they were set the
last time. We recommend to use the option ‘in command line’ for inserting values in
the automatic mode.
After the dialogue has been closed with OK, you will be prompted for the individual
values and measurement points according to the settings. As an example, the above
pictured dialogue setting leads to following command line sequence:
Command: PSBDIMWINDOW
Measure point on the cill or [UNdo]: (Click a point on the window parapet)
Measure point on the lintel or [UNdo]: (Click a point on the window lintel)
Height of opening: 1.325
Width of opening: 0.926852
Select line for text alignment or [UNdo]: (Select a line)
Window dimension annotation
Insertion point of block: Positioning of dimensioning block for parapet and lintel height)
Window opening annotation (Positioning of dimensioning block for opening width and height)
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The dimensioning blocks are created on the layer WINDOWDIMENSION by default.

You can configure these pre-set layers individually for height dimensions and clear
dimensions. Use the As-Built Settings command.
Create feature data object
This option can only be applied, when you use the feature data management. If the
used structure definition has a predefined class "Window", a feature data window
object will automatically be generated additionally. The attributes "Height" and
"Width" will automatically be filled with the opening measurements.
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Dimension – Staircase dimension annotation

Command Name: PSBDIMSTAIR
Ribbon Tab: As-Built Building Plans

This command inserts a block with the block name "StairDimBlock" as staircase
dimension into the drawing.
Three values are displayed as follows:

Number of steps Rise in cm Going in cm

After starting the command the following dialogue box opens up:

Should the command be

automatically called following the
command "Measure Staircase"
then the number of steps has been
already determined.

Height of a step.
Either by clicking on/observing two
points (difference in Z values = riser
value)
or by entering the value

The going of a step.The option

button "Use previous stair going" is
only selectable when the command
has been automatically called
following the command "Measure
Staircase"

Line or angle for aligning the

dimension text

Activate automatic mode (for a

description see below)

Leave the dialogue box with [OK].

Depending on the selected options, there follows a few command line prompts.
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For example:
Align dimension text to a line: (Select line for the alignment of the dimension
Insertion point of block: (Position dimensioning block with a mouse click).
The block for the staircase dimensioing will automatically be inserted on the
"STAIRCASEDIMENSIONING " layer.

Automatic mode
The automatic mode is activated when you ticked the box "Keep settings for next
measurements (automatic mode)".This option allows you to consecutively
dimension several stairways without having to enter new values each time.The next
time the command is called the dialogue box will not be displayed.The settings will be
used that you set last time.When using the automatic mode it is recommended that to
enter values that could change (e.g. the number of steps) then use the option "in
command line" for each item.

Individual customisation
You have the following possibilities to individually customise the appearance:
• You may adapt the attributes (output of text) to the dimension with the Define
Extended block command. That way you may change the number of decimal
places or use the abbreviation "Rs" instead of the "x" sign.
• Layer: The preset layer may be changed with help of the Settings… command.
In order to do so change the "Layer – Stair –Annotation" entry.
• Unit: By default, pitch and going will be stated in centimeters. But you may also
change the unit with the Settings… command under the "As-Built Building
Plans – Stairs – Dimension unit" entry.
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Drawing – Simple HELMERT transformation

Command Name: PSBHTRAFO
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

This command runs a simple Helmert transformation without over determination.

Only two pairs of points have to be assigned. The options ‘shifting’, ‘rotation’ and
‘scaling’ are always enabled.

Please read Drawing – Advanced HELMERT transformation for further details

on this command.
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Drawing – Advanced HELMERT transformation

Command Name: PSBNTRAFO
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

With this command you may fit the plan geometry at a new position in the drawing.
This may become necessary if one and the same object has been measured twice
but in two independent measurements and the results of both surveys shall now be
combined.
A 2D Helmert transformation with matching of elevations is done, which combines a
two dimensional rotation within the XY plane of the world coordinate system (WCS)
with a 3D shifting and a scaling of the selected plan geometry. The scale factor is the
same for all three axes if the coordinate system.
The transformation parameters are calculated from a set of point assignments.
There are two ways of transformation. One way would be the calculation with an
over determination (Advanced Helmert transformation PSBNTRAFO). The other one
would a calculation with only two pairs of points (Simple Helmert transformation
PSBHTRAFO).
After starting the command ‚PSBNTRAFO’ you first have to assign corresponding
pairs of points from source and target geometry.
1. pair of points: point to be transformed [Finish]:
1. pair of points: target point:
2. pair of points: point to be transformed [Finish]:
2. pair of points: target point:
3. pair of points: point to be transformed [Finish]:
3. pair of points: target point:
4. pair of points: point to be transformed [Finish]:
4. pair of points: target point:
…
n. pair of points: point to be transformed [Finish]: f
During the assignment of points you may customize the text height of the temporary
point numbers using the command Drawing – Set text height.
After having finished the assignment of points the command line displays a protocol
that inform as you about the possible versions of transformation.
Transformation with shift
1. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.065
2. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.146
3. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.089
4. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.112
-------------------------------------------------
Average square discrepancy (XY) = 0.011 (optimization criterion)
Average discrepancy(XY) = 0.103
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Maximum discrepancy(XY) = 0.146

Transformation with shift and scaling:
1. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.082
2. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.078
3. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.069
4. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.128
-------------------------------------------------
Average square discrepancy (XY) = 0.009 (optimization criterion)
Average discrepancy(XY) = 0.089
Maximum discrepancy(XY) = 0.128
Scale factor = 1.14996
Transformation with shift and rotation:
1. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.076
2. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.140
3. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.098
4. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.059
-------------------------------------------------
Average square discrepancy (XY) = 0.010 (optimization criterion)
Average discrepancy(XY) = 0.093
Maximum discrepancy(XY) = 0.140
Rotation angle(XY) = -6.79165 gon
Transformation with shift, rotation and scaling:
1. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.093
2. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.063
3. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.082
4. pair of points: discrepancy(XY) = 0.078
-------------------------------------------------
Average square discrepancy (XY) = 0.006 (optimization criterion)
Average discrepancy(XY) = 0.079
Maximum discrepancy(XY) = 0.093
Rotation angle(XY) = -6.79165 gon
Scale factor = 1.14996
Pairs of points [Apply/ADd/Disable/Enable/New] <Apply>:
You may now add, enable or disable single pairs of points for the calculation. If you
are satisfied with the displayed values of discrepancy, you select the option ‘Apply’
and proceed with selecting the objects to be transformed.
Select objects to be transformed:
Select objects: n found
Finally you select the mode of transformation. The options shifting, rotation and
scaling can be combined.
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Transformation (Shifting, Rotation, sCaling) [S/SC/SR/SRC] <SRC>:

Now the source geometry is displayed above the target geometry. When running the
command again one may use the parameters and objects of the previous
transformation or edit them.
Use last transformation parameters? [Yes/No] <No>: y
Pairs of points [Apply/ADd/Disable/Enable/New] <Apply>:
Transformation (Shifting, Rotation, sCaling) [S/SC/SR/SRC] <SRC>: vds
...

Remarks
• For the advanced Helmert transformation always at least 3 pairs of points have to
be defined.
• The transformation that considers the scale has to be used with care. The scale is
only calculated from the deformation within the XY plane but is eventually used for
the Z coordinates too. This uniform scaling in X, Y and Z is necessary because
most of the AutoCAD objects cannot be scaled in another way. Otherwise e.g. a
circle would become ellipse, which is not desired. Note! Due to the alteration of
the Z coordinates a transformation with scaling is not in every case suitable for 3D
geometry.
• The colour of the temporary lines and point numbers for the visualization of the
assigned points is defined by the colour of the current layer and has to be set
before running the command. The numbers of the target points are displayed in
brackets.
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Drawing – Set text height

Command Name: PSBNTTEXTHEIGHT
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

With this command you may customize the text height for the temporary point
numbers used during the Helmert transformation in case they are to big or to small.
Also see Drawing – Advanced HELMERT transformation.
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Drawing – Plan analysis –Find double lines

Command Name: PSBHYLASANALYSEDOUBLE
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

In some plans contain lines that have been drawn twice. These unattractive double
draws can be detected using this command. They are marked by a red flag.
At first the following window opens.

Here you indicate a length interval. All lines whose maximum distance lies within this
interval are marked. After confirmation with OK you are pompted to select the objects
to be checked for double lines and arches. As-Built will now mark the double draws
by a red symbol and you are able to revise the plan accordingly.

red
marker

The size of the red marker depends on the level of the zoom.
All markers are deleted when running another plan analysis command. Alternatively
you may initiate the deletion yourself by using the command Drawing – Plan
analysis- Purge.
The search for double lines is an elaborate process of analysing the CAD graphics. It
therefore may take some seconds (depending on the selected plan section) until the
result is displayed.
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Drawing – Plan analysis – Find gaps

Command Name: PSBHYLASANALYSEGAP
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

Often there are plans where you will find small gaps between lines, which originate
from drawing without using the AutoCAD OSNAP. Such gaps can be detected using
this command.
At first the following window opens.

Here you indicate a length interval. All gaps that lie within this interval are marked.
After confirmation with OK you are prompted to select the objects to be analysed. As-
Built will now mark the gaps by a blue symbol and you may now revise the plan
accordingly.

Blue
marker

The size of the red marker depends on the level of the zoom.
All markers are deleted when runnig another plan analysis command. Alternatively
you may initiate the deletion yourself by using the command Drawing – Plan
analysis- Purge.
Why does the command prompt for an interval for the gap size and not for a
maximum value?
The answer is based on the two reasons that may cause you to look for gaps in a
plan.
1. You simply want a neat plan. Then you really may set the lower limit of the
interval to zero.
2. You want to use the feature data management to create polygons e.g. for rooms.
The methods for outline tracing and pattern recognition do skip all gaps that are
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smaller than a certain tolerance value. This tolerance value can be set using the
As-Built command As-Built – Settings (Feature data). Thus at least for
working with As-Built you do not have to revise and remove the errors of the plan
that are smaller than the tolerance.
That is why you may set the lower limit of the interval for the gap detection exactly
to the value of the tolerance to ignore gaps. So only errors are displayed and
need to be fixed that are larger than the tolerance value.
By the way, the gap analysis also detects small excess ends like in the following
example.

The search for gaps is an elaborate process of analysing the CAD graphics. It
therefore may take some seconds (depending on the selected plan section) until the
result is displayed.
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Drawing – Plan analysis –Find short lines

Command Name: PSBHYLASANALYSESHORT
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

You may find short lines using this command. They are marked by a green flag.

green
marker

The length of the lines to be detected is prompted by this dialogue.

The size of the green marker depends on the level of the zoom.
All markers are deleted when running another plan analysis command. Alternatively
you may initiate the deletion yourself by using the command Drawing – Plan
analysis- Purge.
The search for short lines is an elaborate process of analysing the CAD graphics. It
therefore may take some seconds (depending on the selected plan section) until the
result is displayed.
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Drawing – Plan analysis –Trace outline

Command Name: PSBHYLASANALYSEPATH
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

This command serves to trace outlines. It can be used to find gaps or to create
closed polylines.
First the following prompt appears in the command line.
Plan analysis -
Click point next to line or [Configure]:
Now click close to a line in the drawing. The outline of this line is traced and marked
in red. At arborizations the side of the line is preferred which you selected when
clicking close to the line.

The ends of an outline are highlighted by circles.

Possible gaps within the line are ignored, provided they are smaller than a certain
tolerance value. You can determine this value using the command line option ‘C’
(Configure). The width of the line marking also depends on this tolerance. In the
following figure a larger tolerance value has been set and, thus, the outline tracing
finds a closed polygon. When there is a closed polygon, no circles are displayed:

If the outline tracing results in a so called self-overlapping, the intersection points are
marked by concentric circles. The outline line is also highlighted in purple.
390

Such a polyline has to be seen

critically since its surface area is
not well defined (even though it
is closed).

The outline tracing function runs a complex analysis of the CAD graphic. Therefore,
the process may take a couple of seconds (depending on the selected plan section).
After you have traced an outline, you can run another analysis or take this outline
over as AutoCAD 2D polyline. Following prompt will appear repeatedly in the
command line until you cancel the command.
Click point next to line or [insertPolyline/Configure]:
The option ‘Configure’ opens following dialogue.

 Ignore intersection means that the outline tracing does branch at true X
intersections.
 Branch at intersection means that the outline tracing will also branch at true X
intersections.
 391

We speak of true X intersection when the AutoCAD elements intersect instead of just
meeting.

Intersection situation in the Exploded view

drawing
true X intersection pseudo X intersection
(4 or 6 lines?)
(4 lines) (6 lines)
Here an example for the effect of the two modes with the same click point.

Position of the
click point

Initial situation

Intersections Intersections
enabled disabled
392

The background of the two modes is, in most CAD plans pseudo X intersections are
used for objects that are connected with each other by content (e.g. adjoining walls
and windows or doors). Things that overlay the actual plan (e.g. center lines and
building grids) are often simply drawn through. Then real X intersections are created.
Thus, in most cases it is better to ignore X crossing lines when creating room
polygons and the like.
 393

Drawing – Plan analysis -Purge

Command Name: PSBHYPURGE
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

This command deletes all AutoCAD objects that As-Built created temporarily. Such
objects originate from the As-Built commands for plan analysis (Find gaps, find
short or double lines).
Also object markings (dashed line display), as they are created when clicking an
object in the area list or in the feature list, are removed.
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Drawing – Clipboard – Copy

Command Name: PSBHYLASCOPY
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

With this command you can copy any drawing objects to a clipboard. It works similar
to the Windows clipboard.
In contrast to the AutoCAD clipboard commands the As-Built clipboard is able to
copy and insert the object with its WCS coordinates, even if another UCS is currently
activated.
Additionally the As-Built clipboard copies/inserts FARO labels, that means data
objects of the feature data management
The command line will read as follows:
Select objects to be copied
Select objects: (Select any drawing objects)
You are asked to select any geometry, to click on feature data labels and/or entries
of the structure view. By doing so, these objects will be copied into a special
clipboard.
You will be prompted for a reference point afterwards. This point is needed for the
positioning of the objects in the target drawing. If the objects are to be placed at
exactly the same position as in the original drawing please select the option ‘Origin’.
Modes: Also copy forward linked objects (On), Also copy linked objects without label (On)
Base point[Origin/Linked/WithoutLabel] <Origin>:
At the same time you may change the modes of the implicit object selection.
Also copy forward linked Additionally to the feature data objects selected manually, all polygons,
objects which are related to the above objects, will be selected.

Also copy linked objects Additionally to the manually selected feature data objects, all objects, which
without label are linked and have no label, will be selected.
This option is not relevant for the feature data management.

After stating the reference point you will be informed about the number of the
implicitly selected objects if needed and then the command will be ended. You may
now change to the target drawing and insert the objects.
See also Drawing – Clipboard – Paste
Drawing – Clipboard – Cut
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Drawing – Clipboard – Cut

Command Name: PSBHYLASCLIP
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

With this command it is possible to cut any drawing objects out of AutoCAD
drawings. It works similar to the Windows clipboard.
In contrast to the AutoCAD clipboard commands the As-Built clipboard is able to copy
and insert the object with its WCS coordinates, even if another UCS is currently
activated.
Additionally the As-Built clipboard copies/inserts FARO labels, that means data
objects of the feature data management.
The command line will show the following:
Select objects to be cut
Select object: (Select any drawing objects)
You are asked to select any geometry, to click on feature data labels and/or entries
of the structure view. By doing so, these objects will be moved into a special
clipboard.
After that you will be prompted for a reference point. This point is needed to position
the objects when inserting them into other drawings. If you want to position the
objects at exactly the same position as in the original drawing select ‘Origin’:
Modes: Clip forward linked objects (On), clip linked objects without label (On)
Base point [Origin/Linked/WithoutLabel] <Origin>:
At the same time you may change the modes of the implicit object selection.
Clip forward linked Additionally to the feature data objects selected manually, all polygons,
objects which are related to the above objects, will be selected.

Clip linked objects Additionally to the manually selected feature data objects, all objects, which
without label are linked to these objects and have no label, will be selected.

After selecting the reference point you might be informed about the number of
implicitly selected objects and after that the command is finished. You may now
change to the target drawing and insert the objects.
See also Drawing – Clipboard – Copy
Drawing – Clipboard – Paste
Important remark: The AutoCAD function ‘Undo’ (undo last command) does not
work here. As-Built labels that have been cut cannot be reinserted.
396

Drawing –Clipboard – Paste

Command Name: PSBHYLASPASTE
Ribbon Tab As-Built Building Plans

With this command objects from the special As-Built clipboard will be inserted into the
current drawing. This works similar to the Windows clipboard.
Previously the objects have to be imported into the clipboard by the commands
Drawing – Clipboard – Copyor Drawing – Clipboard – Cut.
In contrast to the AutoCAD clipboard commands the As-Built clipboard is able to
copy and insert the object with its WCS coordinates, even if another UCS is currently
activated.
Additionally the As-Built clipboard copies/inserts FARO labels, that means data
objects of the feature data management.
When starting this command you will be asked for the coordinate system, that should
be used:
Paste clipboard objects with their original Wcs or Ucs orientation [Wcs/Ucs] <Wcs>:
Confirm the standard option “WCS” by pressing ENTER, if you want to insert the
graphic on the same position as in the original drawing, independent from the current
UCS.
After that you are prompted to enter the reference point:
Base point[Origin] <Origin>:
If the objects are to be placed at exactly the same position as in the original drawing
please select the option ‘Origin’ .
If there were feature data objects (FARO labels) cut or copied besides the pure
geometry As-Built will try to insert them in the new drawing. Therefore the structure
definition of the copied or cut objects has to be compatible to the definition of the
target file. If necessary, the missing attributes will be created. The IDs of the data
objects and polygons as well as the key attributes of the inserted objects will also be
adapted where necessary, so the uniqueness will consist. When the copying was
finished successfully a protocol will show the changes.
If an structure view has not yet been generated for the target drawing, the minimal
structure definition will be created. This definition can include the new objects and
where applicable the existing links between those objects.
In case the structure definition of the source drawing is incompatible to the definition
of the target drawing an error report will appear, e.g.:
 397

We speak of incompatibility when objects cannot be transferred without losses. That

is the case if for example an object of the "Area" class with an integer attribute
"RoomNumber"=11 is to be copied into a drawing, which does have a class "Area"
with an attribute "RoomNumber", but the attribute has been defined as Text attribute.
The structure definition of the target drawing will only be extended, never changed or
reduced.
See also Drawing – Clipboard – Copy
Drawing – Clipboard – Cut
398

10.6 As-Built Photogrammetry Tools

Photogrammetry Tools -As-Built Photo

Ribbon Tab: As-Built Photo

The comprehensive photogrammetry tools provided by As-Built are used for

photogrammetric image processing directly in AutoCAD. They enable the true-to-
scale rectification of digital photographs, maps and plans as well as their subsequent
interpretation and evaluation. Facade photographs, pictures of wall and ceiling
paintings or floors can be processed, but also old maps and plan material can be
brought back into a true-to-scale form. The results are true-to-scale image plans that
combine photographic condition documentation with precise geometric information.
Other tools allow you to orientate photos by means of control points and to use these
oriented photos for both 2D and 3D image evaluation. Photos of non-planar facades
can be processed into true to length image plans. This creates three-dimensional
models or 2D image plans.

Further information about the photogrammetry tools of As-Built can be found in the
As-Built Photo manual, which is part of your installation. You may find a link on the
As-Built Photo ribbon tab under “Help”.
 399

11 Adaptation and Configuration of As-Built for

AutoCAD
In this section you will learn how you may adapt As-Built for AutoCAD to your specific
requirements.

11.1 Predefined blocks

You will find the templates for blocks needed by As-Built for AutoCAD within the
installation directory, DWGBASE subdirectory.
These Blocks will be used by As-Built for AutoCAD for specific symbols (e.g. height
dimension points, control points) or annotations (e.g. door and window
dimensioning)
A complete list of all blocks used by As-Built for AutoCAD you will find in the As-Built
for AutoCAD settings dialogue in the section “blocks”.

The block templates can be adapted in their appearance to meet your own
requirements.
For some of the blocks it is possible to change the block name and the attribute
names. In order to do so please refer to the As-Built for AutoCAD settings dialogue
As-Built Settings
400

11.2 Working with template files

An AutoCAD Template file (.DWT) can be used to predefine a whole set of settings,
e.g. layer, text and dimension styles, units, as good as layouts with paper formats,
stamps etc. .
You can save a big amount of time during the setup of your drawings by predefining
your own template files for different types of projects. Also that makes sense for
achieving consistent company standards.
Blocks can be predefined in DWT’s as well. If the As-Built for AutoCAD blocks are
defined in the DWT, the software does not access to the block template directory
\DWGBASE anymore.
If you want to modify the As-Built for AutoCAD blocks for specific situations, please
follow these steps:
• Generate a new AutoCAD drawing template (DWT)
• Import all block to be edited
• Modify the blocks
• Save the template to the current AutoCAD template directory
You may now derive all new drawings from this template.

11.3 Configuration with company guidelines

Larger companies often want a uniform configuration of all their workstations. For
FARO 3D Software products it can be done as follows:
All configuration values like for instance layer name scan be given as corporate
standard. To do so, you customize the according entries in the “Settings“-dialog and
close AutoCAD.
In the Windows Explorer brows to the application data directory:
C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\FARO.
There you will find following files:
FaroConfigCurrentUser_en.cfg (language-dependent values)
FaroConfigCurrentUserCommon.cfg (language-independent values)
When opening these files with a text editor (format: UTF-8), it will look like this (here
an example of the FaroConfigCurrentUser_en.cfg):

{ { "kubit configuration file version 1.1"

},
{ { "Key_Layer_InsertedImages",
"[corporatelayername]"
},
{ "Key_Layer_UndistortedImages",
"[corporatelayername]"
 401

},
{ "Key_Layer_RectifiedImages",
"[corporatelayername]"
},
...
{ "Key_Hylas_Pathes_Tools",
"Tools"
}
}
}
One single configuration entry consists of one text block in curly brackets, a key and
a value:
{ "Key_Layer_InsertedImages",
"[corporatelayername]"
},
(Please note that the last block of a configuration file must notend with a comma.)
Remove all blocks from the file which you do not want to set as corporate standard.
Please contact FARO Support if you are not sure about the keys in the configuration
file or if you cannot find them.
In theFaroConfigCurrentUser_en.cfg file you will particularly find block and layer
names while FaroConfigCurrentUserCommon.cfg file contains system settings like
for instance the drawing unit.
Now save the customized corporate configuration files under a meaningful name on a
network drive all colleagues have access to. Set the file‘s properties to “read only“ for
all users.
All colleagues who shall work with the corporate settings have to select the new
configuration files within the settings dialog of their FARO 3D Software product in the
section „Administration/Configuration file for company guidelines“. Then re-start
AutoCAD once more. The corporate default settings should now be taken over. Of
cause each user can change these setting during his AutoCAD session but with
every re-start of AutoCAD they will be reset to the corporate defaults.
402
 403

11.4 Useful AutoCAD Settings

• The automatic save should be set to a very low value (e.g. 10 minutes) in order
to keep the loss of data during a possible system crash as low as possible. You
may change this setting this way: call up "_config" command within the command
line and check settings under "Open and save"  "File Safety Precautions".

• You may use the command “GRAPHICSCONFIG” to check on graphics

performance. AutoCAD is automatically searching for graphic cards updates.
• As-Built turns off the Selection Preview (system variable SELECTIONPREVIEW).
This is necessary because otherwise AutoCAD tries to highlight the point cloud
when moving the mouse over it.
• As-Built turns off the Dynamic Input (system variable DYNMODE). This is
necessary because otherwise the automatic regeneration of the point cloud in the
“Level of Detail” mode does not function correctly.
404

12 License Contract
This is a Licence Agreement, not a Purchase Contract, between you (herein after
known as the "Licensee") and FARO Technologies, Inc. (herein after known as the
"Licensor" or "FARO"). By the opening of the sealed program package you are
agreeing to the conditions of this Agreement. The rights to use, transfer and copy are
limited by this Agreement.

1. Subject of this Agreement

The subject of this Agreement is the licensing of a FARO software package. It is
delivered to the Licensee in the form of a software program. The Licensee is not
entitled to claim the source code. The software package also includes a disc, manual
and software copy protection.
The parties to this Agreement hereby agree that the program is eligible for protection
and of being protected under copyright law. The Licensor or any third party have
intellectual property rights on the goods supplied. So far as any third party is entitled
to the rights, the Licensor has the appropriate rights of use.

2. Scope of Use
The Licensee is hereby granted for the duration of this Agreement the simple non-
exclusive and personal right (licence) to use the computer programs on the disc
subject to the following conditions.
The licence for the software may not be used by the Licensee at any one point in
time on more than a single computer.
The Licensee has the right to make a backup copy of the programs. The program
package and the company names, trade marks and copyright notices contained
therein, must not be changed or altered in any way or manner. The Licensee is not
entitled, in any way or form, to copy or otherwise duplicate the software and the
written material, in whole or in part in its original or in any form merged with or
embedded in any other software.
The Licensee hereby agrees not to disassemble or have disassembled the programs
or any part thereof. Should the Licensee require information on how to achieve
interoperability, then it will be supplied by the Licensor. Likewise it is not allowed to
translate the written material or to amend or to produce derivative works there from.
The Licensee is not entitled to remove the software copy protection that is bound to
the software or to bypass it in any other way.
The Licensee has to ensure that no programs, documentation or duplicates thereof
can be accessed by any third party without the express permission of the Licensor. In
particular the Licensee is not allowed, without the express permission of the Licensor,
to transfer, to rent or to loan the software to any third party. Basically, a transfer is
only possible if the third party has declared to comply with the terms and conditions
 405

of this Agreement. This must be expressly pointed out to the third party. With an
approved transfer all the rights of use of the transferor are forfeited.
Any further use is prohibited.

3. Warranty
The software has been developed with due care and diligence and with regard to
accepted programming methods. With the currently best available technology it is not
possible to completely rule out errors in the development of the software.
The Licensor accepts no liability for any errors and does not guarantee the specific
suitability of the software to meet the Licensee's requirements. The responsibility for
the correct choice of and the consequences arising from the use of the software as
well as the intended or achieved results lies solely with the Licensee. Warranty
claims are excluded, to the extent allowed by law.
The Licensor is in particular not liable for any indirect damages or any consequential
damages caused by errors or defects in the licensed software. There shall be no
limitation of liability for willful intent, gross negligence and guaranteed quality.

4. Loss of the Dongle

FARO products are protected by a softlock or a dongle. The dongle or softlock
contains complete licensing information. Therefore your licence is irremovable
embedded in your dongle or your computer. If the dongle is lost the Licensee is
obligated to promptly report the loss of the dongle to FARO (Licensor). The dongle
(the licence) will not be replaced by FARO.

5. Duration of the Agreement

This Agreement is open ended (none expiring). The Licensee's rights to use the
software will automatically expire without notice, if he breaks any one of the
conditions of this Agreement. Upon expiration of the right to use following a breach of
this Agreement the Licensee is obligated to destroy all parts of the program package
supplied with this licence, together with all copies including any modified copies.

6. Final Provisions
Should one or more of the provisions of this Agreement be or become invalid, or
should the Agreement contain an omission, all of the remaining provisions shall retain
their legal effectiveness. The parties agree that the invalid provision shall be replaced
by a valid provision that come closes to the commercial effect intended by the parties
hereto.
Any change to this Agreement must be made in writing. There are no ancillary verbal
agreements.
406

This Agreement shall be subject to the laws of the United States of America. The
executive place of jurisdiction for all disputes under this Agreement shall be the state
of Florida, USA.