The first time I ever saw someone modeling off a point cloud, I assumed it was just an inefficient workaround. I thought I had seen everything Revit had to offer and looking at the pixelated images in the Revit browser I mistook the crude blocks of color for a remnant of past processes, rather than the future. It took me almost a decade to learn how wrong I was. It was only a few years ago that I started my first Scan to BIM project. It was intimidating at first, and I didn’t even know what I was looking at when I linked the point cloud into Revit. But after doing my first project and getting more acclimated with the process it became significantly more enjoyable. Soon enough point clouds started making me more confident in my as-built work, not less.
It can seem overwhelming looking at the billions of variegated dots that are crowding your screen, but in the end point clouds are just highly accurate as-built measurements. If you can make a Revit model with old AutoCAD plans, eventually you should be fine with Scan to BIM. These tips have made the process easier for me and hopefully will help you as well as you begin your first Scan to BIM project in Revit.
- Don’t try to be a hero. Leave the scans to the experts.
You are a Revit expert. Stick to that for now. The most important thing to remember when you are starting out with Scan to BIM is that there are people who have decades of professional expertise in LIDAR scanning. It’s okay to leave the scanning to them. Furthermore, while it’s great to build up your experience working with Scan Data, on high-stakes projects you should let the Scanning Professionals parse the data and geolocate the linked point cloud in Revit as well. If you try and be the hero and set up the point cloud in Revit yourself, or assemble the scans in Recap and then bring them into Revit, you may find yourself on the hook for completely redoing the as-built model if you incorrectly assembled or geo-located the file. There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious but learn to walk before you can fly.
For the full article click here.
