Model Explorer by ZeroXR

How to open a PCD point cloud in VR

Open 0xr.space in the Quest browser or on a computer, press Open and choose the .pcd. ASCII, binary and binary_compressed files all open, the last being what PCL's savePCDFileBinaryCompressed writes. Each point is drawn as a small round dot in its packed rgb or rgba colour, sized to the cloud's spacing, and on a headset you can walk through it.

Only x, y, z and rgb or rgba are read. Intensity, normals and labels are not shown, so a cloud without rgb is white. The axes are used as written, with Y up, so a cloud saved Z up opens on its side, and a cloud far from its origin is moved to its own centre. A Quest draws up to 500,000 points at once and a computer 2 million. A cloud cannot be shared or downloaded yet.

Open Model Explorer

Updated ยท by ZeroXR, the maker of Model Explorer

Steps

  1. Save the cloud as .pcd from PCL, ROS, CloudCompare or your sensor's tool.
  2. Get the file onto the Quest by cloud drive or USB, into the Download folder.
  3. Open 0xr.space, press Open and choose the .pcd.
  4. Press View in your space to walk through it, or shrink it to a tabletop.

Questions

Does it open binary_compressed PCD?

Yes. The LZF compression PCL uses is unpacked in the browser, field by field.

Why is my cloud white?

It has no rgb or rgba field. Intensity is not turned into shading, so every point is white.

Why does my cloud look thinner on the headset?

A Quest draws at most 500,000 points at once, a computer 2 million. A cloud with more keeps that many. Crop it for more detail.

Can I share it with a link?

Not yet. A point cloud stays on the device it was opened on.

Is my file uploaded?

No. It is read on the device, with nothing installed and no account.

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