How Much Does Scan-to-BIM Cost?
There is no single price per square foot for scan-to-BIM, because cost tracks element density and level of detail, not floor area. The most reliable way to budget is by building type for a turnkey job: a small commercial space under 10,000 sqft typically runs $1,500 to $4,000, while a large warehouse runs $18,000 to $55,000 and a dense hospital or industrial building runs higher still. The full set of ranges is in the table below. These are vendor-derived US ranges, not a neutral benchmark, because there is no neutral benchmark for scan-to-BIM pricing. Standards like the USIBD Level of Accuracy (LOA) and GSA documentation specs define how accurate and detailed a model must be, but they do not set a dollar figure.
Below is how the number actually breaks down, what moves it up or down, and what to send so a quote reflects your project instead of an assumption.
Three scopes that are priced differently
The word “scan-to-BIM” hides at least three separate scopes. They are not interchangeable, so do not compare a price from one against a price from another.
- Scan only (field capture). The field day on site with a Trimble X7 plus registration of the point cloud, billed by day or hour, typically $3,200 to $5,000 per day or $200 to $500 per hour. A full scan day on site can run up to about 12 hours. This is field laser scanning and WeAre Capture’s core strength.
- Modeling only (you supply the point cloud). Turning a registered cloud into a Revit or CAD model. Roughly $0.10 to $0.30 per sqft for a shell or architectural model, climbing to $1 to $10 or more per sqft for dense MEP, or about $50 to $150 per hour. WeAre Capture delivers BIM and CAD modeling through vetted partners.
- Turnkey (scan plus model). Field capture, registration, and modeling as one deliverable. Basic LOD 200 to 300 work runs roughly $0.50 to $3 per sqft; high-detail MEP runs $3 to $10 per sqft. The building-type ranges at the top of this page are turnkey numbers.
If a vendor quotes a flat per-square-foot number without asking which scope you want, treat it as a rough budget figure, not a production quote.
Why floor area is the wrong unit
Two buildings of identical square footage can differ several times over in modeling effort. A 40,000 sqft open warehouse is mostly slab, shell, and a few columns. A 10,000 sqft historic interior with irregular walls, layered ceilings, ornate trim, and restricted access carries far more object-level decisions per square foot. What drives the hours is element density (how many distinct objects must be modeled), the LOD those objects need, and how irregular the existing conditions are. Floor area only works as a proxy inside a single building type, which is why the table below is organized that way.
Turnkey cost by building type
These are typical turnkey ranges (field scanning plus modeling) for a standard architectural model in the LOD 200 to 300 band. They are vendor-derived planning figures, not fixed prices; dense MEP or high LOD pushes above them.
| Building type | Approx. size | Typical turnkey range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small commercial / retail | Under 10,000 sqft | $1,500 - $4,000 | Tenant spaces, single floor |
| Mid-size office | 10,000 - 50,000 sqft | $4,000 - $14,000 | Multiple rooms, ceilings often in scope |
| Warehouse / distribution | 100,000 - 500,000 sqft | $18,000 - $55,000 | Low element density, area-driven |
| Hospital / healthcare | Varies | $20,000 - $60,000 | Dense MEP, occupied, clearances |
| Industrial / plant | Varies | $10,000 - $100,000+ | Heavy MEP and equipment routing |
The hospital and industrial ranges are wide on purpose: those buildings are where MEP density, after-hours access, and high LOD compound. A clean shell sits near the bottom of the range; a full piping and equipment model sits at the top or above it.
What moves the number up or down
A handful of factors reliably shift a quote, and most are scope decisions you control:
- Rush. A turnaround under three days typically adds 25 to 50 percent by compressing registration, modeling, and QA, often requiring more people or fewer review cycles.
- LOD step-up. Moving from LOD 300 to LOD 350 typically adds 30 to 50 percent, since more geometry and connection detail must be modeled and verified against the cloud.
- Occupied or after-hours sites. Working around live operations runs about 1.5x on labor because of access windows, obstructions, and safety coordination.
- Licensed surveyor. Survey-grade control or a stamped deliverable adds roughly $3,000 to $5,000.
- Rural location. The modeling side can run 20 to 30 percent lower, though crew travel offsets some of that.
Level of detail is the biggest single lever
LOD is a decision about how much geometry gets modeled and how it will be used, not a label you bolt on at the end. A wall-location model at LOD 200 is a different job from an LOD 300 model with real wall thicknesses, ceiling grids, beams, and selected equipment, which is different again from an LOD 350 model that captures connections and clearances for coordination.
Before agreeing to a price, decide whether walls need real thickness or just location, whether ceilings and structure are in scope, whether ducts, pipes, conduit, and equipment are modeled, and whether generic families are acceptable or custom families are required. Do not pay for detail your design team will not use, and do not under-scope detail you will need for coordination later. See LOD 200 vs LOD 300 for scan-to-BIM and the scan-to-BIM LOD guide before locking a number.
What the deliverable includes changes the price
A registered point cloud, an RVT model, and a drawing set are related but separate deliverables. Effort tracks which categories are modeled, and drawing production adds hours on top of the model.
| Deliverable | Typical formats | Cost effect |
|---|---|---|
| Registered point cloud | E57, RCP/RCS | Field scope; the input to any model |
| Architectural model | RVT, IFC | Core scope; walls, floors, openings, ceilings |
| Structure and MEP | RVT, IFC | Adds quickly with element density and LOD |
| CAD drawings | DWG, PDF | Plans, RCPs, sections add view setup and QA |
If you supply your own cloud, the team reviews it before relying on it. Gaps, weak registration, low density, reflective surfaces, or scans split into confusing files all add hours or force exclusions, so modeling from a clean cloud is not the same as modeling around holes. The point cloud to Revit workflow explains what good input looks like, and importing a point cloud into Revit covers the RCP step.
Budget number vs production quote
A budget number based on building type and a likely deliverable is useful early, when an owner or architect is deciding whether scan-to-BIM belongs in the project at all. The ranges on this page are meant for exactly that. A production quote needs the real scope: confirmed area, file formats and Revit version, model categories, target LOD, field access, point cloud condition if you have one, schedule, and review process. The scan-to-BIM quote checklist lists what to include, and price vs value explains why the cheapest model often costs more once hidden assumptions surface.
When you are ready for a real number, request a quote with your building type, approximate area, intended use, and whether you already have a point cloud. That is enough to return a grounded range, and enough to scope the field day if WeAre Capture is doing the scanning.
FAQ
How much does scan-to-BIM cost?
There is no single per-square-foot price, because cost tracks element density and LOD rather than floor area. As turnkey planning ranges, small commercial under 10,000 sqft runs about $1,500 to $4,000 and a large warehouse about $18,000 to $55,000. These are vendor-derived US ranges, not a neutral benchmark.
How much does 3D laser scanning cost on its own?
Field scanning is billed by day or hour, typically $3,200 to $5,000 per day or $200 to $500 per hour, with a scan day on site running up to about 12 hours. Scan-only is a separate scope from modeling, so do not compare its day rate against a per-square-foot modeling price.
What is scan-to-BIM?
Capturing a building with a 3D laser scanner, registering the scans into a point cloud, and using that cloud to build an intelligent model (usually in Revit) of the existing conditions. See scan-to-BIM services for the full scope.
How does 3D laser scanning work?
A scanner such as the Trimble X7 sweeps a laser across the space from several positions, recording millions of measured points per setup. Those setups are then registered into one coordinate system to produce a single point cloud, which becomes the measured basis for the model or drawings.
How do I import a point cloud into Revit?
Index the registered cloud into Autodesk’s RCP/RCS format, then link the RCP into Revit and model against it. The full process is in importing a point cloud into Revit.
Last reviewed: May 2026.