Understanding DTMs and DSMs
- Digital Terrain Model (DTM): Represents the bare ground surface without any objects like plants and buildings.
- Digital Surface Model (DSM): Includes all natural and built features on the earth's surface, such as trees, buildings, and other structures.
Visualizing DTM and DSM in ROCK Cloud
Using ROCK Cloud, let's explore a demo project (R3 Pro with Traditional Survey Points from a Traverse!) captured with an R3 Pro to illustrate these concepts.
Viewing the Entire Point Cloud (DSM):
- Turn off features to remove flight lines.
- Observe the vegetation, buildings, and other structures.
- Height Profile measurements are a great way to view a DSM in a 2D profile view.
This view represents the DSM, capturing everything from the ground surface to rooftops and vegetation.
Viewing the Ground Surface (DTM):-
Turn off the RGB point cloud layer
Turn on the Surface layer. This surface was generated by using ROCK Pro Services to interpret the point cloud. 
This view represents the DTM, filtering out above-ground features and focuses solely n the ground surface.
Conclusion
Distinguishing between DTMs and DSMs is foundational for various geospatial applications. Whether you're in construction, environmental studies, or urban planning, leveraging the right model enhances decision-making.