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Shared Context Menu Commands

These commands appear in multiple context menus with consistent or similar behavior across different object types.

Menu name: Navigate To or Goto Tooltip Navigate to the item in the 3D view.

What it does Centres and zooms the 3D viewport camera to frame the selected object. The camera position and orientation are adjusted so the object is clearly visible and centred in the view. The object's data is not modified.

When to use it

  • You've selected an object in the project tree but can't see it in the 3D view
  • You want to quickly focus on a specific object after navigating a large scene
  • You've lost your visual reference and need to return to a known object

Notes Available for most object types (point clouds, meshes, photographs, polylines, etc.). If the object is not currently loaded into memory, it will be loaded first. The camera maintains its current viewing angle unless otherwise specified.

Set As Active​

Menu name: Set As Active or Make Active Tooltip Set this object as the active object for operations.

What it does Designates the selected object as the "active" object in the project. Many operations use the active object as a reference (e.g., attachment, intersections, filtering). The active object is typically highlighted in the project tree and may display differently in the 3D view.

When to use it

  • Before performing operations that require a reference object
  • When you want point cloud or mesh operations to use this object as the target
  • When attaching measurements or polylines to a specific surface

Notes Only one object of each type can be active at a time. Setting a new active object replaces the previous one. The active state persists until changed or the project is closed.

Organization Commands​

Group​

Menu name: Group Tooltip Group selected items together.

What it does Creates a new group container in the project tree and moves all selected items into it. The group acts as a folder for organizing related objects. Groups can be collapsed/expanded in the tree and can have operations applied to all members.

When to use it

  • Organizing multiple related scans or meshes (e.g., all scans from one site)
  • Grouping objects that should be shown/hidden together
  • Preparing for batch operations on multiple objects

Notes Items must be siblings (same parent level) to be grouped together. Groups can be nested. Some operations can be applied to an entire group at once.

Ungroup​

Menu name: Ungroup Tooltip Ungroup selected items.

What it does Dissolves the selected group, moving all child items up one level in the project tree hierarchy. The group container is removed but all objects within it are preserved.

When to use it

  • Reorganizing the project tree structure
  • Breaking up temporary groupings after batch operations
  • Simplifying tree hierarchy

Notes Only works on group objects. Objects within the group are not deleted, only the group container itself.

Data Exchange Commands​

Export​

Menu name: Export Tooltip Export object to file.

What it does Opens a file dialogue to export the selected object to an external file format. Available formats depend on the object type (e.g., point clouds can export to .las, .ply, .pts; meshes to .obj, .ply, .stl). Includes options for coordinate system conversion and data component selection.

When to use it

  • Sharing data with external applications or colleagues
  • Creating backups of processed data
  • Exporting results for use in GIS, CAD, or analysis software

Notes Export format and options vary by object type. Large objects may take time to export. Check that the target format supports all required data components (colors, attributes, texture coordinates, etc.).

Import​

Menu name: Import or Import... Tooltip Import data from file.

What it does Opens a file dialogue to import external data into the project. Supports various industry-standard formats depending on context (point clouds, meshes, GIS data, images, etc.). Imported data is added to the project tree and database.

When to use it

  • Loading new data into an existing project
  • Bringing in data from field equipment, photogrammetry, or other software
  • Adding reference data (GIS layers, CAD models, etc.)

Notes Import dialogue varies by object type. Large files may take significant time to import and process. Coordinate system should match project CRS or be converted during import.

Modification Commands​

Delete​

Menu name: Delete Tooltip Delete selected item(s) from project.

What it does Permanently removes the selected object(s) from the project. The object is removed from the project tree, database, and file system. This operation cannot be undone.

When to use it

  • Removing unwanted or erroneous data
  • Cleaning up test or temporary objects
  • Freeing disk space by removing large unused objects

Notes

Cannot be undone

This operation is permanent and cannot be undone. Ensure you have backups before deleting important data.

Use caution when deleting groups - all child objects will also be deleted. Some object types may have dependencies (e.g., attributes depend on their parent object).

Duplicate​

Menu name: Duplicate Tooltip Create a copy of this object.

What it does Creates an independent copy of the selected object in the project. The duplicate has its own database entry and can be modified without affecting the original. Copies include all attributes, display properties, and data.

When to use it

  • Testing destructive operations without risking original data
  • Creating variations with different processing parameters
  • Preserving original data before applying irreversible operations

Notes Duplicates can consume significant disk space for large objects. The copy is created immediately and added to the project tree with a modified name (e.g., "PointCloud_Copy").

Transform Commands​

Scale​

Menu name: Scale Tooltip Scale the object.

What it does Opens a dialogue to specify scale factors for X, Y, and Z axes. Multiplies all coordinates by the specified factors, resising the object. Uniform scaling uses the same factor for all axes; non-uniform scaling can stretch or compress along specific axes.

When to use it

  • Converting between different unit systems (e.g., metres to feet)
  • Correcting data acquired with incorrect scale settings
  • Resising objects to match reference data

Notes Scale factors multiply existing coordinates (e.g., factor of 2.0 doubles size, 0.5 halves it). Non-uniform scaling changes proportions. Attributes like distances and areas are not automatically updated - recalculate if needed.

Rotate​

Menu name: Rotate Tooltip Rotate the object.

What it does Opens a dialogue to specify rotation angles around X, Y, and Z axes. Rotations are applied about the object's centre point or scanner origin. Multiple rotation axes can be specified and are applied in order (typically Z, Y, X).

When to use it

  • Aligning data to geographic north or project coordinate system
  • Correcting tilted or misoriented scans
  • Orienting objects for better visualization

Notes Rotations are specified in degrees. Order of rotation matters - different sequences produce different results. Scanner origin (if set) is used as rotation centre; otherwise geometric centre is used.

Translate​

Menu name: Translate Tooltip Move the object in 3D space.

What it does Opens a dialogue to specify translation distances along X, Y, and Z axes. Adds the specified offsets to all coordinates, moving the object without rotation or scaling. Can also copy the translation vector to/from clipboard for reuse.

When to use it

  • Repositioning objects to match coordinate systems
  • Aligning multiple scans or models
  • Correcting positional errors in imported data

Notes Translation values are in project units (typically metres or feet). Large translations can move objects far from the project origin, potentially causing rendering or precision issues.

Utility Commands​

Refresh Object Tree​

Menu name: Refresh Object Tree Tooltip Refresh the project tree display.

What it does Forces a complete update of the project tree view, re-reading object states from the database. Useful when the tree display becomes out of sync with actual data state, often after background operations complete.

When to use it

  • After importing or batch processing completes
  • When objects appear to be missing or incorrectly displayed in tree
  • After manual database operations or file system changes

Notes Usually unnecessary as the tree updates automatically. Only use if you suspect display corruption or after unusual operations.