The new Point Cloud Mesher (PCM) is a simple but very powerful application tool that was created with the aim of facilitating and improving work with large surfaces. It gives MineSight users the ability to triangulate from a 3D perspective coming from big point cloud data. Three-dimensional representations of underground cavities, tunnels, complex topographies and with a high level of detail can be easily and quickly generated while preserving their original characteristics.
In addition, PCM can refine the triangular mesh, performing surface interpolation to smooth data roughness or to variably discretize surface triangles, thus reducing complexity and file size, optimizing calculations and future work.
Several mines in Brazil and around the world still face problems in the treatment and manipulation of surfaces with high levels of detail. Many have made high investments in the acquisition of powerful laser scanners or contracting aerial photogrammetric surveys that provide precision in their surveys, but the mining planning and geology sectors, when faced with these large files, find it difficult to use these “monsters”.
We prepared a comparison, with a real database made available by one of our customers in Brazil, to verify the gains and benefits that the new PCM tool provides.
The total extension of the topographic survey area is approximately 70,000 hectares, where this entire area was divided into 130 sheets/areas, like a mosaic. This fractionation was carried out by the customer, precisely to make work and manipulations feasible, which would not be necessary with PCM.
The grid density of the survey mesh is 1m x 1m, thus totaling approximately 1.2 million points per sheet/area and 156 million points in the entire survey.
We then carried out the evaluation of one of the sheets of the mosaic, in order to identify the impact on the reduction of the generated files.
For comparison, we performed the triangulation using the traditional method in MineSight, using the tool Triangulate Surface and then the triangulation with the PCM using a deviation (deviation) and the tool Simplify as Post-Processing (Post Processing) for further reduction of surface file size without loss of detail.
We developed several tests in order to identify which are the optimal parameters in the use of PCM in this base case, and we will present the results obtained with the most adequate parameters.
In the rough triangulation of the points, we obtained a result file of 50.8 MB with a high level of detail.
With the use of PCM with Deviation from 0.1m and Simplify of 0.05m, there is a drastic reduction in file size to 2.32 MB and without any damage to surface details.
Note that PCM made it possible to reduce the file size in 95% while maintaining the level of surface detail. The following table presents other combinations of results.
The triangulation of the total area by the traditional method would lead to a file of around 6 GB, against only 300 MB using PCM.
Below is a link with a detailed presentation of the results obtained in the comparisons:
The PCM is revolutionary, as it allows the use of surfaces with high levels of detail in its design, reporting more assertive cubage and designs more consistent.
For more details on this tool, contact client-relations@prominas.net.
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