Anytime I go to demo or teach Cyclone Register 360, I will get a person ask me the hypothetical questions:
- “What if we need to do a large project where we might scan over several days?”
- “Do we organize the data as separate projects?”
- “What if we need it as one large point cloud”
Well, I use my own method here that I think works well. I want to explain what I am talking about.
First, I start by coming up with a way to organize my data while scanning. I do this by breaking down the areas I scan with a naming convention. That naming convention works something like this:
[Day of Scanning]-[Area Scanned]-[Scan number for the day]
Ex. Day 1-Mech Room A-1
By doing it this way, my data shows up in Register 360 by the day (more on this later). Placing the number at the end permits me to use the check box Use this name as a template and have the Cyclone Field app number each scan I do that day.
I am lucky that IMAGINiT supplies me with very good equipment to help in my data processing but I also help by taking a few steps when processing data. The first thing I do is plan to process my data at the end of each days scanning. This saves me from importing one very large project at a time. Before I get going with importing the data though, I start my machine and prepare it for dealing with large data sets. I open my Task Manager and select the Startup Tab. Review all the programs you have starting when the computer boots up. You might be surprised at all the little software packages that have a high demand on your computer's resources. Make a note (or screen capture) of all the software packages you really don’t need to process data. To assist with getting all that software running again without having to re-enable it and rebooting, follow the process below to make it easier going forward.
- With Task Manager still open, select the first one you don’t need, and right mouse click over it. In the shortcut menu, select properties.
2. In the properties window select the General tab and copy the text string next to Location.
3. Paste this data into a new Notepad document.
4. Hit Enter
5. On this line copy the name of the exe file to run the software. This can be found at the top of the dialog box you just copied from (see example).
6. Repeat this process as many times as you need to get all the software you don’t need to process data.
Keep in mind that you may always want to keep items like your anti-virus or anti-malware software running. Below is an example of what a batch file might look like.
Of course, there is still the option of going back into the Task Manager and re-enabling the programs you want to start when the computer starts up. This is merely an option if you are processing on a regular basis and don’t want to go in and out of the Task Manager and reboot your machine.
Now that we have that all setup, I want to discuss getting datasets into Register 360 and keeping the data organized. When I teach people who are new to scanning how to go about it, I always mention to them that they might want to create their own map of where each scan was taken. This keeps a record so that if anyone ever questions the registration, they can show on a copy of the floor plan roughly where a scan was taken. With that in mind, I also have them write each scan name next to the locations, so they know what day the scan was taken. With this all organized, I have them open Register 360 and if they are using an RTC360, open settings and on the General Tab place a check next to RTC360 Jobs: Create SiteMap tab on pre-import.
If you are not using an RTC360, you will need to manually create the sitemap if you have a multi-project scan job.
The reason I do it this way is so when I import multiple projects that are part of the same job, it allows me to separate them by tab.
After the data is imported and we can review in the Review and Optimize Tab, it might look something like this.
Some of you might be wondering how the heck we register two separate SiteMaps in one project. Well the answer is quite simple really. Take a scan from Day 2 that will register to a scan from Day 1 (Yes, this will require planning on your part) and drag it from the Day 2 SiteMap to the Day 1 SiteMap. Once you have done this, it will show one of the scans in a light grey color. This means it resides in another SiteMap but is registered to a scan in your current Sitemap. Look at the bundle for Day 1 and you should see all the data appear.
Now that I have taken you through my workflow, please know that this is not a hard and fast rule on how to import and organize data in Register 360. This is a way that works for me but may not work for you. Feel free to post your methods and input for people to learn from.
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