Renovation projects rarely fail because of bad design. They fail because the design was based on drawings that no longer match reality. Walls moved decades ago, ducts were rerouted, and the archived plans were never updated. Scan-to-BIM closes that gap: a laser scanner captures the building exactly as it stands today, and we rebuild it as an intelligent BIM model.
Step 1: Capture the building, not just the geometry
A single scan station captures millions of measurement points in minutes. The skill is in planning the stations: every room, shaft and ceiling void needs coverage, and the scans must overlap enough to be stitched into one registered point cloud. A gap discovered back at the office means another site visit — so we always scan with the end model in mind.
Step 2: Model to the right level of detail
The most expensive mistake in Scan-to-BIM is modeling everything at maximum detail. A facility-management model does not need every pipe elbow; a demolition-planning model does. Before we open Revit, we agree with the client on a Level of Detail (LOD) per element category — and we document it, so nobody pays for precision they will never use.
- LOD 200 — massing and space planning: walls, floors, openings.
- LOD 300 — design coordination: real dimensions, structural elements, visible MEP.
- LOD 400+ — fabrication and detailed retrofit: connections, supports, full MEP runs.
Step 3: Verify against the cloud
A model is only trustworthy if it is checked. We overlay the finished Revit model on the original point cloud and run deviation analysis: any element drifting beyond the agreed tolerance gets flagged and corrected. The deliverable is not just a model — it is a model with a verification report behind it.
"The drawings tell you what the building was supposed to be. The point cloud tells you what it is." (Quote style)
Planning a renovation, extension or facility-management rollout on an existing building? Talk to us — we will help you scope the scan, pick the right LOD, and deliver a model your whole team can build on.