"Error Reading File" message appears when attempting to convert LAS file to PCI

UPDATE: This issue was resolved in 2016 with the release of MicroSurvey CAD 2016 and IMS Map360 Version 1.0

 

LAS files are used to store lidar and scanning data from a variety of manufacturers; particularily aerial drones and the photogrammetry software "Pix4D."  Depending on the source, some LAS files will trigger a warning similar to the one below when running the MicroSurvey PCI Conversion utility:

Error Reading File.  Value of "65280" is not valid for 'red'.  'red' should be greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 255.

This issue should only arise when using the PCI conversion utiility provided with the following versions of MicroSurvey software:

Software	Version
MicroSurvey PointCloud CAD 2010	10.2.0 or older
MicroSurvey CAD "Ultimate" or "Studio" Edition	14.3.1.307 or older
MapScenes PointCloud Edition	13.1.1.300 or older

The issue is brought about by the fact that a variety of versions of the LAS format exist, and some can not be read by the current release of PCI converter.  This issue is resolved with the release of newer versions of MicroSurvey products shown above.  But if you require an immediate solution, follow these steps:

1. install MicroSurvey CAD Ultimate or MapScenes from these links:

MSCAD

MapScenes

2. Download the zip file linked to here and unzip it to your desktop.

3. Copy the contents of the zip file to:

“C:\Program Files (x86)\MicroSurvey\MapScenes Forensic CAD 2013\”, overwriting the original files.

or: 

“C:\Program Files (x86)\MicroSurvey\MSCAD2014\”, overwriting the original files.

Now when you run the PCI converter it should proceed without error.