Run operations on cloud without graphic output?

[0scar]

Hello everyone,
I'm fairly new to CloudCompare. I have previously used the grasshopper component volvox (https://www.food4rhino.com/en/app/volvox) for primitive cloud edits in a rhinoceros workflow, before exporting meshes and/or NURBS to to my CAD software.

I now have received an approximately 1.2B point cloud from a survey (as-built 3D scan of an existing building) and I want to bring it down to a more manageable size. I thought to give CC a try, having seen it before come up in conversation every now and then.

Is there any way to edit clouds without graphic output? I want to use a random reduction to about 40% of the size and save that as a new file, before I will then segment the cloud and edit it further (possibly generating a scalar field and then spatial reduce the size).
I am asking because my computer is basically not able to process the graphic data, it seems to reduce the points but then crashes/freezes when it renders the updated point cloud. I have disabled the GPU in the display options, but that doesn't help. I would like to basically brute compute the cloud into a smaller file. In the first step I don't want to do anything else with it, don't even need to see the cloud for that. I am hoping once the cloud is reduced to fewer points, my system can handle it better and I will be able to break it down for further use as a reference file in my CAD.

My setup is pretty weak admittedly, but I can't upgrade right now. I have a Xeon E3-1505M v6 (4-core @ 3,00 Ghz), 32GB DDR4 RAM, with a 4GB VRAM Quadro M2200 GPU. It's a so-called mobile workstation, but a few years old.

If CC is not the right application for this, perhaps there is a simple pre-processing tool for point clouds that just reduces the size? I am aware of the loss of resolution but I simply can't work with these large files that break my system.

Thanks in advance for any advice and hints,
Best, 0scar

[daniel]

I think the command line mode should help you do that? (with the -SS option):
https://www.cloudcompare.org/doc/wiki/i ... _line_mode

[0scar]

Hello daniel,
Thank you for your swift reply! Wonderful, I haven't seen that there is a command line option. This seems to be just what I am looking for. I had a look in the wiki, there is such a rich toolkit of commands, I am impressed. Great option to make CloudCompare run like that.
I appreciate your advice!
Best, 0scar