Hello and Welcome.
This site is being restricted to ESE Staff and Affiliates. If you have worked on any of the programs and want to send in a review or story, please e-mail it to thadd@ese-llc.com. The information will be reviewed, revised and linked here with credit to you for this group.
There are many software packages out there. The sales representatives all state that these are all tools in the toolbox. Well, that box can be pretty big when you start downloading every program. There are some overlaps in the abilities of the software. If you find another software not listed here, send a link to thadd@ese-llc.com and the link will be added.
Finally, we would like to put a directory here for our staff who use LiDAR and our affiliates. It is always good to have some resources to call upon when something just is not working right. LIDAR DIRECTORY
LiDAR Software Overviews with Links
Some site with links to Free 3d Software
Here is a general link for some information.
ESRI ARC 10.1 or 10.3 Check out this page for information
QGIS - LasTools, Wine, Fusion
LP360 Add on for ARC
LasTools now has a GUI - The free components of this software are excellent for merging clouds together.
FullAnalyze Python based LiDAR tools
FUSION/LDV developed by USDA - Here is a link to mix FUSION/LDV with ESRI ARC. Manual.
US FOREST SERVICE LIDAR TRAINING
SAGA - LaserData LiS
Cloud Compare - The controls for this software are goofy. I like that it will translate a cloud out in a Big coordinate system down to a 0,0 based system and keep a translation file to send it back to the big leagues when you are done. I have not successfully created a library to classify points and I plan to purchase the white paper with the hopes of classifying certain objects.
Whitebox Geospatial Analysis Tools is some open source GIS with some LiDAR processing
LiForest for forestry applications
TerraSolid is a plugin for MicroStation
SceneMark makes some videos and puts stuff on websites
FugroViewer - This is a free viewer that allows one to create a surface, contour it, but not export the information anywhere. You can create some lines and points that can be exported to SHP or CSV.
ReCap AutoDesk
GitHub build your own
Global Mapper - This is some amazing GIS software that few have used. The LiDAR module can apparently handle Billions of points and I heard that with the right computer, you could load a Trillion. The name of the game is classification, surface modeling and extraction. Great with aerial.
DXF2XYZ Unfortunately this is a link to Software Informer. I need to find the actual. The program is simple - give it a DXF and it will spit out a cloud. First you must break apart your DXF. I used this to create a future surface by creating a 1x1 grid of the future surface. The result was a cloud with 1' interval points. If the grid was futher reduced, the density would be increased. I could see applications including exploding hatches. Look into Carlson DENSEPL to see if you can select multiple lines and add vertices.
Applied Imagery Quick Terrain Reader and Modeler - This is by far the best viewer I have seen. It is quick and easy with a very robust visualization. The Modeler has some great features including video output, surfacing, image draping, and a plethora of analysis tools.
GeoViewer - LizardTech
Lidar Data Handler for ArcGIS - NOAA