May 19, 2022 update
I have received several reports from people having trouble running FUSION and command line tools. They are getting an error that indicates that a required component (mfc140.dll) is missing from their system. So far, this problem seems to be related to a recent windows update and may be limited to specific brands of computers. You can fix the problem by downloading and installing the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributables from the following link. You will need to download and install both the 32-bit (vc_redist.x86.exe) and the 64-bit (vc_redist.x86.exe) versions.
Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redistributables
Version 4.40 includes a few bug fixes and somewhat major changes regarding the logic used when working with DTM files with gaps between adjacent tiles and surface models with different resolutions. Logic changes related to grid alignment when coordinates have negative values that only affect operations where X or Y values are negative. Changes to "fix" problems using wildcards to specify files to command line problems. Windows expands wildcard searches like *.las to include files with .lasx extension. This behavior has long caused problems. New logic has been added to all programs that use point data to drop non point files from the set of input files built using the wildcard specifier.
Version 4.30 includes a major bug fix for the GridMetrics program. Several of the intensity metrics were being computed incorrectly when the /strata option was used. Namely the L-moment and percentile metrics. All intensity metrics were correct when the /strata option was not used on the command line. All users should update their version of FUSION.
Version 4.20 fixes some major problems for all programs that write LAS/LAZ files. Basically everything worked if input files all used the same version of the LAS format but when inputs included files of different versions, most tools that write LAS/LAZ files failed. The problem was related to a mismatch in the version number and header size for the output file.
The website for FUSION changed several years ago. The new site is http://forsys.sefs.uw.edu/fusion_overview.html Please update any bookmarks to reflect the new site. The old forsys.cfr.washington.edu site is currently being redirected to the new site but this could end at any time.
FUSION (V3.40+) supports reading and writing of compressed LAS data files by linking to Martin Isenburg's LASzip.dll and LASzip64.dll libraries. To take advantage of this capability, you will eed to install LAStools and manually copy the LASzip.dll and LASzip64.dll files into FUSION's install folder.
LAStools can be found here: http://rapidlasso.com/lastools/ or here: http://lastools.org/
If you have an earlier version of FUSION, you should upgrade to take advantage of several new features and bug fixes.
If you are upgrading from version 4.00 or higher, you can simply install the new version of FUSION to the same folder as the old version. To upgrade from older versions, first remove the old version by deleting the install folder. FUSION does not add components to any windows folders and it does not register an "uninstaller" so it won't show up on the list of installed programs. Then install the new version into the same folder as the previous version. If you have data or settings files in the FUSION install folder, you can just delete application files and application extensions from the FUSION install folder instead of the entire folder and then prceed with the install.
Release notes describing changes to FUSION
Manual describing FUSION/LDV and the LIDAR Toolit (LTK) (3.2 Mb)
You can download FUSION from the following location:
Install file (13.4 Mb)
If you have trouble downloading and/or running the install file due to windows security or windows policy restrictions, you can download this archive and simply extract the files into the install folder of your choice. The FUSION distribution includes all required components and does not need to be "installed".
Install archive (13.4 Mb)
| zip Archive | Installer | Description |
| Example
data (State Plane, WA south zone) (106 Mb) |
Example
data (State Plane, WA south zone) (128 Mb) |
This is the original example data distributed with FUSION prior to September 2008. If you are using the tutorials produced by the Forest Service Geospatial Technology and Applications Center (GTAC), you need to use these data. |
| Example data (UTM, zone 10) (102
Mb) |
Example data (UTM, zone 10) (104
Mb) |
This is an example data set covering the same area as the State Plane example but locations and elevations are in UTM meters (zone 10). These data will not work with all of the RSAC tutorials. |
General information regarding FUSION
FUSION is developed at the US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station by an employee of the Federal Government in the course of his official duties. Pursuant to Title 17, Section 105 of the United States Code, this software is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. FUSION is primarily a research tool. USDA Forest Service assumes no responsibility whatsoever for its use by other parties, and makes no guarantees, expressed or implied, about its quality, reliability, or any other characteristic.