# Geometric Clipping Plane Split for PIX4Dcloud 3D Compare

**URL:** <https://community.pix4d.com/t/geometric-clipping-plane-split-for-pix4dcloud-3d-compare/34531>\
**Category:** PIX4Dcloud Feature Request\
**Created:** [May 11, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://community.pix4d.com/t/geometric-clipping-plane-split-for-pix4dcloud-3d-compare/34531 "2026-05-11T09:32:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pixmap\_operations](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/pix4d/user_avatar/community.pix4d.com/pixmap_operations/32/357_2.png) [@pixmap\_operations](https://community.pix4d.com/u/pixmap_operations)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 9:32am UTC](https://community.pix4d.com/t/geometric-clipping-plane-split-for-pix4dcloud-3d-compare/34531/1 "2026-05-11T09:32:04Z")

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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”.