Scan to BIM: In what way laser scanned data is used in a Revit project? Emergence of Scan to BIM technology has been a great treat or feast for design and construction professionals as it has the potential to solve their complications in terms simplifying renovation work. This technology has been around for quite some time now and AEC professionals around the world are making the best use of it for saving their valuable time and efforts which they used to apply on renovation projects when scan to BIM was far from their approach. Scan to BIM has the potential to sort out too many issues such as it works as a helping hand when it comes to scanning the structure for obtaining information from the existing structure.
Scan to BIM process makes use of laser scanning technology in the first place for extracting the data from an as built structure wherein the information is retrieved with the assistance of laser beams that are pointed towards the building from high quality laser scanners. Scanning process is too important for AEC professionals as it saves their precious time when compared to manual surveying wherein it used to consume days and weeks simply for measuring the building and creating technical drawings based on the measurements. One the other hand scanning process
completes the entire scanning of the structure in comparatively very less time and on top of that brings accurate data of the existing structure. Getting accurate data for the structure in question is the most important advantage of implementing laser scanning technology on renovation, refurbishment and retrofit projects which was not that possible in manual surveying. The laser scanned data that is obtained through scanning process by AEC professionals is recovered in raw format. This scanned data which is widely known as point cloud data is changed from raw format to meaningful file formats before it is used in Revit. The process of changing raw data into .rcp and .rcs files is known as indexing. In an .rcp file countless .rcs files are grouped together. In short .rcp file is a collection of innumerable .rcs files and both .rcp and .rcs files can be optimized easily by design and construction professionals in their Revit projects. Point cloud data is highly constructive and instrumental in providing the precise geometrical composition of the existing structure and helps in developing accurate 3D models which contain the actual existing conditions of the building. BIM models developed with the assistance of laser scanned data are truly helpful in renovation and make the entire process too smooth and convenient for AEC professionals.