Cyclone 3DR from Leica Geosystems deploys AI tools to automatically identify individual objects within LiDAR scans that users can edit and use to create their own 3D digital assets.
Leica Geosystems, specialist LiDAR developer, has released an AI-powered tool named Cyclone 3DR for use in filmmaking, game development, animation, virtual reality and similar applications. Productions can now take a LiDAR capture of a real-world location and use proprietary AI-powered tools to automatically identify individual objects, edit them and, within the scan itself, create their own digital assets for later use.
"LiDAR scans stand as the best possible way to create realistic digital environments, but their quality and complexity can make them tricky to use without the proper tools," said Yannick Stenger, product manager at Hexagon, a company that develops digital reality solutions by combining sensor data, software and autonomous systems. "Our ongoing research into AI has made it possible to do use scanned data in ways most people never considered possible, and in doing so, we can bring LiDAR to a much wider audience than before."
From Scanned Objects to 3D Assets
Currently, creators in the entertainment industry are using LiDAR scans for tasks like building immersive VR locations, extending and animating real-world environments and supporting pre- and post-production. However, the complexity of the scans often demands additional tools and specialised expertise.
Using the new AI tools within Cyclone 3DR, those same teams can now work directly within the LiDAR scans, edit and remove unwanted objects – vehicles, trees, industrial structures and so on – and export them in almost any file format, curating and creating a library of photorealistic, scalable assets.
For all applications, the first step is identifying the objects. Users can pair Cyclone 3DR with a NVIDIA RTX PRO GPU to access AI-powered features, beginning with AI Classification.
LiDAR scans are typically composed of millions or billions of small points of data, collectively grouped into a point cloud dataset. That structure means the scans can result in extreme accuracy and depth in a 3D model, but the density also makes it difficult to edit individual objects directly. With the AI Classification tool, Cyclone 3DR can identify the points and classify groups into a recognizable asset.
Assisting, Not Replacing
Users can then work directly with the object to clean it up, edit it or even remove it completely using the new AI Segmenter tool, which wouldn’t have been possible earlier on without painstaking hours of work. The object can then be added to a library and redeployed later in a future 3D project. To simplify the process further, users can either use the internal automated process for quick results, or create custom scripts and filters that fit with existing workflows.
The AI tools are the latest achievement of Hexagon's Artificial Intelligence Hub. Hexagon first began experimenting with AI in 2012 as a way to build on its earlier work with machine learning, with the goal of "assisting, not replacing" artists. In 2021, the company took it one step further and officially launched its own AI group, gathering professionals dedicated to improving user experiences while presenting new ways to take advantage of other new techniques, including LiDAR.
Six Specialised AI Models
Using Cyclone 3DR, production teams can upload a LiDAR scan of a real-world environment and choose from six AI models. Four are tailored for commercial use cases – heavy construction, indoor construction sites, industrial plants and roads – and two others cover more general indoor and outdoor environments. Each model has been extensively trained on thousands of available datasets, including point clouds, 2D images and 3D models relevant to its environment.
From there, users can continue working directly with the point cloud data, or they can work with Cyclone 3DR's dedicated meshing algorithms to generate high-quality meshes, complete with additional data including volume calculations, deviation analysis and other features.
Cyclone 3DR is currently in use at major streaming studios, virtual production stages and other teams across the entertainment industry. Individual case studies will be announced in the future.
Cyclone 3DR was designed and tested with the Leica portfolio of 3D laser scanners – including the Leica BLK2GO, Leica BLK360 and Leica RTC360, but it is hardware agnostic. Cyclone 3DR is currently available as a standalone product, and can also be purchased as part of a bundle with a Leica Geosystems LiDAR scanner. Rental scanners, including the Cyclone 3DR, are available. entertainment.leica-geosystems.com
