3DFin and 3DFos: Open-Source CloudCompare Plugins for Automated 3D Forest Inventory and Classification

Accurate forest inventories are crucial for sustainable management, but processing ground-based LiDAR and photogrammetric point clouds remains complex and inaccessible to many users. 3DFin addresses this gap as a fully automated, open-source software for extracting key tree metrics—tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and tree location—from Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS), and photogrammetry-derived point clouds. Unlike existing tools, 3DFin is designed for complete ease of use, requiring no technical expertise, allowing any user—regardless of experience—to generate forest inventory data with just two clicks. Integrated as a plugin in CloudCompare, the most widely used free software for 3D point cloud processing, 3DFin seamlessly fits into existing workflows without requiring additional installations or programming. Tested on publicly available datasets across diverse forest conditions, it achieves near-perfect tree detection rates and DBH estimations with RMSE <2 cm, all while processing plots in just 2–7 minutes. By bringing cutting-edge point cloud analysis to a broader audience, 3DFin makes advanced forest inventory processing accessible to all, bridging the gap between research and real-world application. In addition, we also introduce here 3DFos, a soon-coming open-source plugin in CloudCompare which automatically segments forest point clouds in vegetation classes such as stems, branches and leaves, understory and ground.

Keywords: CloudCompare, LiDAR, TLS, MLS, Photogrammetry, Tree Metrics, Open-Source, Forest Inventory