PIX4Dcloud Advanced compare mode already supports 3D comparison of point clouds and meshes across two datasets of the same site. This is a valuable foundation, but the current 3D compare is still a screen-space operation: The slider splits the viewport into two synchronized cameras, each rendering one dataset. The slider line is a 2D boundary on screen, not a cut in 3D space. This works fine in a static, front-facing view. But the moment the user orbits the scene, which is the whole point of a 3D viewer, the limitation becomes apparent: The split line stays fixed on screen while the geometry moves beneath it.
Proposed enhancement: Clipping Plane Split mode
Instead of splitting the viewport, the slider defines a clipping plane anchored to the geometry in 3D space. Both datasets are loaded into the same scene and rendered by the same camera. Dataset 1 is clipped on one side of the plane, dataset 2 on the other. Cap faces are rendered at the cut boundary to produce a clean cross-section. The camera stays fully free: The user can orbit, zoom, and tilt at any angle, and the cut remains spatially locked to the geometry.
Example use case: Quarry Monitoring
A quarry is captured before and after excavation. With the current Compare mode, the two models appear side by side on screen, readable, but flat. With a Clipping Plane Split, the user drags the slider through the terrain and sees a live cross-section of both states simultaneously: Before on one side, after on the other, with a clean cut face showing exactly where and how much material was removed. The user can orbit the cut, zoom into it, tilt to read the excavation depth. This is what a 3D viewer should enable and what a screen-space split cannot deliver.
Why it matters:
- Volume comparison gives users the numbers. The Clipping Plane Split gives them the visual proof, something they can show a client or authority without explanation.
- It builds directly on the existing site timeline and compare workflow. Same entry point, one additional toggle.
- It makes PIX4Dcloud’s 3D Compare a genuinely spatial tool, not a 2D slider applied to a 3D view.
Suggested UI: A mode toggle on the existing 3D Compare slider, e.g. “Screen Split” vs. “3D Cut”.