How to view your point clouds in VR

[lloyd709]

I've just found out a way to view high res (relatively) point clouds in VR and thought I'd mention it in case anyone else is looking how to do it and can't find a way (like I couldn't).  The only way I could do it up to now was to upload to sketchfab but with that you are restricted to very small point clouds unless you pay them lots of money.

Basically you do it using Blender 2.8 with the VR viewer plugin by MARUI and another plugin called view3d_point_cloud_visulaizer (I have no association with any of these by the way).   I won't go into too much detail about how to install and use them as once you find each of them all the instructions are there - it's quite easy (but it might take you half an hour or so if you are not familiar with Blender or installing plugins).   Basically though, for the MARUI you download and drop the files into a directly and for the Viw3d you download the python program and then go to preferences and point to it in the add plugin bit.  it's really not that hard and they really work - amazing!

My mum sold the family home a couple of years ago and I took enough photos of a couple of the main rooms with the hope that one day I could walk in them again in VR - only point clouds look good though (meshes look too much of a nightmare) but I couldn't find a way to view them if VR - until now and I'm blown away!!

edit - if there is another/better way to do this that I've missed please let me know.

[Reservoirdog]

Interesting... How do you navigate in the pointcloud?
I also like the VR-function of sketchfab...

[lloyd709]

Interesting... How do you navigate in the pointcloud?
I also like the VR-function of sketchfab...

Movement is done in quite a unique way that I've not come across before but once you get used to it it's really good.

With one of the controllers (which I have in my left hand) you press the trackpad (I'm using the valve wands) and then move your hand forward and you go forwards (or backwards and you go backwards).  I think you control the general directtion by turning the controller or your head (I'm not using it at the moment so am not sure).  This movement though is always in the vertical plane that you are currently in.

The really interesting movement though is with the other hand.  This is like a 3d teleportation. With this, you press down on the track pad and a small ball appears at the top that you then throw to the place you want to teleport to (anywhere in the 3d space).  It moves not to fast so you can control it's trajectory and direction while it's moving by moving the controller around (forward for going forward, down to start going down a bit etc) until the ball is roughly where you want to be.  You then unclick (take your finger off) the trackpad you you teleport there.  It takes a few minutes to get the hang of but it works really well once you have.

[whidbeyislander]

This may be different than what you are doing but I have taking 3d models (from point clouds) of property I shoot with my drone, export as an .obj and then import into Tilt Brush (by Google) in steam VR (using HTC vive).  The models aren't super high res but still pretty impressive.  You can shrink them down to the size of a pinball or blow them up to life size and then navigate around in them.  Various ways to navigate but mainly just using the trackpads.  I can also then import a 3D model of house (generated by an architect) and place it onto the model.  So you can walk around the property and then walk inside the house and look out the windows at the 3d model of the property.