VSCode Python PLY Preview
🚀 Instantly visualize 3D point clouds from your Python debugger in VS Code!
This extension enhances your debugging workflow by allowing you to preview point cloud variables as .ply files directly from the editor. It supports native Open3D point clouds, NumPy arrays, and PyTorch tensors.
See it on the VS Marketplace: Python PLY Preview
How to Use
- Set a breakpoint in your Python code.
- Start your program in Debug Mode (F5).
- When execution pauses, hover your cursor over a point cloud variable.
- In the hover menu, select View PLY.
- The point cloud will be rendered in a new editor tab.
Demonstrations
Quickstart: Example Code
To test all features, you can use the following Python script. Place a breakpoint on the final print statement and inspect each of the defined variables.
import open3d as o3d
import numpy as np
import torch
# 1. Create a basic NumPy array with XYZ points
points_np = np.random.rand(1000, 3)
# 2. Create a NumPy array with XYZ points and RGB colors
# Points are a spiral, colors transition from red to blue
z = np.linspace(0, 10, 1000)
x = np.sin(z) * 5
y = np.cos(z) * 5
points_spiral = np.vstack((x, y, z)).T
colors_gradient = np.zeros_like(points_spiral)
colors_gradient[:, 0] = np.linspace(0, 1, 1000) # Red channel
colors_gradient[:, 2] = np.linspace(1, 0, 1000) # Blue channel
points_and_colors_np = np.hstack((points_spiral, colors_gradient))
# 3. Create PyTorch Tensors from the NumPy arrays
points_torch = torch.from_numpy(points_np)
points_and_colors_torch = torch.from_numpy(points_and_colors_np)
# 4. Create a native Open3D PointCloud object
pcd_o3d = o3d.geometry.PointCloud()
pcd_o3d.points = o3d.utility.Vector3dVector(points_np)
pcd_o3d.paint_uniform_color([0.5, 0.5, 0.5]) # Gray color
# Set a breakpoint on the line below and hover over the variables to test
print("Breakpoint here: Hover over variables to preview them as PLY.")
Requirements
1. Python Libraries
The extension leverages Open3D to save the point cloud data. You must have it imported in your debug environment, along with other relevant libraries.
# Mandatory for all operations
import open3d as o3d
# Required for NumPy or PyTorch visualization
import numpy as np
import torch
You can install these packages using pip:
pip install open3d numpy torch
- Open3D: Native
o3d.geometry.PointCloud objects.
- NumPy:
np.ndarray with shape (n, 3) for XYZ points or (n, 6) for XYZ + RGB points.
- PyTorch:
torch.Tensor with shape (n, 3) for XYZ points or (n, 6) for XYZ + RGB points.
3. PLY Viewer Extension
This extension handles the saving of the point cloud. You need another extension to view the resulting .ply file. We recommend:
Known Issues
- Performance may degrade with a very large number of points (tested up to ~500,000 points).
Release Notes
0.0.5
- Modified README.md to include Visual Studio Marketplace badges.
0.0.4
- Added support for PyTorch Tensors and NumPy arrays with color
(n, 6).
- Changed temporary file location to
.vscode/ply_preview.
- Implemented automatic cleanup of temporary files after a debug session.
- Improved logic to avoid activating on variables in comments or strings.
0.0.3
- The
__pycache__ folder is now created if it doesn't exist.
0.0.2
- Fixed extension description and name.
- Added marketplace badges to the README.
0.0.1
Acknowledgments
This project was inspired by the fantastic work of other developer tool extensions:
