Imagine being able to capture everything in the physical world and have a digital model of it . . . . . .
Every day, thousands of companies are using 3D scanners to:
- Create CAD models of real parts
- Scan entire buildings to create accurate 3D models & as-builts
- Inventory assets
- Monitor structure movement
- Investigate Crime Scenes
- Reverse Engineer
- Virtually simulate 3D tours
How does it work? Click HERE to watch a video on how laser scanners work!
Basically a 3D Scanner is a device that measures the physical world using lasers, lights or x-rays and generates dense point clouds or polygon meshes. A point cloud is simply a set of points in some coordinate system. 3D = X,Y,Z By using 3D Laser Scanners, we can create a point cloud of any object. For example, see below one of our favorite objects.
We use this simple concept with highly sophisticated equipment to generate dense point clouds of our everyday surroundings. In most cases, multiple scans from different positions are needed to provide full coverage on objects. The scans will then need to be processed and registered together in order to create a complete point cloud. By doing this, we essentially “re-create” the surveyed objects in a digital environment. The 3D point cloud allows you to do many powerful things:
- extract measurements
- calculate volumes
- reverse engineer
- generate real-time 2D & 3D as-built drawings
- overlay new design models and check for clashes / inferences
- provide a baseline to design against to ensure sufficient spacing
- drape color digital imagery over the point cloud to create a measurable picture
- document current condition with real data
