8.3 Multi-Scan Map Fusion in LixelStudio

Plan the Limits Before You Capture

Map Fusion in LixelStudio stitches multiple scan segments into a single registered point cloud. Use it when a project needs more than one scan session because of battery changes, RAM limits, site access, or area size. Every limit below is a field-planning decision: segments must be collected with fusion in mind, because overlapping geometry, shared control points, and RTK coverage cannot be added after the fact.

Connect the Segments

Adjacent segments must link through at least one of the methods below. A segment with no connection to any neighbor cannot be included in the fusion job. The field procedures for capturing overlap, RTK coverage, and control points are on 5.3 Field Collection.

RTK alignment

When every segment carries valid RTK, LixelStudio aligns them through the shared coordinate frame, with no names to coordinate. Valid means: Fixed status throughout, more than 10 available satellites, more than 33 ft (10 m) of movement while Fixed, and antenna tilt within 20 degrees of vertical. After processing, a segment's project report shows Valid Data above 100 when the RTK stream is usable. L2 Pro carries RTK as an optional add-on module; K2 has RTK built in.

Control point alignment

Adjacent segments share physical control points that were scanned in both sessions and given the same name in LixelGO. One shared point in the seam's overlap zone connects two segments. Place points on the standard XGRIDS metal control point base, and treat each name as one physical spot: matched names at a seam mark the same point, and a name is never reused for a different point elsewhere in the job.

Hybrid alignment

Methods can mix within one job, as long as every segment is transitively linkable to every other. For example: segments 1 and 2 share RTK, segments 2 and 3 share a control point, and segments 3 and 4 share RTK. All four fuse in a single job.

Georeferencing the fused output

Coordinate transformation on a fusion job requires valid connections on every map plus at least 3 absolute control points distributed across all maps, and the 3 points must not sit on one straight line. Without that minimum, the fused result is internally consistent but cannot be transformed to a target coordinate system.

Connection Patterns Visual

This is a plan view, looking straight down at the site. Each colored box is one segment's coverage, and the hatched band is the overlap zone where the link lives. Step through the three valid patterns, the two failures, and the georeferencing rule before you plan a job.

Run the Fusion in LixelStudio

1. Create the job and import the segments. From the LixelStudio Home Page, open Map Fusion and click Add Map to import each segment, up to 10.
2. Review the map list. Each map shows its Point Name, File Path, and Mode. Adjust per-map processing in the Mode dropdown. The trash icon removes a single map; Clear removes all of them.
3. Set the Base Map. Leave it on Auto, or designate one map.
4. Set the Output Path. Optionally check Auto-load project after processing and Point Cloud Segmentation.
5. Set the processing parameters. Basic Parameters, Coordinate Transformation, and Coloring work the same as single-scan processing on 8.2 Single Scan. For coordinate transformation, switch between maps to review each one, and confirm the 3-point georeferencing minimum from Section 2 is met.
6. Start the run and let it finish. Successfully fused maps are saved as sub-maps in a separate result folder.

Inspect the Segment Boundaries

A completed fusion is not a passed fusion. Open the result and zoom into each boundary zone between segments. Look for discontinuities, duplicate geometry, and offset surfaces, and measure a known dimension that spans a seam. A misaligned boundary means a connection tolerance was exceeded in the field, and that segment must be re-captured with a proper link; it cannot be corrected in post.