Importing Predefined ASCII Formatted Files
ASCII text files are common in coordinate metrology. They provide a standard, human-readable format that many software packages can easily import. SpatialAnalyzer supports many formats of ASCII data which are imported based on the order of fields within each ascii line.
The ASCII Import dialog can be broken down into sections as follows:
Data Preview Window A preview of the first few lines of the selected ascii file are shown in the upper portion of the dialog. This is for your reference and will help to ensure the correct format is selected.
The image above shows data in a PointName, X, Y, Z format which is comma delineated. To import this data perform the following steps:
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Just under the Select ASCII Import Format heading is a set of radio buttons that allow you to choose the format of the data and the way in which the data will be stored within SA. Be sure to select the Points as Clouds option when working with cloud data because importing thousands of points will take a very long time.
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Take advantage of the Filter by Filed Name and Number of Fields filter options to help narrow down the selection options for the format to import. SA offers many formats but the format must exactly match that of the data you are importing.
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Select the format that matches your data.
Additional Controls
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File Units. Define the units used in the ASCII file.
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Collection Name. Specifies the collection to which the data will be imported. This applies to all formats that do not contain a collection designation as part of the format.
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Point Group Name. Specify the name to import the points into (only applicable if not specified already by the format).
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Ensure new group. Select this option to ensure that points are placed into a new point group if the specified group already exists.
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Ensure unique names. Verifies that imported point names are unique. If there is a naming conflict, the offending point will have an asterisk appended.
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Make Point Cloud. Select this option to import points as a point cloud instead of a point group.
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Comment character(s). Any lines that start with the specified characters are treated as comment lines and are ignored.