Purpose of Document / Issue Description
This guide provides instructions for importing Skycatch outputs into Leapfrog Geo, with a primary focus on 3D Meshes.
Skycatch 3D Mesh outputs can generally be imported into Leapfrog Geo successfully. However, performance and usability may vary depending on factors such as file size, project complexity, available system resources, and Leapfrog's internal handling of large datasets.
This document also outlines current considerations regarding Point Cloud compatibility and known limitations.
How to Use This Document
Use this guide when validating, testing, or importing Skycatch-generated outputs into Leapfrog Geo.
The steps below demonstrate the standard procedure for importing a 3D Mesh into an existing Leapfrog project.
Pre-requisites
Leapfrog Geo installed.
Access to a Leapfrog project.
Skycatch 3D Mesh output available locally.
Appropriate permissions to modify the project.
Compatibility Notes
3D Meshes
Skycatch 3D Mesh outputs can be imported into Leapfrog Geo and visualized within the platform.
Please note that performance may vary depending on:
Mesh size.
Number of triangles.
Available workstation resources.
Leapfrog Geo version.
Project complexity.
Large meshes may require additional loading time or optimization before use.
Procedure
1. Open Leapfrog Geo
Launch Leapfrog Geo. Upon opening the application, a list of available projects will be displayed.
2. Open or Create a Project
Select an existing project or create a new project.
Once loaded, the workspace will display:
Scene View
Project Tree
The Scene View provides a 3D visualization environment.
The Project Tree serves as the project data management structure where imported data is organized according to its classification.
3. Locate the Meshes Folder
Within the Project Tree, locate the Meshes folder. Right-click the folder and select: Import Mesh
This will open a directory window where the relevant Skycatch mesh files can be selected. The files will then be loaded into Leapfrog Geo; loading progress will be displayed in the upper-left corner of the window, next to the Leapfrog Geo banner.
Once the files are loaded, they will appear beneath their corresponding file type in the Project Tree (in this case, under Meshes). However, they will not immediately appear in the Scene View.
To render the mesh, right-click the file name and select View Object. Alternatively, dragging and dropping the file into the Scene View will also display the mesh.
Once rendered, the mesh will be displayed within the Scene View and can be visualized alongside other project data.
The image below provides an example of a Skycatch 3D Mesh successfully imported and displayed in Leapfrog Geo.
Point Clouds
Point clouds cannot be imported directly into Leapfrog Geo using the original .las files. The data must first be converted to a .csv format using a tool such as CloudCompare, after which the XYZ coordinate fields can be mapped during import.
Color information is not preserved through this workflow, as Leapfrog Geo expects HEX color values while Skycatch point clouds store colors in RGB format. As a result, imported point clouds may appear without color.
Additionally, very large point clouds may exceed Leapfrog Geo's rendering capabilities and generate errors such as "Vertex buffer is too large". In these cases, point cloud optimization or reduction may be required prior to import.
The image below shows an example of a point cloud imported into Leapfrog Geo without color information.
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