Asbuilts

It's been a busy few months in the scanning department with a collection of interesting asbuilt projects coming through the door. These projects have included;

• internal building fitout for a high end prefabricated design
• a large slab floor of in industrial warehouse

As always I believe pictures of this work speak much louder than words and there are relevant images below. For all projects the final deliverables involved modelling of the point cloud data into standard deliverables being 3D objects, strings, floor plans, elevations and contour/deformation models suitable for AutoCAD and similar packages. 

Renderings and Point Clouds

The last couple of months have provided some new challenges and deliverables. Two projects have required us utilising high accuracy scanners to generate highly accurate and dense point clouds to meet project requirements.

One of these projects was 2km of rail line requiring high accuracy modelling of the rail components and furniture throughout the site. Safety was the key here and in only a couple of days the full corridor was captured with little disruption to normal rail traffic, with all staff and equipment being kept clear of danger areas.

The next project involved the full capture of an internal chamber of a dam. The large chamber consisted of a hinged ceiling which formed the gate for the dam. Full internal dimensions as well as hinge and pin details were required for upgrade works. Access was gained through a deep shaft within the dam which proved an exciting experience.

Once in the confined environment scanning was completed in a matter of hours and a full model was captured even with poor lighting and scaffolding in place.

The next project allowed for the full visualisation capabilities of the scanner to a realised. A proposed waterfront development with cliffs surrounding the site required a detailed model of the cliff face to allow for planning and detail design. Scanning provided a comprehensive model of the wall and with high resolution imagery draped over the surface it was possible to visualise the wall and various rock structures. This visual component has allowed engineers and designers to design on a realistic model of the site allowing for full realisation of the proposed design before construction, which has also helped in council and public approval of the design. Corrected orthophotos were also provided to allow for to scale paper plans to be made.

  

Structural Models

Yet again I am blown away by the capabilities of scanning and what it can produce. This recent project involved providing a structural model of a church for some engineers for some upcoming works. The brief required 3D locations and dimensions of all structural components being columns, archways, roof structures. In less than two days the field work was completed and a full 'point cloud' of the church internal and external was captured. A final 3D model of the church (pictured below) was then generated in AutoCAD format for the engineers. The complexity of structures and amount of detail captured is evident in this image of the final model. I'm just trying to figure out how this could be done without laser scanning.

3D Maps and unlimited potential

A recent additional of software to the fleet has created seemingly unlimited possibilities. This GIS software allows for almost unlimited import and export abilities allowing for design and concept viewing, analysis, and publishing. This software also has access to numerous online resources such as the NASA 90m GRID of elevations. With the ability to produce contours, calculate sight lines and volumes the potential for this software is quite dramatic.

This image show the above mentioned NASA DEM with imagery draped over it. Also included is a concept layout for an estate with existing buildings drafted in 3D and some flood analysis (lets hope this one doesn't happen). This data set allows for a real world analysis of a concept in the very early stages and provides extensive resources for consultation and planning. I'm looking forward to seeing where this software takes us as it is still early days.

When Safety is a Must

As well as providing benefits in regards to project speed and deliverables, terrestrial scanning has huge safety benefits. With workplace health and safety an ever growing concern, safe work procedures are an ever growing issue and access to hazardous sites can often be impossible. Since all scanning works are performed remotely most safety concerns are alleviated by ensuring staff have little or no need to enter hazardous and dangerous sites. The included images are of extremely busy road and rail corridors where conventional detail surveys were required. Scanning was selected as the preferred methodology as staff were not required to physically access the hazardous areas and the total time spent on site was also greatly reduced. The final product was coded strings that seamlessly integrated into adjoining conventional detail works.