"Point cloud" is a huge array of objects where each object has only a position and a color. How can we use this array to draw a realistic 3D scene?

We can draw each object as a square and choose the size of the square so that we have minimal voids in solid objects. We also want to have minimal overlaps between the squares.

Let's consider three adjacent points within a cloud.

In an ideal scenario, the point size is exactly equal to the distance between the nearest adjacent points. In this case we don’t have any voids between squares and also no overlaps.

In a less ideal scenario, we have squares that are smaller than the minimal distance between points. In this case solid objects look like transparent ones and the resulting 3D scene might become ghostly. Note that the distance between the points in the figure is the same.

Finally, when squares are too large, points overlap. This distorts the shape of objects and decreases render performance.

The three site images below illustrate these scenarios. All of them have the same point cloud viewed from the same camera position but the point size is different.

In figure 1, the point size is approximately equal to the minimal distance between nearest adjacent points:

In figure 2 the point size is three times less than that in figure 1:

And finally, in figure 3 we have point size 6 times greater than in figure 1:

When you publish models to Revizto, you have the option to set the distance between points. The smaller the distance, the longer the publishing time. A distance that is too large reduces the image quality.

We recommend that you set the largest acceptable distance, as this increases publishing performance and allows the data set to be transferred across more platforms, especially mobile devices with limited RAM.

The figure shows how to set the distance when you publish (or export) from Revit.

The distance cannot be changed in Revizto. However, if you run Revizto on a PC and your project role includes the "Manage all 3D models" right, you can change the point size on the fly and see the result immediately. The change will have effect for all project members.

To adjust the point size, go to Edit > Visual Effects and drag the Point size slider. When you are finished, click Apply.