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You can contextualize point clouds in two ways: by manually creating each object you want to contextualize or by leveraging the point cloud’s segmentation. You must use both services to achieve a fully contextualized point cloud.

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Before you start

Make sure you have already uploaded the point cloud you want to contextualize. For more information on uploading point clouds, see Upload point cloud. The following section will explain how to contextualize point clouds.

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Get started

Before contextualizing, you should filter and index the point cloud to generate tiles that you can use for object detection and accelerate the contextualization process. It is an automated process triggered by selecting the filter icon in your model’s action column.
1

Filter and index the point cloud

  1. Select the point cloud model and select ... > Filtering and indexing.
  2. In the wizard, select the check box to generate tiles.
  3. Select OK to start the process.
Once the filtering and indexing are processed, trigger the object detection. The Run classification icon will now be enabled.
2

Run the point cloud object detection

  1. Select ... > Run classification.
  2. Enable both Classification and Pipe detection.
  3. Select Run.
Classification will perform semantic segmentation of the point cloud, while pipe detection will detect segments in the point clouds that resemble pipes.
Once an object is detected, you will see an orange tag on the right, suggested annotations indicating how many objects were detected.

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Contextualization

Once the filtering and detecting objects are ready, select the point cloud file, and select Open to start the contextualization process. This opens the point cloud, and you can contextualize within the 3D environment window.

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Tools in contextualization

In the top navigation bar, there is a drop-down menu for all the suggestions. These are suggestions for classifications and pipes. After contextualizing, you will see a drop-down for all the contextualized objects. Use slicing to get a better overview of the model you are contextualizing. For example, you can slice your viewpoint below ceiling height.
  • You can turn on and off the highlights of the different suggestions of object types from the drop-down. To focus on contextualizing one object type at a time, select Toggle annotation visibility in the toolbar on the left to turn off the highlight for all other suggestions.
  • Select the crop box icon to create crop boxes and slice planes. You can create:
    • A vertical slice along the X and Y direction.
    • A vertical slice by selecting two points.
    • A horizontal slice by selecting a point.
    • A crop box by selecting four points.
  • Turn on and off X, Y, and Z axis directions using Show or hide axis in the toolbar.
  • Use the Settings icon to adjust the coloring of the points in the model.
  • You can also color the model by classification. Use the filter icon from the left toolbar. Enable View classification to view all or a selection of the classifications.
  • Select Fit to view to reorient yourself and reposition the camera view outside the model.
  • When you start the contextualization, you will see that the cursor icon is activated and blue. Use Select Annotation to select any detected object and annotations.
  • Select + (Add annotation) to add an annotation in the point cloud.
  • After adding an annotation, in the resource selector, use the Filters to refine the results. Use to sort and select columns. You can sort by name, object type, location and more. See Search for more information.
  • To zoom an annotation, select Zoom to annotation.

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Contextualize automatically detected objects

To link an object to another asset:
1

Find the object you want to contextualize

Navigate to Suggestions in the top bar and select an object.
2

Relink the object

In the resource selector on the top right, select Relink.
3

Find the asset you want to map to the selected object

Use the search bar in the resource selector.
4

Link the asset

Select the asset, verify it is correct, and select + Add.You have contextualized the object. The annotation count and contextualization count show how many objects you annotated.

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Contextualize undetected objects

Point clouds are sets of data points in a three-dimensional coordinate system. Each point in the cloud represents a specific position in space and can contain additional information like color or intensity. This means a point is not related to nearby points, and some objects might not be recognized. To contextualize a group of points as an object, you draw a shape around the points and contextualize that shape. To contextualize an undetected object:
1

Add an annotation in the point cloud

  1. Use the icon to add an annotation in the point cloud.
  2. Select + (Add annotation) from the toolbar on the left.
2

Select the location

In the model, select where you want to contextualize the object.
3

Adjust the cube to fit the object

A blue cube will appear in the 3D view. To adjust the cube, use either:
  • Translate (T) will move the cube in the x, y, and z directions.
  • Rotate (R) will rotate the cube.
  • Scale (G) will scale the size of the box.
4

Find the asset you want to map to the selected object

After creating the shape, you can use the resource selector on the right to map an asset to the selected object. Use the search bar to find an existing asset.
5

Link the asset

Select the asset, verify it is correct, and select + Add.
6

Create the annotation

Select Create annotation in the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

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Update or delete annotation

In point clouds, you have a 1:1 relationship between assets and objects. This means you can only link one asset to a detected object. You can relink, update, or delete an annotation.
1

Select the annotated object

Use the cursor tool and select the annotated object.
2

Start relinking

Select Relink in the top right of the resource selector.
3

Search for the asset

Search for the asset you want to map to the selected object.
4

Link the asset

Select + Add.You have updated the annotation.

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Delete annotation

To delete the annotation using Annotations:
1

Open Annotations

Open the Annotations dropdown.
2

Find the asset to delete

Search for the asset you want to delete. Hover over each annotation to see the highlighted objects.
3

Delete the annotation

Select to delete the annotation.You have deleted the annotation.
Last modified on January 27, 2026