Laser-scan capture of existing buildings, processed into a Revit model that matches reality at millimetre tolerance. The foundation for renovation, heritage preservation, façade replacement, and digital-twin handover when the original drawings are wrong, missing, or never existed.
"Record drawings" from 1995 don't match the building. Walls moved during construction, services were re-routed, refurbs were never documented. Designing renovation off bad as-builts guarantees field surprises.
Heritage buildings, vernacular structures, owner-built additions — many real assets have no usable drawing record. Without a measured baseline, every design decision is a guess priced as a variation.
Tape-measure + sketch surveys capture about 5% of what matters. Slab thickness, embedded conduits, structural deflection, façade tolerances — none of it gets measured by hand. Laser scan captures everything in one site visit.
Two deliverables, one workflow. The raw point cloud is the forensic record; the Revit model is the workable design baseline. Both are deliverables — the cloud stays as the verification reference for every later design decision.
The discipline is in survey control. A point cloud is only useful if scans register tight and the building is fully covered with no occlusion gaps. We plan the scan campaign before we touch the scanner.
Site walk, scan-station map, coverage check, control network design. We know where every scan goes before day one on site.
Faro or Leica scanner, survey-controlled scan stations, every space scanned. Daily registration check so we never finish a day with a gap.
Registration + cleanup in Recap, then Revit modeling against the cloud reference. Every element is verified visually against the cloud as it's drawn.
Deviation reports, model-vs-cloud overlay, point-density audit. Client gets the cloud, the model, and the IFC — all aligned, all verifiable.
Historic Saudi castle — no usable drawings existed. Full laser scan campaign captured the entire structure including weathered masonry, vaulted ceilings, and original timberwork. Cloud-to-BIM modeling preserved the geometric quirks that make heritage real rather than idealising them into modern parametric families.
Faro Focus S350 is our primary terrestrial laser scanner — 3 mm accuracy at 25 m, 500m range, integrated GPS for outdoor georeferencing. For tight interiors we use the Leica BLK360 (handheld, 6 mm accuracy, fast setup). For drone photogrammetry we use DJI Phantom 4 RTK + Pix4D processing. For very large outdoor sites we add mobile mapping (Leica Pegasus Backpack) which scans at walking pace. Equipment is matched to project — heritage interiors get the high-accuracy Faro, large rooflines get drone, infrastructure corridors get backpack mobile.
Yes. Workflow: drone capture (DJI Phantom 4 RTK with 80% overlap) → Pix4D processes the imagery into a registered point cloud and orthomosaic → cloud is cleaned in Faro Scene (denoise, decimate, register) → exported as RCS / RCP for Revit. From there we model walls, roofs, openings, and major MEP terminals. Photogrammetry is faster than terrestrial laser for large outdoor footprints (a 5-hectare site in 2 days) but lower accuracy (15-30 mm vs 3-6 mm for laser). For mixed needs (overall exterior + detailed interior) we combine both modalities and register them.
Terrestrial laser scan (3-6 mm accuracy) supports modeling up to LOD 400 for as-built validation, LOD 350 for clash coordination on retrofit projects, and LOD 300 for general design intent. Photogrammetry (15-30 mm) tops out around LOD 300 for major elements, LOD 200 for fine detail. The constraint is the scan accuracy, not our modeling — a 30 mm point cloud can't support a 5 mm tolerance Revit family. We document the achievable LOD per scan modality in the project's Scan-to-BIM Execution Plan before fieldwork starts.
Single building (2,000-5,000 m², modern construction): 2-3 days fieldwork + 3-4 weeks modeling = 4 weeks total. Heritage building (richly ornamented, complex geometry): 4-7 days fieldwork + 6-10 weeks modeling = 8-11 weeks total. Estate / campus (multiple buildings, mixed exterior/interior): 7-14 days fieldwork + 10-16 weeks modeling. The modeling phase dominates the timeline, not the scan capture. Expediting options: parallel modeling teams per building, accept lower LOD for non-critical zones, or deliver in stages (exterior shell first, interior partitions follow).
Yes — heritage scan-to-BIM is a specialty. We delivered Koraysh Castle in Old Jeddah using Faro Focus + Leica BLK360 for the ornamental ceiling work that Faro couldn't physically reach. Heritage workflow differs: more setup positions (every 3-5 m vs every 8-12 m for modern), longer dwell time per scan (15-20 min vs 5-7 min), photogrammetry overlay for color and texture capture, and a deliberately higher LOD on ornamental features even when the structural BIM is at LOD 200. We also coordinate with Saudi Heritage Commission permits for site access on listed buildings.
Drop your details — a senior BIM lead will reach out.
60 seconds — name, email, scope brief.
A senior BIM lead reads your scope and replies — bilingual EN/AR.
Real conversation. EIR + BEP scope outline. ISO 19650 aligned.