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
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, 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