Include & Exclude - Masking tool

The Masking tool allows you to refine which parts of a layer are visible within your Twin. By using Include and Exclude masks, you can precisely control the visibility of data across overlapping layers. This ensures a clean, focused view of the areas you want to prioritize.

Include Masks

By default, an entire layer is visible when added to a Twin. Include masks let you restrict visibility to specific regions, defined by a Box or Polygon tool. You can add as many masks as needed per layer.

How it works

• An include mask defines a volume where the layer will remain visible.

• Areas outside of the include mask will not be displayed.

• When multiple layers overlap, the include mask of a higher layer will take priority over lower layers.

This means that the order of your layers matters:

• If Layer A is on top of Layer B and you create an include mask on a small region of Layer A, only that region will be visible from Layer A, while all other areas fall back to showing Layer B.

Example scenario

Imagine you scanned an entire facility composed of 2 layers. Two months later, you rescan a single room due to renovations:

1. You add this new scan as a third layer, placed above the existing layers.

2. Using an Include mask, you draw a polygon around the room.

3. The Twin will now display the updated room from Layer 3, while the rest of the facility continues to show Layers 1–2.

This allows you to seamlessly update specific areas without reprocessing the entire site.

Here’s a visual way to see it:

Initial state

We added a new Terrestrial Laser Scan (TLS) layer on top of the existing ones. As we can see, there’s significant overlap in the middle of the scan, and the new layer introduces a lot of unwanted noise around the edges and impact the visual quality of the SLAM and Drone layer.

Applying the include mask

Next, we select the TLS Dataset layer and add an Include mask. This tells the system: “For this layer, only keep the central part of the scan, which is the area of interest.”

Result after masking

The include mask now takes priority over the other layers. Only the defined central area from the TLS dataset is displayed, while overlaps are resolved and the surrounding noise is cropped out.

Typical use cases

• Isolating target areas: Focus only on the target area when scans capture unnecessary surroundings.

• Updating localized changes: Add a new scan of a modified section and mask it in, leaving the rest untouched.

• Layer prioritization: Explicitly define where newer or higher-quality data should appear.

Exclude Masks

While similar in appearance to include masks, Exclude masks behave differently. Instead of defining what to show, they define what to hide—without affecting underlying layers.

How it works

• An exclude mask removes any data inside the defined volume.

• The removed region will appear empty, rather than falling back to a lower layer.

• They are best suited for cleaning up scans rather than controlling visibility order.

Here’s a visual example to see it:

Initial state

We added a layer that captured not only the facility but also some parked cars in the scan. These cars appear inside the dataset even though they are not relevant to the Twin.

Defining the exclude mask

We select the layer and draw an Exclude mask around the cars. This tells the system: “For this layer, remove everything inside this defined region.”

Result after masking

The exclude mask removes the cars from the SLAM dataset. Unlike an include mask, the excluded area does not reveal underlying layers — it simply clears out the unwanted objects, leaving an empty space.

Typical use cases

• Cleaning noise: Remove stray points or overscan areas that leak outside the intended capture zone.

• Removing undesired objects: Exclude equipment, scaffolding, or temporary structures that were unintentionally captured.

• Improving clarity: Hide cluttered or overlapping regions to keep the Twin focused on relevant data.

Key Difference at a Glance

• Include mask → Shows only what’s inside the defined region. Affects visibility across layers and prioritization.

• Exclude mask → Hides only what’s inside the defined region. Does not impact underlying layers.

How to Use the Masking Tool

Adding a Mask

1. Select the layer where you want to add a mask.

   • This can be done either by selecting the layer directly in the 3D scene or from the left-side panel.

2. From the top-center toolbar, choose whether you want to create an Include mask or an Exclude mask.

   

3. Choose the mask type:

   • Box – Create a rectangular volume.

   • Polygon – Define a custom shape for more precise control.

4. Draw the mask directly in your Twin environment.

Info

Multiple masks can be added per layer, and their effects will combine.

Editing Masks

1. Select the layer that contains the mask you want to edit.

2. You can select an existing mask either directly in the 3D scene or from the right-side panel.

   • Note: You cannot view Include and Exclude masks at the same time.

   • Use the right-side panel to switch between Include mode and Exclude mode, which will list all masks of that type.

     

3. From there, you can:

   • Move or resize the mask.

   • Delete a mask if it is no longer needed.