1. Moving around the 3D view
On a computer (mouse):
- Move / pan: left-click and drag
- Rotate: middle-button (mouse wheel) drag
- Nearby photos: right-click without dragging
- Zoom in/out: scroll the mouse wheel
- Zoom to a point: double-click on it
On a phone or tablet (touch):
- 1 finger: move (pan), or rotate -- depends on your chosen touch scheme below
- 2 (or 3) fingers: rotate and/or zoom -- exact mapping depends on your chosen touch scheme
- Rotate/zoom feels off? Tap the ✋ button (bottom-right on touch devices) to pick a different rotate/zoom scheme -- 4 are available, and your choice is remembered on this device
- Tap: place a note/measurement point (when a tool is active)
- Double-tap: zoom to that point
- Touch and hold: shows every photo within 10m (and the nearest chainage mark, if this project has any) of that spot (same as right-click on a computer)
- Tap the empty middle of the screen: hides both side panels for a bigger view
2. Taking measurements & dimensions
- In the 3D view: use Potree's own measurement tool in the left-hand toolbar (distance, height, area, volume) -- these save automatically as you use them.
- Photo inspection: the photo drawing/measurement toolbar is intentionally hidden to keep photo viewing uncluttered. Use the point-cloud measurement tools for 3D measurements.
- Measurement visibility: use Potree's own Scene/tools controls when you need to manage measurements; the former project-level Show/Hide Measurement shortcuts have been removed from the main GUI.
3. The basic pieces of the screen
- Main view (centre): the 3D point cloud itself.
- Right-hand panel: Photos & Annotations -- the main place you'll work from. Toggle it open/closed with the small button in its corner.
- Left-hand sidebar: Potree's own built-in tools (measurement, appearance, filters, scene) -- hidden by default; tap the centre of the screen or use its own toggle to bring it up.
- Basemap dropdown (bottom of the screen): choose a background map layer, then tick "Show" to actually draw it under the point cloud.
- BaseMap button beside Point Clouds: opens the existing map list. Choose a map to display it directly underneath the 3D point cloud; untick Show to hide it.
- Compass indicators (bottom-left, if any are set): show marked directions that stay accurate as you rotate the view.
4. Hiding a particular point cloud
If more than one point cloud is loaded in this project, open the left-hand sidebar and go to the Scene section -- every loaded point cloud is listed there with its own checkbox. Untick one to hide just that piece (e.g. hide the deck to see the girders underneath more clearly) without affecting the others.
5. Making a 2D or 3D profile (cross-section)
Open the left-hand sidebar and go to Tools -- Potree's own Profile tool lets you draw a line (or a multi-segment path) across the point cloud and see a true cross-section through it: a flattened 2D slice for a straight cut, or follow a bent path for a longer 3D-aware profile. Useful for checking road cross-sections, clearances, or slopes directly against the survey data.
6. The Photos & Annotations panel
Two tabs at the top:
- Photos tab: every linked photo in the project, organized by its component/folder Group. Filter by Group, inspection Status, or Layer and click a photo to open it. The panel can be dragged from its title and resized from its lower-right corner.
- Annotations tab: notes, arrows, and dimension markers placed directly in the 3D view. Use All Statuses here to filter annotation inspection status.
Main photo actions:
- + Add note: use the button beside Point Clouds, then click the model where the note should be placed.
- Update Photos (Photos tab): recursively scans every component folder and nested subfolder under
potree_work/potree/annotations/photos. The complete relative folder path becomes the photo Group/Component, so same-named images in different component folders remain separate. Existing files are refreshed as well as newly added files. X/Y/Z and heading are refreshed from matching .imglist data where available, then GPS EXIF where available. Photos without coordinate metadata are still indexed and shown in the Photos list as unlocated, instead of being silently skipped.
- Create Preview (Photos tab): recursively scans the complete
annotations/photos tree and mirrors its component/nested folder structure under annotations/photos_preview, creating or refreshing low-resolution copies without deleting existing preview files/folders.
7. Working with an open photo
- View Original Quality: if you have manually created Photo Previews, the smaller copy opens first for speed and this button loads the full-resolution original. If no preview exists, the original is used directly.
- Layout switcher: Cloud / Split / Photo -- choose whether to see the 3D view, the photo, or both side by side.
- Photo viewer: photo markup/drawing tools have been removed from the visible interface for a cleaner inspection workflow. On tablet/phone, use the three-dot button for the less-used photo options; the cross closes the photo.
- Right-click anywhere on the point cloud (or touch-and-hold on a phone) to see every photo within 10m of that spot, even ones currently hidden -- plus the nearest chainage mark, if this project has any imported (chainage marks start hidden by default; click the entry to reveal that one). If a group filter is set in the panel (e.g. "Bottom of Bridge"), this only searches within that group -- the quickest way to browse a specific group's photos on a large project without ever needing to tick "show all" for it.
8. Editing an annotation
Click directly on a note or photo marker in the 3D view (or use the pencil icon in the panel list) to rename it, add a comment, assign it to a Layer, or change its text's font, size, and colour.
