V4.4.1

LFM Server Dataset Generation

Guide

i

Table of Contents

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................. i

1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1

2.0 Licensing/Machine Spec for LFM Server Dataset Generation .................................................................... 3

2.1 Machine Specification ........................................................................................................................ 3

2.2 Licensing ............................................................................................................................................ 4

2.3 LFM Generator™ - Enhanced Dataset Generation (X4 Faster) ........................................................ 5

2.4 Advanced Mode Installation ............................................................................................................... 7

3.0 LFM Server Deliverable (.lfd) Creation ....................................................................................................... 9

4.0 HyperBubble Data Creation ....................................................................................................................... 11

4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 11

4.2 Graphical Requirements ................................................................................................................... 11

4.3 HyperBubble Data Publishing Workflow .......................................................................................... 12

Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................................ 13

Trademarks ...................................................................................................................................................... 13

Copyright ......................................................................................................................................................... 13

ii

1

1.0 Introduction Points Dataset construction is a one off operation which is performed by LFM Generator. LFM Generator is not a standalone product, but is an additional option to LFM Gateway Mode. Points Dataset construction is a completely lossless process in which none of the points from the original scans are lost. Each Points Dataset can hold any number of individual scans. All scans which are to be put into the Points Dataset must be present at the start of the compilation. Images cannot be added at a later date without a complete recompilation. Points Dataset compilation is fully automatic, but it can take a considerable period of time. Large Points Datasets can take several days to compile. The time taken is largely a function of the machine specification.

2

3

2.0 Licensing/Machine Spec for LFM Server

Dataset Generation

2.1 Machine Specification LFM Software Ltd. does not routinely recommend a PC specification due to the fast moving nature of equipment release, where components are often rendered obsolete after a short period of time in the marketplace. However, a minimum machine spec is listed below to give equipment buyers an outline specification of the type of components that are known to offer basic performance with LFM Software products. Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (Quad Core recommended – as this will offer performance benefits) Memory: (4x1024) 667Mhz DDR2 Dual Channel ECC Hard Drive: In addition to the OS drive, 3 large capacity hard drives:

1 for source .zfc files

1 for intermediate file writing (a solid state drive is highly beneficial in terms of speed for this drive)

1 for the final dataset

Sata drive bay – hot swapable to “remove” when done. Graphics: LFM NetView/AVEVA NET project creation requires a reasonably powerful graphics card with the very latest drivers. It has been developed using NVidia graphics cards and tested on one AMD card. Do not rely on Windows graphics driver properties to update to the latest version, use the NVidia tools in-stead. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/download/scan.aspx?lang=en-us to automatically get the latest version. LFM tests your setup for the correct graphics support and LFM NetView/AVEVA NET project creation will be disabled if it does not find what it needs. The supported OpenGL version information is saved in the LFM log file on startup: 12: GL Major version supported: 4 115

13: GL Minor version supported: 5 127

The above reports v4.5. The minimum needed is v4.3. Operating System: Windows 7 64 bit Network: 1GB Ethernet Card Note: - Please remember this is a machine guide line only. You may be able to source a better specification machine. However it is impractical for LFM to test every possible specification.

4

2.2 Licensing For LFM Server dataset generation an LFM Generator license is required. Please contact your LFM Value Added Reseller or license.request@lfm-software.com for further information regarding LFM licenses.

5

2.3 LFM Generator™ - Enhanced Dataset Generation (X4 Faster)

Database generation happens at a critical stage of the project, just prior to delivery to the client. Therefore any delays need to be minimized to ensure that the client receives the data as soon as possible after scanning and registration are complete. Generating large databases has, until now, been a time consuming process. For illustration, generation of a dataset containing around 9 billion points, or 250-300 scans, has taken around 48 hours. Extensive investigation and development has been done which is aimed at reducing these times. We are pleased to announce that 4x faster dataset generation can be achieved. There are just three simple steps you need to follow to reduce delivery times and these are explained below. Using these three steps, a 48 hour job can be reduced to just 12 hours which is a huge leap in productivity. STEP 1 – Use Windows 7 64bit

Virtually all motherboards and processors have been 64bit for a considerable time, but have been making do with a 32bit operating system. For a very compute intensive job, such as database generation, this is very limiting. Switch over to a 64bit operating system liberates so much more of the power of the basic machine. STEP 2 – Download LFM Server 64bit LFM Server is now soley a 64bit program. The internal structures have been reconfigured to take full advantage of working in 64bit mode and this has led to huge speed improvements over the old 32bit versions. STEP 3 – Install a Solid State Intermediate Points File Drive Replace the existing Intermediate Points File Drive (Scratchpad) with a Solid State Drive. For all of our tests, we have been using a 250GB (OCZSSD2-1SUM250G) because of its high sustained read/write speed. However for larger projects you may need multiple or larger drives. Background Large Solid State drives, when applied in the right place, can produce staggering performance improvements. Although they are more expensive than a normal drive, considering the results they can help produce, they still represent good value for money.

Core 2 duo @3.2GHz

P35 Chipset ICH9

4GB memory (for generation more does not help) Recommended Disk Configuration The current recommended configuration for Database Generation is to use four separate hard drives.

Operating system drive (10,000 rpm SATA)

Source scan drive (7200rpm SATA)

Intermediate points file drive (OCZ Solid State) used during initial generation

Destination drive (7200rpm SATA) containing the final dataset It is important to ensure that the intermediate and destination drives are on physically separate disks. Replacing the destination drive with a solid state drive brings little benefit. Please do not format or de-fragment the Solid State Drive.

6

7

2.4 Advanced Mode Installation

LFM no longer requires a dongle for Dataset Generation. To avoid unauthorised users taking the Dataset Generation license there is now an option to install an advanced version of LFM which gives access to this feature. This is illustrated in the screenshot below. LFM should be run from the Advanced Mode shortcut in order to be able to create a new Points Dataset.

8

9

3.0 LFM Server Deliverable (.lfd) Creation Once the scans in the project have been registered, an LFM Server deliverable (.lfd) can be created. In order to do this the user must populate the relevant options.

Right click on the registration group you wish to generate the LFM Server dataset for and select Generation Settings. This will bring up the Generation tab as shown below.

Next fill in the options as follows:

Location for Destination File: The folder where you wish the LFM Server dataset to be created.

Intermediate Points Locations: The folder where the intermediate files will be created. Select the desired folder and click OK. The available space will be automatically populated to 90% of the available space on the selected disk.

Final Points Locations: The folder where the final points file will be created. This is filled in automatically and defaults to a points folder within the folder specified in the Location for Destination File option as described above.

Volume Clipping: o Choose Unlimited to generate all points from all registered scans in the group. o Choose Current Volume to generate only points within the currently selected volume. o Choose Min/Max to generate only points within the specified minimum and maximum

corners of a volume.

Density: Choose between Full, Half or Quarter resolution.

Incorporate Colour Information: Tick the box to apply colour to the 3D scan points if colour is available.

10

Once all the required options have been filled in, the Generate Dataset button on the Generation toolbar will become active as shown left.

Click the Dataset button and the message shown left will appear. The first line shows how much space will be required in both the intermediate and finals disks for the LFM Server dataset generation (.lfd). The second line shows how much space will be required for LFM NetView Generation. This is useful information at this stage

as the user can begin to prepare the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD). See the LFM Server – LFM NetView Project Creation guide for further information about producing LFM NetView projects.

If there is enough disk space on both the intermediate and final disks, click Yes to proceed. If there is not enough space available click No to cancel the process. After clicking Yes the window shown left will appear displaying approximately how much time it will take for the generation to finish.

Click OK to proceed. During the generation, a progress bar at the bottom of the LFM interface will update to show what percentage of the generation is complete.

Once the generation is complete the message shown below will appear. Click OK to continue. The dataset generation is now complete. Note that datasets generated with a Generator Lite 25 license cannot be loaded with other datasets.

If you are delivering only the LFM Server dataset folder then the BubbleView (.int) files will need to be copied into the pngs folder where the .lfd file is created.

11

4.0 HyperBubble Data Creation

4.1 Introduction

The HyperBubble is an immersive, advanced-rendering of laser scan data that delivers photorealistic visualisation with the ability to freely navigate a project. As visualisation of laser scan data is paramount to effective consumption the HyperBubble can be utilised alongside the BubbleView and point cloud viewing capabilities to provide the customer with total flexibility to combine the different views to suit their activity.

4.2 Graphical Requirements

HyperBubble publishing and rendering requires a reasonably powerful graphics card with the very latest drivers. It has been developed using NVidia graphics cards, and LFM recommends using these where pos-sible for optimum performance and reliability. LFM have also tested with a selection of alternate cards which are detailed below. Do not rely on Windows graphics driver properties to update to the latest version, instead use the NVidia tools. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/download/scan.aspx?lang=en-us to obtain the latest version. The supported OpenGL version information is saved in the LFM log file on startup which can be found in the Temp folder as shown below which reports v4.5. The minimum needed is v4.3.

12

12: GL Major version supported: 4 115 13: GL Minor version supported: 5 127 Supported Cards: NVidia GeForce/Quadro, or AMD FirePro W Series, with at least 1GB memory and capable of supporting OpenGL version 4.3 or later. AMD FirePro S Series should also function, but has not been verified at the time of writing. Please note that updated graphics drivers may be needed to meet the OpenGL requirement.

4.3 HyperBubble Data Publishing Workflow

Once the LFM Server Dataset has been produced HyperBubble data can be created by simply right clicking on the Dataset node in LFM Server and selecting Publish > LFM HyperBubble Resources as shown left.

Note that for HyperBubble data production an LFM Generator license is required. Please contact your LFM Value Added Reseller or license.request@lfm-software.com for further information regarding LFM licenses.

A message will appear stating how much disk space is required. Click Yes to continue. A browser will then appear asking you to locate the folder containing the .zfc files. Browse to the appropriate folder and click Open.

Once the process is complete the message shown left will appear. Note that this process may take some time depending on the number of scans in the dataset.

For information on how to use HyperBubble data, please see the LFM Server Home Guide.

13

Disclaimer

All information contained in this document, with respect to LFM Software Ltd products and use, is given by LFM Software Ltd without warranty. LFM Software Ltd disclaim any and all warranties and conditions, expressed or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Neither the author, LFM Software Ltd nor AVEVA Solutions Limited, shall be liable to any person or entity for any actions, loss or damage arising from its use or possession of any information, claims, particulars, or errors in this publication, or incorrect use of the product, whatsoever.

Trademarks LFM, BubbleView and InfiniteCore are trademarks of LFM Software Ltd in the UK. Unauthorised use of these trademarks and any associated logos are strictly forbidden. The copyright, trademark rights, or other intellectual property rights in any other product, its name or logo belongs to its respective owner. AVEVA product/software names are trademarks or registered trademarks of AVEVA Solutions Limited or its subsidiaries and are registered in the UK, Europe and other countries worldwide. The copyright, trademark rights and other intellectual property rights in any other product referred into this manual are done so under licence from the respective owner. Unauthorised use of any of the trademarks contained in this manual is strictly forbidden.

Copyright Copyright and all other intellectual property rights in this document and the associated software, and all constituent parts of it, including but not limited to: computer source code, object code, any data contained in it, the user manual and any other additional documentation supplied, belongs to AVEVA Solutions Limited and its subsidiaries. All other rights are reserved to LFM Software Ltd. The information contained in this document is commercially sensitive, and shall not be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted without the prior written permission of LFM Software Ltd. Where such permission is granted, it expressly requires that this Disclaimer and Copyright notice is prominently displayed at the beginning of every copy that is made. The manual and associated documentation may not be adapted, reproduced, or copied, in any material or electronic form, without the prior written permission of LFM Software Ltd. The user may also not reverse engineer, decompile, copy, or adapt the associated Software. Neither the whole, nor part of the product described in this publication may be incorporated into any third-party Software, product, machine, or system without the prior written permission of LFM Software Ltd, save as permitted by law. Any such unauthorised action is strictly prohibited, and may give rise to civil liabilities and criminal prosecution. The LFM Software Ltd products described in this document are to be installed and operated strictly in accordance with the terms and conditions of the respective licence agreements, and in accordance with the relevant user documentation. Unauthorised or unlicensed use of the product is strictly prohibited.

First published in 2013. This revision published in 2017

© AVEVA Solutions Limited and its subsidiaries 2017

LFM Software Ltd, 5 Avocado Court, Commerce Way, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1HW.

14