Gocator Interface

Python wrapper for LMI Technologies Gocator SDK. Acquire 3D point clouds from Gocator laser scanners. Tested with snapshot sensor Gocator 3506.

Installation

1. Install Gocator SDK to standard location

2. Install dependencies (requires Python 3.9+):

   Simple installation:

   pip install numpy

   With virtual environment using uv.lock file (recommended):

   uv sync
   source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

Quick Start

from gocator import GocatorScanner

# Basic acquisition with software trigger
with GocatorScanner("192.168.1.10") as scanner:
    scanner.start()
    scanner.trigger()
    point_cloud = scanner.get_point_cloud()  # Returns Nx3 NumPy array (X, Y, Z in meters)
    scanner.stop()

Features

• Automatic SDK detection (Linux, Windows, macOS)
• Context manager support
• Software triggering
• Configurable exposure and spacing
• NumPy array output

API Reference

Connection:

• connect() -> bool - Connect to sensor
• disconnect() - Disconnect from sensor
• get_sensor_info() -> dict - Get model, serial number, IP

Acquisition:

• start() -> bool - Start acquisition system
• stop() -> bool - Stop acquisition system
• trigger() -> bool - Send software trigger
• get_point_cloud(timeout_us=20000000) -> NDArray - Receive point cloud data
• scan_and_get() -> NDArray - Convenience method (start → trigger → get → stop)

Configuration:

• get_exposure() -> float - Get exposure time (microseconds)
• set_exposure(exposure_us: float) -> bool - Set exposure time
• get_spacing_interval() -> float - Get spacing interval (mm)
• set_spacing_interval(interval_mm: float) -> bool - Set spacing interval
• get_scan_mode() -> tuple[int, str] - Get current scan mode

Examples

See example.py for complete examples including:

• Context manager usage
• Parameter configuration
• Multiple scans
• Saving point clouds (PLY, CSV, NumPy)

SDK Installation Paths

The library auto-detects SDK from these locations:

• Linux: /opt/lmi/gocator/lib/libGoSdk.so
• Windows: C:\Program Files\LMI Technologies\Gocator\lib\GoSdk.dll
• macOS: /usr/local/lib/libGoSdk.dylib

Or specify manually:

scanner = GocatorScanner("192.168.1.10", sdk_path="/path/to/libGoSdk.so")

Requirements

• Python 3.9+
• NumPy 1.20+
• Gocator SDK (from LMI Technologies)

License

MIT License - Copyright (c) 2025 Maximilian Eder