# Colmap-PCD: An Open-source Tool for Fine Image-to-point cloud Registration

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.05504 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.05504/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 2 of its 26 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 9 Oct 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [MULLS: Versatile LiDAR SLAM via Multi-metric Linear Least Square](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.03771/) (2021)
- [LIMO: Lidar-Monocular Visual Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.07524/) (2018)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [DrivingGaussian: Composite Gaussian Splatting for Surrounding Dynamic Autonomous Driving Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.07920/) (2023)
- [NVS-SQA: Exploring Self-Supervised Quality Representation Learning for Neurally Synthesized Scenes without References](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.06488/) (2025)
- [ARSGaussian: 3D Gaussian Splatting with LiDAR for Aerial Remote Sensing Novel View Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.18380/) (2024)
- [CRISTAL: Real-time Camera Registration in Static LiDAR Scans using Neural Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.16349/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

State-of-the-art techniques for monocular camera reconstruction predominantly rely on the Structure from Motion (SfM) pipeline. However, such methods often yield reconstruction outcomes that lack crucial scale information, and over time, accumulation of images leads to inevitable drift issues. In contrast, mapping methods based on LiDAR scans are popular in large-scale urban scene reconstruction due to their precise distance measurements, a capability fundamentally absent in visual-based approaches. Researchers have made attempts to utilize concurrent LiDAR and camera measurements in pursuit of precise scaling and color details within mapping outcomes. However, the outcomes are subject to extrinsic calibration and time synchronization precision. In this paper, we propose a novel cost-effective reconstruction pipeline that utilizes a pre-established LiDAR map as a fixed constraint to effectively address the inherent scale challenges present in monocular camera reconstruction. To our knowledge, our method is the first to register images onto the point cloud map without requiring synchronous capture of camera and LiDAR data, granting us the flexibility to manage reconstruction detail levels across various areas of interest. To facilitate further research in this domain, we have released Colmap-PCD3, an open-source tool leveraging the Colmap algorithm, that enables precise fine-scale registration of images to the point cloud map.