building better within existing conditions...figure 2– reflected ceiling plan view showing...

©2019U.S.InstituteofBuildingDocumentation(USIBD)

BuildingBetterWithinExistingConditions

WHYITSTIMETOLEARNHOWTOUSEPOINTCLOUDSCHRISEVERIST,CLIVEJORDAN,JOHNRUSSO,JOHNSTEBBINS,JOSHDESTEFANO

2019

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IntroductiontoSeriesThankyoufortakingthetimetolookdeeperintotheuseoflaserscanningonyourproject.WehavedevelopedthisWhitePaperinthreepartstoofferourguidanceasyouconsiderhowlaserscanningcouldbenefityourproject.

PartOneisacasestudyonhowtovalidatetheaccuracyofaBIMbycomparingitwithpointclouds.Onceyouhavedecidedwhetherlaserscanningcanbenefityourproject,PartTwoguidesyouthroughhowtofindandevaluateaBuildingDocumentationProfessional(BDP).Onceyouhavefoundqualifiedprofessionals,PartThreediscussescurrentbestpracticesBDPsareusingtodaythatcanbedeployedonyourproject.

Part1:Justdon'taskforascan.Knowthattherearelotsofchallengesusingscandata.

Part2:ContractaBuildingDocumentationProfessionalfortherightthings.

Part3:Whatyoumightwanttodowithscandata.

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Authors:

ChristopherEverist,USIBDBIMSubcommitteeChair,BNBuilders–BIMManager

CliveJordan,USIBDBIMSubcommittee,&LOASubcommittee,lodplanner.comSmartLeanBIMTM–Founder&CEO

JohnM.Russo,AIA,USIBDBIMSubcommittee,ArchitecturalResourceConsultants(ARC)–President

JohnStebbins,USIBDBIMSubcommittee,Gafcon,Inc.–BIMProjectManager

JoshDeStefano,USIBDTechnologySubcommittee,DPR–SouthwestVirtualDesign&ConstructionLeader

Abstract

Precisedigital3Drepresentationsofexistingspacescreatedthroughtheprocessoflaserscanningareknownaspointcloudsandcanbereferencedwithincommon3Dmodelingandcoordinationsoftwareusedbybuildingdesignandconstructionprofessionals.However,typicalworkflowsusedwhenworkingwithgeometryinmodelingsoftwarearedifferentthanthoseusedwhenutlizingpointclouds.Inthecontextofanactualproject,thispaperdescribescommonworkflowsforusingpointclouddata.Furthermore,wepresentimportantdecisionstoconsiderbeforepointcloudacquisitionanduse,andwhatrealisticexpectationstosetfortheiruse.

KeyWords

PointCloud,LaserScan,BIM,ModelValidation,BuildingDocumentationProfessional,BDP

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Part1:LimitationsofaCommonApproachtoValidateModelAccuracywithPointCloudDataIntroduction

Usinglaserscanimagery(pointclouddata)tovalidateBuildingInformationModels(BIMs)iscommonplaceintoday’sArchitecture,Engineering,andConstruction(AEC)industry.Thebenefitsofusinglaserscanningtodocumentexistingconditionsarenumerous.However,theprocesstovalidatetheaccuracyofcomplexout-of-plum/out-of-planereal-worldconditionsagainstamodelrepresentation,thatistypicallyorthogonalinnature,isfraughtwithchallenges.ThisCaseStudywilluseareal-worldprojecttoillustrateacommonapproachtovalidatingmodelaccuracywithpointclouddata,illustrateitslimitationsandlookatthepotentialforimprovingtheprocessthroughnewmeans,methods,andtechnologies.

Background

Forauniversitybuildingretrofit,thearchitectdocumentedtheexisting-to-remainspaceusing2Drecorddrawingsprovidedbytheuniversity.TosupportacompleteandaccurateconstructionphaseBIMcoordinationeffort,theexistingconditionsmodelneededtobevalidatedforaccuracy.

CurrentConditions

Comparing point clouds to 3D sol id models Problem / Solution 1 Theaccuracyof3Dmodelsintendedtorepresentexistingspacescanbevalidatedbyvisuallycomparingthemwith3Dpointclouds.Thisisdonebyidentifyingdeviations;areaswhere3Dmodelgeometryexistsbutpointclouddatadoesnot,orviceversa.Tovalidatetheaccuracyofthe3Dmodeledexisting-to-remainsystems,2Dsectionviewsareplacedatlocationsofinterest,orspacedregularlyovera2Dfloorplanusinga3Dmodelingtool.Differencesbetweenthepointcloudandthe3Dmodelarefoundandannotatedmanuallyinthesectionviews.

Forexample,themechanicaldesigninthisprojectwasdevelopedbasedonopeningsinaconcretemasonryshearwalldimensionedinthebuilding’s2Das-builtdocumentationandmodeledaccordingly.Alaserscanwascompletedabovetheceilingwhereopeningsintheshearwallwereexpected.The

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actualopeningswerecapturedinthepointcloudanddimensionedtoverifypreciselocationasshowninFigure1.

Figure1–Elevationviewofconcreteshearwallshowingwallpenetrationopenings.DrawingcourtesyofKoningEizenbergArchitecture,3DPointCloudproducedbyArchitecturalResourceConsultants,overlayandanalysisproducedbyBNBuildersInc..

Similarly,thepointcloudwasoverlaidwithreflectedceilingplanstolocatetheroutingofoverheadsystemsasshowninFigure2.Theheightofthereflectedceilingplanview-cuttingplanecanbeadjustedtoisolatedifferenthorizontallayersofrouting.

FIELDVERIFYLOCATIONOFEXISTINGPENETRATIONINSHEARWALL.

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Figure2–Reflectedceilingplanviewshowingoverheadsystems.DrawingcourtesyofKoningEizenbergArchitecture,3DPointCloudproducedbyArchitecturalResourceConsultants,overlayandanalysisproducedbyBNBuildersInc.

Problem / Solution 2 Usingpointcloudstodiscoverunanticipatedissuesdemandsabroaderapproachthantheonedescribedabove.Comparingthepointcloudstoa3Dmodelthroughregularlyspacedsectionswillrevealmissingormisplacedbuildingsystemsinthe3DmodelsuchasthedeviationsintheshadestructureidentifiedinFigure3.ThepointcloudinFigure3indicatestheshadestructurewasbuiltslightlybelowthedesignedheightofthestructure.

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Figure3–Sectionviewthroughoverhangshowingconflictbetweentherecorddrawingmodelandthepointcloud.DrawingcourtesyofKoningEizenbergArchitecture,3DPointCloudproducedbyArchitecturalResourceConsultants,overlayandanalysisproducedbyBNBuildersInc.

Table1:Problems&Solutions

Problems Solutions1 Validatespecificpartsoftheas-built3Dmodel Setupaviewinaknownlocationtoidentify

differencesbetweenthepointcloud&3Dmodel.

2 Discover differences between the 3D modelandwhatisbuilt.

Setupandreviewregularlyspaced2Dsectionsthroughamodelthathasacorrespondingpointcloudoverlaid.

3 Discoverconstructabilityissuesbetweenthe3Dmodeloftheproposeddesignandwhatisbuilt.

a) Clashpointcloudagainst3Dmodelofproposedsystems.

b) Produce3Dmodelbasedonpointcloudandclashitagainsta3Dmodelofproposedsystems.

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UseofthepointcloudisnotlimitedtotheBIMauthoringtoolandorthogonalplanandsectionviews.Perspectiveviewsbasedonuser-definedvantagepointscanbesetupusingpointcloudviewershostedonlinewithdimensioningcapabilitiesasshowninFigure4.

Figure2–Webviewersgivenon-technicaluserstheabilitytoviewanddimensionscandata

Whywouldexisting-to-remainsystemsbedocumentedbeforedemolition?MobilizationforBIMConstructionCoordinationcantakeacoupleweekstogetorganized.Whileit’simportanttohavethemostaccuraterepresentationofexisting-to-remainsystemsbeforeyoustart,sometimesit’snotavailableifdemolitionisn’tcomplete.Shouldyoustartcoordinationwithoutacompleteandaccuraterepresentationoftheexistingbuildingsystems?

Givenampleresources,scanningearlyandoftenmightbeideal.Laserscanningonthisprojectwasperformedbeforedemolition,andonlyonetime.Duringconstruction,manymainpipeslocatedandmodeledwerediscoveredtonotbemodeledaccuratelyforcoordination.Asaresult,theconstructionteamhadtorelocatethepipesonsitetoaccommodatemainductrunsascoordinated.ThiswasacostlyoptionthatcouldhavebeenavoidedhadfireprotectionmainpipesbeenmodeledaccuratelyforBIMcoordination.

However,evenwhenthepointcloudsdocumentedfireprotectionmains,opportunitiestoresolveclashesagainstthemwithnewductsduringBIMcoordinationweremissed.Figure5belowhighlightswhereapointcloudclasheswithamodeledduct.Theseclasheswerediscoveredinthefieldduringconstruction,resultingindelayedschedules,fieldreworkandtimespentfromprojectengineerstobesolved.

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Theprocessfordetectingclashesbetweensolidgeometryandpointcloudsisdifferentthanthatforclashingsolidgeometryonly.Isclashdetectionwithexistingsystemsbestperformedaftermodelingtheexistingsystemsfirst?PartthreeofthisseriesoutlinesstepstoclashsolidgeometryandpointcloudsusingNavisworks.

Figure3Viewofmodelandpointcloudshowingclashesbetweenmodeledelementsandexistingconditions.

3Dpointcloudsofferanaccurate3Drepresentationofexisting-to-remainsystems.Whilesoftwaredevelopershavedevelopedsolutionstoimprovetheprocessofusingpointclouds,capturingthemostvaluefrompointcloudsremainstimeconsumingbecausemanyissuesstillneedtobediscoveredbyintentionallynavigatingtothem,asopposedtobeingrevealedautomaticallyviaclashdetectiontools

AutomationisHere

Aslaserscanningbecomesmoreandmorecommononconstructionprojectsitcanbeexpectedthatleveragingthepointclouddatawouldbecomebethefocusofsavvysoftwaredevelopers.

Threesuchdevelopershavecreatedpowerfulsoftwaretohelpyousavetimeandgetthemostoutofyourpointclouddata.BuildITConstruction,SkurandClearedge3DVerityareexamplesofsoftwaredesignedtodetectandreportthevariancesbetweenpointcloudsandbuildinginformationmodels.Withvaryingfeatures,integrations,andpricingmodelstherecommendedsolutionhighlydependsonyourprojectobjectives.Thesesolutioncangreatlydecreasethetimeofanalyzingpointclouddatacomparedtomanualmethodsandallprovideexcitinginsightintowhatispossiblewithlaserscanning.

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likeNavisworksorBIM360Glue.

Don’tjustgooutandgetapointcloudwithoutsomebasicknowledgeaboutlaserscanning.It'simportanttodefineexpectedresultsfromtheuseof3Dpointclouddata.Forinstance,whenthepointcloudiscapturedmightinfluencewhatitcanbereliablyusedfor.Forinstance,pointclouddatacapturedbeforedemolitiononthisprojectmighthavebeenadequateforconfirmingplacementofstructuralsystemsandopeningsinshearwalls.Italsoincludedirrelevantcontentplannedfordemolitionandomittedexistingsystemstoremainobscuredduringthelaserscanning,makingthedatainadequatefordetailedoverheadsystemcoordination.

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PartTwo:HowtofindandevaluateaBuildingDocumentationProfessionalOnceyouhavedecidedthatlaserscanningcanbenefityourproject,steponeintheBuildingDocumentProfessional(BDP)procurementprocessistochoosethespecifictypesofservicesyouneed.SpecifytheminanRFP(RequestForProposal),beforeyoulookfortherightBDPpartnertoprovidethoseservices.

PossibleBDPservices

Check construction progress against the design WhenindividualscansareplacedintoaBIMorCADenvironment,thedensescandatamakesdesignproblemseasytovisualize.Ifproblemsareidentified,thescandatacanbeusedtoprovidemeasurementstothedesignteam,sothedesignteamcanrevisethedesigntoavoidfutureconflicts.

Construction Validation Laserscansallowyoutocheckaspecificaspectofconstructionandmineinformationsothatcorrectiveactioncanbetakenifneeded,likeevaluatingtheflatnessofaconcreteslab.Pointcloudscanusecolorstorevealanyhighorlowareasinthepour.Theextentsoftheseareascanbeestablished,anddistinctpointscanbederivedandthenuploadedtoatotalstationforstakingoutlocationsinthefield.Additionally,thevolumeofmaterialneededtofillinthelowareascanbecalculatedfromthelaserscanQualityAssuranceValidation

Automatedqualityassurancetoolsprovidevaluableinsightsthathelpcontractorsplanbetterandheadoffproblemsbeforetheymaterializeonthejobsite.Oneofthesimplestandmostvaluablelaserscanningapplicationsisscanningduringtheconstructionprocesstovalidatethattheworkputinplaceisasdesigned.Withoutthecontextofbuildingelementsyettobeinstalled,thenakedeyemaynotbeabletodetectmanyconstructionissues.ValidateWorkComplete

Laserscanningiscurrentlyoneofthefastestandmostaccuratewaystocapturethejobsite’sexistingconditionstoevaluateworkonadailyorweeklybasistoassurethebestqualityconstruction.Forexample,ownerscancompareactualconstructionusinglaserscanswiththeBIM4DproposedconstructiontimelineforvalidationofpayappsbyregisteringthepointcloudstogetherandorientedtomatchthefederatedBIM.

Validate Model Content Pointclouddatacanalsobeconsolidatedwiththemodelgeometryandeithervisuallyanalyzedorevaluatedwithautomatedtoolstoidentifyclashesanddeviations(areaswheremodelgeometryexistsbutnopointclouddata,orviceversa).Whendeviationsorclashesareidentified,theteamcaninvestigatetheas-builtpointcloudandthefederatedBIMtovalidatethesourceoftheproblemandfindasolutionbeforeitaffectsthebudgetorschedule.

Renovation as-built scanning

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As-builtdrawingsareofteninaccurate,incomplete,ordonotexist.Ifabuildingrenovationorretrofitisdesignedbasedonoutdatedorincompletedrawings,errorscouldbeinadvertently“designedin”andremaininvisibleuntiltheconstructionphase,whentheyareveryexpensiveandtimeconsumingtofix.Thebestwaytoavoidthesesurprisesduringconstructionistoperform3Das-builtscanningtocapture

thecompleteinformationaboutthespacetoberenovated.

Oftenreferredtoas“scantoBIM”,thisprocesscanreducethetimerequiredtobuildcomplex3Dmodelsofexistingreal-worlditems.

Afterpointcloudsareregisteredorstitchedtogether,theyareorientedtomatchthecoordinatesystemofthedrawingormodelsobothsetsofdataalign.Then,theas-builtscandatacanbecomparedtotheexistingdrawingsormodels.Thedrawingsandmodelscanbeadjustedtomatchthescandata,sotheteamcanbegintodesign.Ifnomodelsordrawingsexist,thescandatacanbeutilizedasastartingpointforcreatingthenewdocumentation.Isolatingpointclouddataisagreatwaytomodelordraftontopofpointclouds.ThepointcloudcanbesectionedhorizontallytoexposeaplanviewthatcanbetracedinaBIMauthoringtooltocreateveryaccuratefloorplans,oritcanbecutverticallytoprovideelevationorsectionviewsfortracing.

Validating As-built models ThesameprocessdiscussedabovecanalsobeusedbyGeneralContractorstovalidatethequalityoftheAs-builtmodelsprovidedbytheirsub-contractorsattheendofaproject,ensuringthatthemodelsturnedovertotheownerareaccurateandreflectas-constructedconditions.

Boundary & topography surveying Laserscanningcanbeusedtocollectdatapointsforpropertyandtopographicalpointcloudsthatcanalsobeconvertedintomodels.Note:itisimportanttoverifywithyourlocaljurisdictionwhetheralicensedProfessionalLandSurveyor(PLS),orCivilEngineerlegallymustperformtheseservices.

As-BuiltModelProduction

Thereareseveral“scantoBIM”platformsofferingsemi-automateddevelopmentof3Dmodelsbasedonlaserscandata.CloudWorxandEdgewisearegreatexamplesofsoftwarewhichfeaturestheabilitytoderivesmart3Dgeometryfrompointclouddata.Existingarchitectural,structural,andMEPcomponentscanbemodeledinafractionofthetimecomparedtomanualworkflows.

LevelofAccuracy

HowdoesyourBDPpartneridentifytheaccuracyofthedataormodels?ConsiderutilizingtheUSIBD’sLevelofAccuracy(LOA)Specification.TheUSIBD’sLOAutilizesatieredscaleapproach,similartotheAGC’s(AssociationofGeneralContractor’s)LevelofDevelopment(LOD),asareferenceorguidelinetoenableprofessionalsAECIndustrytospecifyandarticulate,withahighlevelofclarity,theaccuracyandmeansbywhichtorepresentanddocumentexistingconditions.

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems (UAVs) Anotherwaytocapturethedataneededtocreate3Dtopoorbuildingmodelsistouseunmannedaerialvehicles(orUAVs).Whenstakeholderscanlookatclear,accurateanddetailedrepresentationsofapieceoflandorafacility,planningbecomeseasier,knowingthatanyassumptionstheymakeareaccurate.UAVsworkfasterthantraditionalsurveyingteamsandusethelatesttechnologiestocapture

detailedandaccuratelandorbuildingdata.

Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) Subsurfaceutilityengineering(SUE)canbeusedtohelpmanagetherisksassociatedwithundergroundas-builtutilitymapping.

Whatareyourdataneeds?

Knowinghowthelaserscanningdatawillbeappliediskeytoidentifyingtherightsolutionandthenecessarydeliverables.BeforeevaluatinghardwareandsoftwareorcomparingBDPproposals,considerthefollowing:

Laserscanningcanobtainhighdefinitiondatasufficienttoshowfinedetailsuchasboltpatternsonsteelpipefittings.Manysoftwarepackageshavebuilt-inlibrarieswhereactualsizesofsteeland/orpipescanbeidentifiedandmodeleddirectlyfromthepointcloud.Librariesofshapesorgroupedmodelscanbemadeandusedthroughoutthesite.Thepointcloudcanalsobeusedtocreatepathswiththecorrectclearancestoremovelargeequipmentfromthesiteonceconstructioniscomplete.

Whatareyourdatadeliverablesandformats?

• BuildingInformationModels(ScantoBIM)inRVT,STP,IGES,SAT,DWG,DXF,IFC,PLN,VWX• ExactSurface3DmodelsinIGES,STPformats• Parametricsolid3DmodelsinSLDPRT,SLDASM,IGES,STPformats• 2DdrawingsinDXF,DWG,PDF,SLDDRWformats,DGN• 2DtopographymeshinDTM,DXF,DWG,STL,OBJ,X3Dformats• ScansinSTLformat• PointCloudinXYZ,PTS,PTX,E57,RCP/RCSandotherformats• 3D-printcompatibleSTLfiles

ConvergingTech:GreaterthantheSumofItsParts

UAVAerialphotographyalonehasproventobeavaluabletoolonconstructionprojectsinrecentyears.Withphotogrammetrysoftware,suchasPix4D,Skycatch,orDroneDeploy,UAVdatacanbeleveragedevenfurther.Photogrammetryenablesthecreationof3dimensionalpointclouddatasimilartothatcapturedbyascanner.Whiletheresultingpointcloudisnotasaccurateaslaserscandataitcanbeusefulforverifyingsitework,comparingtoprojectBIMs,andcalculatingexcavationandspoilsvolumes.

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• 3DPhoto,orthophotoorortho-rectifiedimagesinTIF,PNG,orJPGformats• Videosandanimationssuchas3Dwalk-throughsandfly-throughs• Panoramicviews• Inspectionreports• Deviationimages

UniquequestionstoasktheBDP

Does the BDP use the latest technology and produce survey-grade data? OneofthebiggestchallengeswhentryingtohireaBDPisseparatingthehobbyistsfromqualifiedprofessionals.Forexample,inaerialsurveying,asUAVsbecomelessexpensiveovertime,moreandmorepeoplearestartingtothinktheyhavethetechnologyandexperienceittakestoperformsurveyingservices.However,thereisacleardifferencebetweentheworkofexperiencedUAVoperatorsflyingthelatesttechnology,andtheworkofamateursorhobbyists.

ContractingaBuildingDocumentationProfessionalwillhelpensureyoureceivehighquality,surveygradedatafromwhichyoucanmakeinformeddecisionsbasedonaccurateinformation.WhileBDPsandhobbyistsalikecanobtainandusethelatesttechnology,whattrulyseparatestheBDPsfromthehobbyistsandamateursaretheprocessesandprovenworkflowsthatcanonlybedevelopedthroughexperienceovertime.

Does the aerial BDP employ certified UAV operators? TheUAVspacehaslongbeensubjecttogovernmentregulations.Whiletheseregulationshavemadelifeabitmoredifficultforpeoplelookingtosourcedataquicklyandcost-effectively,theyarealsonecessarytoensurethatUAVsareoperatedsafely.Cuttingcornersbyhiringsomeonewhoisn’taUAS-certifiedUAVpilotmaynotseemimportantatfirst,buttheconsequencesofsuchadecisioncouldcomebacktohauntyou.IfaUAVoperatordoesn’tfollowallapplicablelawsandguidelines,aswellashavetheproperliabilityinsurancewhileworkingonyourproject,yourcompanymayfacelegalcomplicationsasaresult.HiringacertifiedUAVoperatoristhebestwaytoavoidthesekindsofproblems.

Is the Building Documentation Professional an end-to-end service provider? AfteraBDPcollectsyourprojectdata,thenwhat?Willtheysimplydeliveradatadumpandexpectforyoutohandletherest?Ideally,youshouldworkwithanend-to-endserviceproviderthatnotonlyhelpsyougatheryourdatabutalsohelpsyouuseitappropriately.

Theprocessisn’tcompleteuntilthedatahasbeenfullyprocessedandstored.Anend-to-endserviceprovidercanensurethatthishappens.Suchapartnernotonlymakessureyourdataisstoredsecurely,butadditionally,itmakessurethatyoucanaccessthedatawhenneeded.

Ask for examples of projects like yours WhenyouhavenarroweddownthetoptwoorthreeBDPs,askeachofthemtoprovidealistofrecentprojectstheyhavecompletedlikeyours.Fromthislist,askthemwhichtwoorthreeprojectstheyarewillingtoofferasreferencesandsharecontactinformation.Contacteachreferencetodiscusshoweachprojectwassuccessfulandwhatcouldhavebeenimproved.

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Use the USIBD RFQ template ToensureyouareengagingwithqualifiedBDP’s,theUSIBDhascreatedaRequestforQualificationstemplatethatcanbecustomizedforyourproject.Itisavailableforpurchasehere:http://www.usibd.org/store

Use the USIBD RFP template Toensureyouobtainapples-to-applesbids,theUSIBDhascreatedaRequestforProposaltemplatethatcanbecustomizedforyourproject.Youshouldusethistemplateasastartingpoint,andmodifyisasappropriateforyourspecificneedsandproject.Thetemplateisavailableforpurchasehere:http://www.usibd.org/store

Obtain a list of BDPs in your area Tostartyourprocurementprocess,contactUSIBDat833-874-2348[833-USIBD4U]foralistofBDPsthatareUSIBDmembersinyourarea.WhileUSIBDmembersareencouragedtonetworkamongthemembership,youshouldnotshortcutyourretentionprocessbynotaskingtherightquestionsofprospectiveBDPssothattheneedsofyourspecificprojectaremet.

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PartThree:Howtoidentifyclashesbetweenpointcloudsandsolidgeometry.AspointclouddatabecomesavailableduringconstructionphaseBIMcoordination,itisimportanttounderstandwhatonecandowithit.SolidgeometrycanclashagainstpointcloudswithaccuracywithinNavisworks.Thestepsbelowexplainhowthisisdone.

Whatyouneedtofollowalong.

1. AworkingversionofNavisworksManage2. StepfilesavailablefromthelinkattheQRcodebelow

Steps 1. DownloadthethreefilesavailableattheQRcodeaboveandputtheminafolderofyour

choosing2. Open“pointcloudclash.nwd”inNavisworksManage3. LaunchClashDetective

Refertonumbersintheattachedimagecorrespondingtostepsbelow4. Select“scan_007.rcs”inonepane5. Setittoclashpoints6. Select“duct.nwc”intheotherpane7. Setittoclashsurfaces8. Under“Settings”Select“Clearance”underthe“Type:”dropdown9. Setthe“Tolerance”to0.001m10. RuntheClashTest

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Afterrunningtheclashanalysis,selecttheReporttabtoviewtheclashesfoundlikethelistinFigure 6

below.

Figure 6Clash1willlooklikeFigure 7

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Figure 7

ThanksforyourinterestintheUSIBDandfortakingsometimetoreadthispaper.Bynowyouarefamiliarwiththechallengesinherentinusingscandata.Knowingwhatyouplantodowiththescandatabeforeacquiringitiskey.Aninvestmentintrainingandequipmentmightsupportyourdesiredusecase.YouknowwhatcriteriatoconsiderwhenhiringaBuildingDocumentationProfessional.Also,youarereadytopracticesomesimpleworkflowsusingcommonsoftwareintheAECfield.Finally,considerjoiningtheUSIBD.TheUSIBDisanetworkofsupportandinformationfortheBuildingDocumentationIndustry.