Yes. Point clouds are created mainly using two technologies: 1) structure from motion (SfM) and 2) light detection and ranging.
SfM is a photogrammetry / computer vision method that can produce 3D point clouds from photographs of objects taken at multiple angles. It is a passive method that uses only the light reflected from the object.
LiDAR uses laser ranging to actively measure the 3D geometry of a scene.
SfM is a photogrammetry / computer vision method that can produce 3D point clouds from photographs of objects taken at multiple angles. It is a passive method that uses only the light reflected from the object.
LiDAR uses laser ranging to actively measure the 3D geometry of a scene.