VeloView
Morgan Hill, Calif. (PRWEB) September 24, 2013
Velodyne Acoustics Inc.’s LiDAR division today announced the release of VeloView, a new visualization and recording software for Velodyne’s real-time, 3D LiDAR sensors HDL-32E and HDL-64E. Available at no charge, executable versions of VeloView for Windows and Mac OS can be downloaded from the “Community Contributed Applications” area at http://www.paraview.org/paraview/resources/software.php.
Aimed at encouraging the broadest use of VeloView and fully engaging the developer community, Velodyne is releasing VeloView on an open source basis. Links to the source code, along with Velodyne sample data, can be found at http://www.paraview.org/Wiki/VeloView. VeloView was developed collaboratively with Kitware Inc. for real-time, 3D visualization of LiDAR data from Velodyne’s HDL sensors and is built on Kitware’s
ParaView technology and underlying Visualization Toolkit (VTK).
“Kitware was uniquely positioned to help create VeloView based on its leading position in computer vision and open-source software applications,” said Wolfgang Juchmann, Director of Sales and Marketing for Velodyne’s LiDAR unit.
VeloView provides an easy-to-use, thoroughly modern tool for visualization and processing of Velodyne’s data-rich, 3D LiDAR sensors, supporting live sensor streams and run-time display of previously captured data. VeloView’s visualization tools include a 3D point cloud display with support for custom color maps of variables such as calibrated reflectivities, time, distance, azimuth, and laser ID. Three-dimensional data, acquired over a period of time, can be viewed in playback mode at normal, increased or decreased speed. This is especially useful for applications like autonomous driving and security/surveillance, where objects move relative to the sensor over time; the playback mode enables users to display changes in the environment as a function of time.
VeloView’s powerful 3D visualization capabilities empower analysts to quickly gain insight from complex data. The software includes functions to export the point cloud into CSV format and the capability to easily save screenshots through rapid processing of captured data.
In addition to VeloView, Kitware recently released KiwiViewer, extending the power of its visualization core to the mobile market and powering interactive exploration of complex, 3D data on mobile devices. The most recent free version of KiwiViewer includes Velodyne sample LiDAR data, which is available for iPhone/iPad and Android devices at the respective apps stores.
About Velodyne LiDAR
Founded in 1983 and based in California’s Silicon Valley, Velodyne, Inc. is a diversified technology company known worldwide for its high-performance audio equipment and high-definition LiDAR sensors for autonomous vehicle applications. The company’s LiDAR division evolved after founder and inventor David Hall competed in the 2004-05 DARPA Grand Challenge using stereovision technology. Based on his experience during this challenge, Hall recognized the limitations of stereovision and developed the HDL64 high-resolution LiDAR sensor. More recently, Velodyne has released its smaller, lightweight HDL 32E sensor, available for many applications including UAV’s. Since 2007, Velodyne’s LiDAR division has emerged as a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of high-definition LiDAR sensor technology used in a variety of commercial autonomous vehicle applications, including 3D mapping and surveying. For more information, visit http://www.velodynelidar.com.
