This article explains how to clean a point cloud in Emesent Aura using a combination of automated filters and manual selection tools.
What you will need
Point cloud file available locally
Emesent Aura installed and up to date
Procedure
Step 1: Copy the point cloud file
Make a copy of the original point cloud file. Work only on the copy in Aura to preserve the original data.
Step 2: Open the point cloud in Aura
In the top-left menu, click the Project Menu icon then select Open.
Drag and drop the file directly into the Viewport.
Go to the Visualize tab then click Add next to the Point Clouds section.
Step 3: Configure the Viewport for cleaning
Set the point cloud to a solid color for better visibility:
Select the point cloud to display the Context panel.
In the Color Scale field, select Solid.
In the Fill Color section, choose a color that contrasts with sepia, which is the default selection color.
Note: When the point cloud color is changed, the bounding box color changes automatically. This is useful for distinguishing multiple open point clouds.
Set the background to a solid color:
Click Preferences in the top-left corner.
Go to the Appearance tab then set Background to Solid.
Choose a color that contrasts with the point cloud color.
Click Save.
Note: Avoid black backgrounds during clean-up as points can be easier to miss, particularly in colorized point clouds.
Set the point size to 1 or greater in the Point Size field of the point cloud panel.
Step 4: Select a small area to clean
Warning: There is no undo function for deletion. Clean small areas at a time to avoid accidentally removing unintended features.
Select a small area of the point cloud that includes a portion of the main point cloud, not just peripheral points, to ensure accurate filter calculations.
Note: Selections extend back through the point cloud and may include points behind the visible selection. To check for unintended selections, navigate to the other side of the point cloud or adjust the Near Clipping Plane value in Preferences to see through areas of the point cloud.
Refine the selection as required:
Add points: Shift + select
Remove points: Ctrl + select
Invert selection: Alt + select
Step 5: Apply the SOR filter
Note: If no selection is made, the filter is applied to the entire point cloud. The filter is disabled if multiple point clouds are selected in the Visualize tab.
Note: The DBD filter is not suitable for point cloud clean-up and should not be used for this purpose.
From the Main Toolbar, click the Cleaning Filters icon then select SOR filter.
In the Statistical Outlier Removal dialog box, select a SOR filter and configure the settings. Refer to the SOR filter guide for information on the available filters and settings.
Click OK. Points selected for removal change to sepia.
Run the filter over the same area until the result is satisfactory, then press DELETE to remove the points.
Note: The bounding box does not automatically update after points are removed. Save the point cloud then reload it to see the updated bounding box.
Step 6: Perform a manual clean-up
Note: Selection Tools work across multiple point clouds. To select or deselect multiple files, hold Ctrl then click each file.
Use the Selection Tools in the Main Toolbar to manually select and remove remaining unwanted points. Refer to the Selection Tools guide for information on each tool.
Step 7: Save the point cloud
From the Project Menu, click Save to save changes to the existing file.
Click Save As to save a copy with a different name, location, or file format.
Outcome
The point cloud is cleaned and saved. Repeat the process on additional areas of the point cloud as required.
Additional information
Automated filtering can be integrated into the processing workflow via Processing Settings. In the Point Filtering section of the General tab, enable the cleaning filters to apply them automatically during processing.