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Lidar Point Density Calculator

Work out lidar point density instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Lidar Point Density Calculator

Angular resolution is the field of view divided by points per scan, and points per scan is the point rate divided by scan frequency. Linear spacing at range is distance times that angle in radians, which is why a target at 30 m gets half the point density of one at 15 m.

Formula

Lidar density

points per scan = point rate / scan rate; angular resolution = FOV / points per scan; spacing = range x angle

Worked example

With the default values below, Lidar Point Density Calculator returns Angular resolution of 0.00900. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Point rate
300,000 points/s
Scan frequency
10 Hz
Horizontal field of view
270 °
Target distance
15 m

Results

Angular resolution
0.00900 °
Points per scan
30,000 points
Point spacing at that distance
2.36 mm
Points across a metre at that range
424.41 points

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Lidar density
  3. 3Angular resolution= 0.00900 °
  4. 4Points per scan= 30,000 points
  5. 5Point spacing at that distance= 2.36 mm
  6. 6Points across a metre at that range= 424.41 points

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or fees or charges into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 5 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does detection range fall for small objects?

Point spacing grows linearly with distance, so beyond a certain range a small object falls between beams entirely and returns no points.

Trade scan rate against resolution?

Yes, directly. At a fixed point rate, halving the scan frequency doubles the angular resolution but halves the update rate.

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