Clipping Area
Define regions to isolate and export portions of your point cloud
The Clipping Area tool allows you to draw a polygon on the map to isolate a specific region of your point cloud. You can view the clipped area in a secondary viewer and export it as a new LAZ file.
Creating a Clipping Area
Open the Tool
Select Clip Area from the top navigation bar.
Draw the Polygon
Click on the map to place vertices defining the boundary of your clipping area.
- Place at least 3 points to form a polygon
- Click near the first point to close the polygon, or double-click to finish
View in Secondary Viewer
Once the polygon is closed, a secondary viewer opens showing only the points inside your clipping area.
- The main viewer shows the full dataset
- The secondary viewer shows the clipped subset
Adjust if Needed
You can modify your selection:
- Click Reset to clear the polygon and draw a new one
- Drag polygon vertices to adjust the boundary
Working with the Clipped View
Secondary Viewer
The secondary viewer displays your clipped point cloud in isolation:
- Navigate independently - Pan, zoom, and rotate without affecting the main view
- Full view options - All point cloud visualization options are available
- Side-by-side comparison - Compare the clip with the full dataset
View Options
The clipped view inherits settings from the main viewer, but you can adjust:
- Color mode (RGB, Classification, Elevation, etc.)
- Point size
- Filters and ranges
Exporting Clipped Data
Worker Required: Exporting clipped point clouds requires Worker to be running and connected.
Verify Worker Connection
Check that the Worker status indicator shows green (connected) in the left sidebar.
Click Save/Export
In the clipping settings panel, click Save Point Cloud or the export button.
Configure Export
Set the output options:
- File name - Name for the exported LAZ file
- Output location - Saved to your working directory
Download the File
The clipped point cloud is saved as a new LAZ file to your working directory.
Use Cases
Isolating Specific Areas
- Extract a single pole and its surroundings
- Clip a span section for detailed analysis
- Isolate a building or structure
Data Extraction
- Create smaller files for sharing
- Export regions for use in other software
- Prepare data for specific analyses
Quality Control
- Review specific areas in isolation
- Check classification in targeted regions
- Validate data in problem areas
Tips for Effective Clipping
Polygon Placement
- Include buffer area - Clip slightly larger than your area of interest
- Follow natural boundaries - Align with roads, property lines, or spans
- Use simple shapes - Fewer vertices process faster
Performance
- Smaller clips process faster - Keep regions focused
- Complex polygons take longer - Use simpler shapes when possible
- Large datasets need patience - Wait for processing to complete
For very large clipping operations, monitor the Worker status. Processing may take several minutes depending on the amount of data.
Clearing the Clipping Area
To remove the clipping area:
- Click Reset in the clipping settings panel
- The secondary viewer will close
- The main viewer returns to showing all data
Resizing the Viewers
When the secondary viewer is open:
- Drag the divider between viewers to resize
- Close the secondary viewer to return to single-view mode
Next Steps
After clipping your data:
- Create a cross-section through the clipped area
- Use Digital Grid tools to analyze infrastructure
- Add comments to document findings