Drawings cannot be trusted
Establish a current spatial record before design decisions rely on incomplete or outdated documents.
Field capture / coordinated realityCAPTURE 01
3D laser scanning built around the decision your team needs to make.
The useful question is not how many points a scanner can collect. It is which conditions must be visible, how those scans will hold together, and what the receiving team expects to do with the result.
DIRECT
ANSWER
What does this service do?
3D laser scanning records visible surfaces from multiple field positions as millions of spatial measurements. Those positions are registered into one coordinated point cloud that can support review, measurement, drawings, models, and other project-defined uses.
USE / FIT
Start with the project condition
When this workflow earns its place.
Match the method to the uncertainty or decision it must resolve. Equipment and output follow from that use.
The site is difficult to revisit
Capture the agreed context while access, shutdown, lift, escort, or travel conditions are available.
Systems are densely routed
Preserve geometry and relationships in mechanical rooms, plants, ceilings, and equipment areas.
New work must fit existing work
Give design and fabrication teams a coordinated reference for interfaces, clearances, and connection zones.
Before productionSCOPE INPUTS
Four decisions that keep the data useful.
- 01Decision
- What must the team verify, design, coordinate, estimate, or fabricate?
- 02Extent
- Which rooms, elevations, equipment, routes, exterior faces, and transitions are included?
- 03Control
- Is a local grid sufficient, or must data align to survey, plant, or project coordinates?
- 04Handoff
- Which software, units, formats, segmentation, imagery, and documentation are required?
Controlled sequenceCAPTURE 01
From requirement to reviewed handoff.
- 01
Define
Confirm the project decision, capture limits, access, coordinates, and final use.
- 02
Plan
Lay out station coverage, overlap, transitions, targets or control, and site logistics.
- 03
Capture
Record the visible environment with settings selected for distance, detail, color, and conditions.
- 04
Verify
Check field coverage and relationships before the team leaves the site.
- 05
Register
Align scan positions and review the network, residuals, control, and visible fit.
- 06
Deliver
Prepare the agreed point-cloud, viewer, CAD, BIM, or documentation package.
Project-definedOUTPUTS
Files are selected for the receiving workflow.
No format or derived deliverable is automatic. The project scope confirms coordinates, detail, organization, software version, and the intended use.
Registered point cloud
E57, RCP/RCS, LAS, LAZ, or another agreed exchange format when appropriate.
Visual context
Organized panoramic viewpoints or viewer-ready access when included in scope.
CAD documentation
Plans, sections, elevations, backgrounds, or details developed to a defined scope.
BIM information
Selected Revit or IFC geometry modeled from the approved dataset and requirements.
QA / REVIEW
Coverage and registration are separate checks.
A registration can be mathematically strong and still omit a surface the client needs. QA therefore considers both how scan positions relate and whether the defined areas, transitions, tie-ins, and decision-critical features were captured.
Scope boundariesREAD BEFORE USE
What the workflow does not automatically establish.
- Laser scanning records visible surfaces; closed assemblies and concealed conditions are not measured.
- Surface reflectivity, weather, movement, line of sight, and stand-off distance affect capture strategy.
- Instrument specifications do not by themselves define the accuracy of an entire registered deliverable.
- Survey control, modeling, drawings, clash analysis, and deviation reporting are separate scope decisions.
Technical answersFAQ
Questions project teams ask before they commit.
How long does 3D laser scanning take?
Field time depends on site extent, access, detail, imagery, station density, control, safety constraints, and operating windows. A useful estimate begins with the areas and downstream decision, not square footage alone.
Can measurements be taken from the point cloud?
Yes, within the capability and limitations of the scoped dataset. Measurement reliability depends on capture geometry, registration, control, surface conditions, and using the data at an appropriate scale.
Does scanning replace a survey?
Not automatically. A scanning service can be coordinated to survey control when required, but legal boundary, certified survey, and other regulated services must be explicitly scoped with qualified professionals.
Can the scan go directly into Revit?
A reviewed point cloud can be indexed for Autodesk workflows, commonly through ReCap. Revit can reference that cloud; creating a usable model from it is a separate Scan-to-BIM task.
Next coordinatePROJECT / SCOPE
Define the site. Define the output. Then plan the capture.
Tell us what your team needs to decide, the conditions you need documented, and the software the information must enter.