Manual Initial Alignment

This article will cover how to use the Manual Initial Alignment feature while linking stations in Collage Site.

In this workflow, you can move scan data independently into alignment so that you can create a cloud to cloud constraint between the two scans. You do not need to match the scans very precisely, getting them roughly close to the right orientation and position relative to each other should be sufficient.



Select a station or a point (which will select the parent station) and then use the on-screen movement gizmo, or right panel controls, to adjust the position and orientation of the scan. The on-screen movement gizmo and right panel controls will vary slightly based on the view you are in.

2D Alignment

2D Floormap views will allow you to adjust the scan’s relative positions based on the view’s orientation to the scan data. As such, in plan orientation, you can only move the scans in plan and rotate them around the Z axis, as shown in the image above. In an elevation orientation, you will only be able to move them in the plane of that elevation and rotate them around whichever axis is perpendicular to the screen (as shown in the image below).



  • The Red Arrow will move the scan isolated to the X axis of the view (not visible in left/right).
  • The Green Arrow will move the scan isolated to the Y axis of the view (not visible in front/back).
  • The Blue Arrow will move the scan isolated to the Z axis of the view (not visible in plan/rcp).
  • Touching the square near the arrow intersection will move the scan in both visible axes freely.
  • Touching the arc will move the scan around the axis perpendicularly to the view.

3D Alignment

3D views will allow you more directional control of the scans in a single view. Additionally, translations will be made relative to the project’s, or the station’s, coordinate system rather than the view’s orientation. In the 3D views, you can adjust all three axes, in the plane of the X/Y axes, and rotate around the Z axis.



Panel Controls

The panel controls will allow you to manually adjust the translation and rotation of the selection station by typing specific values and by adjusting the sliders for rotation controls.



Additionally, there are two buttons at the top of the panel that allow you to undo the last move, or to reset the scan to its starting position and orientation at the beginning of this alignment process.

Once the scans are roughly aligned, you can tap the Quick C2C option to run the cloud to cloud algorithm based on your manual alignment.

Once processing is complete, review the alignment on the screen to ensure the results are what you expected.