LiDAR 3D modeling using package rayshader and LAS file in R

Question

The rayshader package in R allows beautiful 3D modeling in R. Now I was trying to first try and overlay a LAS file on top of a base-map which is a Rayshader array object. I was trying %>% to link the two objects but it doesn't overlay the two objects in the RGL window and I get an error. The purpose is to do 3D LiDAR modeling. Can something similar to this be achieved?

To create a base-map using rayshader, I first took a digital terrain model (DTM) raster, second converted it to a raster and then:

TLS_LAS_DTM = raster("~/DTM_Raster/tls_las_dtm.tif")    

# Use the Rayshader package
library(magick)
TLS_LAS_DTM_mat = raster_to_matrix(TLS_LAS_DTM )

TLS_LAS_Basemap = TLS_TP1_DTM_mat %>% 
  height_shade() %>% 
  add_shadow(lamb_shade(TLS_LAS_DTM_mat ,zscale = 6),0) %>%
  add_overlay(sphere_shade(TLS_LAS_DTM_mat , texture = "desert", 
                           zscale=4, colorintensity = 5), alphalayer=0.5) %>% 
  add_shadow(ambient_shade(TLS_LAS_DTM_mat ), 0) %>%
  add_shadow(texture_shade(TLS_LAS_DTM_mat ,detail=8/10,contrast=9,brightness = 11), 0.1)

Then I took a LAS object (data.frame/data.table) which was tree segmented using silva2016 method and passed it to the plot function to open it in an RGL window.

plot(TLS_LAS.ITD.dalponte.p2r) %>% 
TLS_LAS_Basemap %>% 
  plot_3d(TLS_LAS_DTM , windowsize=c(1200,800))
#> Error in plot_3d(., TLS_TP1_DTM_mat, windowsize = c(1200, 800)) : 
#> Argument `hillshade` must not contain any entries less than 0 or more than 1

The base-map looks like this

Answer 1

You can use rayshader::render_points(). Below a fully reproducible example with a point cloud on top of a rayshaded DTM

library(lidR)
LASfile = system.file("extdata", "Topography.laz", package="lidR")
las = readLAS(LASfile)
dtm = grid_terrain(las, algorithm = tin()) # RasterLayer
bbox <- extent(dtm)

library(rayshader)
elmat = raster_to_matrix(dtm)

x = elmat %>%
  sphere_shade(texture = "desert") %>%
  add_water(detect_water(elmat), color = "desert") %>%
  add_shadow(ray_shade(elmat, zscale = 3), 0.5)

pal <- colorRampPalette(height.colors(10))
col <- pal(30)[as.numeric(cut(las$Z, breaks = 30))]

x %>% plot_3d(elmat, zscale = 1, fov = 0, theta = 135, zoom = 0.75, phi = 45, windowsize = c(800, 800))
render_points(extent = bbox, long = las$X, lat = las$Y, altitude = las$Z,size = 2, color = col)