With the NavVis portfolio of mobile mapping solutions, it’s possible to scan large spaces rapidly and with precision. The NavVis VLX systems generate a point-cloud and 360-degree imagery in one working step. This data baseline allows for augmented content to be precisely positioned within the virtual environment. This guide shows how to scan the space for an Area Target and design your augmentations to support indoor navigation, spatial instructions, museum-guides, games and other applications.
Supported Devices
- NavVis VLX
- NavVis M6
NavVis scanning workflow
A scan using a NavVis device can either be conducted by your own team after being trained on the devices or by a professional NavVis service-provider. To learn more about NavVis mobile mapping devices, training, and scanning services, contact NavVis specialists at https://www.navvis.com/company/contact.
To capture accurate data that is optimized for Vuforia Area Targets, the general workflow is as follows:
- Prepare the environment for scanning.
- Set up your NavVis mobile mapping device.
- In case you want to acquire your own NavVis mapping device or contract scanning services, please contact NavVis specialists at https://www.navvis.com/company/contact.
- If you already have a NavVis mapping device, refer to the product’s User Guide to learn how to set up your device.
- Scan the environment.
- For general mapping guidelines, consult the product’s User Guide or check out NavVis’s documentation to learn more https://support.navvis.com/docs/mapping/.
- Set the automatic panorama capture trigger with a predefined length of up to 3m in open spaces. Use the manual trigger when the environment is complex.
- Process your captured data in NavVis IVION, in cloud installations with the Cloud Processing Add-on and download the full E57 point cloud with the included panoramas.
NOTE: To retrieve the panorama images in the exported E57 file, you must enable the option Include panoramas in .e57 point cloud before starting the raw data processing. Refer to the documentation detailed in NavVis IVION Setup.
- When processing your scan data, we recommend using a point-cloud density of 1 cm (0.4 inches).
- As an alternative, you can use the Crop & Download tool to download datasets partially. Make sure to choose .e57 with panoramas option in the drop-down selector, as Vuforia Area Targets require the panorama images as input.
- Use the Dataset option from the different Coordinate System options to make sure the origin of the site in the exported E57 data is inside the point-cloud. The other option Site coordinate system creates large geo-offsets to the target’s origin and is causing issues in the Unity Editor. When working with geolocation data in the WGS 84 coordinate system we recommend to handle the geographic offset separately, see Area Targets and Geolocation for details.
- Import the E57 point cloud into the Area Target Generator.
- Create the Area Target.
Please note that the NavVis-2-E57 conversion tool distributed by Vuforia is marked deprecated as you are encouraged to switch to Cloud Processing and export E57 data from there. The conversion tool will be removed in a future Vuforia Engine release.
Getting Started with NavVis
- Decide which NavVis device you will use based on your scanning environment and use case
- NavVis VLX is a wearable device that enables high-quality reality capture in complex buildings such as construction sites, staircases, and technical rooms.
- NavVis M6 is a mobile mapping device on wheels that enables fast scanning with minimal disruption in commercial and industrial environments, no longer being sold.
Preparing the Environment
In combination with the general Best Practices for Scanning an Environment, there are few things to be aware of when optimizing your environment for Area Targets.
- Make sure there are no people in the environment to be mapped.
- Make sure you have opened all doors using door stoppers.
- Check with your on-site contact that all confidential material is hidden.
- Make sure you have your mapping routes marked on a floor plan and access to all rooms.
- Ensure the area is brightly lit. If you capture areas outdoors, scan on a cloudy day to avoid direct sunlight.
- When scanning with NavVis VLX, consider the additional height requirements when passing through doorways or scanning in areas with low hanging components, such as light fixtures, etc.
- When scanning with NavVis M6, make sure to provide enough space for the device to pass through doorways and narrow spaces.
Retrieving and Importing the Scan
In the NavVis IVION platform apply the following process settings:
- Before processing, enable the option Include panoramas in .e57 point cloud.
- Process the scan and export the resulting E57 file from the Processed Data page or using the Crop & Download function in IVION.
- Open the Area Target Generator and select the E57 Data option to import the point cloud.
To continue, see or return to the How to Create Area Targets for completing the Area Target from an E57 data file.
See Area Targets in Unity for a guide on authoring Area Targets.
(Deprecated) Retrieving and Converting the Scan
Post-processing the raw scan data in NavVis SiteMaker (Desktop Processing Software) is marked deprecated and the Vuforia Conversion tool will as a consequence, be removed in a future release. The Cloud Processing Add-on for NavVis IVION replaces the conversion tool.
Post-processing raw scan data can be done in either NavVis SiteMaker (Desktop Processing Software) or with the Cloud Processing Add-on for NavVis IVION. Either way, it is important that you specify that you will need the datasets_proc folder for the Area Target creation, in addition to the normally generated output bundle datasets_web used by NavVis IVION.
E57 Data Conversion Tool
Before the Area Target Generator can import the point cloud from a NavVis scan, the data needs to undergo a conversion with a simple command tool executable.
Get the NavVis-2-E57 tool from Vuforia Tools Download page.
- Use the command line tool to convert the NavVis scan to the E57 data format that the Area Target Generator supports.
- The tool takes following arguments:
<datasets_proc_folder>- the NavVis processing folder containing the processed dataset metadata (dataset.json).<e57_output_file>- the file the generated Vuforia E57 will be stored in.
Example usage:
convertNavVis2VuforiaE57.exe <path>\datasets_proc\2021-01-18_12.34.30 <path>\output.e57
Where the <path> is the specified folder locations on your local hard drive for the datasets_folder and the output folder.
To continue, see or return to the How to Create Area Targets for completing the Area Target from an E57 data file.
See then Area Targets in Unity for a guide on authoring Area Targets.