.. _blickfeld_recorder:

==================
Blickfeld Recorder
==================

The Blickfeld Recorder can record point clouds from a Blickfeld LiDAR in any of the supported formats in real time. (see :ref:`formats`).
The Blickfeld Recorder can also convert existing point clouds between any of these formats.

.. _formats:

Supported formats
=================

The Blickfeld Recorder fully supports the following formats:

    * bfpc   - the native format of Blickfeld LiDARs
    * vtu       - for ParaView and LidarView
    * csv       - a readable, all-purpose format

Download and Installation on Windows
====================================
The Windows installer can be found here: `Blickfeld Resources <https://www.blickfeld.com/resources>`__.
Please download this package, run the installer and follow the instructions.

Usage
=====

The Blickfeld Recorder can either record Blickfeld Cube point clouds in real time or
convert existing point clouds files to other supported formats.

Point Cloud Recording
---------------------

  * Select the *Record* task according to Figure 1.
  * Enter the hostname or IP address (see: :ref:`Network-Configuration`).
  * Select the *Output directory* and the desired *Output format*.
  * Click on *Start Recording* to start recording (dumping). The recorded frames are written to the given directory.
  * To stop recording press *Stop Recording*.

.. hint::
   The best results can be achieved by recording to Blickfeld's binary .bfpc format.

.. list-table::

    * - .. figure:: ./images/recorder_task_record.png
           :width: 100%

           Figure 1. Recording a point cloud.

      - .. figure:: ./images/recorder_task_convert.png
           :width: 100%

           Figure 2. Converting existing point clouds.

Point Cloud Conversion
----------------------

  * Select the *Convert* task according to Figure 2.
  * Select one or more files to convert.
  * Select the *Output directory* and the desired *Output format*.
  * Click on *Start Conversion* to start point cloud conversion. The resulting frames are written to the given directory.
  * To abort the conversion press *Stop Conversion*.

.. list-table::

    * - .. figure:: ./images/recorder_task_record2.png
           :width: 100%

           Figure 3. Example of input for recording.

      - .. figure:: ./images/recorder_task_convert2.png
           :width: 100%

           Figure 4. Example of input for converting.


Other operating systems
=======================
Please contact the Blickfeld support team to enquire on the status of builds for Linux or macOS.