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How to move only part of the point cloud in Z
Summary
The relative coordinates of the points inside an existing cloud are immutable, so the elevation cannot be changed for only part of the cloud directly. To achieve it, the selection has to be separated into a second cloud, the Z translation applied to that cloud, and then merged back with the original cloud once it has been cleaned up.
Applies to
TCP-PointCloud Editor (POINTCLOUD). The documented cases do not state version numbers, so the procedure is not restricted to any version.
Selection, creation, transformation (Z translation) and merging functions for point clouds.
Symptoms
You need to lower the elevation (Z translation) of only a subset of points, leaving the rest of the cloud unchanged.
When selecting part of the cloud it cannot be moved in height without affecting the remaining points.
Cause
The relative coordinates of the points inside an existing cloud are immutable, so only part of the cloud cannot be translated directly.
Solution
Case: moving only part of the cloud in Z
Since the coordinates of the points in a cloud are immutable, a selection on its own cannot be moved directly. The procedure is:
Select the points you want to move and create a second point cloud with them.
Hide or delete those points from the original cloud.
Apply the elevation change (Z translation) to the second cloud.
Merge the original cloud (now without those points) with the translated second cloud; this produces a third cloud with the final result.
Once you no longer need them, delete the intermediate clouds (the original and the second one).
If the problem persists
If you do not get the expected result after following this procedure, contact Aplitop technical support stating the steps you carried out.
Category: Point cloud display and editing · Level: Intermediate