Industry Application
Architectural & BIM Scanning
We visit your building and capture every wall, column, ceiling, and floor level in 3D. The result is a precise as-built record that plugs straight into Revit, ArchiCAD, or AutoCAD for your design team to work from immediately.
Overview
Architectural & BIM Scanning explained
Architectural and BIM scanning gives design teams a measured record of a building as it stands today, not as it was drawn decades ago. We deploy the Trimble X7 and Trimble X9 terrestrial scanners for high-detail interiors and facades, and the NavVis MLX mobile system to capture large floor plates at walking speed. Every room, riser, stair, ceiling void, and external elevation is recorded as a dense point cloud that your architects, interior designers, and BIM coordinators can work from with confidence.
Most renovation and adaptive reuse projects start with drawings that no longer match reality. Walls move, services get rerouted, floor levels settle, and tenancy fitouts change the plan without anyone updating the record. Working from a point cloud removes that risk. The scan captures true wall thicknesses, structural offsets, slab-to-slab heights, and the real position of beams, columns, and ducts, so design decisions are made against verified geometry rather than assumptions that surface as variations during construction.
We deliver the data in the format that suits your workflow. Design teams that model in-house receive a registered point cloud in RCP and RCS for direct linking into Revit, plus E57 and LAS for Navisworks, ReCap, ArchiCAD, or CloudCompare. Where you need a modelled output, we build the BIM model to your specified Level of Development, typically LOD 200 for feasibility and LOD 300 for documentation, and align element naming to your BIM execution plan. Floor plans, sections, elevations, and reflected ceiling plans are extracted in DWG and PDF from the same dataset.
For heritage and character buildings, colour point clouds preserve decorative detail and irregular geometry that hand measurement cannot record. For modern commercial stock, the scan supports clash detection between retained structure and proposed services before the design is locked. In both cases the deliverable is a single source of truth that every consultant on the project can measure from, which shortens coordination cycles and reduces the rework that drives budget and programme overruns.
Survey control & accuracy
AHD levels and MGA2020 coordinates
Every architectural scan is tied to survey control so the model sits in real-world coordinates. We establish control with GNSS RTK or total station observations, register the point cloud to MGA2020 coordinates, and reduce floor and ceiling levels to the Australian Height Datum (AHD). Where a project needs design-grade or cadastral accuracy, a registered surveyor on staff oversees the control network. Every deliverable ships with a registration accuracy report so your team can trust the levels and setout that flow into the design.
Capabilities
What we deliver
- Existing-condition surveys for heritage and modern buildings
- Revit-ready point clouds and BIM model creation
- Floor plan extraction and section generation
- Facade documentation and elevation mapping
- Clash detection between existing structure and proposed design
- LOD 200-400 BIM modelling from scan data
Equipment Used
Deliverables
- Registered point cloud (E57, RCP, LAS)
- Revit model to specified LOD
- Floor plans and sections (DWG/PDF)
- Ortho-imagery and facadeinspect.au viewer links
Technical specifications
The numbers behind the data
- Point accuracy
- +/-2mm at 20m (Trimble X7)
- Scanner range
- Up to 80m (X7), up to 150m (X9)
- Network registration
- 3 to 5mm across a multi-scan building
- BIM output
- Revit (.rvt), ArchiCAD (.pln), IFC, LOD 200 to LOD 400
- Point cloud formats
- E57, RCP/RCS, LAS/LAZ, PTS
- 2D extractions
- Plans, sections, elevations, RCPs (DWG/PDF)
- Typical turnaround
- 3 to 5 business days for point cloud, longer for modelling
- Datum
- MGA2020 coordinates, AHD levels
Standards & compliance
Standards we work to
Model structure, naming, and information delivery aligned to your project BIM execution plan.
Governs presentation of extracted floor plans, sections, and elevations.
Open standard used for vendor-neutral point cloud delivery and archive.
National datum used to register the scan to project coordinates.
Our Process
How we work
Pre-Scan Consultation
We review your project scope, access constraints, and deliverable requirements. You receive a fixed-price quote before any site visit.
On-Site Capture
Our technicians deploy terrestrial LiDAR scanners throughout the building. Average scan time for a three-storey commercial building is half a day.
Registration & QA
Raw scans are registered into a unified coordinate system. We run automated and manual quality checks to verify accuracy targets are met.
Deliverable Production
We produce the outputs you need: cleaned point clouds, Revit models, floor plans, sections, or custom exports. Files are delivered via secure cloud link.
FAQs
Common questions
What accuracy can I expect from an architectural scan?
Our terrestrial LiDAR equipment captures at +/-5mm point accuracy at typical interior ranges. After registration, the overall survey accuracy is typically within 3-5mm across the entire building. This exceeds the requirements for BIM LOD 300 modelling and is suitable for renovation design, compliance checks, and heritage documentation. We always provide an accuracy report with final deliverables so your design team can trust the data.
How long does a typical building scan take?
A standard commercial building floor (500-1000m2) takes approximately 2-3 hours to scan, including setup and survey control. A three-storey office building can usually be completed within a single day. We schedule around building occupancy so there is minimal disruption to tenants or operations. Complex sites with restricted access or large floor plates may require additional time, which we scope during the pre-scan consultation.
Can you deliver directly into Revit?
Yes. We deliver Revit-native point clouds (RCP/RCS format) that link directly into your Revit project. If you need a BIM model rather than raw point cloud, we can model walls, floors, columns, MEP routes, and other elements to your specified LOD (typically LOD 200 or LOD 300). We work with Revit 2022-2026 and can coordinate with your BIM manager on project standards, families, and naming conventions.
Industries
Industries we serve with architectural & bim scanning
Architecture & Design
Renovation and adaptive reuse projects fail when the starting drawings are wrong. Ceiling heights, structural offsets, and services routes discovered on site blow budgets and programmes. Terrestrial LiDAR captures the building as it exists, so your design team works from measured geometry instead of assumptions.
IndustryConstruction & Developers
Construction teams need reliable as-built geometry before concrete is poured, before services are closed in, and before handover. Legacy drawings are often wrong. Site changes happen daily. A registered point cloud gives the superintendent, engineer, and BIM coordinator one shared reference that matches what is on site today.
IndustryHeritage & Cultural
Heritage fabric cannot be measured with destructive methods. Laser scanning records stone, timber, brick, and decorative detail at millimetre resolution without contact. The resulting point cloud supports conservation plans, grant applications, structural assessment, and careful adaptive reuse design.
Related Pages
Build the right scanning package
Scan to BIM Modelling
Already have point cloud data? We model it into intelligent Revit or ArchiCAD BIM models at LOD 100 through LOD 400. Walls, floors, columns, MEP services, and structural steel modelled to your BIM execution plan. We accept data from any scanner.
ServicePoint Cloud to CAD
Already have a point cloud? We convert it into accurate 2D CAD drawings: plans, sections, and elevations drafted in DWG, DXF, or DGN. Point cloud to CAD is the as-built drafting workflow for teams who need clean 2D documentation rather than a 3D model. We accept scan data from any scanner.
Service3D Laser Scanning & Point Cloud Survey
Need a building, structure, or site captured in 3D? Our laser scanning service turns physical spaces into precise digital models. We handle everything from quote through to delivery: you get clean, usable point cloud data ready for your software.
ServiceHeritage Documentation Scanning
Heritage documentation scanning is the application of 3D laser scanning to record historic buildings, monuments, and culturally important structures with archival-grade accuracy. We produce measured drawings, 3D models, and condition assessments that support conservation, adaptive reuse, and heritage compliance.
Locations
Coverage by city
Brisbane is our main base, with scheduled project trips to major Australian cities for larger scanning scopes.
Project Proof
Related scanning case studies
Get a quote for architectural & bim scanning
Tell us about your project and we will provide a fixed-price proposal within one business day.