Homework 00: Installation Python libraries + software

Required Python installation

• Python 3.6+ (Python 2.7 is not suitable)
• startin (Delaunay triangulator)
• laspy (read/write of LAS files)
• scipy (different data structures and algorithms)
• rasterio (GDAL bindings for Python)

All of these can be installed easily with pip, just follow these instructions. pip should already be installed on your system if you have installed Python.

For Windows, download the proper binaries first if pip doesn’t work directly.

If pip is not accessible from your command-prompt/shell/terminal, read this guide.

We strongly recommend that you use virtual environments; mandatory it is not, but it’s the right way to work with Python and packages.

Useful software for the course

• QGIS: it has a rudimentary 3D viewer that could be useful and all of GDAL is available
• GDAL utilities: to process rasters (included with QGIS)
• CloudCompare: to view/edit/process point clouds
• Blender and BlenderGIS: to view DTM and render them beautifully

Using Windows and the command prompt

To learn how to deal with the command prompt (also called the terminal or the shell), read this handy guide.