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I have a las file and I'm trying to analyze it using ArcGIS/ArcPy. Are there any built-in functions that I can use (maybe using a tool or las data property) to isolate a chunk of points? I want to be able to draw a polynomial on a section of my map and get an array of the points within the shape. It would help if anyone knew functions that could get individual points from a cloud.

I guess more specifically, how do you access the point feature class of a given las/lasd file?

I would like to have a solution that does not require a download.

Cameron Sloan
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Mads
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  • Do you have 3d analyst? Although you can create and view a LASD without one the really good tools need that extension to work. There is a GeoNet post https://geonet.esri.com/thread/74406 which shows it's not possible to extract the LAS directly.. if you want the points use LAS to Multipoint (3d) http://resources.arcgis.com/en/help/main/10.2/index.html#//00q90000009m000000 then clip, multipart to single part and you've got points. Be careful, Shapefiles/personal geodatabase have a maximum size so it's best to do this into a file geodatabase if there's a potential of it being too big. – Michael Stimson Jul 29 '15 at 01:01
  • If you don't mind a download if it's free LasPy https://github.com/grantbrown/laspy is a python toolbox for working with the LAS files directly, it has issues with ASPRS 1.3 but works fine for 1.2 (and I assume 1.1) there are also some tutorials http://laspy.readthedocs.org/en/latest/index.html – Michael Stimson Jul 29 '15 at 01:05
  • This looks like a near duplicate of http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/156117/accessing-point-cloud-data – PolyGeo Jul 29 '15 at 10:06
  • This question is unclear as it stands. How do you want to isolate chunks of points? By geographic areas? By layers of heights? Both? By type of return (first, last, intermediate), by class? About accessing the point feature class of a given las/lasd file; how would wish to access it? Also, please explain how this question is different from this one: http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/86075/how-to-clip-las-data-using-shapefile-polygons-and-open-source-software – Andre Silva Jul 29 '15 at 13:28

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