Create an X-ray Image

The X-ray Image Tool is designed to process and analyse a series of section-sliced images, creating a composite heatmap image representing the vertical density of the data. This tool is particularly useful for identifying walls and tall vertical features that may not be apparent from individual images. The tool creates a heatmap by using one large section that spans from ceiling to floor and numerous images that overlap, depending on the pixels they share.

Gettings started

Open the 3D viewer and select the sections tab to get started. Once there, you'll want to create a standard horizontal slice through the building or area of interest. If you are unsure of how to do this, please see this article:  https://help.appsincadd.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360002256518-3D-Viewer-Point-Cloud-Sections 

The next step is to adjust the section thickness. This can be done by increasing it to a level that covers the entire area between the ceiling and the floor. This might be around 2m. It's important to note that due to the nature of the tool being used, slight deviations or imperfections in the room or scan should not significantly impact the final results. 

Open the X-ray tool. We are now interested in changing the Section Interval and the X-ray image parameters, as we have adjusted the overall section thickness. 

Section interval refers to the thickness of each slice used to produce an X-ray image. A smaller value of section thickness results in thinner slices and generates a better heatmap. Reducing section interval increases image creation time significantly. When deciding on the appropriate section interval, it's essential to consider the balance between image quality and creation time.

Image settings, there are a few main options you need to be aware of. These include Resolution and World File.

• The image resolution can be adapted to, e.g. 4k/8k or higher to achieve high-definition quality images. This can be set to a custom resolution, e.g. 20k if necessary for larger areas.
• The World File option generates a world file with georeferencing information. This feature is necessary when generating floorplan images.

To create the X-ray image, select Capture Images, this can be saved as a .png, jpg, tiff and even an ECW for better file compression.

Here are two examples of heat maps generated from the same data. The image on the left was generated using a larger section interval (0.2m), which made it faster to create, but the noise within the image was more pronounced. On the other hand, the image on the right was generated using a smaller section interval (0.05m), which took much longer to create, but the resulting image is much clearer and easier to digitize.