Error using dlmread- mismatch between file and format character vector (reading a ply file)

I am trying to read in a ply file to matlab using the following code:

function fv = read_ply2_ExampleData(fileName)

% this function reads a ply file (must be in text format)

% to calc. normals etc use calcMeshNormals

% Copyright : This code is written by Ajmal Saeed Mian {[e-mail]}

% Computer Science, The University of Western Australia. The code

% may be used, modified and distributed for research purposes with

% acknowledgement of the author and inclusion this copyright information.

% Modified by Vipin Vijayan.

x = dlmread(fileName, ' ', [4 2 4 2]);

y = dlmread(fileName, ' ', [15 2 15 2]);

header = 18; %starting by row=0, the first row of data to be read starts here

vertex = dlmread(fileName, ' ', [header 0 x+(header-1) 9]);

poly = dlmread(fileName, ' ', [x+header 0 x+(header-1)+y 3]);

poly(:,1) = [];

poly = poly + 1;

fv.vertices = vertex;

fv.faces = poly;

I obtain the following error:

Error using dlmread

Mismatch between file and format character vector. Trouble reading 'Numeric' field from file (row number 1, field number 3) ==> by CloudCompare!\n

I have been able to read in other ply files using this code, I am not sure what I am missing this time. The ply file is a large point cloud ( about 6 000 000 points) that I converted to a ply file using CloudCompare.

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

Your ply file contains a comment in an unexpected place. If you look at the file in the place it contains "by CloudCompare" a number is expected. Possibly the code is expecting that the line ends at that point and that the next line starts with a number

Answer 2

[Sean de Wolski]

Why not just use pcread?

[Kaela Johnson]

Thanks for the reply! I need the 3d coordinates of the vertices, and the faces of the mesh contained in the ply file, to then make a tree structure out of the vertices and faces for mesh intersection purposes. I created this ply file from a point cloud for that purpose.