What's All of the Fuss About High Definition Scanning?
When it comes to making precise measurements in complicated environments, hi-def scanning - or 3D laser surveying, as it is sometimes called - is quickly making its solution to leading of the line in an array of industries from engineering to historic preservation.
Engineers use laser scans to utilize real-world conditions in complex industrial as-built and plant environments. Construction companies use them to assemble precise data on site terrain and renovations, and architects use them to check on proposed design models against existing conditions to fine-tune their designs.
Even insurance companies and law enforcement have gotten up to speed, utilizing the technology to recreate large-scale accident scenes.
Exactly why is it better? For just one, laser scans are incredibly precise. Images are manufactured from a "point cloud" of millions of points which might be measured precisely like the distances and elevations between points. They are also versatile. The scans, when used with digital color photos, can produce survey-quality files, videos as well as 3D animated computer models and are so intuitive that even a novice can understand the information.
Laser scans are also fast. In 2006, whenever we bought our first scanner, it took almost one hour to produce a full dome 360 degree scan. Now we can scan in 6-8 minutes. This enables us to take many more scans and capture more detail than we did before.
Scanning almost always pays for itself. It is cheaper in the end because you can revisit the initial scan multiple times from your computer desktop without needing to revisit the project site. Also, because the technology is so precise, the need for construction reworks and expensive retrofitting is minimized or removed altogether.
For firms thinking about getting involved with this technology, you can find currently three ways to capture 3D data on large scale projects: Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), Mobile LiDAR, and Terrestrial Scanners, which all produce LiDAR data.
Typical projects for terrestrial scanners are large pipes and tunnels, manufacturing facilities, plant process facilities, airport conveyor systems, bridges, buildings, towers and construction projects. (Our firm targets terrestrial jobs, as most cannot be readily scanned from airplanes or cars.)
The cost of entry into this sort of scanning is generally between $150,000 to $250,000 for the first units and software. (Although less costly scanners are actually available, software programs can be expensive and the expense of training should also be looked at.)
Aerial platforms and Mobile platforms start at $500,000 and rise to $5,000,000. These units are constantly being upgraded with newer and better digital sensors and data management enhancements. We currently use service contractors on these kinds of jobs, which are usually centered on documenting civil infrastructure on a much bigger scale than terrestrial scans.
Projects could include scanning 100 miles of road to get ready a pavement analysis, mapping 1,000 miles of rail line, or mapping the City of Atlanta and producing 3D types of all the buildings.
If the cost of these units seems intimidating, keep in mind that firms which have already invested in these technologies are often available to partnering opportunities with smaller firms.
More help focuses on objects the size of a Volkswagen all the way right down to the mechanical components inside of a wrist watch. The applications in this field - commonly referred to as "reverse engineering" - include quality control of manufactured parts or data capture for a manufactured process. A typical project could be scanning an ornate stair rail in order that an exact replica could be created from wood, metal or composite.
This scanning method is so precise you could dissemble a toaster, rifle or carburetor, scan the parts, manufacture duplicates, and they would all work when re-assembled.
So what can be scanned?
If it could be built, it could be scanned. There is virtually nothing built that cannot be duplicated and modeled with current scanning techniques.
In addition to the engineering, construction and manufacturing industries, this technology can be being used by insurance companies and law enforcement to reconstruct accident scenes - like when a highway bridge falls during rush-hour traffic or a multi-car pile-up - and also on Hollywood sets. You can find companies that make their living scanning elaborate movie sets before and after they are constructed.
To give you an idea of the wide-ranging capabilities of the technology, in the last month, we have scanned a 120-foot pipe in Chicago, a 737 aircraft in Delaware, a luggage system in LaGuardia, and the inside of a peppermill in Virginia. This technology is everywhere!