Intensity Filter and Picker

The intensity feature in a LAS file represents the strength of the laser pulse return from a surface when captured by a LiDAR sensor. Think of it like how a flashlight reflects differently off various surfaces, bright surfaces reflect more light, while dark surfaces reflect less.

Typically stored as a 16-bit integer (0 to 65,535). Higher values mean stronger reflections.

Intensity animation

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Benefits

• Material classification: Helps distinguish between different materials.

• Road and infrastructure mapping: Enhances visibility of lane markings.

• Vegetation / water bodies analysis: Differentiates between tree types and water bodies.

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Steps to use Intensity Filter

1

Open point color settings

Go to Tool Settings -> Point Colors

2

Select an intensity color map

Choose one of the available intensity filters:

• Intensity (B-G-Y-R)

• Intensity (B-C-T-G-Li-Y-O-R)

• Intensity (Rainbow)

• Intensity Grayscale

3

Pick an intensity from the point cloud

Identify an area that has a reflective surface but shows low intensity. Use the intensity picker by pressing CTRL+Shift+left-click on the point cloud to pick the intensity value of a point. This action is called the Intensity Picker.

4

View picked intensity feedback

A message appears informing you of the intensity value picked.

5

Intensity Controls Slider adjustments

When you pick an intensity:

• The Intensity Controls Slider minimum is set to (picked intensity - 1) or 0, whichever is higher.

• The Intensity Controls Slider maximum is set to (picked intensity - 1) or 100, whichever is less.

You can further adjust the range using the slider or the min and max input fields.

6

Observe the point cloud coloring

Points whose intensity values lie within the Intensity Controls Slider range will appear with sharpened intensity colors. The remaining points will be blue and/or red.

7

Tip for low-intensity views

When intensity values are very low, the color schema can be straining on the eyes. Use the Isolate feature to reduce color noise. The Hotzone feature can also be applied before picking an intensity.