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Autodesk Shape Extractor and Esri LiDAR Updates

Just a quick note to highlight a couple of software related announcements. The first comes from Autodesk Labs where Scott Shepard recently announced that the Shape Extractor plug-in for AutoCAD has been updated. It now supports all of the AutoCAD-based software, such as Civil 3D and I assume Map 3D, although that is not highlighted. The tool supports the automated extraction of shapes from point clouds inside AutoCAD.

My question is, “When will this technology will be moved from Labs to the shipping products?” I asked Scott, but he could only say that they will report on the feedback that they receive. It is up to the AutoCAD product manager to decide when and if it will be included.

The second comes from Esri who has released a video which details the support for LiDAR data that will be included in ArcGIS 10.1. This release is due in the first quarter of 2012. The video is actually taken from the main stage presentation at the recent Esri User Conference. As noted previously this is a very positive development since this has the potential to add tens of thousands of GIS users to the ecosystem.

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