LFM Server Dataset Generation

Guide
V4.4
 Table of Contents

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................. i

1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1
2.0 Licensing/Machine Spec for LFM Server Dataset Generation .................................................................... 3
2.1 Machine Specification ........................................................................................................................ 3
2.2 Licensing ............................................................................................................................................ 4
2.3 LFM Generator™ - Enhanced Dataset Generation (X4 Faster) ........................................................ 5
2.4 Advanced Mode Installation ............................................................................................................... 7
3.0 LFM Server Deliverable (.lfd) Creation ....................................................................................................... 9
4.0 HyperBubble Data Creation ....................................................................................................................... 11
4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 11
4.2 Graphical Requirements ................................................................................................................... 11
4.3 HyperBubble Data Publishing Workflow .......................................................................................... 12
Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Trademarks ...................................................................................................................................................... 13
Copyright ......................................................................................................................................................... 13

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1.0 Introduction

Points Dataset construction is a one off operation which is performed by LFM Generator. LFM Generator is
not a standalone product, but is an additional option to LFM Gateway Mode. Points Dataset construction is a
completely lossless process in which none of the points from the original scans are lost. Each Points Dataset
can hold any number of individual scans.

All scans which are to be put into the Points Dataset must be present at the start of the compilation. Images
cannot be added at a later date without a complete recompilation. Points Dataset compilation is fully
automatic, but it can take a considerable period of time. Large Points Datasets can take several days to
compile. The time taken is largely a function of the machine specification.

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2.0 Licensing/Machine Spec for LFM Server
Dataset Generation

2.1 Machine Specification

LFM Software Ltd. does not routinely recommend a PC specification due to the fast moving nature of
equipment release, where components are often rendered obsolete after a short period of time in the
marketplace. However, a minimum machine spec is listed below to give equipment buyers an outline
specification of the type of components that are known to offer basic performance with LFM Software
products.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (Quad Core recommended – as this will offer performance benefits)

Memory: (4x1024) 667Mhz DDR2 Dual Channel ECC

Hard Drive: In addition to the OS drive, 3 large capacity hard drives:

 1 for source .zfc files

 1 for intermediate file writing (a solid state drive is highly beneficial in terms of speed
for this drive)
 1 for the final dataset

Sata drive bay – hot swapable to “remove” when done.

Graphics:

LFM NetView/AVEVA NET project creation requires a reasonably powerful graphics card with the very latest
drivers. It has been developed using NVidia graphics cards and tested on one AMD card.

Do not rely on Windows graphics driver properties to update to the latest version, use the NVidia tools in-
stead. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/download/scan.aspx?lang=en-us to automatically get the latest version.

LFM tests your setup for the correct graphics support and LFM NetView/AVEVA NET project creation will be
disabled if it does not find what it needs.

The supported OpenGL version information is saved in the LFM log file on startup:

12: GL Major version supported: 4 115

13: GL Minor version supported: 5 127

The above reports v4.5. The minimum needed is v4.3.

Operating System: Windows 7 64 bit

Network: 1GB Ethernet Card

Note: - Please remember this is a machine guide line only. You may be able to source a better specification
machine. However it is impractical for LFM to test every possible specification.

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2.2 Licensing
For LFM Server dataset generation an LFM Generator license is required.

Please contact your LFM Value Added Reseller or [email protected] for further information
regarding LFM licenses.

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2.3 LFM Generator™ - Enhanced Dataset Generation (X4 Faster)

Database generation happens at a critical stage of the project, just prior to delivery to the client. Therefore any
delays need to be minimized to ensure that the client receives the data as soon as possible after scanning and
registration are complete.

Generating large databases has, until now, been a time consuming process. For illustration, generation of a
dataset containing around 9 billion points, or 250-300 scans, has taken around 48 hours. Extensive investigation
and development has been done which is aimed at reducing these times. We are pleased to announce that 4x
faster dataset generation can be achieved. There are just three simple steps you need to follow to reduce delivery
times and these are explained below.

Using these three steps, a 48 hour job can be reduced to just 12 hours which is a huge leap in productivity.

STEP 1 – Use Windows 7 64bit

Virtually all motherboards and processors have been 64bit for a considerable time, but have been making do with
a 32bit operating system. For a very compute intensive job, such as database generation, this is very limiting.
Switch over to a 64bit operating system liberates so much more of the power of the basic machine.

STEP 2 – Download LFM Server 64bit

LFM Server is now soley a 64bit program. The internal structures have been reconfigured to take full advantage of
working in 64bit mode and this has led to huge speed improvements over the old 32bit versions.

STEP 3 – Install a Solid State Intermediate Points File Drive

Replace the existing Intermediate Points File Drive (Scratchpad) with a Solid State Drive. For all of our tests, we
have been using a 250GB (OCZSSD2-1SUM250G) because of its high sustained read/write speed. However for
larger projects you may need multiple or larger drives.

Background

Large Solid State drives, when applied in the right place, can produce staggering performance improvements.
Although they are more expensive than a normal drive, considering the results they can help produce, they still
represent good value for money.

 Core 2 duo @3.2GHz

 P35 Chipset ICH9
 4GB memory (for generation more does not help)

Recommended Disk Configuration

The current recommended configuration for Database Generation is to use four separate hard drives.

 Operating system drive (10,000 rpm SATA)

 Source scan drive (7200rpm SATA)
 Intermediate points file drive (OCZ Solid State) used during initial generation
 Destination drive (7200rpm SATA) containing the final dataset

It is important to ensure that the intermediate and destination drives are on physically separate disks. Replacing
the destination drive with a solid state drive brings little benefit. Please do not format or de-fragment the Solid
State Drive.

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2.4 Advanced Mode Installation

LFM no longer requires a dongle for Dataset Generation. To avoid unauthorised users taking the Dataset
Generation license there is now an option to install an advanced version of LFM which gives access to this
feature. This is illustrated in the screenshot below. LFM should be run from the Advanced Mode shortcut in
order to be able to create a new Points Dataset.

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3.0 LFM Server Deliverable (.lfd) Creation
Once the scans in the project have been registered, an LFM Server deliverable (.lfd) can be created. In order
to do this the user must populate the relevant options.

Right click on the registration group you wish to generate the LFM
Server dataset for and select Generation Settings. This will bring up
the Generation tab as shown below.

Next fill in the options as follows:

 Location for Destination File: The folder where you wish the LFM Server dataset to be created.

 Intermediate Points Locations: The folder where the intermediate files will be created. Select the
desired folder and click OK. The available space will be automatically populated to 90% of the available
space on the selected disk.

 Final Points Locations: The folder where the final points file will be created. This is filled in
automatically and defaults to a points folder within the folder specified in the Location for Destination
File option as described above.

 Volume Clipping:
o Choose Unlimited to generate all points from all registered scans in the group.
o Choose Current Volume to generate only points within the currently selected volume.
o Choose Min/Max to generate only points within the specified minimum and maximum
corners of a volume.

 Density: Choose between Full, Half or Quarter resolution.

 Incorporate Colour Information: Tick the box to apply colour to the 3D scan points if colour is
available.

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 Once all the required options have been filled in, the Generate
Dataset button on the Generation toolbar will become active as
shown left.

Click the Dataset button and the

message shown left will appear. The
first line shows how much space will
be required in both the intermediate
and finals disks for the LFM Server
dataset generation (.lfd). The second
line shows how much space will be
required for LFM NetView Generation.
This is useful information at this stage
as the user can begin to prepare the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD). See the LFM Server – LFM NetView Project
Creation guide for further information about producing LFM NetView projects.

If there is enough disk space on both

the intermediate and final disks, click
Yes to proceed. If there is not enough
space available click No to cancel the
process. After clicking Yes the window
shown left will appear displaying
approximately how much time it will
take for the generation to finish.

Click OK to proceed.

During the generation, a progress bar at the bottom of the LFM interface will update to show what
percentage of the generation is complete.

Once the generation is

complete the message
shown below will appear.
Click OK to continue. The
dataset generation is now
complete.

Note that datasets

generated with a Generator
Lite 25 license cannot be
loaded with other datasets.

If you are delivering only the LFM Server dataset folder then the BubbleView (.int) files will need to be copied
into the pngs folder where the .lfd file is created.

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4.0 HyperBubble Data Creation

4.1 Introduction

The HyperBubble is an immersive, advanced-rendering of laser scan data that delivers photorealistic
visualisation with the ability to freely navigate a project. As visualisation of laser scan data is paramount to
effective consumption the HyperBubble can be utilised alongside the BubbleView and point cloud viewing
capabilities to provide the customer with total flexibility to combine the different views to suit their activity.

4.2 Graphical Requirements

HyperBubble publishing and rendering requires a reasonably powerful graphics card with the very latest
drivers. It has been developed using NVidia graphics cards, and LFM recommends using these where pos-
sible for optimum performance and reliability. LFM have also tested with a selection of alternate cards which
are detailed below.

Do not rely on Windows graphics driver properties to update to the latest version, instead use the NVidia
tools. Visit http://www.nvidia.com/download/scan.aspx?lang=en-us to obtain the latest version.

The supported OpenGL version information is saved in the LFM log file on startup which can be found in the
Temp folder as shown below which reports v4.5. The minimum needed is v4.3.

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12: GL Major version supported: 4 115
13: GL Minor version supported: 5 127

Supported Cards:

NVidia GeForce/Quadro, or AMD FirePro W Series, with at least 1GB memory and capable of supporting
OpenGL version 4.3 or later. AMD FirePro S Series should also function, but has not been verified at the
time of writing.

Please note that updated graphics drivers may be needed to meet the OpenGL requirement.

4.3 HyperBubble Data Publishing Workflow

Once the LFM Server Dataset has been

produced HyperBubble data can be
created by simply right clicking on the
Dataset node in LFM Server and
selecting Publish > LFM HyperBubble
Resources as shown left.

Note that for HyperBubble data

production an LFM Generator license is
required. Please contact your LFM Value
Added Reseller or license.request@lfm-
software.com for further information
regarding LFM licenses.

A message will appear stating how much disk space

is required. Click Yes to continue.

A browser will then appear asking you to locate the

folder containing the .zfc files. Browse to the
appropriate folder and click Open.

Once the process is complete the message shown left will appear.

Note that this process may take some time depending on the
number of scans in the dataset.

For information on how to use HyperBubble data, please see the LFM Server Home Guide.

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Disclaimer
All information contained in this document, with respect to LFM Software Ltd products and use, is given by
LFM Software Ltd without warranty. LFM Software Ltd disclaim any and all warranties and conditions,
expressed or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Neither the author, LFM Software Ltd nor AVEVA Solutions Limited, shall be liable to any person or entity for
any actions, loss or damage arising from its use or possession of any information, claims, particulars, or
errors in this publication, or incorrect use of the product, whatsoever.

Trademarks
LFM, BubbleView and InfiniteCore are trademarks of LFM Software Ltd in the UK. Unauthorised use of these
trademarks and any associated logos are strictly forbidden. The copyright, trademark rights, or other
intellectual property rights in any other product, its name or logo belongs to its respective owner.

AVEVA product/software names are trademarks or registered trademarks of AVEVA Solutions Limited or its
subsidiaries and are registered in the UK, Europe and other countries worldwide. The copyright, trademark
rights and other intellectual property rights in any other product referred into this manual are done so under
licence from the respective owner. Unauthorised use of any of the trademarks contained in this manual is
strictly forbidden.

Copyright
Copyright and all other intellectual property rights in this document and the associated software, and all
constituent parts of it, including but not limited to: computer source code, object code, any data contained in
it, the user manual and any other additional documentation supplied, belongs to AVEVA Solutions Limited
and its subsidiaries.

All other rights are reserved to LFM Software Ltd. The information contained in this document is
commercially sensitive, and shall not be copied, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
without the prior written permission of LFM Software Ltd. Where such permission is granted, it expressly
requires that this Disclaimer and Copyright notice is prominently displayed at the beginning of every copy
that is made.

The manual and associated documentation may not be adapted, reproduced, or copied, in any material or
electronic form, without the prior written permission of LFM Software Ltd. The user may also not reverse
engineer, decompile, copy, or adapt the associated Software. Neither the whole, nor part of the product
described in this publication may be incorporated into any third-party Software, product, machine, or system
without the prior written permission of LFM Software Ltd, save as permitted by law. Any such unauthorised
action is strictly prohibited, and may give rise to civil liabilities and criminal prosecution.

The LFM Software Ltd products described in this document are to be installed and operated strictly in
accordance with the terms and conditions of the respective licence agreements, and in accordance with the
relevant user documentation. Unauthorised or unlicensed use of the product is strictly prohibited.

First published in 2013. This revision published in 2016

© AVEVA Solutions Limited and its subsidiaries 2016

LFM Software Ltd, 5 Avocado Court, Commerce Way, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1HW.

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