EdgeWise Guide

DISCLAIMER ...........................................................................................................................................................
SUPPORTED FILE TYPES .......................................................................................................................................... 5
WORK FLOW .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
CONVERT ............................................................................................................................................................... 6
Split PTX ................................................................................................................................................................6

E57 to PTX .............................................................................................................................................................6
PROCESS SCANS ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Point Database Models .........................................................................................................................................6

Ground Models .....................................................................................................................................................7
Pipe Models...........................................................................................................................................................8
Planes Models .......................................................................................................................................................8
DISPLAYING MODELS ............................................................................................................................................. 9
ADDING MODELS ...........................................................................................................................................................9

OPEN MODEL: THIS TOOL ALLOWS THE USER TO OPEN PRE-EXISTING EDGEWISE MODELS AND POINT DATABASES. DELETING MODELS .9
3D DISPLAY AND NAVIGATION .............................................................................................................................. 9
CAMERA CONTROLS........................................................................................................................................................9
COMPASS ...................................................................................................................................................................10
ZOOM: MODEL ............................................................................................................................................................10
ZOOM: EXTENTS ..........................................................................................................................................................10
CAMERA MODE ...........................................................................................................................................................10
CLEARVIEW MODE .......................................................................................................................................................10
PLAN, PROFILE, AND ELEVATION VIEWS ............................................................................................................................11
CLIPPING BOX..............................................................................................................................................................11
Clip Button ..........................................................................................................................................................11
Edit Checkbox ......................................................................................................................................................12
Apply Checkbox ...................................................................................................................................................12
Manipulating.......................................................................................................................................................12
Reset Button........................................................................................................................................................12
SETTING X-AXIS (ADJUSTING THE UCS OF THE PROJECT) ......................................................................................................12
WORKING WITH POINT DATABASES .................................................................................................................... 13
DATABASE POINTS........................................................................................................................................................13
SELECTED PIPE’S POINTS................................................................................................................................................13
SCANNER LOCATIONS ....................................................................................................................................................13
CHANGING THE DISPLAY OF A POINT CLOUD ......................................................................................................................14
Point Size .............................................................................................................................................................14
Point Coloring......................................................................................................................................................14
IDENTIFY POINT—QUERYING XYZ COORDINATES ...............................................................................................................14
MEASURING DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS .................................................................................................................15
FASTER NAVIGATION / SPEEDING UP THE REFRESH RATE .....................................................................................................15
WORKING WITH GROUND MODELS ..................................................................................................................... 15

OPTIMIZE TIN .............................................................................................................................................................15
WORKING WITH PIPE MODELS ............................................................................................................................ 16
CHANGING THE DISPLAY OF A PIPE MODEL........................................................................................................................16

Coloring ...............................................................................................................................................................16
Opacity ................................................................................................................................................................16
Color Scale Bar ....................................................................................................................................................17
MANUALLY EXTRACTING MISSED PIPES ............................................................................................................................17
EASY CONNECT ............................................................................................................................................................17
CLEAN PIPES ...............................................................................................................................................................18
Clean Pipes - Settings ..........................................................................................................................................18
Clean Pipes – Reccomendations & Best Practices ...............................................................................................19
Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops ..............................................................................................................................19
Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops Example ...............................................................................................................20
Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops Example Continued ..............................................................................................21
Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops Example Continued ..............................................................................................22
APPLY STANDARDS .......................................................................................................................................................23
EDIT—GRAPHICALLY EXTRUDE PIPES AND ADJUST ELBOW BENDS .........................................................................................23
SELECT PIPES ...............................................................................................................................................................24
SNAPPING PIPES...........................................................................................................................................................24
MOVING PIPE ENDS OR MIDPOINTS.................................................................................................................................24
SLIDE COMPONENTS ALONG PIPE ....................................................................................................................................25
ROTATING ELBOWS, ECCENTRIC REDUCERS, AND VALVE STEMS ............................................................................................25
SPLITTING A PIPE INTO MULTIPLE, MOVABLE SEGMENTS .....................................................................................................25
GRAPHICALLY SELECTING AND DELETING MULTIPLE PIPES ....................................................................................................25
CONNECTION MODE—INSERTING COMPONENTS VS. APPENDING COMPONENTS .....................................................................25
CONNECT ...................................................................................................................................................................26
FLANGE ......................................................................................................................................................................27
VALVE ........................................................................................................................................................................27
ORTHO-SNAP ..............................................................................................................................................................27
SMARTSHEETS ..................................................................................................................................................... 28
SAVING ......................................................................................................................................................................29
ZOOMING ...................................................................................................................................................................29
DISPLAY PIPE IDS .........................................................................................................................................................29
DISPLAY RMSE/COVERAGE ...........................................................................................................................................29
SHOWING DIAMETERS IN FEET AND INCHES .......................................................................................................................29
SELECTING MULTIPLE COMPONENTS ................................................................................................................................29
INDIVIDUAL PARTS (PART INFO) ......................................................................................................................................29
Columns ..............................................................................................................................................................30
QA Mode .............................................................................................................................................................30
Inspection Mode .................................................................................................................................................30
Adjusting Diameters............................................................................................................................................31
Deleting Parts......................................................................................................................................................31
ENTIRE PIPE RUNS (CHAIN INFO).....................................................................................................................................31
Columns ..............................................................................................................................................................31
Adding New Columns ..........................................................................................................................................31
Deleting Chains ...................................................................................................................................................32
Clean ...................................................................................................................................................................32
Multi-Edit ............................................................................................................................................................32
Displaying Points Associated with Pipe Chains ...................................................................................................32
Editing Layers ......................................................................................................................................................33
PIPE STANDARDS ................................................................................................................................................. 33
INTERFACE ..................................................................................................................................................................33
The Standard Tree ...............................................................................................................................................33
The Information Area ..........................................................................................................................................33
LAYER EDITOR ...................................................................................................................................................... 34
INTERFACE ..................................................................................................................................................................34
Layer Groups .......................................................................................................................................................34
Layer Information Section ...................................................................................................................................34
SAVING, IMPORTING, AND EXPORTING MODELS ................................................................................................. 35
SAVING ......................................................................................................................................................................35
EXPORTING .................................................................................................................................................................35
OPTIONS (PROJECT UNITS, COLORS, ETC.) ........................................................................................................... 37
EDGEWISE FOR REVIT .......................................................................................................................................... 37
CHANGING DATA TYPES.................................................................................................................................................37

EXPORTING TO REVIT ....................................................................................................................................................37
EDGEWISE FOR PLANT 3D .................................................................................................................................... 38
SUPPORTED SPECS........................................................................................................................................................38
EXPORTING TO PLANT 3D ..............................................................................................................................................38
KNOWN ISSUES:................................................................................................................................................... 39
HOT KEY REFERENCE ............................................................................................................................................ 39

Disclaimer
Trimble is disclosing to you, the user, this document (hereinafter “the Design”) describing the EdgeWise
software application and its use. Except as stated herein, none of the Design may be copied,
reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted, or transmitted in any form or by
any means including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior written consent of Trimble. Any unauthorized use of the Design may violate copyright
laws, trademark laws, the laws of privacy and publicity, and communications regulations and statutes.
Trimble does not assume any liability arising out of the application or use of the Design; nor does
Trimble convey any license under its patents, copyrights, or any rights of others. You, the user, are
responsible for obtaining any rights you may require for your use or implementation of the Design.
Trimble reserves the right to make changes, at any time to the Design as deemed desirable in the sole
discretion of Trimble. Trimble assumes no obligation to correct any errors contained herein or to advise
you of any correction if such be made. Trimble will not assume any liability for the accuracy or
correctness of any engineering, technical support, or assistance provided to you in connection with the
Design.
Copyright © 2006-2019 ClearEdge3D, Inc. All rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United
States. The EdgeWise software, as well as the Design, constitute the proprietary, confidential
information of ClearEdge3D, Inc., and may not be disclosed or duplicated without the written
authorization of ClearEdge3D, Inc.
COMMERCIAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE: ALL USE GOVERNED BY THE TERMS OF PRODUCT END USER
LICENSE AGREEMENT.
Supported File Types
• Trimble (.tzf)
• .PTX
• FARO .fls
• Leica .PTG
• Z+F .zfs, .zfprj
• .E57
• DotProduct .DP
• Simple Point Cloud (.pts or .xyz)
• Gexcel (.rgp)
• Recap (.RCP)
Work Flow
The recommended workflow looks like this:
1. Process scans (automatically create point cloud database, pipes, planes and/or ground surface
models)
2. Delete any obvious false positives in model using the edit and multi-select tools
3. Inspect automatically extracted pipe models using SmartSheet tools (Inspection Mode)
a. Delete incorrect pipes
b. Fix poorly extracted pipes
4. Manually extract any missed pipes
5. Auto-connect pipes
6. Inspect auto-connected pipes using SmartSheet tools
7. Manually connect remaining pipes (with elbows, straight connections, tees, and reducers)
8. Clean pipes and convert them to standard sizes
9. Resize elbows
10. Insert valves and flanges
11. Apply intelligence (Revit family, layer, etc.)
12. Export
The following chapters detail all of the tools required to do the above.
Convert
The Convert menu contains tools that enable the conversion or splitting of scan data. At this time, these
tools are not required components of the EdgeWise workflow, and should only be used if their effects
are desirable (for example, if only a subset of the scans in the file need to be processed).
The tools available in the Convert menu are:
Split PTX
The Split PTX tool will split multi-scan PTX files in to individual .PTX files for each scan.
E57 to PTX
E57 to PTX, as the name implies, will convert and split an .e57 file to individual .PTX files for
each scan in the original .e57 file.
While the names Split PTX and E57 to PTX may imply it, they do not delete the original file, and instead
create a split copy of it. If the input file is 10gb, the split files will also be 10gb in total. Please ensure you
have enough free hard drive space to complete the conversion, as scan files tend to be quite large.
Reminder: Split PTX and E57 to PTX are not required to Automatically Extract data from .PTX and .e57
scans in Process Scans.
Process Scans
To process your scans, click the Process Scans button located under the file tab. Upon clicking the
Process Scans button, you will be prompted to choose the scans you wish to process. We recommend
processing all scans from your entire project at the same time (particularly when creating a point
database model), but this is not required.
Once you have chosen the scans you wish to process, you will be asked to choose which kind of models
you wish to extract from the scans—Point Database, Pipes, Planes and/or Ground. The details of each
model types are discussed below.
Point Database Models

Before EdgeWise can display a point cloud, you must first convert your scans to a .c3db point database
model. You can only load one .c3db file at a time, and so we recommend that you add all scans from
your entire project to the same .c3db file.
Scanner Range: This parameter is used to determine how far away from the scanner location points are
allowed to be included in the database. The default value of 40 meters is usually reasonable; however,
change this parameter as the needs of your project dictates— from 0 meters up to a maximum of
10,000 meters. An important thing to note is that creating a point database can take a very long time—
many hours, depending on the number of points present in the scan files.
Note that this parameter will be locked when using .PTS and .XYZ files, as they do not contain scanner
information. For these filetypes there is a hardwired 2000 meter range limit. Additionally, processing
performance may be slower when using these files.
Point spacing: is the minimum spacing between points saved in the database. The larger the number,
the sparser the point cloud will be. Denser point clouds may look slightly better, but they take
considerably more disk space and time to create.
Create ClearView Databases: is an option to create a point database used for viewing the project using
the ClearView setting—see ClearView Mode. Note: Creating this additional database can potentially
increase processing time for certain scans upwards of two- or three-fold.
Note that this option is not available when using .PTS and .XYZ files, as they do not contain scanner
information.
Output: .c3db file and a folder of .c3ptx files that constitute the point database
Ground Models
EdgeWise provides an automatic ground-seeking algorithm that starts at the lowest point within the
scan and grows out to nearby ground points, following any moderately sloping surfaces upward (and
downward). This algorithm has three adjustable parameters that can be set, once the check box next to
the “Ground” is checked.
The maximum slope parameter: is the steepest angle—between 0 and 60—that the growing algorithm
will use to be able to climb up while looking for ground points. A value of 25 degrees will work well in
most instances, but if you have very steep terrain you might want to increase this value. If you find the
ground-searching algorithm is too “greedy” and is climbing up non-ground features, then you might
want to decrease this value.
The max z-jump between points parameter: is the highest distance in the z-direction—between 0 and
10 meters—that the program is allowed to climb above existing ground points in order to find a new
ground point. Typically, a value of 0.1 meters works well is most cases.
The Approximate ground sample distance parameter: is the setting—between 0 and 5 meters—that
determines the approximate ground sampling distance used to build a triangulated surface (TIN). In
regions where the point density exceeds this value, the algorithm will automatically remove excess
points, keeping the resulting TIN relatively efficient. For instance, ground points captured closer to the
scanner location tend to be more densely spaced than those located further out. This setting provides
the option to compensate for this phenomenon and maintain a light-weight surface model throughout
the scan. Typically, a value of 0.2 meters creates an efficient TIN.
Automatically Merge Ground: will automatically merge the output files—see Output—and load the
model into the scene.
Output: one .c3grnd file for each scan processed. If auto-merge has been selected, a single .c3gm file is
also created.
Pipe Models
The minimum number of points to detect a pipe parameter: is the threshold—between 50 and
10,000—that will be used to eliminate smaller, less reliable surfaces. Surfaces must contain at least this
many points before they will be captured. If this setting is too high, you will miss smaller features, but if
you set this too low, the software will classify noisy, erroneous features as cylinders/pipes. In general, a
value of 80 is more than generous.
The Distance tolerance parameter: is the distance—between 0.0001 and 50 meters—for how far away
from the cylinder a laser point can be before it is excluded. The default value of 0.0007 meters is based
upon results from a clean scanner with a tight level of accuracy and low amount noise. If you are using a
scanner with more noise, then you should increase this tolerance.
Automatically Merge Pipes: will automatically merge the output files—see Output—and load the model
into the scene. If this option is selected and a Point Database is NOT being created, then you will be
prompted for a Point Database file. This Point Database file should contain at least all of the scans that
are being processed in the present run.
Output: one or more .c3pipes files for each scan processed. If auto-merge has been selected, a single
.c3m file is also created.
Planes Models
These scans were taken outdoors: prevents the ground surfaces from being added to the planar model.
There are a lot of pipes present in this scan data: tells the software to ignore cylindrical surfaces when
creating the planar model.
Automatically Merge Planes: will automatically merge the output files—see Output—and load the
model into the scene.
Output: one or more .c3planes files for each scan processed. If auto-merge has been selected, a single
.c3bldg file is also created.
Displaying Models
Adding Models
After processing scan data, the results of automated extraction should appear automatically in the view
if “Automatically Merge Pipes” was selected during Process Scans. There are a few additional tools for
opening or creating models in EdgeWise.
Blank Model: The Blank Model tool allows the user to open an empty pipe model, without any
automatically extracted pipes in it. This command should only be used if for some reason the
Automated Extraction tool is unavailable, or so few pipes need to be created that Automated Extraction
is not warranted.
Merge Parts: The Merge Parts tool allows the user to manually merge the results of their automated
extraction in to a working model. There should be at least one “.c3pipes” file for each scan input,
containing the results of the automated extraction for that scan. Note: This tool is unnecessary
“Automatically Merge Pipes” was selected during Process Scans. While “Automatically Merge Pipes”
merges the results of an Automated Extraction, the Merge Parts tool allows the user to merge all or a
selected subset of the pipes found. This effectively allows the user to spit up their project by scan, if
desired.
Open Model: This tool allows the user to open pre-existing EdgeWise models and Point Databases.
Deleting Models
To remove a model from the scene, simply select the desired model from the layer pane—located to the
left of the viewing area—and click the delete model button located under the Model tab on the ribbon
bar.
3D Display and Navigation

Camera Controls
To navigate in 3D and view your data, use the “Navigate” tool under Model->Navigation, and then click
in the view pane. The basic camera controls within EdgeWise are as follows:
Rotating: left click within the viewing area and drag to rotate the camera around the data. The point of
rotation is based on where the camera’s focal point is positioned. See the section below on “focusing”
for information on how to move the camera’s focal point.
Zooming: right click and drag the mouse up to zoom in. Right click and drag the mouse down to zoom
out. Alternatively, the mouse scroll wheel can also be used.
Panning: click the middle button—the scroll wheel on most mice—and drag to pan the camera in the
drag direction. Alternatively, a rotation performed while holding down the shift key will also pan the
camera. Something to note with panning is that is brings the camera’s focal point along for the ride.
Spinning: hold down the ctrl button and drag the mouse to “spin” the model around the camera’s focal
point. This spins the model in the plane of the screen. Circular motions work best. Something to note is
that spinning does not move the camera’s position.
Focusing (setting the center of rotation): to focus the camera on a certain point on the model simply
hover the mouse over the desired point and press the ‘f’ key. This will travel the camera towards the
selected position, as well as set the camera’s focal point to that position. Focusing is a handy tool to use
in conjunction with rotating and spinning since it sets the focal point (and therefore the model’s center
of rotation, or “orbit center”) to a desired location.
All of the above features are active during use of the Navigation button. However, other tools may limit
or modify the above behaviors for the needs of that particular tool.
Compass
In the lower right hand of the viewing area—if there is a model in the scene—there is a compass that
reflects the camera’s orientation in space. The three axes are colored as follows: red for the x-axis,
green for the y-axis, and blue for the z-axis. If the compass’ services are not desired it can be
disabled/enabled under the options menu in the upper right corner of the main window.
Zoom: Model
To zoom to a particular layer, simply select the desired layer from the layer pane—located to the left of
the viewing area—and click the Zoom: Layer button located under the Model tab. This will travel the
camera to the extents of the layer ending with it looking down the negative z-axis towards the center of
the model (bird’s-eye view).
Zoom: Extents
To zoom to the full extents of all models in the scene, simply click the Zoom: Extents button located
under the Model tab. This will travel the camera to the extents of all layers in the scene ending with it
looking down the negative z-axis towards the center of the scene (bird’s-eye view).
Camera Mode
Within EdgeWise there are two different ways to view models: perspective projection and orthographic
(parallel) projection. To switch between the two there is a drop-down box available under the Model
tab just beneath the “Lock z-axis” check box.
ClearView Mode
The ClearView capability enables you to view your scene from the perspective of a specific scanner
location. This viewing capability allows you to get a more picture-like view of the point cloud data –
allowing you to view your project as if you were standing inside the 3D scene itself at the exact location
of a scanner. To enable this option, you must select the “Create ClearView Databases” checkbox when
initially processing scans and creating point cloud databases (see Point Database Models).
To view your scene in ClearView Mode, simply select a specific scan from the scanner drop-down list
(i.e., all entries other than the top entry in the list). Alternatively, you can turn on the Scanner Location
checkbox for the active model in the Selection Pane and double-click one of the green spheres that
represent each of the scanner locations within the scene. In either case, the ClearView Mode checkbox
will then appear checked in the Navigation toolbar.
While in ClearView Mode, you can navigate to various scanner locations either by using the scanner
droplist or by double-clicking on the green spheres within your scene. Using either of these options, the
scene will automatically zoom to the location of the selected scanner.
Note: If you click on a green sphere in order to zoom to a particular scanner location, your scene will
turn green; this occurs because you are viewing the scene at the exact location of the selected scanner.
The green coloring will disappear as you navigate around the scene in ClearView Mode. It is also
sometimes necessary to triple- or quadruple-click on a scanner sphere in order to capture the exact
scanner location and zoom to that location within the scene.
To exit the ClearView Mode and to return to normal navigation, perform one of the following actions:
1. Use the focus (f) key—see Camera Controls.

2. Uncheck the ClearView Mode checkbox.
3. Choose the top drop-down entry—should be the same name as the .c3db file you loaded—in
the scanner selection list.
4. Press the “Zoom Extents” button.
5. Press the “Zoom Model” button.
Plan, Profile, and Elevation Views

To view your project from the X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis, simply click the red X, green Y, or blue Z buttons.
These will rotate the camera to look straight down the cardinal axes. The X and Y axes can be adjusted
using the “Set X-Axis” tool, described in the Clipping Box section. Finally, to look down the X, Y, or Z axes
from the opposite direction (i.e., the negative X, Y, or Z axes), hold the “shift” key down when clicking
one of these buttons.
Clipping Box
A clipping box is a way to filter out parts of a model that are not desired to be seen—they are still
present; they are just not being rendered. This is very handy for working with small sections of a model,
as well as for increasing rendering speed.
Clip Button
Upon activating the Clip tool, the camera will be moved to an orthographic mode. After the Clip tool is
complete, it will return to its previous mode.
When Clip is active, the mouse willnbe able to draw a 2D box in one of two ways: using a left mouse
drag or a series of left mouse clicks.
In order to use the left drag method, simply press and hold the left mouse button somewhere in the 3D
viewing area and drag the mouse to the desired position. A red box will be drawn as the mouse is
dragged across the screen. Once the left mouse button is released EdgeWise will enter the apply
clipping box mode—see Apply Checkbox— and all data outside of the red box will be clipped.
Another way to use the clip button is the “series of clicks” method. To use this mode, simply left click
anywhere in the 3D viewing area. As the mouse moves a red line will be drawn. This red line will be
used as the axis for one of the edges of the final box. Once the red line is in the desired position, left
click again to lock it into place. As the mouse moves further a red box will now be drawn. Once the red
box envelopes the desired data, left click a third time to apply—see Apply Checkbox— the clipping box.
Edit Checkbox
Checking the edit checkbox will allow you to visualize and manipulate—see Manipulating— the clipping
box. Once checked, the camera will zoom backwards along the direction that the camera is looking until
the clipping box fits in the 3D viewing area. When unchecking the edit checkbox, EdgeWise will ask if it
should return the camera to the position it was at before the edit checkbox was checked.
Apply Checkbox
Checking or unchecking the apply checkbox will determine if the clipping box will be used to clip data.
Manipulating
In order to effectively use the clipping box, it is important to understand how to manipulate the box into
the desired size and position. The first important thing to notice is that there are seven spheres
present—six on the planes defining the box and one in the center of the box. These spheres are the
primary way to manipulate the clipping box. Left click and drag one of the six plane spheres to scale
(make it bigger or smaller) the box is a given direction. Left click and drag the center sphere to translate
(move) the box. Alternatively, clicking and dragging the middle mouse button anywhere within the box
will translate it as well. One thing to note about the clipping box is that the spheres will not resize
automatically when zooming closer or farther away from the box. This can cause the spheres to become
larger than the box in certain scenarios. To reset the spheres to a manageable size simply left click
anywhere on the box.
Reset Button
To reset the clipping box back to its default size—the extents of all models—simply click the reset
button. Additionally, this will trigger the behavior of checking the edit checkbox—see Edit Checkbox.
Setting X-axis (Adjusting the UCS of the Project)

Sometimes it’s desirable to be able to use an axis as a reference axis. The set x-axis button allows a
certain pipe within a pipe model to be remembered as the x-axis for certain tools—the clipping box, as
well as the X, Y, and Z perspective buttons. To set the reference x-axis, simply click the set x-axis button
and select a pipe within the viewing area.
Working with Point Databases
Point database models are EdgeWise’s primary way of displaying a point cloud. To load up a point
database model, simply click “Add Model->Open Point Database” under the Model menu, and select the
.c3DB file created during the Process Scans step (see Workflow and Process Scans). Unlike other models
in EdgeWise, if the point database is the first model loaded, the camera does not automatically zoom to
the extents of the model. Instead the camera is left where it is.
Sometimes when a point database is loaded there will not be any points visible on the screen. Don’t
panic—what has happened is that the camera is looking down the z-axis at the first scanner’s location.
Typically scan data around the base of the scanner is void of points, so it’s no surprise that the camera
can’t see anything. This tends to happen on data from scans that were not 360 degree scans. There are
several ways to remedy this situation:
• Use the Zoom: Layer or Zoom: Extents buttons.

• Use the Scanner Locations drop down box, pick a scanner location, and then hit “3D Navigation”
once the camera arrives there.
• Just rotate and look around until you see something.
If the point database is relatively small, the first option is the best one, for larger databases either of the
other two options should work fine.
When navigating around a point database model, it is important to remember that the points will not
refresh until one of the mouse buttons have been released. In other words, once the camera has
stopped moving. This allows the camera to smoothly travel to the desired location and then load data,
rather than slowly loading data as it travels.
Database models under the Layer area—the area to the left of the viewing area—have three checkboxes
present—Database points, Selected Pipe’s Points, and Scanner Locations—explained below.
Database Points
The Database Points checkbox is a toggle for making the entire Point Database visible or invisible.
Clicking the ‘z’ key will also toggle this check box.
Selected Pipe’s Points

A database’s selected pipe points are points that are selected using a tool available with the
SmartSheets. This checkbox is simply the toggle to make those points visible or invisible. See the
SmartSheet section for selecting pipe points.
Scanner Locations
The Scanner Locations checkbox is a toggle for making scanner locations visible or invisible. When
visible a scanner location will appear as a sphere within the scene—blue for the first scan’s scanner
location, green for all others. In addition to displaying a sphere, the name of the scan file will be
displayed above the sphere.
Changing the Display of a Point Cloud
Clicking the Model Display button while a point database is the active layer will bring up a dialog with
the options for point database models.
Point Size
There are two options for the sizing of points within a point database: auto-sizing or fixed size.
If the auto-sizing option is checked, then the points will be dynamically size based on their distance from
the camera. Near points and far points will both be larger; mid-range points will be smaller. This type of
sizing allows EdgeWise to make points farther in the distance appear to be denser that they actually are,
thus making a more intuitive rendering. This mode tends to be most desirable when working within the
point cloud.
On the other hand, if fixed sized points are on (uncheck the auto-sizing checkbox), then all points will be
the same size regardless of how far away they are from the camera. This mode tends to be more
desirable when working at the extents of the point database.
Point Coloring
There are four options when it comes to coloring points within a point database: Single Color, False
Color, Original Color, and Stretched Color.
Single Color sets all points to a single color.
False coloring is a coloring system defined by two colors: the dark color and the light color. These colors
are interpolated throughout the scan based on the intensity value of a given point. Less intense points
will be more towards the darker color, while intense points will be more towards the lighter color.
Original coloring is exactly what it sounds like: the coloring contained within the original scan files. If a
scan has RGB values associated with the points, this will be used over intensity (grayscale).
Finally, Stretched Color enhances the color differences between points by normalizing the color
histogram. This can be extremely helpful for very dark or very light scans with little differences in shade
from point to point in the original color.
Identify Point—Querying XYZ Coordinates

The identify point tool is located in the points section of the ribbon bar under the Model tab. This tool is
used to identify a point’s xyz coordinate—in the same coordinate system as the original scan—as well as
the current color of the point. To use this tool simply click the button and then click a point within the
viewing area.
Measuring Distance Between Two Points
The Measure tool—located in the points section of the ribbon bar under the Model tab—measures the
distance between two selected points. To use this tool simply click the button and then click a starting
point within the viewing area. A line will now be drawn from the starting point to wherever the mouse
cursor currently is. Now click a second point somewhere within the viewing area. A dialog will pop up
telling you the distance between the points. The units reported can be changed under the Options
menu in the upper-right corner of the application (“Metric/Imperial Units”).
Faster Navigation / Speeding Up the Refresh Rate

As mentioned under the “Working with Point Databases” section, a point database will refresh its data
once the camera has stopped moving. However, there is a second option for refreshing points under the
Options menu located in the top right corner of the main window. Inside the submenu “Display Mode”
there is an option called “Manual Refresh”. If Manual Refresh is on, then the database points will no
longer be updated automatically when the camera stops moving. Instead points will only be updated if
the “Refresh Points” button—located in the Points section of the ribbon bar under the Model tab—is
clicked.
This option dramatically speeds up the navigation, making it instantaneous. However, it does require
manually refreshing the points periodically – either by clicking the “Refresh Points” button or by hitting
its shortcut key (the Enter key).
Working with Ground Models

Ground models contain ground data extracted from the point cloud. To create a ground model, select
the .c3grnd files created during the Process Scans step (see Workflow and Process scans). The selected
files will now be merged into a single model that is divided into two parts—points and TIN.
Optimize TIN
The merging of multiple ground surface TIN models can result in an overly large TIN file with too many
triangles to work efficiently within a CAD environment. In the TIN optimization process, EdgeWise
removes excess triangles while maintaining the overall integrity of the merged TIN.
Target Number of Triangles Parameter: is the desired number of triangles that the final TIN will try to
achieve.
Working with Pipe Models
Pipe models have a much greater number of tools available to them, and nearly all the optimizations
made to EdgeWise were made with pipe models in mind. In order to create a pipe model, select all the
desired .c3pipes files to be used to merge into a single pipe model—see Adding Models. When a pipe
model is the active model there will be a special color scale bar in the top right corner of the viewing
area—see the Color Scale Bar section. Additionally, pipe models have two visible parts: pipes and
centerlines; each of which may be toggled visible/invisible with the checkmarks next to them in the layer
pane.
Changing the Display of a Pipe Model

Clicking the Model Display button while a pipe model is the active layer will bring up a dialog with the
following display options for pipe models:
Coloring
Pipe models can be colored in a number of different ways—by radius, coverage, RMSE (Root Mean
Squared Error), and layer. To color a pipe by one of the ways listed simply click the “Color By” radio
button and then select the appropriate coloring scheme from the adjacent drop box.
• Radius Mode: pipes are colored based on their radius. Pipes with a radius between 0.0 meters
and 0.25 meters will be colored from red to yellow, pipes with a radius from 0.25 to 0.5 meters
will be colored from yellow to green, pipes with a radius from 0.5 to 0.75 will be colored from
green to cyan, and pipes with a radius from 0.75 to 1.0 meters will be colored from cyan to blue.
• Coverage Mode: pipes are colored based on their “coverage” – the percentage of the pipe’s
surface area that was scanned. If a pipe is only scanned from one direction, it can at most have
50% coverage (the back side won’t be scanned); while if it is scanned from all angles, it will have
100% coverage. Pipes with 0-25% coverage will be colored from red to yellow, pipes with
coverage from 25-50% will be colored from yellow to green, pipes with coverage from 50-75%
will be colored from green to cyan, and pipes with coverage from 75-100% will be colored from
cyan to blue.
• RMSE Mode: pipes are colored based on their RMSE value. Pipes with a RMSE value between
infinity and 0.007 are colored from red to yellow, pipes with a RMSE value between 0.007 and
0.006 are colored from yellow to green, pipes with a RMSE value between 0.006 and 0.005 are
colored from green to cyan, and pipes with a RMSE value between 0.005 and 0.0 are colored
from cyan to blue.
• Layer Mode: pipes are colored according to which layer a pipe belongs to.
Alternatively, a pipe model can be colored by a single color of the user’s choosing—useful for
determining which pipes belong to which pipe model.
Opacity
Sets the opacity of the active pipe model—0 is totally transparent, 100 is totally opaque.
Color Scale Bar
The color scale bar is a handy tool that is present whenever a pipe model is the active layer—provided
there exists a numeric value that is determining the pipes color. It is used as a quick lookup to give an
approximate value to the color of a given pipe. It can be enabled/disabled from the Options menu in
the top right corner of the main window.
Manually Extracting Missed Pipes

While EdgeWise extracts most all of the pipes present in a scene, sometimes it misses some and it may
be necessary to manually extract the missed pipes. If there is a point database model present—in
addition to the pipe model—then the Extract tool located under the pipes section of the Model tab is
available for just that.
To use the Extract tool, select the pipe model as the active layer and then click the extract button (or use
the ‘x’ key on your keyboard as a shortcut). Left click a polygon around the points belonging to the pipe
you wish to extract. Each click will drop a vertex for a polygon which will be drawn around the section of
points. Once the points have been fully enclosed by the polygon, double left click to close the polygon.
A pipe should now be extracted from the enclosed points.
The Extract tool is designed to be very efficient. You should not need to clean the point cloud of
surrounding points before using it; simply draw the polygon around the pipe and it will usually do a good
job of finding and fitting the correct points, even when there are lots of background points. To get best
results, draw the polygon a little bigger than the pipe itself – about 4 or 5 pixels larger on all sides. Also,
make sure that at least 50% of the visible points inside your polygon belong to the pipe you are trying to
extract.
If a pipe is not extracted, reposition the camera and try again, or try again from the same location but
“tighten up” the polygon used to fence the points. If a pipe still isn’t extracted it is possible that the
data is just too noisy to extract a clean pipe. In such a case, there are other ways to create a pipe—see
“Connection Modes” and the sections that follow.
Easy Connect
The Easy Connect tool is used to automatically connect disjointed pipe segments. To use the Easy
Connect tool simply click the ”Easy Connect” button located in the Pipes section of the ribbon bar under
the Model tab. Once clicked, a dialog will pop up asking how aggressive the automatic connector should
be when choosing which pipes are connected to each other. The less aggressive the automatic
connecter is set, the higher the confidence will be for each connection. However, more pipes may need
to be manually connected afterwards. As the automatic connecter is set to more aggressive values,
more pipes will be connected, but the reliability of those connections goes down. Those aggressive
connections will need to be QC’d more thoroughly, but fewer pipes will need to be manually connected.
Once a desired setting is chosen, simply click the OK button, and let EdgeWise connect the pipes.
Clean Pipes
Clean Pipes is an automated optimization tool that:
• Takes a weighted average of the diameter of each pipe run, where weight is based on pipe
length, to give each run a consistent diameter
• Attempts to optimize and straighten connected pipe segments in to one continuous segment
based on a set Tolerance
• Refits the cleaned pipes to the point cloud.
• Finalizes black Connectors by turning them in to exportable Pipe components
Three representations of a run of conduit: An un-cleaned version that consists of 20 total components, (left), Cleaned with the
default .01m tolerance, optimized down to 9 components (middle), and cleaned with a 1m tolerance, resulting in 3 components
(right)
There are two versions of Clean Pipes available:
• The ‘Global’ Clean Pipes tool available on the Ribbon (Model Tab -> Clean Pipes) will ‘clean’ the
entire active pipe model with a single defined tolerance.
• The Clean tool in the Chain Info SmartSheet, which will only ‘clean’ the currently selected
chains.
Clean Pipes - Settings

• Merge Collinear Pipes: If this option is checked, the
optimization, refitting and finalizing of connectors will
occur, as shown above. Pipes whose shared endpoints
do not deviate outside the specified tolerance from the
perfectly straight “As Designed” centerline will be
joined to become a single pipe without splits.
If this option is not checked, only the weighted average will occur.
KNOWN ISSUE: The Merge Collinear Pipes option will be applied when using the Clean tool in the
Chain Info SmartSheet, even if the option is unchecked.
• Tolerance: The distance used to determine if two pipe segments should be merged into a single
pipe. This compares the shared end vertices of each pipe segment vs. the centerline of the
possible resulting pipe; if the vertex is within this distance, the pipes are merged.
• Refit: This option is not shown in the Clean Pipes Settings dialog, however, the Refit? Column in
the Chain Info SmartSheet governs whether the pipe run in question will be refit during the
cleaning process.
Clean Pipes – Reccomendations & Best Practices

1. We strongly recommend using only the Clean tool in Chain Info SmartSheet, for the following
reasons:
• The SmartSheet Clean tool gives more control and situational awareness to the appliance of
tolerances than the ‘Global’ Clean Pipes tool. For example:
o Applying a 1” tolerance to a 2” pipe will allow only significant sag or deviations in
that pipe to be shown.
o Applying a 1” tolerance to a 15” pipe will not optimize or straighten relatively small
details.
• There is a known issue in the Clean Pipes algorithm in which for certain pipe run
configurations, some or all components in a run may be erroneously deleted. Identifying and
correcting these error is more difficult after using the ‘Global’ Clean Pipes tool, as the
missing components may not be immediately obvious (see Cleaning Loops, below).
2. Additionally, we recommend saving a separate copy of the pipe model before beginning the
Cleaning process, as the need to revert to the pre-cleaned model may arise
Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops

The Clean Pipes algorithm is not designed to handle loops, and will often fail to clean loops, delete
components inside loops, or delete the loop altogether. If there are loops present in the model, Clean
Pipes will present the following options:
• Skip Loops: Components in question that are part of loops will not be ‘cleaned’ (Recommended)
• Continue: All components in question will be ‘cleaned’. (Not Recommended)
• Cancel: Do not ‘clean’ at all.
To successfully clean a loop, the loop needs to be broken, cleaned, and then completed again, as shown
below. We recommend breaking the loop by removing an Elbow or Tee, but never a straight Pipe, as re-
connecting a straight Pipe usually requires additional cleaning.
Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops Example
Figure 1: A simple loop configuration - with one uncleaned component, highlighted in red
Figure 2: The loop, highlighted by Clean Pipes

Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops Example Continued
Figure 3: To break the loop, select and delete a connector, preferably an Elbow using the Edit tool (‘E’)
Figure 4: Once the loop is broken use Clean to finalize the run (Note that the black connector is gone)
Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops Example Continued
Figure 5: Finally, re-create the elbow to finish the loop using the Connect tool (‘C’)
Apply Standards
Note: It is strongly recommended that the “Apply Standards” tool in the Chain Info Smartsheet be used
instead of the Apply Standards option to change pipe standards. Applying specs one pipe chain at a time
or using the Multi-edit tool is the ideal way to apply standards, as applying standards drastically alters
the model and cannot be undone. Other methods of safely applying standards include pressing the Shift
key to select multiple chains in the 3D view or using the Layer Edit mode to adjust layer specs. See the
SmartSheet and Pipe Standards sections for additional information.
The Apply Standards tool is used to standardize all pipes that have not been standardized previously; it
will not replace the standard of a pipe that already has a standard associated with it. Upon clicking the
“Apply Standards” button, a dialog box will pop up giving the option to save a copy of the current model
before cleaning; this is highly recommended, as the need may arise to revert to the pre-standardized
model at some point in the future. Next, another dialog will open asking for the parameters below:
• Choose a Spec: Select the appropriate standard for the pipe model. Options are ASME,
AS_NS_2280 (Australia), DIN_BS, ISO_2531 (European), and JIS. In general, North and South
American projects tend to use the ASME standard; European, Middle Eastern, and African
projects tend to use the DIN_BS standard; and Asian projects tend to use the JIS standard.
However, it is to be noted that numerous exceptions to this generalization exist, so detailed
knowledge of a project is required before setting project standards.
• Choose a Pressure Rating: Select the pressure rating associated with the pipe model.
Edit—Graphically Extrude Pipes and Adjust Elbow Bends

The Edit pipe tool allows the editing of an individual pipe. To use the tool simply click the Edit button
within the pipes section under the Model tab, then select a pipe within the scene.
Upon clicking a pipe there are seven spheres present—six on the planes defining the box and one in the
center of the box. These spheres are the primary way to manipulate the pipe.
• Left click and drag one of the two plane spheres along the centerline of the pipe to extrude the
pipe in that direction.
• Left click and drag one the four plane spheres perpendicular to the pipe’s centerline to scale the
pipe. Alternatively, you can right-click and drag up or down to scale the entire pipe.
• Left click and drag the center sphere to translate (move) the pipe. Alternatively, clicking and
dragging the middle mouse button anywhere within the box surrounding the pipe will translate
it as well.
One thing to note about the box surrounding the pipe is that the spheres will not resize automatically
when zooming closer or farther away from the pipe. This can cause the spheres to become larger than
the pipe in certain scenarios. To resize the spheres to a manageable size simply left click anywhere on
the box surrounding the pipe.
In addition to manipulating the pipe, the pipe can also be deleted using the delete key on the keyboard.
A special thing to note about manipulating pipes is that only non-connected and partially connected
pipes can be manipulated. Pipes connected on both ends cannot be manipulated. However, they can
still be deleted.
Finally, the bend radius of an elbow can be easily adjusted using the Edit tool. Simply use this tool to
click on an elbow, and a resizing dialog will appear. Adjust the slider to change the bend radius, or type
in a fixed radius value (the bend radius is given as a multiple of the pipe radius).
Select Pipes
The Select tool is designed to be used in conjunction with the snapping tool—explained below. It is used
to select an unconnected pipe—not pipe components such as a valve, flange, or elbow. Any number of
pipes can be selected. Once one or more pipes are selected all other non-selected pipes will appear
transparent—selected pipes will appear solid.
Snapping Pipes
Snaps the pipes selected using the “Select” tool—explained above—in one of the following manners:
• Snap-x, y, z-axis: will snap all selected pipes to be parallel to the x, y, or z-axis.
• Snap-parallel: will snap all selected pipes to be parallel with the first pipe selected using the
select tool. At least two pipes need to be selected with the select tool for this option to be
available.
• Snap-perpendicular: will snap all selected pipes to be perpendicular to the first pipe selected
using the select tool. At least two pipes need to be selected with the select tool for this option
to be available.
• Snap-collinear: will snap all selected pipes to be collinear with the first pipe selected using the
available.
• Snap-coincident: will snap all selected pipes to be coincident to the first pipe selected using the
available.
• Snap-coplanar: will snap all selected pipes to be coplanar to the plane formed by the first
selected pipe’s points and the average of all the points that make up all other selected pipes. At
least three pipes need to be selected using the select tool for this option to be available.
Moving Pipe Ends or Midpoints

The Move tool allows individual pipe ends to be moved freely. Only pipe ends can be moved, meaning
no flanges, valves, connectors, elbows, or reducer ends can be moved. To use the Move tool simply click
the Move button located in the pipes section of the ribbon bar under the Model tab. Then click and
drag a pipe end within the viewing area. It is recommended that some opacity is applied to the pipes
using the Model Display button—see “Model Display” in the “Working with Pipe Models” section—so
that all the internal moveable vertices will be visible. Alternatively, turning off pipe cylinders and
turning on centerlines—see “Pipes” and “Centerlines” in the “Working with Pipe Models” section—
would work just as well.
Slide Components along Pipe

The Slide tool allows for pipe components—valves, flanges, tees, and reducers—to be slid down the
centerline of a neighboring pipe. If possible the tool will choose the first neighbor to be the centerline
used for sliding. However, there are certain situations where the second neighbor is the better choice.
Therefore, for the best results both pipe neighbors should be parallel. To use the slide tool simply click
the Slide button located in the pipes section of the ribbon bar under the Model tab. Then click and drag
a pipe component in the desired direction.
Rotating Elbows, Eccentric Reducers, and Valve Stems

The Rotate tool allows certain pipe components—valves, reducers, and elbows—to be rotated in place
around their centerline. In the case that their geometry is not symmetric—elbows, valves and eccentric
reducers—they will be rotated around the centerline of the pipe they are connected to. To use the
Rotate tool simply click the Rotate button located in the pipes section of the ribbon bar under the Model
tab. Then click and drag a component within the viewing area in the desired direction. For the best
results, it is recommended that the mouse is dragged in a circular motion once a pipe component is
clicked.
Splitting a Pipe into Multiple, Movable Segments

The Split tool allows pipes (not components like valves, flanges, tees, elbows, and reducers), to be split
into two pipe segments. To use the Split tool simply click the Split button located in the pipes section of
the ribbon bar under the Model tab. Then click anywhere on a pipe within the viewing area. The pipe
will be split where the mouse click took place. Something to note when using this tool is that pipes are
solid by default, so it may be difficult to see if the split took place. It is recommended that some opacity
be applied to the pipes using the Model Display button—see “Model Display” in the “Working with Pipe
Models” section—so that the new vertex created during the split is readily visible after the click takes
place. Once a pipe is split with this tool, you may edit the internal vertices using the “Move” tool to
create a bending pipe, or you may choose to use the “Edit” tool to select a sub-segment and delete it.
Graphically Selecting and Deleting Multiple Pipes

The Multi-Select tool allows the selection of multiple pipes at the same time. To use the Multi-select
tool simply click the Multi-Select button located in the pipes section of the ribbons bar under the Model
tab. Then click and drag anywhere within the viewing area to create a box. Any pipe end within that
box will be selected. Then press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete all selected pipes.
Connection Mode—Inserting Components vs. Appending Components

The Connection Mode dictates how components are manually placed in the model. There are two
modes for adding pipes to a model: Insertion mode and Append mode. To activate either mode simply
use the drop-down box located above the connect button in the pipes section of the ribbon bar under
the Model tab and select the desired mode. The following tools behave differently depending on the
connection mode: Connect, Flange, and Valve. See the appropriate sections for details.
Connect
The connect drop-down box located in the pipes section of the ribbon bar under the Model tab is used
to connect pipes together. Depending on which mode is selected—Insert or Append—the tool will
behave differently.
Insertion Mode: In insertion mode, the connect tool uses existing pipe end points to connect pipes
together. In this mode, the following components can be inserted: elbows, reducers, and tee joints.
To insert an elbow, straight connection, or reducer, simply select the appropriate option from the drop-
down box and then click a pipe end point in the viewing area. This will select the first vertex of the
inserted component. A line will now be drawn from this selected point to wherever the mouse currently
resides. Now click a second pipe end point somewhere in the viewing area. If a connection can be
made between these two points, then the desired component will be inserted, otherwise the pipe end
point selections are cleared and nothing happens.
To insert a tee joint, select “Tee Joint” from the drop-down box, and then click a pipe end point
somewhere in the viewing area. As with inserting an elbow or reducer, a line will now be drawn from
the selected point to where the mouse currently resides. However, a tee joint does not terminate on a
pipe end point; it terminates somewhere along a pipes centerline. Therefore, to finish inserting the tee
joint, click somewhere along a nearby pipe. If this is a valid connection, a tee joint will be inserted;
otherwise, the selections are cleared and nothing happens.
Append Mode: In append mode, the connect tool uses only one vertex from an existing pipe and will
only append a new component to the selected vertex—not connect existing pipes. In this mode, the
following components can be appended: straight pipes, reducers, and elbows.
To insert a straight pipe, simply select “Straight Pipe,” and click a pipe’s end vertex somewhere within
the viewing area. A pipe will automatically be appended to the selected end point.
To insert an elbow, again click a pipe’s end vertex somewhere within the viewing area. However, this
time around, a bit more information is needed. A dialog will pop up asking for the bend radius and the
bend angle of the elbow. Type in the desired parameters, and then hit the ok button. The specified
elbow will be appended to the selected pipe. To finish the elbow, you will likely need to use the
“Rotate” tool to orient it properly.
To insert a reducer, as with straight pipe and elbows, click a pipe’s end vertex. However, reducers
require that the pipe chain already be standardized—see Pipe Standards. Once clicked, a dialog box will
pop up asking for more information about the reducer. The first thing EdgeWise needs to know is what
kind of reducer is being appended to the pipe—concentric or eccentric. Simply choose one or the other.
You will also need to choose the subsequent reducer diameter from the drop-down box. Then hit ok.
The reducer will automatically be appended to the end of the pipe.
Flange
The Flange drop down box—located in the Pipes section of the ribbon bar under the Model tab—is used
to place flanges into the pipe model. There are a number of different flanges available within the drop-
down box; however, all of these flanges are spec based—see Pipe Standards. If a particular flange is not
defined within the spec, then EdgeWise will not allow that flange to be added to the model. Depending
on which connection mode is active—see below—the flange will be added to the model in a different
way.
Insertion Mode: will insert a flange into an existing pipe. To insert a flange, select the desired flange
type from the drop-down box, then click somewhere on an existing pipe. If possible, the flange will be
inserted at the click point. The combination of Pipe Standard, Nominal Size, and Pressure Rating for the
pipe will dictate the dimensions of the flange inserted based on the spec. If the spec does not contain a
defined flange for the given combination, no flange will be inserted.
Append Mode: will append the flange to the end of an existing pipe. To append a flange, select the
desired flange from the drop-down box, then click on the end point of an existing pipe. If possible, the
flange will be appended to that pipe. The combination of Pipe Standard, Nominal Size, and Pressure
Rating for the pipe will dictate the dimensions of the flange inserted based on the spec. If the spec does
not contain a defined flange for the given combination, no flange will be inserted.
Valve
The Valve drop-down box—located in the Pipes section of the ribbon bar under the Model tab—is used
to place valves into the pipe model. There are a number of different valve types available within the
drop-down box, however, all of these valves are spec based—see Pipe Standards. If a particular valve is
not defined within the spec, then EdgeWise will not allow that valve to be added to the model.
Depending on which connection mode is active—see below—the valve will be added to the model in a
different way.
Insertion Mode: will insert a valve into an existing pipe. To insert a valve, select the desired valve from
the drop-down box, then click somewhere on an existing pipe. If possible, the valve will be inserted at
the click point. The combination of Pipe Standard, Nominal Size, and Pressure Rating for the pipe will
dictate the dimensions of the valve inserted based on the spec. If the spec does not contain a defined
flange for the given combination, no valve will be inserted.
Append Mode: will append the valve to the end of an existing pipe. To append a valve, select the
desired valve from the drop-down box, then click on the end point of an existing pipe. If possible, the
valve will be appended to that pipe. The combination of Pipe Standard, Nominal Size, and Pressure
Rating for the pipe will dictate the dimensions of the valve inserted based on the spec. If the spec does
not contain a defined flange for the given combination, no valve will be inserted.
Ortho-snap
The Ortho-snap tool is used to take the pipes in the model from as-built to as-designed— where pipes
are perfectly parallel or perpendicular to each other. To apply ortho-snapping to the pipe model, simply
click the Ortho-snap button—located in the Pipes section of the ribbon bard under the Model tab. Upon
clicking this button, a dialog box will pop up asking for more information:
• Tolerance: is the distance that the ortho-snap tool is allowed to move pipes in order to achieve
the ideal, as-designed final position of any given pipe.
• Snap to Vertical: pipes that are nearly vertical will be adjusted so that they are perfectly vertical.
To enable Snap to Vertical, check the “Snap to Vertical” checkbox within the dialog.
• Snap to Horizontal: pipes that are nearly horizontal will be adjusted so that they are perfectly
horizontal. To enable Snap to Horizontal, check the “Snap to Horizontal” checkbox within the
dialog.
• Snap to Parallel: pipes that are nearly parallel to each other will all be adjusted so that they are
perfectly parallel to each other. To enable Snap to Parallel, check the “Snap to Parallel”
checkbox within the dialog.
• Snap to Perpendicular: if the “Snap to Parallel” checkbox is checked, then the option to snap to
perpendicular is available. Snap to Perpendicular will snap pipes that are nearly perpendicular
to be perfectly perpendicular (orthogonal) to each other. To enable Snap to Perpendicular,
check the “Snap to Perpendicular” checkbox within the dialog.
Once the desired features are set up, click the “Ok” button and EdgeWise will snap the pipes
accordingly.
SmartSheets
SmartSheets contain important information about each pipe/pipe-run within the pipe model. There are
two different SmartSheets—Part Info and Chain Info—which are used for two specialized tasks.
The information contained within the SmartSheet is dynamically linked to the graphical pipe
representation within the view. When a SmartSheet is open, you can click on a pipe in the view to
highlight the line in the spreadsheet, or conversely, you can click on a line in the spreadsheet to highlight
the pipe in the view.
The Part Info SmartSheet is used to gather information on individual pipe segments, and components
such as elbows or flanges. In general, this is the SmartSheet that would be used to initially quality check
the pipes after the extraction process. The details of the Part Info SmartSheet will be discussed in the
“Individual Parts” section. For now, think of this SmartSheet as both a part/component inventory as
well as a “quality control” tool for extracted pipes.
The Chain Info SmartSheet is used to gather information related to whole pipe runs. In general, this is
the SmartSheet that would be used for finalizing the pipe model before inserting pipe components (see
workflow paragraph under the “Working with Pipe Models” section), the details of which will be
discussed in the “Entire Pipe Runs” section. EdgeWise considers all connected pipes and components
(elbows, flanges, valves) to be a single chain, until the chain hits either a reducer or a tee. The Chain
Info SmartSheet, therefore, contains information relevant to an entire pipe chain (such as pressure,
spec, diameter, etc.), not just individual components.
Saving
SmartSheets can be saved and imported into spread sheet programs such Microsoft’s Excel. To save a
SmartSheet, simply click the Export option under the SmartSheet’s File menu.
Zooming
Another feature native to both SmartSheets is the ability to zoom to specific pipes selected from the
SmartSheet. There are two zoom modes available—broadside and barrel side. Broadside moves the
camera so that it is looking at the full length of the pipe/pipe-run. To change the zoom mode of a
SmartSheet open the “Zoom Mode” option under the SmartSheet->Options menu, then pick the desired
zoom mode.
To zoom to a pipe, simply select a pipe from the SmartSheet and click the “Zoom” button in the bottom
left corner of the SmartSheet.
Display Pipe IDs

Sometimes it is desirable to associate a number with a given pipe or pipe chain. EdgeWise will assign an
ID to each pipe within the model. However, this ID changes frequently as pipes are added, deleted, or
reorganized. Use these IDs with caution.
To enable temporary IDs, click the Display Temp ID option in the Column Settings menu.
Display RMSE/Coverage
When a SmartSheet is opened initially the columns for RMSE and Coverage are not visible, as
populating these values can take quite some time for large data sets. To turn on these columns, simply
click the Display RMSE/Coverage option under the Column Settings menu.
Showing Diameters in Feet and Inches

To show the diameter of a pipe or pipe chain in feet and inches, simply click the Display Diameter in
Feet and Inches option under the Column Settings menu.
Selecting Multiple Components

There are a couple ways to select multiple components from within a SmartSheet. There are the
standard spread sheet keys—shift (select a block of items) and ctrl (select a list of individual items).
Additionally, components can be graphically selected using the shift key and clicking on the desired
pipes within the viewing area.
Individual Parts (Part Info)

As mentioned before, the Part Info SmartSheet is designed as a Quality Control tool. All of the piping
components have certain features which can be edited directly through this SmartSheet.
Columns
• Length: is the length of the pipe segment.
• RMSE: is the Root Mean Squared Error for the pipe segment.
• Coverage: is the total point coverage of the pipe.
• Bend Radius: is the bend radius of the elbow. This column is editable. Requires type: elbow.
• Diameter: is the diameter of the pipe. This column is editable; typing in a value here will change
the physical diameter of the pipe.
• Type: is what kind of component it is—pipe, elbow, connector, flange, valve, reducer, reducing
elbow, tee, or cap.
• Sub-Type: is an additional way to further classify a component, specifically for flanges, valves,
and reducers. This column is editable. Requires type: flange, valve or reducer.
• Miter Count: is the number of miter joints preset. This column is editable. A value of 0 means a
smooth elbow. A value of -1 means a 90-degree miter. A value of 1-8 gives the number of
mitered connections in between the two pipes. Requires type: elbow.
• Flange Spacing: is the amount of spacing between flange faces. Used to account for very
precise gasket spacing. This column is editable. Requires type: flange.
• Approved: whether this pipe has been approved or not. This column is editable. This value is
set to “Yes” when a pipe has been approved using the “Approved button” in Inspection Mode
(described below).
• Elbow Angle: is the bend angle of the selected elbow.
QA Mode
The QA Mode button at the top left corner of the Part Info SmartSheet toggles Inspection Mode, the
RMSE column, and the Coverage column, for easy access to these common QA tools.
Inspection Mode
Inspection Mode is a special mode for quickly validating the accuracy of extracted pipes. When you
click on a line in the spreadsheet while in this mode, it will automatically jump the camera to looking
straight down the barrel of the currently selected pipe, turn the camera to orthographic mode, and
draw a circle representing the diameter of the pipe so that the pipe can be seen against the fitted points
in the point cloud. If the pipe is invalid, it can be deleted by pressing the “delete” key on the keyboard,
and you will be moved to the next pipe in the list. You can also dynamically adjust the pipe diameter
using the slider bar at the top of the SmartSheet. This will automatically refit the newly resized pipe
against the point cloud. Finally, once the pipe has been inspected hit the “Approve button” to flag the
pipe as approved; the next unapproved pipe will automatically become selected and presented for
inspection.
To enable Inspection Mode, select the Inspection Mode option from the Options menu.
When exiting Inspection Mode, the camera style (Perspective or Orthographic) will return to it’s original
state.
Adjusting Diameters
Within the Pipe Info SmartSheet, pipe diameters can be adjusted in two different ways: the slider bar—
located at the top of the SmartSheet—or within the “Diameter” column. If the diameter of the pipe is
known, it is best to just simply type the diameter into the “Diameter” column. However, in the case that
the diameter of the pipe is not known, the pipe can be visually resized to fit the point cloud. To do this,
simply drag the slider one way or the other to grow or shrink the diameter of the selected pipe.
Deleting Parts
To delete a pipe from the Info SmartSheet, simply select the desired component—either from within the
viewing area or within the SmartSheet—and press either the delete key on the keyboard or the Delete
button at the bottom of the SmartSheet.
Entire Pipe Runs (Chain Info)

The Chain Info SmartSheet is a finishing tool used to select and edit individual pipe chains before
inserting pipe components. The typical approach to using this SmartSheet effectively would be to select
a chain, clean and standardize the chain if it hasn’t been done already, and then insert components—
valves, flanges, and caps—onto the chain, and repeat for each chain.
Columns
• Bend Radius: changes all elbows within a chain to this bend radius. This column is editable.
• Diameter: is the diameter of the chain.
• NPS: the nominal diameter of the pipe chain in inches.
• DN: is the nominal diameter of the pipe chain in millimeters.
• Layer/Level: Gives the layer that the pipe chain is associated with. This column is editable.
• Refit: dictates whether the clean function—both global and by chain—will refit the chain to the
point cloud. This column is editable.
• Approved: whether this pipe has been approved or not. This column is editable.
• Pressure Rating: is the pressure rating based on the selected standard.
• Standard: is the standard of the chain.
• Uninsulated Diameter: Assigns an uninsulated (inner) diameter to the pipe. If this is set to a
value different from the Diameter, then the pipe is considered to be an insulated pipe.
EdgeWise will display the pipe with insulation (Diameter), but upon export you will have the
option to export it as an uninsulated pipe to show the true internal diameter. This column is
editable.
• Revit Family: Shows what family the run will be brought into to Revit as. (Pipes, Conduit, Duct).
This is useful to make round ducting that can be extracted as a .c3m.
Adding New Columns

To add a new, editable column click the “New Column” option under the “Column Settings” menu.
Deleting Chains
To delete an entire chain, select the desired chain within the SmartSheet and either the delete key on
the keyboard or the Delete button at the bottom of the SmartSheet. Alternatively, the chain can be
selected graphically in the viewing area.
Clean
Performs the clean operation on the selected pipe chain(s)—see “Clean Pipes” under the “Working with
Pipe Models” section.
Multi-Edit
The Multi-edit button—located in the bottom left of the SmartSheet—is used to make mass changes to
multiple selected pipe runs—see” Selecting Multiple Components”. To use this tool, simply select the
desired pipe runs and click the “Multi-edit” button. A dialog will appear asking which column should be
edited and what the new value should be. Change as desired.
Displaying Points Associated with Pipe Chains

EdgeWise is capable of selecting all points within a specified radius of a given pipe chain and displaying
(or even deleting) them separately from the Point Database. This tool can be extremely useful for
modeling a pipe chain, as it allows you to see only the point cloud within the immediate vicinity of the
pipe, ignoring the rest of the points. It can also be quite useful for removing the points associated with a
pipe run – as if the pipe never existed in the point cloud. If there is a Point Database model present,
then the “Point” menu is available for use, as well as the “DB Points” button—located in the bottom left
of the SmartSheet.
Under the “Point” menu there are different options available—Settings, Delete Points, and Restore
Points—each of which plays an important role when displaying a pipe chain’s points within a Point
Database model.
The “Settings” option is used to determine how far away points can be from the pipe chain in order to
be considered. There are two ways set a distance: an absolute distance, and a multiple of the pipe
chain’s radius. The “Absolute Distance” setting allows points this specified distance away from the pipe
to be included. The “Multiple of Pipe Radius” setting allows points up to a multiple (2X, 3X, etc.) of a
pipe chain’s radius to be included.
To actually compute the pipe chain’s database points, simply click the “DB Points” button mentioned
above—also see “Selected Pipe’s Points” under the “Working with Point Database” section.
The “Delete Points” option can be used to remove the points associated with a pipe chain—based on
the “Settings” option—from the Point Database model. Once points are removed they are gone for
good. However, EdgeWise creates a small back up file should the points need to be reinserted into the
database. Upon deleting the points, a dialog will ask for a file name to create a backup file. Name this
file as desired. To restore points to a database, use the “Restore Points” option and select the desired
backup file--.c3remove—to restore.
Editing Layers
There are two ways to create a layer name in EdgeWise: “Type-in” and “Layer Spec” mode. To specify
the layering mode, open the “Layer Edit Mode” option under the “Options” menu. From there, choose
either “Type-in Mode” or “Layer Spec Mode”.
In “Type-in” mode—the default mode—simply type in a name in the “Layer/Level” column of the
SmartSheet.
In “Layer Spec” mode, layers are chosen from a predefined spec—see “Layer Standards”. If there is a
preexisting layer spec and this mode is enabled, then simply select a layer name from the drop-down
box present in the “Layer/Level” column of the SmartSheet.
Pipe Standards
Pipe standards are an important part of a pipe model. EdgeWise provides a simple interface for editing
and creating pipe standards. To open the Standards tool simply click the “Spec Editor” button located
under the “File” → “Pipe Standard Editor”.
Interface
The interface for editing specs is broken into two parts: the Standard Tree and the Information Area.
Once a standard is completed it can then be used in any EdgeWise project to standardize pipes.
The Standard Tree

The Standard Tree is where specs are added, deleted, exported, and imported. To create a new
standard spec, simply select the “New Standard” option under the file menu. A new entry in the
standard tree will be added with the desired name. All specs must have at least one Pressure-Class
associated with it, so by default there will be a Pressure-Class called “Default” placed under the new
spec. This Pressure-Class can be renamed or deleted as desired, however it is important to note that the
spec will not function without at least one Pressure-Class present.
To add a new Pressure-Class to an existing spec, simply right click the desired spec, select the “New”
option, and choose a name for the new Pressure-Class. Another way to add a Pressure-Class to an
existing spec is to import one. EdgeWise allows .csv files to be imported directly into a desired spec,
provided it follows the correct format—explained below in the “Information Area” section.
As well as being able to import .csv files, an EdgeWise Pressure-Class can also be exported to a .csv file.
This allows the Pressure-Class to be quickly edited in programs such as Microsoft’s Excel. While it is true
that specs can be directly edited within the Information Area of the Standards interface, it tends to be
more efficient to build a PSI sub-trees information in a more robust spread sheet environment.
The Information Area

The Information Area of the Standards interface allows for the viewing and editing of Pressure-Class
information. The values shown here are the values used when standardizing a pipe and all of its fittings.
You can mouse over each of the column headings for more information on the dimension defined by
that column. Flange dimensions are as defined in the Texas Flange Catalog (www.texasflange.com), and
valve and reducer dimensions are as defined by www.wermac.org.
Layer Editor
The “Layer Editor” tool—located in the “File” tab under the “Pipe Layer Editor” button— is where
EdgeWise creates and edits its custom layer specs.
Interface
The interface for creating custom layers is divided into two parts: the “Layer Groups” and the “Layer”
section. Once a layer standard is completely filled out it can be used to further define pipes—see the
“Entire Pipe Runs” section.
Layer Groups
The Layer Groups is where new specs are created and selected for editing.
To create a new spec, simply click the “New” icon—the left most icon in the upper right corner of the
Layer Groups box—and type in a name for the spec.
To select a spec, simply click the desired spec.
To remove an existing spec, simply select the desired spec and click the “Remove” icon—the red “X”.
Layer Information Section

The layer information section is located in the right half of the Layer Spec dialog. This is where layers
can be edited and given custom names such as hot-water, gas, etc.
To create a custom layer name simply select an existing layer to edit or hit the insert row button—
located above.
To remove a layer, select the desired layer and hit the delete row button—located above.
Saving, Importing, and Exporting Models
Saving
There are two options for Saving in EdgeWise: Save As and Save All.
It is very important to note that ‘Save As’ does NOT save entire projects; rather it saves individual model
file and prompts the user to rename those files. When using Save As, each model in the scene must be
saved separately, or that work will be lost. To save a specific model:
1. Change the Active Model by selecting the model you wish to save in the Model Selection Pane
on the left side of the screen.
2. Click Save -> Save As under the File tab, and choose a file name. If you want to overwrite your
previous file, do not change the name. Save All will save all models loaded in to EdgeWise, but
will automatically overwrite existing files. If a saved version of the file does not exist (for
example, if a blank model was loaded), the user will be prompted to input a name and location.
Exporting
• Ground Models: can be exported to four different file formats:
o AutoCAD .dxf file format
o .xyz and .pts file format
o Land XML file format.
To export a ground model, click the “Export” button—located in the Output section of the File
tab—and choose the appropriate file format and name the file as desired.
• Pipe Models: can be exported to the following formats:

o Leica COE format (Can be used with the Leica .COE Plug-in for AutoCAD)
o PDMS format (For use with the EdgeWise PDMS Plug-In)
o PCF format
o .c3pdms format (for use with the EdgeWise Plant 3D plug-in)
o STEP format.
o DXF (Routing and Centerlines only)
To export a pipe model, click the “Export” button (located in the Output section of the File tab),
select a format, and choose an appropriate file name. Pipes may now be exported to a “Mixed
Metric” PCF format (i.e., diameters are imperial, but lengths are metric).
On the STEP format: In this version of the software, the following objects are exported: pipes,
elbows, tees, flanges, valves, reducers, and reducing elbows. Other features such as connectors
are exported as bounding boxes or bounding cylinders. Note: valve stem geometry is not
exported to STEP at this time.
It should be noted that there is a known issue with importing a STEP file into AutoCAD. If a STEP
model is imported into an AutoCAD document, and then another model is imported into the
same document, AutoCAD’s importer can become confused and create bad geometry for the
second model. A workaround is to import into a new document, or to close the document (or
AutoCAD) and reopen it.
• Smart Points: The Smart Points export option finds and saves the points in the vicinity of a
selected set of objects to a “Smart Points” ReCap (.RCP) or PTS (.pts) file. If no individual model
objects are currently selected, the points associated with the entire model will be exported. The
Inclusive Distance setting allows for the export of all points within a specified radius of the
selected objects or model.
• Remainder Cloud: The inverse of Smart Points export, the Remainder Cloud export option will
export all points outside of a the Exclusive Distance from all loaded models (except for ground
models) – essentially creating a point cloud that only contains points that do not correspond to
any object modeled EdgeWise.
The Remainder Cloud should be used to assist in modeling, in another application such as Revit,
components that cannot be modeled in EdgeWise.
Options (Project Units, Colors, etc.)
EdgeWise has an Options menu—located in the top right corner of the main window—where many of
the general visual options for the viewing area reside. These options include:
• Background Colors: changes the background color scheme of the viewing area.
• Ribbon Style: changes the coloring of the ribbon bars.
• Manual Refresh: turns on/off manual refresh for point databases.
• Show Compass: turns the compass on/off.
• Show Color Key: turns color key on/off.
• Special Effects: turns on/off exploding pipes and sound effects.
• Camera Options: Allows customization of certain camera features.
• Metric/Imperial Units: changes the units EdgeWise displays—the default is meters.
• Database options: Allows customization of how much memory the point database is allowed to
use.
EdgeWise for Revit

Changing Data Types
EdgeWise supports three Revit System types: Pipe, Conduit, and Duct. To change the system type of a
chain, adjust its value in the Revit Family column of the Chain Info Smartsheet (Hotkey: I).
Adjusting the Revit Family value of a pipe chain adjusts the systems and families used to import that
chain when importing it to Revit. As such, certain components, such as a valve or flange on a conduit
chain, may not be imported.
Exporting to Revit
In order to export the active pipe model to Revit (versions 2013-2018 supported), click Export to Revit
under the Output section of the File Tab. EdgeWise will open a “Save As” menu that will allow you to
name and save out a .c3rvt file.
The active model will then be written to a .c3rvt file that can be imported to Revit through the
EdgeWise Revit Plug-in.
Note: Export to Revit does not currently support Reducing Elbows.

EdgeWise for Plant 3D
Supported Specs
At present export to Plant 3D is only supported for pipe models standardized to the “ASME” or “DIN_BS”
standard.
Exporting to Plant 3D
In order to export the currently selected pipe model into Plant 3D, select the File tab located in the top
menu bar. Under the “Output” section, there is a button named “Export”. Once this button is clicked a
drop-down menu will appear. Select Pipes/Plant 3D format. Once this button is clicked, three dialogs will
appear sequentially:
• Elbow Resize: The first dialog warns you that EdgeWise will automatically resize any elbows
with a radius other than 1.5 times the nominal diameter to the appropriate radius for Socket
Weld (SW) or Short Radius (SR) elbows. Elbows whose radius is 1.5 times the nominal
diameter are assumed to be Long Radius (LR) elbows. Note that this step will change the
EdgeWise model in memory; this change can be undone just like any other modeling
operation.
• Upon clicking “Yes” to continue, you will be asked to provide the name of the *.c3p3d file
that will be saved.
• Cutback Snapping Tolerance: The final dialog will ask you for a snapping tolerance to be
used in deciding whether an EdgeWise elbow should be interpreted as a “standard” elbow
(exactly 45 or 90 degrees) or a “cutback” elbow (with a non-standard angle such as 83.8
degrees). For example, if you choose the default tolerances of 5 degrees, then an elbow
whose angle in EdgeWise is between 85 and 95 degrees will be written to the *.c3p3d file as
a 90 degree elbow, and the end points of the neighboring pipes will be adjusted accordingly
to maintain continuity. Note that a large snapping tolerance (greater than 10 degrees) can
move the ends of pipes that are adjacent to snapped elbows a significant distance. Click
“Ok” to proceed with the export process.
Known Issues:
• Reducers that are standardized via Apply Standards cannot have their standards removed or
changed – the Reducer in question must be deleted and re-created to change the standard.
• Standardized Reducers that do not have a corresponding match for their Nominal Pipe Size in
the Revit “Sizes and Segments” section of the “Mechanical Settings” dialog (In Revit, Select Pipe
-> Edit Type -> Edit Routing Preferences -> Segments and Sizes) will more than likely come in to
Revit incorrectly sized.
Hot Key Reference

• Focus Point: F
• Navigate: Spacebar/ Esc
• Refresh Point Cloud: Enter
• SmartSheet/Part Info: Q
• SmartSheet/Chain Info: I
• Approve: Y
• Edit: E
• Move: D
• Slide: S
• Rotate: W
• Split: B
• Multi-Select: G
• Connect/Straight Pipe: C
• Connect/Reducer: R
• Connect/Tee Joint: T
• Extract: X
• Flange: A
• Valve: V

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DISCLAIMER ...........................................................................................................................................................

SUPPORTED FILE TYPES .......................................................................................................................................... 5

WORK FLOW .......................................................................................................................................................... 5

Split PTX ................................................................................................................................................................6

PROCESS SCANS ..................................................................................................................................................... 6

Point Database Models .........................................................................................................................................6

DISPLAYING MODELS ............................................................................................................................................. 9

ADDING MODELS ...........................................................................................................................................................9

3D DISPLAY AND NAVIGATION .............................................................................................................................. 9

WORKING WITH POINT DATABASES .................................................................................................................... 13

WORKING WITH GROUND MODELS ..................................................................................................................... 15

WORKING WITH PIPE MODELS ............................................................................................................................ 16

CHANGING THE DISPLAY OF A PIPE MODEL........................................................................................................................16

PIPE STANDARDS ................................................................................................................................................. 33

LAYER EDITOR ...................................................................................................................................................... 34

SAVING, IMPORTING, AND EXPORTING MODELS ................................................................................................. 35

OPTIONS (PROJECT UNITS, COLORS, ETC.) ........................................................................................................... 37

EDGEWISE FOR REVIT .......................................................................................................................................... 37

CHANGING DATA TYPES.................................................................................................................................................37

EDGEWISE FOR PLANT 3D .................................................................................................................................... 38

HOT KEY REFERENCE ............................................................................................................................................ 39

The tools available in the Convert menu are:

Point Database Models

3D Display and Navigation

1. Use the focus (f) key—see Camera Controls.

Plan, Profile, and Elevation Views

Setting X-axis (Adjusting the UCS of the Project)

• Use the Zoom: Layer or Zoom: Extents buttons.

Selected Pipe’s Points

Single Color sets all points to a single color.

Identify Point—Querying XYZ Coordinates

Faster Navigation / Speeding Up the Refresh Rate

Working with Ground Models

Changing the Display of a Pipe Model

Manually Extracting Missed Pipes

There are two versions of Clean Pipes available:

Clean Pipes - Settings

Clean Pipes – Reccomendations & Best Practices

Clean Pipes – Cleaning Loops

Figure 2: The loop, highlighted by Clean Pipes

Edit—Graphically Extrude Pipes and Adjust Elbow Bends

Moving Pipe Ends or Midpoints

Slide Components along Pipe

Rotating Elbows, Eccentric Reducers, and Valve Stems

Splitting a Pipe into Multiple, Movable Segments

Graphically Selecting and Deleting Multiple Pipes

Connection Mode—Inserting Components vs. Appending Components

Display Pipe IDs

Showing Diameters in Feet and Inches

Selecting Multiple Components

Individual Parts (Part Info)

Entire Pipe Runs (Chain Info)

Adding New Columns

Displaying Points Associated with Pipe Chains

The Standard Tree

The Information Area

To select a spec, simply click the desired spec.

Layer Information Section

• Pipe Models: can be exported to the following formats:

EdgeWise for Revit

Note: Export to Revit does not currently support Reducing Elbows.

Hot Key Reference

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