We are often asked, do 3D laser scanners work in the dark? The answer is,. They have their own laser light source, so for collecting a point cloud with distance measurements, it makes no difference whether the scanning is done in broad daylight or a dark, unlit tunnel. The laser measurements function exactly the same. However, scanning in the dark comes with one big restriction: no color capture.
To light, or not to light
Scanning in an unlit environment is no problem for the scanner, but depending on the area, walking around in a pitch dark space could be dangerous, so a light source might be recommended for reasons beyond just the scanning. Are there bottomless pits, snakes or live electrical wires hanging down? It’s best to have some light, even if scanning in grayscale. But when lights are needed to capture photos, there are a couple nice solutions.
How to light up your scan area
There is a light kit available for sale that works by sitting just under the scanner. It has bright rechargeable LED lights that face in all directions. The photos will likely look illuminated in every direction, though some weird shadows could be seen when looking up. The portability of this solution is great, but battery life is limited. A second solution is to use a portable rechargeable “buoy” light as would often be found on a construction site. These can sit between the legs of the tripod. It will cast a bigger shadow facing up, but the tradeoff is worth it. You get a very bright light that you can carry with you without needing to do anything special to your tripod or scanner.
Dark Places can be documented too
Whether it is a dark cave, a tunnel, an unlit basement or some other pitch black area, laser scanning is shining the light of truth by providing true and accurate points of the spaces.
