06. Setting a Project - VUKOZ-OEL/3d-forest-classic GitHub Wiki

New project set up

Setting up a new project is done via the Menu -> Project → New Project. Also, there is the New Project icon in the project context menu. In the project manager window, set the name of your project (without spaces) and select the path where to save it. In this location, a new folder with the project name will be created and all files of the project will be stored there, i.e. project base file (MyProject.3df) and all imported clouds. The next step is to set a transformation matrix. There is only one transformation matrix for each project to be employed. The transformation matrix serves for reducing the number of digits in coordinate values for faster data management (RAM and cache-friendly administration). To create a new transformation matrix it's necessary to know the exact extent of your data coordinates. It is also possible to select from pre-prepared matrices or create a new one. For creating a new matrix set name of matrix, and values of transformation. The goal is to set the transformation matrix as a number as big as possible so that subtracting this number from your coordinates do not change the data extent that carries information. There is an example in table 1. There is also the NO_MATRIX option if doubts about data extension. Data are transformed into the new coordinate system automatically during import, only for .pcd files there is a possibility to decide if transformation gets involved. Correspondingly, exported data from 3D Forest are transformed back into the original coordinate values.

Table 1: An example of the data before and after transformation.

	Original data extent	Transformation matrix	Data extent after transformation
max. x	18857748,76	-18857100	648,755
min. x	18857104,96	-18857100	4,96
max. y	-987657123,6	987656800	-323,55
min. y	-987656816,6	987656800	-16,55
max. z	425,33	0	425,33
min. z	358,13	0	358,13

Project Opening

A project can be opened via Project→ Open Project, or click on the Open Project icon in the project context menu and select your project file (file with extension .3df).

Project Import

Since projects save their path, simple copying into another location (disc or directory) would break the project. If such a change is needed, it has to be done as an import of an old project into a new location. Go to the ## Project → Import Project. Choose the path to the old project, set the name of the new project and location where the new project will be created. The new folder with the project name will be created and all data files will be moved there. It is also possible to select the option for removing the old project from disk after the import.

Data Import

The 3D Forest enables to import of data into a project via Project → Import. It is possible to import data in following formats: .txt, .xyz, .las, .pts, .ptx. If the user's data already have the 3D Forest native format (PCD), it is important to choose an appropriate cloud type (see Cloud type description) and to set the transformation matrix. Once the data are imported, they are listed at the main window and in the list of project clouds.