LOCATION
San Luis Obispo, CA.
CUSTOMER OVERVIEW
Heavy industrial environments are always changing, like this one we scanned near San Luis Obispo, CA. With capital projects, the stakes are high and it has to be done right. That is why this company trusted Arrival 3D to capture as-built information of their plant for engineering and planning purposes.
PROJECT CHALLENGE
Our client, an innovator in renewable energy, was planning additions and improvements to their advanced manufacturing facility in California. As their trusted 3D laser scanning service provider, we have now scanned several of this companies’ facilities. They needed a unified point cloud in full color which serves as a starting point for documenting the existing structure using 3D reality capture technology, which is where we come in.
The 3D laser scanning process took only a couple days onsite. With the equipment being compact and clean, we were able to work around their process equipment with no impact to their operations.
The resulting scan data, a point cloud comprising millions of points in 3D space, was utilized by the client for both measurement and spatial planning. We also provided them the option of creating an accurate, as-built CAD model. Arrival 3D routinely provides to clients both point cloud and as-built 3D model CAD models in Revit or other common CAD formats such as DWG, STP and Solidworks.
REALITY CAPTURE SOLUTION
The Arrival 3D team has a large inventory of 3D Scanners suited to a variety of tasks. The tool of choice in this scan, and often our favorite multi-tasking 3D laser scanners, are our Leica RTC360’s. Arrival 3D owns a fleet of new Leica RTC-360’s positioned strategically around the United States. We use the RTC360 frequently due to its great versatility, portable size, long range accuracy and rapid scanning capability. Here are some specs on the Leica RTC360:
- Speed: <2 mins for complete full dome scan and spherical HDR image at 6mm @ 10 m resolution.
- Accuracy: 3D Point Accuracy 1.9 mm @ 10 m, 2.9 mm @ 20 m, 5.3 mm @ 40 m.
- Range: Min. 0.5 – up to 130 m
- Highly Portable: Compact & weighing in at 5.5kg (11.7lbs), the Leica RTC360 scanner’s portable design and collapsible tripod mean we can reach our clients quickly and efficiently.
- In Use: Once on site, an easy-to-use interface enables rapid set up per 3D Scan requirements. We can scan in low thru high Resolution, Color or Greyscale and can enable Tilt control.
- Real Time Registration: Automatic point cloud alignment based on real time tracking of scanner movement between setups based on Visual Inertial System (VIS).
- Final Registration: For the RTC360 Arrival 3D utilize Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 software to integrate 3D pointclouds. Output files can be created in multiple formats for seamless integration into software products such as Autodesk Revit, Dassault SolidWorks and many others.
Deliverables
Our client chose, in this case, to receive a full-color, unified Autodesk ReCap (RCP) file with color panoramic images. This file type comprises the combined points from several scans into a single, registered point cloud. The data is an accurate, full 3D representation of the subject which can be navigated through, and which can provide measurements and angles. Also included are the panoramic images created at each of the scan positions, referred to as “Viewing Bubbles”.
- A point cloud is a set of data points in space. The points may represent a 3D shape or object. Each point position has Cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z).
- Point clouds are used for many purposes, including to create 3D CAD models for manufactured parts, for metrology and quality inspection, and for a multitude of visualization, animation, rendering and mass customization applications.
Added Value
Our expert 3D laser scanning team is frequently called upon to scan architectural and industrial projects where the client had attempted, unsuccessfully, to take manual measurements of the area they have intended to change. Later, having spent a great deal of time & money, and having constructed sub-assemblies that won’t fit, our team comes to the rescue with accurate 3D laser scanning services. It is quite common for existing drawings or blueprints to be out of date or missing, especially in dynamic plant environments where structures and equipment can change dimensionally over time from their initial build conditions, for countless reasons.
We are equipped with the 3D technology provide relief for this problem by rapidly documenting current existing conditions and providing that data to our clients in a multitude of formats, ultimately saving our clients time, trouble and valuable funding when undertaking renovation and upgrade projects. The peace of mind comes with an accurate a digital representation of the plant is priceless, and the ability to share this accurate data with the entire team instantly, and often remotely, is one of the wonderful benefits that these technologies allow us today.
