How to import?

[serafin]

Hello,

I am writting thesis, the main goal of my thesis is to compare distances between cloud points and grid mesh.
Actually i am stuck, because i do not know how to import GRID mesh from Saga program to CloudCompare.
Formats that i can export to from Saga program are:
- ESRI Arcinfo GRID
- KML
- surfer GRID

I found a way to import mesh created in SAGA to CC, but it takes a lot of time:
- Export from SAGA to ESRI Arcinfo GRID
- Import to GlobalMApper
- Export from GlobalMapper to .stl
- import to CC

The problem is, that GRID mesh in .stl format that i created has about 8-10 GB size (its quite a lot - i need to do ~~300 diffrent GRID's)

Anyone knows a way to do it faster and in other format then .stl (for example .ply) ?

I am sorry for my english, but i hope that you understand me.
Thank you very much for answers!

[daniel]

I believed the Arcinfo GRID format could already be imported by CC (thanks to the GDAL library). You may have to explicitly specify that you want to open a 'raster' in the File Loading dialog though.

Have you tried this?

[serafin]

Nope i didnt try to do it - it works!
But it imports a cloud point - not a mesh - which is important diffrence at my thesis (i am studying diffrent ways to interpolate GRID mesh, so i need to use option "distance cloud/mesh" with model created in SAGA).
Is it possible to import it in mesh format?

[daniel]

A raster is neither a mesh nor a cloud. So CC imports it as a cloud by default (because CC is made for clouds ;). But you can compute a mesh from the (grid) points with 'Edit > Mesh > Delaunay 2.5D' (use the 'axis aligned' version by default as it is made for clouds with Z as vertical axis). I bet you'll get exactly the same result as a regular mesh created from a grid?