With us coming into the home stretch of a very large Scan to BIM project in London I thought I would share this previous popular blog post from 3rd Dimensionwith you. Hope it is helpful.

Following the completion of our latest Scan to BIM project in London, we have had a few days to reflect on what was a very challenging yet very exciting project to work on. The project thought us some extremely valuable lessons in the area of Scan to BIM. However, despite the long hours and sometimes challenging moments throughout, this project will, without doubt, stand to us when talking with future clients and when securing and working on future projects. Theory is a great thing but in terms of Scan to BIM, experience counts for everything. From our experience to date on such projects, here are our top 5 tips for Scan to BIM.

1) Full Disclosure!
Obtaining a detailed brief for a project seems obvious, but due to the nature of Scan to BIM projects, getting detailed information can be a challenge especially as many projects involve interior modelling and access can be an issue. However the single most important thing we have learnt since we started working on Scan to BIM projects is that without seeing what it is you are going to be modelling then it really is ‘finger in the air’ approach to pricing, and this can be costly! You either under price and suffer heavy losses or over price and loose the contract. The ideal scenario of course is to be able to review the point cloud before pricing but this is unrealistic as no client will instruct the laser scanning element of a project without a price for the model. So make sure that you receive photos and/or videos of what is going to be scanned and study them carefully. Insist on a site visit and be aware of structural details such as beams and columns and their junctions. Also be aware if the site is in good condition or not as this will have an impact on the modelling process. Without ‘Full Disclosure’ either you or the client is going to end up paying later down the road.

2) LOD!
Not LOL, LOD, Level of Detail! It is important to get a grasp from your client, or from the scope of work, what level of detail is required. Does the client know what level of detail they want or have they assumed a level? Scan to BIM projects are significantly different to 3D Visualisation projects wher it is assumed that the drawing information you receive will be presented in 3D format illustrating all architectural detail. With Scan to BIM projects however, the devil, quite literally, is in the detail. The more detail to be included in a model the longer it will take to model. Make sure that the level of detail being requested is actually necessary and this applies to architectural, structural and MEP details. For example we were requested by an architect on a project to include an ornate crown detail located on the exterior of the building which had absolutely no bearing on the objective of the model. It was politely pointed out, the time it would take to model this item for it to have absolutely no relevance to the model or project. Needless to say it was not included!

There are plenty of documents floating around online at present describing levels. There is a LOD 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 document which is more related to design and not Scan to BIM. Then there are the standard BIM levels 1-3 which people refer to, along with a few documents we have seen which are specific to Scan to BIM which are levels 1-5. Therefore there can be a lot of confusion as to the level of detail being talked about on a project so make sure you and the client are on the same page from the outset of a project. We were even handed a task force document during the handover of a project which was a different description of levels. As with any new technology standards will take a while to get nailed down. Just make sure you’re not under the wrong hammer!

3) Educate!
With BIM gathering pace across the globe, it is safe to say that the true understanding of it is catching on. However Scan To BIM is still a very new technology and process. You may automatically assume that your client knows what they are asking for when it comes to Scan to BIM but this may not be the case. Make sure to find out if they fully understand the process and potential limitations and pitfalls. What’s written on the internet (apart from this blog post of course J ) isn’t always true in practice. Make sure to educate your client especially if it is their first Scan to BIM project. Making sure they understand what is involved, what they will get and the practicalities will avoid disputes down the road.

Learn more about Scan to BIM here.

4) Make Sure That Tender Docs Have Been Written By Someone with Knowledge of Scan To BIM
This tip follows on from tip #3 above. Of late we have received tender documents for Scan to BIM projects that read well in theory, but in practice will never hold up. If you are claiming to be an expert in the area of Scan to BIM you should be able to pick holes in such tenders. We do and we are not afraid to do so, albeit politely. Highlighting unrealistic expectations requested in a tender document tells the client that you are an expert in this new field and this will pay dividends to both parties. Many tenders we have received seem to be have written by someone who may not know much about the process but has used keywords and phrases from various sources. Make sure that whoever is dealing with the document understands the process and if not that you highlight issues with it. By simply replying to a tender could land you or the client in hot water later in the project.

5) Don’t Underestimate the Work Involved
The nature of a Scan To BIM project means that bespoke modelling processes are required. The work this involves should not be underestimated in terms of complexity and the knowledge of how to do so, after all, you are modelling the ‘As Built’ world. From a client perspective, I would be very wary of low costs attached to projects that other companies are coming in at a higher rate. You have to ask yourself, what level of accuracy and detail are you going to receive and can that company/individual deliver what is required. Bearing in mind that Scan to BIM projects are a stepping stone for design teams it is imperative that the a model produced is fit for purpose. It is an extremely specialised service that can not be produced in the lower end of the fee scale.