How to format surface data into XYZ point cloud?

I have a .csv data set that is 10x22 surface data and i'd like to convert it to XYZ point cloud. What is the best way to do this in Matlab?

[Luna]

Could you please share your .csv file and what have you done so far?

[Walter Roberson]

to confirm you want a 3d pointcloud with 220 points ?

do you have the marginal coordinates , 10 y and 22 x?

[Cris LaPierre]

What determines Z in your surface?

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

vector_of_x = as appropriate
vector_of_y = as appropriate
[X, Y] = meshgrid(vector_of_x, vector_of_y);
points = [X(:), Y(:), z(:)];
ptCloud = pointcloud(points);

[Walter Roberson]

z = csvread('Example data.csv');
vector_of_x = 1:size(z,2);
vector_of_y = 1:size(z,1);
[X, Y] = meshgrid(vector_of_x, vector_of_y);
points = [X(:), Y(:), z(:)];
ptCloud = pointCloud(points);

[Onur Kurum]

Hi,

I need to do the exact same thing but I don't have the Image Processing Toolbox. Is there a 'vanilla' way of doing this?

[Walter Roberson]

pointCloud is part of the Computer Vision Toolbox

pointCloud() is a particular data type in MATLAB. If you do not have Computer Vision, then you cannot create the datatype, so it is not clear what you want to do? If you just want an array of three columns, X, Y, Z, and you are starting from a 2D array, then use the code I posted but stop after the assignment to points

Answer 2

[Cris LaPierre]

If you can successfully create a surface with your data using surf(X,Y,Z), the best way to create an X,Y,Z point cloud is to use scatter3(X,Y,Z).

[Walter Roberson]

surf permits vector x and y with array z. scatter3 requires vector x and y and z. If you have the marginal values then meshgrid or ndgrid to get array X and array Y and then work with X(:) Y(:) z(:)

[Cris LaPierre]

Good point!

[Don jaya]

I create a surface from the data i have. How to get the Z value of the surface with using only random x and y cordinates

[Walter Roberson]

Don jaya, could you describe what your available inputs are, and what outputs you want?

Answer 3

[flemingtb]

I've attached the data file. I need to convert this format to XYZ columns.

All that i have done so far is to get size data to know how many rows and columns the data sets have, i don't know how to format the data based on it's location in the point map though.

[Cris LaPierre]

We can help you format it, but can you describe your data? How would you create a point cloud from your CSV data? Specifically, what would you X, Y and Z data be? Is your CSV the Z values and the column number your X and the row number your Y?

[flemingtb]

Yes that is correct, column number is (X), Row number is (Y) and (Z) data. Maybe i didn't call it the correct thing.

[Cris LaPierre]

See walter's answer.