topic POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud) in Collaboration with other software

POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Pavel_N — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 22:33:09 GMT

Hi, I'm creating this topic to gather ideas for further improvement of point cloud work. I'm also attaching an initial idea for a simple point cloud palette, which I take as a starting point (phase 1) for further improvement. The goal now is to make it relatively simple with the vision of implementing it in AC30. I've also added it to the wishlist, I'd be happy if you could add your vote and help improve the idea. https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishlist/POINT-CLOUDS-PALETTE-improving-work-with-pointcloud/idi-p/685848

Operating system used: Mac Apple Silicon 14

Re: POINT CLOUDS PALETTE

Pavel_N — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 22:08:44 GMT

I'd also like to ask the forum administrator if it would be possible to appropriately assign the topic Point Clouds (including the label), to one of the thematic areas of this forum. All the threads here are fragmented (Modeling, Documentation, Collaboration with other software,..) and no one knows where to place this specific topic. Many thanks.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Laszlo Nagy — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 18:57:47 GMT

I moved this to the Collaboration forum, but there is no Point Cloud label, so I am unable to set that.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Pavel_N — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 09:27:09 GMT

Thank you. It would be nice to at least mention point clouds in the description under the forum topic Collaboration with other software, if possible.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Pavel_N — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 17:26:58 GMT

Back to the topic of improving work with pointclouds.

I can also imagine a new palette much simpler than I propose, it could contain only a Clipping section, which would affect only pointclouds that will have it enabled in the Object setting. But most importantly, the palette must contain the last line with the absolutely key function "Turn OFF all pointcloud snapping point" so that the pointcloud can be used only as a visual basis. Millions of cloud snap points make it impossible to work on the model and only increase the risk of inaccuracy in the model. In the case of a simplified palette, the display of the pointcloud would then follow the classic procedures in Archicad as before.

I can also imagine that the function "Turn OFF all snapping point" can be implemented in the Trace reference palette. Personally, in the conceptual design phase I have DWG bases that I want to use only as a visual basis and the snap points of the base drawing are just confusing.

Thank you all for the likes, but please also vote in the wishlist: https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishlist/POINT-CLOUDS-PALETTE-improving-work-with-pointcloud/idi-p/685848

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Mike96 — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:17:08 GMT

I love the ideas. As someone who works with point clouds on a daily basis (in AC and other programs), this is the perfect summary of my main issues and annoyances. Something that Revit, for instance, handles incomparably better (even though I use Revit 2016, which is considered ancient at this point - still better than newest Archicad for point clouds).

But I lost any hopes for improvement. It was promised to get better in AC 28. Instead, we got BimmTool Lite. I'm sorry, what kind of improvement is that?

Development of a piece of software is over the moment it goes subscription-only. From that point on, it's just sucking money from users, demanding regular payments, and not providing regular improvements. That's the world-wide trend and I don't think it's gonna be any different with AC. I mean, real improvements stopped at version 25.

I'm sorry for this rant and if I'm busting anyone else's hopes, but that's just my view. I stopped posting wishes for new AC features, cuz I know they won't happen. And it's not about my personal wishes - AC just stopped improving as a software.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Pavel_N — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:22:53 GMT

Thanks Mike for the supportive comment.

Regarding BIMmTool, I suspect that GS does not have anyone on the team who is actually engaged in the construction profession (architect or construction engineer) and works with pointcloud. They should find out that BIMmTool in the Lite version cannot be used for any serious work and is only a trial version and an advertisement for the full version (with a monthly price of another Archicad license). Even with the existing / missing pointcloud functions, I can do more directly in AC than with BIMmTool. The key is the density of points, where in BIMmTool there are 25mm that are unusable. I think that if there are reasonable people in GS, they would not be able to publicly declare that there is an improvement in working with pointcloud with this knowledge.

Another thing is the robustness of the solution, when one is dependent on a third-party plug-in and the risk with each update of the plug-in or AC that something will go wrong. Especially when the plug-in is linked to problematic logging into a BIMmTool server, which was already buggy in the Lite version.

I created a Wish based on this thread - I will be happy to vote.

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishlist/POINT-CLOUDS-PALETTE-improving-work-with-pointcloud/idi-p/685848

Regarding the Wish system, I will probably write my opinion in a separate thread, so that we can also involve people outside the pointcloud topic.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Mike96 — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 08:52:47 GMT

Yeah, for Archicad, I always prep the clouds in CloudCompare and subsample them to 10 mm density, which is like optimal-minimum for architecture, and sparse enough not to choke AC to death, but for modeling steel works or heritage detail, I need 5 mm density, and that's already way too dense for AC. That's why I do trickier jobs in Blender and then sometimes, perform even trickier import to Archicad.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

BulldogBen — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 14:09:29 GMT

I too would welcome any help with using point clouds, and am happy to test any tools.

Betreff: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

torben_wadlinger — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 18:12:29 GMT

Your proposal is a great idea. I voted for it. But the main problem is the limited functionality that GS has given the point cloud object in GDL. As long as GS doesn't expands the functions to handle point clouds there is no chance that we will see such an improvement as you mentioned.

I think point cloud support was introduced in version 16 and never improved since.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

karsten_bauschert — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 09:52:30 GMT

As Torben said, the base for pointcloud operations is outdated in AC.
BIMmTool is an external / outsourced try to get better functionality but still has to rely on the AC base.

A new palette would be the same as an integrated Addon, it still needs an overhaul of the deeper parts for better performance and network usability.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Pavel_N — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 14:51:59 GMT

Torben:

Thank you! I don't expect too much from the developers that a perfect finished tool would come right away. If so, it probably wouldn't be until the next version of AC, but it would take years. That's why I'd be happy for any immediate small improvement in the next version of AC, but with regularly added features. For me, the key feature is the "Turn off snapping of all points in pointclouds" feature, if at least this were added in the next version, it would be a nice start. Also, the other features I have in the lower part of the illustrative palette (Fade, Show only outlines, Show in foreground) already exist in the Trace reference palette, it would only be enough to apply them to the display of pointclouds. Actually, all the functions of the idea palette except for Thicken point and the strip bar for selecting the display in views can hopefully be included without radically changing the GDL code, because these are simple basic functions referring to mostly existing library parameters and the rest of the palette are just display filters similar to the Design option / Trace reference palette.

Furthermore, for example, the function Allign point clouds according to the survey point (including the sea level) when importing, would be nice to have and not difficult to implement I think.

As for performance, I agree that it is bad, but I learned to work with an optimized cloud density of 10-15mm, where the performance is far below expectations, but it is possible to work with it. The above-mentioned functions have priority for me.

Re: POINT CLOUDS (improving work with pointcloud)

Pavel_N — Mon, 23 Feb 2026 15:13:46 GMT

I would be happy if you also write your opinion on the Wishlist system in this thread: https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/General-discussions/Wishlist-to-reality/m-p/693579#M8240 (point no. 2) I wrote a comment on wishes, which currently does not affect most of the active AC community (e.g. pointclouds), but for the very near future it is crucial for everyone.