What is point cloud processing?

Point cloud processing involves manipulating and analyzing sets of data points in 3D space. These points, each with its own XYZ coordinates (and potentially other attributes like color or intensity), represent the external surfaces of objects or environments. Common uses include 3D modeling, surveying, reverse engineering, autonomous navigation, and augmented reality. Processing steps often include filtering, registration (aligning multiple scans), segmentation (grouping points into meaningful regions), feature extraction, and surface reconstruction.