ServicesScan-to-BIM

3D Laser Scanning Services for Existing Buildings and Sites

3D laser scanning records a building as it stands, as millions of measured points. A terrestrial scanner on a tripod sweeps each room, facade and roof, the scans are registered into one point cloud, and that cloud becomes the measured record every later deliverable is built on: as-built drawings, a Revit model, an MEP survey, a 360 tour. We provide 3D laser scanning services for existing buildings and sites in every US state, with our own scanning and the point cloud delivered in the formats your software opens.

What the scan delivers

The base deliverable is the registered point cloud with its report. Drawings and models are separate scopes built on it, described on their own pages; the scan alone is what a design team orders when it models in-house, and what an owner orders when the building has no documentation and the first job is to capture it before anything changes.

Deliverable	What it is	Format
Registered point cloud	Every scan station aligned into one cloud, colored from the scanner's cameras, with people and stray points removed	E57, RCP/RCS; LAS or PTS on request
Registration report	The average error of each station, the overlap between scans and the consistency of the registration	PDF
Station images	Panoramic photographs from each scan position, for context and for checking details without a site visit	JPEG
As-built drawings	Plans, elevations, sections and RCPs traced from the cloud	as-built drawings
Revit model	An as-built model at the LOD the project names	scan-to-BIM

E57 is the ASTM exchange format for 3D imaging data and carries the points with their color and intensity and the station photographs, so it opens in the point cloud software in common use. RCP/RCS is the indexed format Revit links directly; a raw E57 or LAS file has to be indexed first, which is why both come in the delivery. The registered vs unregistered guide explains why a cloud without its registration report is not yet a deliverable.

How a building is scanned

The instrument is a terrestrial laser scanner of the Trimble X7 class: a class 1, eye-safe laser that measures up to 500,000 points a second over a range of 0.6 to 80 m, with a 3D point accuracy of 2.4 mm at 10 m and 3.5 mm at 20 m (one standard deviation) by its datasheet. Terrestrial laser scanning is one form of lidar; a request for lidar scanning of a building means this instrument. The scanner levels itself to survey grade and calibrates itself in 25 seconds, and the stations are registered to each other scan to scan, so no targets go on the walls and nothing is left behind. A station takes two to seven minutes without images, depending on the point density chosen; in the standard modes the datasheet gives a point spacing of 11, 5 or 4 mm at 10 m, and the density is chosen per project, denser for a facade restoration or a millwork package, coarser for a massing model.

A house takes a few dozen stations, a commercial floor more, because the scanner only measures what it can see from where it stands: every room, closet, shaft and stair that has to appear in the deliverable needs a station with a view of it. Exteriors are scanned from the street and the site, roofs from the roof or from adjacent height where there is one. The registration is checked in the field before we leave the site, so a missed corner can be rescanned the same day, and the full registration report comes with the cloud. Occupied buildings are scanned during business hours when the client prefers it: the scanner stands on a tripod, is quiet and works around people, though furniture and stock hide floor and wall lines, and a cleared room needs fewer stations. The site preparation checklist lists what to settle before the visit.

What the scanner sees and what it does not

The scanner records surfaces in line of sight and does not see through walls, ceilings or floors, so framing, conduit and pipe above a closed ceiling appear only where tiles are lifted or the ceiling is open; hidden elements are not in the cloud, and the scope says so. Glass and still water return little of the beam, so the glazing of a storefront is usually missing from the cloud while its frame and what stands behind the glass are measured. Mirrors return the reflected room as false points behind the mirror plane, and those points are removed. Very dark and polished surfaces are scanned in the high sensitivity mode the datasheet lists for asphalt and stainless steel, which takes about twice as long for the same point spacing. Dense vegetation hides what stands behind it, and a facade behind a tree is scanned from more than one side. Each of these is settled when the scope is agreed, room by room.

A laser scanning survey is not a land survey

A laser scanning survey is an existing conditions survey: it documents the building and the site as they are, to a stated accuracy, for design and construction. It is not a boundary survey, an ALTA survey or any other survey that a licensed land surveyor signs, and we are not a surveyor of record. When a project has survey control, the cloud can be tied to the surveyor's control points so the drawings and the model sit in the project's coordinate system; when it has none, the cloud is delivered in a local coordinate system with the origin and the orientation documented. For most renovation and restoration work a local system is all the design team needs, and a licensed survey is ordered separately when the permit or the site plan requires one.

The point cloud is the base for everything else

Everything that follows a scan is traced from the cloud, which is why the accuracy of the scan sets the ceiling for the accuracy of the drawings and the model. The U.S. Institute of Building Documentation's Level of Accuracy specification covers both, and its guide separates the measured accuracy of the scan from the represented accuracy of what is drawn from it, stating each level as a standard deviation at the 95 percent confidence level (two sigma): LOA30 is a deviation between 15 mm and 5 mm, LOA40 between 5 mm and 1 mm. The quote names the level the cloud is measured to and the level each deliverable is represented at. From the same cloud, without a second visit, come as-built drawings and surveys, a Revit model, and an MEP model of the systems that were visible when the building was scanned. For choosing between a cloud, a drawing set and a model, see existing conditions documentation for renovation; for linking the cloud into Revit yourself, see the point cloud to Revit guide.

Price and time

Price follows the area, the number of stations the building needs and what is built on the cloud. A registered point cloud alone starts at about $1,200. Typical ranges from recent projects with drawings or a model on top: a house or an apartment, $2,000 to $4,500; interiors with facades and the site, $2,500 to $5,000; an office or a commercial floor, $3,000 to $9,000. Large buildings run from $12,000 and are quoted on their own. The exact price comes in a quote within one business day of your sending the address and the deliverables you need; the cost of 3D laser scanning post explains what moves it.

The scan is scheduled as soon as the project needs it, often within days of the order, and usually takes a day for a house or a floor. The registered cloud with its report usually follows within a few days of the scan; drawings and models take longer and are quoted with their own dates. We scan in all 50 states.

Frequently asked questions about 3D laser scanning

How much does 3D laser scanning cost?

A registered point cloud alone starts at about $1,200. With drawings or a model on top, a house or an apartment usually costs $2,000 to $4,500, interiors with facades and the site $2,500 to $5,000, and an office or a commercial floor $3,000 to $9,000. Large buildings are quoted on their own, from $12,000. The quote arrives within one business day.

What deliverables do I receive from a 3D laser scan?

The registered point cloud in E57 and RCP/RCS, the registration report with the error of each station and the overlap between scans, and the panoramic images from each scan position. Drawings and models are separate scopes built on the cloud.

How long does a laser scan take?

A house or a floor is usually scanned in a day, with each station taking a few minutes. The registered cloud with its report usually follows within a few days.

Can you scan an occupied building during business hours?

Yes. The scanner stands on a tripod, is quiet and eye safe, and we work around people; people and stray points are removed from the cloud afterwards. Furniture hides floor and wall lines, so rooms that can be cleared are scanned faster and drawn more completely.

How accurate is the scan?

A scanner of the Trimble X7 class holds a 3D point accuracy of 2.4 mm at 10 m and 3.5 mm at 20 m (one standard deviation) by its datasheet. The quote states the accuracy of the registered cloud in USIBD Level of Accuracy terms, and the registration report shows the error of each station.

Is the laser safe?

Yes. The scanner uses a class 1 laser, eye safe in accordance with IEC 60825-1 by its datasheet, invisible at 1550 nm. People can stay in the room while it scans.

What file formats do you deliver?

E57 for point cloud software in general, RCP/RCS for Revit, and LAS or PTS on request. Models are delivered as Revit, IFC or ArchiCAD files and drawings as DWG and PDF.

Do you scan in my state?

Yes. We scan in every US state. The coverage page explains how a visit is scheduled.