5. Save, Explain, and Deliver the Work
Finding the answer yourself is only half the job. Frequently someone else needs to see it: a designer, site engineer, client, colleague, or contractor who wasn't there when the survey was captured. PurpleGeo provides several ways of preserving the useful context.
Saved Views: make a finding repeatable
In Saved Views, use Save Current View to capture the current camera. Select a saved view and use Go To View to return to it. Sync to Current replaces the selected view with your present camera state; Duplicate and Delete manage the list.
A saved view is a simple but powerful communication device. A note such as “look at the northeast corner” is vague in a large cloud. A saved viewpoint can put the next reviewer at the exact intended location and perspective.
For a larger job, consider saving views that tell a short story: a site overview, a closer inspection of the relevant feature, and a second perspective that reveals its relationship to nearby geometry. These are often more useful than one dramatic wide shot.
Flythroughs: show the spatial relationship
For a flythrough, save at least two views, arrange them in the desired order, and open Flythrough Builder. Set Hold Time and Transition Time, then Preview. Pause, resume, or stop the preview as needed.
A flythrough is particularly useful when the issue depends on a route or sequence: following a utility corridor, moving through a building, or introducing someone to an unfamiliar site. It can communicate how places connect, which may be difficult to convey in a collection of unrelated screenshots.
On supported platforms, Record Flythrough renders the sequence. Follow the progress and cancel controls while recording. You can still change layers and display settings during the sequence. Recording availability and output handling depend on the platform.
Export point clouds for another workflow
If someone needs the point data rather than an interactive view, use Export:
- Select the cloud layers, or groups containing them, in the hierarchy.
- Open Export and check the selected-layer count.
- Leave Merge Layers off for one LAS file per cloud, or turn it on for one combined LAS file.
- Export and read the completion message for the output location and any failures.
The current desktop exporter writes to PGExports on your Desktop. It exports the selected cloud layers.
Pay attention to what export means. Display colours, lighting, filters, and a temporary Cross Section view do not crop the exported cloud. The LAS output is a point-cloud deliverable, not a complete copy of the PurpleGeo workbench with its annotations and saved views. If you need to preserve an earlier same-named export, move or rename it before exporting that layer again.
Export is useful for handing data to another survey, engineering, or CAD process. It should not be confused with issuing a finished annotated drawing or a report from the current view.
Share the project, not just your description of it
On an eligible local project, use Share Private Link and follow the upload process. A preview is uploaded first, with higher-resolution data uploaded separately. Wait for the needed detail to finish uploading before expecting a recipient to inspect fine features.
The share captures the current hierarchy, saved views, and annotations. This is useful when a colleague needs to examine the underlying geometry, move the camera, or check whether your chosen view tells the whole story.
Private link means access is provided through the link. Treat the link as something to send only to intended recipients, not as a substitute for a separate approval or access-control process. Browser-opened and already-shared projects do not expose this sharing action.
Local data inspection and link sharing are different activities. Opening a local project does not require you to upload it for someone else to view; creating a share does involve transferring data.
Leave the project without losing your place
Use Back to save a local project's hierarchy layout, saved views, and annotations, then return to the library. Finish or cancel an active flythrough recording before leaving. This does not overwrite someone else's shared project.
Keep your original survey files and export important results. Do not assume runtime duplicates or every display setting will survive reopening or become part of a share.