Laser scanning has gone from a niche tool for scientific research to one of the most inventive new technologies of the past 5 years. Its application on the built environment has yet to be fully formed, with use cases including as-builting existing conditions, quantifying terrain and material, documenting status and progress on a job, and improving quality on just about every aspect of the construction schedule. This presentation aims to go a step beyond the "what is laser scanning" discussion and focus on applicable-use cases on a wide variety of jobs, ranging from the high thousands to the low billions, from commercial office towers to high-end residences, and from first walking out onto a job site during earthwork to closing out a data center. This presentation means to inspire builders and architects to embrace the technological hardware out there now along with the vast suite of Autodesk, Inc., software to use point clouds and laser scans efficiently, effectively, and creatively.

We will discuss ways in which Holder Construction has harnessed the power of laser scanning and related reality capture technology to supplement existing Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflows. Laser scanning has the potential to fundamentally change the way in which we plan and coordinate construction work and interact with our built environment. While the technology may be relatively new to our industry, there are many high-value opportunities to use laser scanning to enhance our workflows and provide better-quality products to our owners at the completion of our projects. Software discussion will include integrating laser scan data into AutoCAD software, ReCap software, Revit software, and Navisworks project review software.

Do you want to learn how to use laser scans in Autodesk's Model Coordination? This session will cover how Miron Construction has cut this process down from weeks to a few hours. We've been using laser scans for 10+ years and have recently started performing laser scanning ourselves. Laser scanning takes a lot of time and effort, and we were missing an efficient way to use the scans in Model Coordination. Linking the laser scan into Revit software and modeling over it is not easy and creates a lot of risk when coordinating with those models. If items are modeled inaccurately, all liability falls back on our team, which is something that Miron Construction's virtual construction team wants to avoid. This session will share how we are using PointFuse to elevate our building information modeling (BIM) coordination outcomes in Model Coordination.

Laser scanning has become a very prevalent topic in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry over the last several years. While the software and hardware has dramatically improved over the years, offsetting or justifying the costs can be a challenge. Rather the project is driven by schedule or cost constraints. What have been the challenges involved in overcoming these hurdles and recouping the benefits that scanning has to offer? This class will take a transparent look at the purchase and use of Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC's, first laser scanner. We will explore the additional challenges as well as the metrics used to prove value. This class is geared toward those considering the purchase of, or who have just recently purchased, their first scanner or who want to learn more about the technology.

This class will explain the fundamentals of laser scanning, explore its value and application in building construction, and reveal how reality-capture tools are shaping the future of the industry. Attendees will gain a basic understanding of what data is collected and how, typical scan-data processing workflows in ReCap software, and analysis for ASTM E1155 Concrete Floor Flatness & Levelness (FF/FL) reporting. We will share best practices for capturing data in the field; accurate and precise scan registration to ensure reliable results; and several examples of actual projects where ReCap software was used to enhance processes and communication. This session features ReCap.

The ever-growing quest for faster and more-accurate field data has been fueled by the increase in computing power and the decrease of equipment costs for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and laser scanners. The democratization of both types of data procurement helps continue the growth in areas of construction and engineering that were unthought of a few years ago. The UAV may be the greatest thing since the Internet. From reducing risk on dangerous work to simplifying surveying and mapping tasks, we have yet to see the full potential. Laser scanning is very similar and was once thought of as an inaccurate science, but it has broken through this stigma and is now a common practice. This presentation will dive into the many uses of UAVs and laser scanning in heavy civil design, engineering, and construction. We will discuss the legality of their uses and show examples of their potential uses. See how these types of data procurement are being applied daily. The future is here.

This class provides an in-depth discussion of best practices for using laser scanning in building a design with existing and historic structures. As more projects are designed in 3D from the beginning, architectural, structural, and MEP are faced with the challenge of dealing with existing structures. We address the how and why of laser scanning, which is an ideal choice for documenting these structures. This class discusses laser scanning by reviewing several project case studies. The first project is the $135-million new renovation of the 1926 San Antonio Performing Arts building. Three other projects include a parking garage, a new office space remodel, and new loft apartments, each of which is going into buildings that are over 100 years old and for which there is no as-built information. This class also highlights the use of ReCap™ reality capture software and the new features in 2014 Autodesk products specifically tailored for laser scanning.

Have you ever found yourself working on an architecture, engineering, and construction project with incomplete information about the existing conditions around which you will install new work? In this class, we will explore laser-scanning reality capture workflows that bring honest and accurate measurements to the drafting and coordination tables. This class will focus on needs for implementing laser scanning on your jobsite. We will look at the setup, challenges, and time requirements of using laser scanners on jobsites. Then we will look at postprocessing techniques where raw data is transformed into a coherent point cloud. Next, we will explore the combination point cloud / photo collection product via ReCap software. Last, we will see how to pull the point cloud into design software like Revit software and AutoCAD software for modeling purposes, and how to overlay the point cloud onto 3D models of building elements through Navisworks software and ReCap software (we will review the ReCap software capability to represent models within the photosphere view).

In this presentation we will discuss the benefits of utilizing laser scanning and point-cloud data on projects for making better-informed decisions during the design, preconstruction, and execution processes. We will also discuss how you can use this data to produce highly accurate models and the value this brings to clients.

We will explore the implementation of the scanning process of an entire Mexico City district and the impact that this process represents as a social-decision support tool. Urban planning has a special responsibility to represent societal needs. Using laser scanning technologies with a powerful 3D visualization tool like ReCap software, planners can generate and explain new ideas, and they can get more people involved in the planning phase. Information for urban planning must integrate all possible strategic information coming from different sources. In other words, the information must be accurate and updated and it should represent a high-fidelity 3D model of the city. In addition, when data is coming from different sources, the integration and management of this information plays a vital role for decision-making and urban planning at all levels of the society. In this lecture we will review the advances that laser scanning methods offer in urban planning for a more sustainable built environment.

This class will compare the process of building a Revit software model from reality capture 3D laser scans versus building one from historic plans. Often clients assume that modeling from a plan is faster and cheaper than sending a scanning crew to the site. We look at several case studies and compare the numbers to show how and why 3D laser scanning is less expensive, faster, and more accurate.

Laser scanning is not just for as-builts anymore. Substantial hardware and software advancements have made scanning a powerful quality assurance and quality control tool that now enables us to produce valuable and actionable information about slabs, decks, and walls. Deployed at the right time, scanning can help to reduce the risk of incorrectly located deck penetrations, verify work put in place, and negate the need for X-rays to locate concrete reinforcement. We also have the capability to provide real-time concrete surface analysis during concrete placement to influence quality, ensure specifications are met, and potentially eliminate rework.

This class is a combination of a case study and the technical workflow that can be repeated on projects of all types. We will provide an in-depth review of how we are pushing the envelope of 3D laser scanning on a large commercial project in San Francisco with one of the city's most prominent builders. On this project, we took what started as a contractual obligation for the contractor to provide 3D laser-scan data to the owner for as-built documentation of post-tension cables, and turned it into a risk mitigation and tremendous value-adding effort for the contractor. Our team has perfected an overnight workflow previously viewed as "impossible" by many in the industry, letting us laser scan each deck the day before the concrete pour, process/register the scans, compare them to the intelligent models, and provide clear and actionable drawings to the field team, showing them where embeds, blockouts, and MEPs are out of tolerance, all in less than 24 hours and before concrete placement.

Laser scanning is nothing new. The tools have been around for years now, but the spread of incomplete knowledge about the technology has created a stigma that devalues its true capabilities. As with any “new” piece of technology, the value is limited by the implementation and workflow more than the tool itself. This class will provide five examples of uses demonstrated on projects this past year. The focus will be on practicality—where time and labor are often short on construction sites—and simplicity. Whether we want to determine the plumbness of a wall, or the flatness of a slab, or we want to back check as-builts of brick ledges, tie utilities into an existing building, or create a template of a repetitive room for quick modeling and coordination purposes, this class will explore what it takes and what we got from it—unfiltered.

This class will cover an introduction of laser scanning, including time and cost of performing the scan; how to autoregister scans using ReCAP software; and the usage of the scan data for design assistant, construction quality control, and operation and maintenance. We will use educational, theme park, and airport projects as case studies to illustrate the benefits of using laser scanning.

During this class, ATFF will talk about the factories that are changing continuously. To meet the new standards, plants need various renovations steps. Between these steps, it’s mandatory to save the data to perfectly know your building. Each department needs its precise information about the factory (renovation step, building part, floor). After five years of expertise in BIM (Building Information Modeling) and reality capture, ATFF has invested a lot in R&D to provide a fully collaborative, innovative cloud web service that helps people who work daily with point clouds and 3D models. This innovation, seen as the Netflix of the point cloud, meets the needs of the factories’ stakeholders by providing a point cloud of a selected part of the building to the right department of the company. ATFF will present its workflow of mixing laser scanning and its cloud platform to complete industrial renovation projects.

Join Hayden Griffin as he presents a case study in laser scanning from site data collection to the issuing of BIM to client for fabrication and construction works. During this presentation, he will recount the initial journey from being a laser scan novice through to delivery of projects on time and budget. Hayden will provide in-depth insights into the methods used to provide deliverables to clients and looks at utilising the array of tools in the Design Suite range to achieve these outcomes.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has adopted a just-in-time laser-scanning protocol for the Newark Liberty International Airport Terminal One (EWR T1) Redevelopment project—a 33-gate, innovative terminal that is part of the largest design-build project of New Jersey’s history. The construction team of Tutor Perini / Parsons, JV is continually scanning all of the construction as it happens, from the foundations through to the finished product, ensuring that nothing is missed as the building progresses. EWR T1 is a fantastic case study to show how we’re scanning on such an aggressive schedule, combined with working on a site of more than 1 million square feet. This class will cover our laser-scanning execution plan, including: laser-scanner technical specifications, PC hardware specs, scan data and deliverable management, advanced registration techniques, location of scan setups and targets, DIY target fabrication, survey control application, and much more.

This class will focus on how 3D laser scanning was implemented into everyday use in a six-person civil engineering office with the Leica® C10, Leica® Cyclone, Leica® CloudWorx, and AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software. We will explore the changes in workflows that were required due to the implementation as well as the benefits and challenges. Grady Consulting is a small civil engineering company based in New England with special expertise in designing septic systems, including septic modifications and repairs, mostly for residential clients. In 2010, we added a Leica® ScanStation C10 and Leica® HDS software to our toolkit, plugging these tools directly into our septic system engineering process. This presentation will describe our field and office workflows and the benefits of using laser scanning for these everyday projects. In addition, we will describe the activities to expand the company’s services to new applications and new clients as a result of adding this scanning capability as part of the company’s service offerings.