You can align a point cloud to a 3D model and vice versa. It depends on your project whether you should start the alignment from the point cloud or the 3D model.
You should select the point cloud to 3D model alignment:
If your 3D model has a valid coordinate system and the point cloud has no (or no satisfactory) coordinate system. Then, the 3D model should be used as reference object and the point cloud will move to the 3Dmodel's coordinate system as a result of the alignment.
You should select the 3D model to point cloud alignment:
If the point cloud has a valid coordinate system and the 3D model has no (or no satisfactory) coordinate system. Then, the point cloud should be used as reference object and the 3D model will move to the point cloud's coordinate system as a result of the alignment.
If you want to align a point of an uploaded SCENE project and a 3D model. For SCENE projects, it is currently not possible to align a point cloud to a 3D model in Sphere XG. If you try to start the alignment from the point cloud, it will still run a 3D model to point cloud alignment automatically.
For SCENE projects it is recommended to align the point cloud to survey points directly in SCENE and then synchronize the project with Sphere XG again. See Registering with Survey Data in SCENE on the FARO Knowledge Base and Upload and Download SCENE Projects to/from Sphere XG in the SCENE user manual.
For non-SCENE projects, you can also use the Sphere XG registration instead of the point cloud to 3D model alignment. See Register, Inspect and Publish two Point Clouds.
NOTE: The descriptions below assume that you want to align a point cloud to a 3D model.
Open the Alignment Tool
Click the three-dots icon of the point cloud to open the context menu.
Select menu entry Align
.
The alignment tool is displayed.Select the 3D model to which you want to align the point cloud.
Click Align in the top right corner to open the alignment tool.
For information on how to open the alignment tool, see Align Point Clouds, 3D Models and Sheets.
Set the Common Elevation in the Point Cloud and the 3D Model
You must determine and set the common elevation of the point cloud and the 3D model before you can start the alignment.
On both sides of the split view, you can click and hold anywhere in the view and rotate it to a side, front or back view, i.e., any view that provides a good sight at reference details for determining the common height.
Set the Reference Elevation in the Point Cloud
Pick a point in the cloud to set the reference elevation.
You can also click and hold any point on the green arrow and then drag to adjust the point cloud elevation.
A virtual plane illustrates the selected elevation:
Set the Reference Elevation in the 3D Model
Select the level you want from dropdown list Level if levels are available in the 3D model.
Selecting a level also fills field Elevation.
Alternatively, you can set the elevation by picking elements in the 3D model or entering a numerical value in the Elevation field.
Perform Horizontal Alignment
The horizontal alignment can be determined using either point pairs, or an overlay mode. You can also use both methods in the order described below.
For a better visibility, you can zoom in and out with the mouse wheel.
Method 1: Point Pairs in Point Cloud and 3D Model
By default, the sheet and the point cloud are displayed in a horizontal split screen. If you feel more comfortable in a vertical split screen, you can click icon 
on the right middle side of the screen.
Click a location in the 3D model, for example a corner.
Then find and click the same location in the point cloud.
You can move a marker by clicking and then dragging it.
If the point cloud is rotated with respect to the 3D model, repeat steps above a second time to lock the rotation.
To remove a marker, right-click it.
By default, the reference element is displayed with a cross section at the defined elevation. To deactivate the cross section and show the full reference element in a tomographic view, click the 
icon.
Method 2: Overlay Point Cloud and 3D Model
In the top right of the screen, click the Overlay button.
You can preview the result of the point-pair alignment described above using the overlay mode.
You can also refine the alignment in this mode, by following the steps below:
Click the point cloud to set the anchor point.
Click and drag that anchor point to move the point cloud around.
Click and drag away from the anchor point to rotate the point cloud.
You can zoom in and out using the mouse wheel to check the alignment.
To remove the anchor point, right-click it.
Confirm Alignment
Once the alignment meets your expectations, click the Confirm Alignment button.
The point cloud is now aligned to the 3D model and you are redirected to the Sphere XG Viewer.
Make Point Cloud Visible in 3D Model
If you want to do an alignment check later in the Sphere XG Viewer , you can do so by decreasing the 3D model's opacity to make the point cloud visible again, see also Make Point Cloud, 3D Model or Sheet Visible in Your Project.