Scan-to-Revit Workflow
Every renovation, retrofit, and adaptive reuse project starts with the same problem: what is actually built in that building? A tape measure and a PDF get you close. A coordinated Revit model built from a registered point cloud gets you to ±3-5 mm - with walls that know they are walls, ducts that carry system data, and clashes flagged before a single saw cut is made. Here is the full workflow, discipline by discipline, with the numbers that actually drive decisions.
Why Revit - Not Just a PDF - Is the Right Deliverable for As-Built Capture
Hand a renovation GC a dimensioned PDF and they can scale distances, mark it up, and produce a bid. Hand them an RVT and they can coordinate trades in 3D, extract a door schedule in seconds, run clash detection against the new design, and export to any format their subs need.
The gap between those two outcomes is concrete and quantifiable. Revit’s parametric intelligence is the core of it. A wall element carries a type, a thickness, a base constraint, a top constraint, and a material assembly - data that feeds quantity takeoffs, energy models, and fabrication drawings automatically. A duct carries system type, flow direction, and connectivity to air-handling equipment. A door automatically populates a door schedule with rough-opening dimensions the moment it is placed. A PDF carries pixels. When a mechanical sub needs the exact invert elevation of a 6-inch drain to route a new trap arm, the RVT gives them a Revit query. The PDF gives them a scale bar and a prayer.
The rework cost stakes are well-documented. McKinsey Global Institute’s Reinventing Construction: A Route to Higher Productivity (2017) identifies coordination failure and rework as among the leading drivers of productivity loss in construction - commonly consuming a significant share of total project value. On a $10M hospital renovation, preventable rework at even a modest percentage represents hundreds of thousands of dollars in waste. A federated BIM model - architectural, structural, and MEP models overlaid in Navisworks - flags every clash before the first tool touches the building. The model does not eliminate all field problems, but it eliminates the class of problems that stem from not knowing what is already there.
Our standard deliverable package on a scan-to-Revit engagement is:
- RVT - the Revit model file, versioned to the release agreed at kickoff
- NWC - Navisworks cache for clash detection by the design team
- RCP - indexed ReCap point cloud for owner archive and future reference
- Accuracy report - one-page document showing per-setup RMS registration values, control diagram, and documented LOA per the USIBD Guide
Explore the full scope of what we build in our scan-to-BIM services.
Step 1 - Field Scanning: Gear, Setup, and Accuracy at the Source
The accuracy of everything downstream - registration, modeling, coordination - is capped by what happens in the field. Bad scan data cannot be fixed in software.
Instrument Selection
We deploy a Trimble X7 terrestrial laser scanner as our primary instrument, supplemented by handheld scanners (including the Creaform MetraSCAN) for components, detailed areas, and reverse-engineering work.
| Scanner | Point Rate | Range Accuracy | Best Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trimble X7 | 500,000 pts/sec | ±2-4 mm 3D point accuracy @ 10 m | Self-leveling, auto-registers in field; ideal for open floors, long corridors, large atriums |
| Handheld scanner (e.g., Creaform MetraSCAN) | - | Sub-mm at close range | Tight mechanical rooms, dense MEP environments, individual components and parts |
For a typical commercial office floor, we reach for the Trimble X7 - its self-leveling and in-field auto-registration lets us move faster without compromising RMS. For a dense mechanical room packed with chillers, cooling towers, and conduit racks, we deploy our handheld scanner where the terrestrial instrument cannot reach or where additional detail is required.
Scanner Placement Rules
- 3:1 overlap rule: every surface of interest appears in at least three scan positions, giving registration enough tie geometry to close residuals below our threshold.
- Spacing for LOD 300 - open floors: one setup per 400-600 sq ft. A 30,000 sq ft office floor at that density runs 60-80 setups.
- Spacing for LOD 300 - dense MEP environments: one setup per 150-200 sq ft. A 3,000 sq ft mechanical penthouse with stacked pipe racks, chillers, and overhead conduit bundles requires 18-22 setups - roughly three times the density of an open floor. The geometry is too occluded for any single position to see enough surface. This is also the primary reason dense MEP spaces cost more per square foot to model: more setups means more registration work and more cloud volume to process.
- Density at surface: ≥50 pts/sq ft at the wall surface for reliable LOD 300 wall modeling.
Control Network
When the model needs to be georeferenced - typically for large campus projects, site coordination, or when the structural engineer needs state plane coordinates - we establish a local control network tied to state plane using a total station or GPS. For tenant improvement and interior-only scans, we work in an arbitrary coordinate system and align to building grid lines.
Field QC - The Rule We Do Not Break
Before the crew leaves the site, on-site registration RMS must be ≤3 mm. If a setup cluster is showing higher residuals, we re-scan or add targets. Maintaining that threshold on every project is what prevents remobilization caused by registration failure.
Before your scan day, review our laser scanning site prep checklist so your building is ready.
Step 2 - Registration and Point Cloud Preparation in ReCap Pro
Raw scans from the Trimble X7 are processed through Autodesk ReCap Pro for registration and preparation. ReCap Pro also accepts .fls (FARO), .zfs (Zoller+Fröhlich), and the universal .e57 exchange format from other instrument workflows. Note that Trimble’s native .tzf format requires prior conversion via Trimble RealWorks before import into ReCap Pro.
Cloud-to-Cloud vs. Target-Based Registration
| Method | Accuracy | When We Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud-to-cloud (ICP) | ±2-3 mm RMS | Open floors, long corridors, spaces with rich geometry |
| Target-based | ±1 mm RMS | Dense MEP rooms, low-geometry spaces, across floor levels through stairwells |
Most projects use a hybrid: cloud-to-cloud for the bulk of the floor, targets at level transitions and wherever geometry is insufficient to constrain the ICP solver. For a complete explanation of what RMS values mean and how registration quality is evaluated, see our post on how point cloud registration works and why RMS error matters.
Cleaning the Cloud
We apply noise filtering (stray returns from glass, retroreflective targets, and scanner self-noise at range extremes), range masking (clips returns beyond useful range per setup), and object removal (people, forklifts, temporary partitions not part of permanent conditions). What stays: all permanent structure, MEP, finishes, and any feature that affects modeling decisions.
File Size Reality
A 200,000 sq ft facility can generate 400-900 GB of raw scan data. ReCap’s indexing and decimation pipeline compresses this to a 15-50 GB .rcp project file that Revit can stream efficiently. The .rcp contains spatial index references to .rcs region files - Revit loads only the visible tile for any given camera position, not the entire cloud.
Coordinate System Alignment
The .rcp is exported with the same shared coordinate origin used in the Revit project. This means the architectural model, structural model, and MEP model all share the same insertion point when they link to each other - no manual repositioning, no guessing.
Step 3 - Linking the Point Cloud into Revit and Configuring the View
With a clean, registered .rcp in hand, the modeling environment gets set up before a single element is placed.
Inserting the Cloud
Insert > Link > Point Cloud, positioning method: Auto - By Shared Coordinates. When the ReCap coordinate system was established correctly in Step 2, the cloud lands exactly where the building should be in the model.
Visibility and Graphics Configuration
Three colorization modes serve different modeling tasks:
- RGB (photographic): best for general tracing - you can read signs, see material changes, identify equipment by label
- Elevation (heat map): reveals floor flatness and slab slope at a glance; essential for deviation analysis
- Intensity: high contrast between materials - concrete, steel, and insulation each return differently; useful when tracing MEP against a cluttered background
Slicing Strategy
We set the section box to a 300-400 mm horizontal slice at the height we are tracing. For wall tracing at 4’-0” AFF, the slice runs from 3’-6” to 4’-6”. The cloud is clean, the wall centerline is unambiguous.
Hardware Requirements
Modeling a 100,000 sq ft cloud in Revit requires: 64 GB RAM minimum (128 GB preferred for full MEP), an NVIDIA RTX-class GPU (RTX 3090 or RTX 4090 workstations), and an NVMe SSD - point cloud streaming is heavily I/O dependent. Mechanical spinning drives will make the experience painful.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of the insertion process, see our post on how to import a point cloud into Revit.
Step 4 - Modeling Against the Cloud: LOD 200 Through LOD 350
LOD Framework
| LOD | Description | Typical Accuracy Tolerance | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOD 200 | Massing, zone walls, slab elevations, approximate openings | ±15-20 mm | Feasibility studies, space planning, early energy modeling |
| LOD 300 | Exact dimensions, sized openings, hosted elements, accurate MEP routing | ±5-10 mm | Construction documents, permit submissions, GC coordination |
| LOD 350 | Connection details, anchor locations, sleeve penetrations, prefab-ready MEP | ±3-5 mm | Trade contractor prefabrication, owner-operator facility management |
Architectural Trace
Walls are placed using Wall by Face on the cloud slice - the modeler traces the visible wall return at mid-thickness. Door and window families are sized to the measured rough opening from the cloud cross-section, not nominal dimensions. A 3’-0” door in an old building is almost never exactly 36 inches. We measure it.
Slabs are modeled as Floor elements with actual slope data derived from the deviation analysis. If a concrete slab has a 3/4-inch low spot at column line D-4, that shows up in the model and in the deviation report we include in the deliverable.
Structural Elements
Concrete columns are modeled round or rectangular to match the cloud cross-section, with dimensions taken at two elevations (base and mid-height) to catch any taper or form irregularity. Steel wide-flange beams are sized by matching the cloud flange width and overall depth to AISC section tables.
Real-world callout: paint and spray-applied fireproofing add 12-25 mm to the apparent size of a steel section in the point cloud. A W12x65 web will measure roughly 12.1” at the web but 12.5-12.8” at the flanges after two coats of intumescent. We subtract the estimated coating thickness before selecting the Revit family.
MEP - The Highest-Value Discipline
Round duct diameters are measured in two perpendicular cross-sections of the cloud - once horizontally, once vertically - and averaged to compensate for slight oval distortion from the cloud return angle. Equipment like AHUs, FCUs, boilers, and chillers is modeled from manufacturer BIM content where available, matched to nameplate data readable in the HDR imagery from the scan. Pipe routing is traced with correct slope: 1/8 in/ft (1%) for sanitary drain lines, 1/4 in/ft where the cloud shows steeper grade - read from cloud elevation data, not code assumption.
A Dynamo script generates a color deviation mesh over floor and concrete surfaces, flagging anything deviating more than 6 mm from a best-fit plane. Structural engineers on renovation projects consistently call this one of the most useful items in the deliverable.
For a detailed comparison of what each level includes and costs, read our post on LOD 200 vs LOD 300 - what each level of detail actually includes.
MEP Family Creation from Point Cloud: Workflow, Limits, and Techniques
A rectangular placeholder box with “AHU-1” text does not help a mechanical contractor plan a coil replacement. They need the actual unit footprint, service clearance envelope, duct collar locations at exact elevations, and pipe connection positions. Getting there from a point cloud is the most time-intensive part of a full MEP scan-to-Revit engagement, and the technique matters.
AHU Workflow, Step by Step
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Identify the unit boundary in the cloud using intensity return values. On a 0-2048 intensity scale, sheet-metal AHU casing typically returns in the 900-1,300 range - a mid-bright band that is noticeably distinct from adjacent concrete slab (300-600) and painted CMU block (500-800). This contrast is visible at 50 pts/sq ft density and lets us draw the unit boundary before taking any dimensional measurements. In CloudCompare, we apply a scalar field filter set to that intensity window to isolate the casing returns from background structure.
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Measure L × W × H from cloud cross-sections taken at three orthogonal planes - length at the unit centerline, width at mid-height, height at the end panel. Cross-sections are taken in ReCap Pro using the section tool at 50 mm slice thickness. A typical rooftop AHU measures to within ±5 mm of manufacturer-published cabinet dimensions when the scan was captured at ≤3 m range.
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Load or build the Revit family. When a manufacturer BIM family exists (Carrier, Trane, and Daikin Applied publish LOD 300 Revit families for most current equipment lines), we load it and verify connector placement against the cloud. When it does not - common for older equipment, custom air handlers, and off-brand units - we build a Mechanical Equipment family in Revit using profiled in-place extrusions for the cabinet geometry. The workflow: export a point cloud slice at each face of the unit as a 2D DXF from ReCap Pro, import the DXF into the Revit family editor as an underlay, trace the profile, and extrude. Duct collar connectors are placed at the measured supply and return collar locations using Revit’s connector element tool. Connector sizes match the measured duct collar diameters from the cloud cross-section.
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Verify connection elevations against the structural slab point cloud. If the slab has a 10 mm depression under the unit pad, that shifts connection elevations above finished floor by the same amount - a detail that only the point cloud can catch and that matters when the new supply duct connection is within 50 mm of a beam soffit.
HBIM: How We Build Custom Families for Historic Profiles
Historic buildings present Revit families that do not exist in any library: egg-and-dart crown molding profiles, elliptical arched openings with non-standard curvature, rusticated stone coursing with irregular joint patterns. The technique is point cloud slicing into spline-based sweeps.
In ReCap Pro, we take a perpendicular cross-section through the molding profile at 20-25 mm slice thickness, export it as a 2D DXF, and import it into the Revit in-place family editor. We trace the profile using a Spline through the point returns - the spline becomes the sweep profile. The sweep path is extracted similarly: a horizontal slice along the molding run gives the path geometry, including any curvature or return at corners. The resulting in-place Revit family is assigned to the Generic Model category (or Specialty Equipment for ornamentation that needs to appear in schedules) and hosted on the face of the adjacent wall element. For elliptical arch openings, we use the same technique: extract the arch profile from a vertical cross-section, trace the ellipse as a Revit Spline, and use Void Form to cut the opening through the wall element. This approach is repeatable across profiles and produces LOD 350-quality geometry without requiring any specialized plug-in.
Pipe Diameter Resolution - Transparent Limits
TLS reliably resolves 2-inch and larger pipes with confidence. 3/4-inch copper lines in a dense mechanical room bundle - especially where pipes are touching or close together - may not return enough separate geometry to measure diameter directly. In those cases, we flag the runs in the model as “field verification required” and recommend supplemental close-range measurement or a return visit with a handheld scanner. We would rather disclose that limit than deliver a model with guessed dimensions.
Conduit and Cable Tray
Conduit runs are modeled as Revit Conduit elements with tray segments. At ≥50 pts/sq ft density, 45° and 90° swept bends return enough geometry to confirm the bend angle from the cloud cross-section.
MEP Deliverable Package
The MEP deliverable includes: RVT with the Systems Browser organized by discipline (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing), NWC export for clash detection tolerances and settings in a scan-to-BIM workflow, and an XLSX equipment schedule listing every modeled piece of equipment with tag number, Revit family type, mounting height AFF, and manufacturer/model where the nameplate was readable in the HDR imagery.
Accuracy, Tolerances, and What ±2-3 mm Actually Means in a Revit Model
Accuracy claims without an error budget are marketing copy. Here is the actual stack.
Error Budget
| Source | Typical Contribution |
|---|---|
| Scanner instrument noise (Trimble X7) | ±2-4 mm 3D point accuracy @ 10 m |
| Registration error (target-based) | ±1 mm |
| Registration error (cloud-to-cloud) | ±2-3 mm |
| Modeling interpretation (trained technician) | ±1-2 mm |
| Total, well-controlled project | ±3-5 mm |
LOD vs. LOA - A Critical Distinction
LOD (Level of Development) describes how much information a model element contains. LOA (Level of Accuracy) per the USIBD Guide describes the positional accuracy of that element’s geometry. A model can be LOD 300 in information richness but LOA 20 (±15 mm) in positional accuracy if the scanning was sloppy or the registration was never validated. We document LOA explicitly in every accuracy report.
Practical Tolerance Targets We Guarantee
| Element | Our Guarantee | Industry Norm |
|---|---|---|
| Floor-to-floor height | ±3 mm | ±6 mm |
| Wall thickness | ±2 mm | ±5 mm |
| Column centerline | ±3 mm | ±5 mm |
| Duct centerline | ±5 mm | ±10 mm |
| Pipe centerline | ±5 mm | ±10 mm |
What Degrades Accuracy
- Glass surfaces: most TLS scanners partially pass through glass - the return is unreliable. We scan adjacent to glazed facades, not through them.
- Polished concrete and stainless cladding: mirror-like surfaces scatter the laser beam. We adjust scan angles to 30-45° incidence rather than perpendicular.
- HVAC supply air near sensors: air movement near the scanner head adds noise at close range. We either scan with HVAC off or apply range filtering below 0.5 m.
Typical Project Timelines, File Deliverables, and What You Receive
Timeline by Project Size
| Project Type | Scan (Field Days) | Modeling | QC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 sq ft simple office, LOD 300 arch only | 1 day | 3-5 days | 1 day | 5-7 business days |
| 30,000 sq ft multi-floor office, LOD 300 arch+structural | 2 days | 8-10 days | 1-2 days | 2 weeks |
| 50,000 sq ft multi-discipline with MEP, LOD 300 | 2-3 days | 2-3 weeks | 2 days | 3-4 weeks |
| 100,000 sq ft hospital wing, LOD 300 full MEP | 3-5 days | 4-6 weeks | 3 days | 6-8 weeks |
Deliverable File List
| File | Format | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| As-built model | .rvt (agreed Revit version) |
Primary BIM deliverable |
| Point cloud | .rcp |
Linked cloud, owner archive |
| Coordination model | .nwc / .nwd |
Navisworks clash detection |
| CAD export | .dwg |
Consultants not on Revit |
| Field reference | .pdf |
View sheets, printed or tablet |
| Equipment schedule | .xlsx |
Owner FM database seed |
| Accuracy report | .pdf |
Per-setup RMS values, control diagram |
Model Organization Standards
Revit worksets follow discipline naming: A-Architectural, S-Structural, M-Mechanical, E-Electrical, P-Plumbing. Views are named per AIA CAD/BIM standards. Sheets are numbered to the owner’s naming convention if provided at kickoff.
Raw Data Archive Policy
Raw .e57 or native format scan files are retained in our secure archive for a defined period from project close. If scope expands - a tenant adds a floor, or a previously off-limits mechanical room becomes accessible - we can re-model from the original cloud without a remobilization.
For a complete breakdown of every file in the package, see what laser scanning file deliverables to expect.
Cost Ranges and How Scope Drives the Price
Cost Components
Field scanning: $1,500-$4,500 per field day for crew plus equipment. Most buildings under 50,000 sq ft complete field work in 1-2 days.
Modeling - by LOD and discipline:
| Scope | Cost per Sq Ft |
|---|---|
| LOD 200 architectural only | $0.05-$0.10 |
| LOD 300 architectural + structural | $0.12-$0.20 |
| LOD 300 MEP added to arch+structural | +$0.10-$0.18 |
All-In Project Examples
| Project | Scope | Estimated Total |
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 sq ft tenant improvement | LOD 300 arch + structural | $6,000-$9,000 |
| 50,000 sq ft office conversion | LOD 300 arch + structural + MEP | $18,000-$28,000 |
| 100,000 sq ft hospital wing | LOD 300 full MEP | $45,000-$75,000 |
What Drives Cost Up
- Dense MEP environments: at 150-200 sq ft per scanner setup versus 400-600 sq ft for open floors, a 3,000 sq ft mechanical penthouse generates three times as many setups - and three times as many registration bundles - as the same area of open office. Modeling hours scale similarly because occlusion means more cross-referencing between positions.
- Inaccessible areas: spaces requiring return visits, special access, or confined space protocols add mobilization cost.
- Rush delivery: expedited timelines carry a 20-35% premium.
- Travel: round-trip travel beyond 150 miles from our base adds per-diem and mileage; projects within our metro service area carry no travel premium.
For a full breakdown of which pricing model fits your engagement, see our page on hourly vs. fixed vs. per-square-foot pricing for point cloud to Revit and our detailed scan-to-BIM cost breakdown and pricing factors.
Industries and Project Types Where Scan-to-Revit Pays for Itself
Healthcare Renovation
Scanning during off-peak hours - early morning, overnight, weekends - captures existing conditions without disrupting procedure schedules. A coordinated Revit model lets the design team work remotely from the as-built without repeat access to restricted areas.
The value of pre-construction clash detection is concrete. When LOD 300 MEP models - mechanical, electrical, and medical gas - are used for coordination before a GC issues subcontractor bid packages, Navisworks clash detection routinely identifies hard clashes between new supply air ductwork and existing structural steel. Resolving those clashes in the model before bid eliminates costly field remobilizations: field correction of a single hard clash involving reroute, re-coordination, and subcontractor return trips is an established cost driver that scan-to-Revit is specifically designed to prevent.
See how we handle scan-to-BIM for healthcare facilities with occupied-building constraints.
Office-to-Residential Adaptive Reuse
Converting an office tower to residential requires knowing exactly where structural bays land, which core walls are shear walls, and where existing slab penetrations can be repurposed for new plumbing chases. LOD 300 existing-conditions documentation of those elements is what structural and MEP engineers need to begin conversion feasibility work.
Point cloud capture at LOD 300 commonly reveals slab penetrations from prior mechanical systems that are not on any existing drawing - conditions that can be repurposed as new plumbing chases, eliminating the need to core new penetrations through post-tensioned concrete. That kind of discovery is only possible when the as-built model reflects what is actually there.
Manufacturing Plant Equipment Relocation
Moving a 40-ton press requires knowing the exact location of equipment pads, utility connection centerlines, and overhead crane rail elevations - all to sub-5 mm accuracy so the new machine aligns with existing utilities on delivery day. Point cloud to Revit is the only practical method at that scale. More on scan-to-BIM for manufacturing plant projects.
Data Center Capacity Expansion
Raised-floor plenum heights vary across a data center floor as underfloor infrastructure accumulates over decades. Busway routing, generator pad dimensions, and UPS clearances all need accurate as-built documentation before a capacity expansion can be engineered. Read our approach to scan-to-BIM for data center projects.
Historic Renovation and HBIM
Historic buildings present conditions that no standard Revit family library covers: egg-and-dart crown molding profiles, elliptical arched openings, rusticated stone coursing with irregular joint patterns. As detailed in the MEP Family Creation section above, we extract profile geometry from point cloud cross-sections and build spline-based sweep families directly in Revit’s in-place family editor - the scan geometry is the profile library. Historic renovation projects of any complexity typically require between a dozen and several dozen custom profile families per building, depending on the variety of original detailing.
MEP Coordination on Existing Structures
When new mechanical systems are designed for installation in an existing building, the point cloud is the ground truth for what is already in the ceiling plenum, mechanical room, and shaft. Navisworks clash detection on the federated as-built plus new design model routinely identifies hard clashes - involving new ductwork routing through existing structural members, new pipe runs conflicting with existing conduit bundles, and new diffuser locations blocked by existing beams - before any work begins. Catching those clashes in the model before mobilization is where scan-to-Revit pays for itself most directly: each hard clash resolved in the model eliminates the reroute, re-coordination, and subcontractor return trip costs that field discovery requires.
FAQ
How accurate is a Revit model made from a point cloud?
The accuracy is determined by an error stack. The Trimble X7 delivers ±2-4 mm 3D point accuracy at 10 meters. Registration adds ±1 mm for target-based workflows or ±2-3 mm for cloud-to-cloud. A trained technician modeling against the cloud adds ±1-2 mm of interpretation error. Total achievable accuracy on a well-controlled project: ±3-5 mm.
It is also important to distinguish LOD (Level of Development - how much information an element contains) from LOA (Level of Accuracy - its positional correctness per the USIBD Guide). A model can carry LOD 300 information but LOA 20 (±15 mm) positional accuracy if scanning or registration was not controlled. We document both in the accuracy report delivered with every model. For the specific elements most sensitive to this distinction - duct centerlines, pipe slopes, equipment connection elevations - our guaranteed tolerances are listed in the accuracy table above.
What LOD should I specify for a scan-to-Revit project?
Specify LOD 200 for early feasibility studies and space planning - you need massing, zone walls, and slab elevations, not precise openings. Specify LOD 300 for construction documents and permit submissions - this is the most common target and covers exact dimensions, hosted elements, and accurate MEP routing. Specify LOD 350 when trade contractors need connection-level detail for prefabrication: anchor locations, sleeve penetrations, flange-to-flange dimensions on mechanical equipment. The right LOD also depends on what your cost budget will support: LOD 300 arch+structural runs $0.12-$0.20/sq ft in modeling cost; adding full MEP adds $0.10-$0.18/sq ft. See our full breakdown in the LOD guide.
Can Revit handle large point clouds without crashing?
Yes, with the right workflow. ReCap Pro indexes raw scan data into an .rcp file that Revit streams spatially - it loads only the visible tile for the current camera position, not the entire cloud into RAM. A 400-900 GB raw dataset becomes a 15-50 GB .rcp. Hardware matters: 64 GB RAM minimum, an NVIDIA RTX-class GPU, and an NVMe SSD. The section-box slicing strategy described in Step 3 keeps the active cloud region small during modeling, which keeps the viewport responsive. Dropping display density to Minimum when sharing with consultants prevents performance issues on their end.
How long does a scan-to-Revit project take?
A 10,000 sq ft simple office runs 1 day of scanning, 3-5 days of modeling, and 1 day of QC - 5-7 business days total. A 50,000 sq ft multi-discipline project with MEP runs 2-3 days of scanning and 3-4 weeks total. MEP family creation is the long pole in the tent: identifying, measuring, and building each major piece of equipment takes 2-4 hours per unit for complex equipment. On a 50,000 sq ft mechanical floor with 20 pieces of major equipment, that is a week of modeling time before any pipe or duct routing begins. If scope expands after project close, our raw data archive means no remobilization is required.
What is the difference between scan-to-Revit and scan-to-CAD?
Scan-to-CAD produces 2D DWG drawings - floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, sections, elevations. It is faster, lower cost, and fully sufficient for simple renovation permit sets and single-discipline reference drawings. Scan-to-Revit produces a 3D parametric BIM model where elements carry data, schedules auto-populate, and clash detection is possible. If the deliverable feeds a design team doing full coordination, you need Revit. If it feeds a single contractor doing a flooring replacement, a DWG is fine. See our detailed comparison in the scan-to-CAD vs. scan-to-BIM post.
Do I need to be present during the laser scan?
Not required, but we recommend being available for the first 30 minutes. That window covers site access, identifying any areas of special concern (locked rooms, hazardous zones, hidden voids behind finished walls), and confirming the scope boundary. Once the crew has that information, they operate autonomously. To prepare your site and minimize the chance of a return visit, review our laser scanning site prep checklist.
Ready to Turn Your Building Into a Coordinated Revit Model?
Send us the square footage, your LOD target, and which disciplines need to be modeled. We return a fixed-fee quote within 24 hours - with the number, the timeline, and the exact file deliverable list before you sign anything.
Contact the Capture team or explore our scan-to-BIM services to see the full range of what we deliver.