.. _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: * bfproto - the native format of Blickfeld LiDARs * vtu - for ParaView and LidarView * csv - a readable, all-purpose format Installation on Windows ======================= Simply install the package provided by Blickfeld. 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 .bfproto 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_record4.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 ======================= The Blickfeld Recorder can be used with Windows, Linux, and macOS. However, Blickfeld currently only provides an installer for Windows. Please contact the Blickfeld support team for installation instructions on Linux or macOS.