Combined Tools (Cuboid, 3D Polygons, 3D Polylines + 2D Drawables)

Cuboid + Polygon + Brush - combined in a single annotation workflow to segment point clouds

Overview

The Multi-Modal Segmentation Tool is a new point cloud annotation capability that integrates three distinct segmentation methods - cuboid, polygon, and brush - into a single, unified workflow. Annotators can now apply the optimal tool for each geometric region of an object without switching contexts, losing progress, or accepting accuracy trade-offs.

Real-world objects are geometrically diverse. A vehicle has a rectangular body, an irregular roof rack, and ground-contact surfaces that each demand a different annotation approach. Until now, annotators were forced to pick one tool and compromise everywhere else - or spend excessive time applying the wrong method to each part.

What's New

Integrated Tool Switching

Annotators can now transition between cuboid, polygon, and brush modes within a single annotation session on the same point cloud object. No work is lost when switching modes, and all segments contribute to a unified output.

Simultaneous Multi-Tool Operation

All three tools operate on the same point cloud simultaneously. Segments created by different tools are merged into a single, coherent annotated object, preserving geometric accuracy across every region.

Contextual Tool Optimization

Each tool is designed for the annotation challenge it handles best. Cuboids provide fast, precise coverage of rectangular geometry. Polygons handle irregular outlines with accurate trace-based boundaries. Brush delivers pixel-level refinement for terrain contact and complex surface edges.

Tool Reference

Tool	Best For	Use in Multi-Modal
Cuboid	Rectangular bodies, geometric shapes	Vehicle chassis, building facades
Polygon	Irregular outlines, complex contours	Roof racks, cargo attachments
Brush Sphere	Fine-detail refinement, terrain edges	Ground contact points, irregular surfaces

Example Workflow

The following illustrates how the three tools work together when annotating a construction vehicle:

Step 1 - Brush: Use the brush to refine ground-contact points, matching the annotation precisely to terrain.

Step 2 - Polygon: Switch to polygon mode and trace the irregular roof rack as a separate entity. Accurately captures non-rectangular contours.

Step 3 - Cuboid: Draw a cuboid around the vehicle's main rectangular body. Fast, precise, and ideal for geometric shapes.

The result is a fully segmented point cloud built with the optimal tool for each geometric challenge - completed in one continuous workflow, with no context switching.

Why It Matters

As autonomous systems encounter increasingly diverse real-world objects - construction equipment, unusual vehicle configurations, complex urban structures - training data must capture geometric complexity accurately. Single-tool annotation workflows cannot keep pace with this diversity.

Multi-Modal Segmentation addresses this directly:

• Accuracy improves because each region is annotated with its geometrically appropriate method.

• Speed increases because annotators are no longer spending excessive time forcing the wrong tool onto a task.

• Workflow continuity is preserved - no saving, switching, or re-importing required between tool modes.

• Training data quality scales with object complexity, rather than being bottlenecked by it.

Availability & Compatibility

Availability: This feature is generally available in the current platform release.

Supported formats: All standard point cloud formats currently supported by the annotation platform (pcd and las).

Existing projects: Fully compatible with existing annotation projects. No migration required.

Access: Available to all annotator roles. No additional permissions or feature flags required.