Assessing and Preparing for Reality Capture: What You Need to Know About Modern Plant Scanning

Across the process industry, plant managers know how easy it is for site documentation to drift out of sync with reality. Maybe a pipe was rerouted last year. Maybe a machine was upgraded and takes up more space. Maybe a layout was adjusted on the fly, and no one got around to updating the CAD.

Over time, the gap between your as-built documentation and the actual plant can widen to the point where even a small deviation creates a serious downstream problem.

These problems often surface during change. That might be a production line upgrade, an equipment relocation, or a process improvement project. In many cases, the need for change is strategic: global operations teams are under pressure to adapt to shifting demand, accelerate time-to-market, or reduce production costs.

[ The enterprise mini-guide to Reality Capture: 3 practical steps for plant digitization ]

But you can’t improve what you can’t see clearly. Outdated documentation makes it hard to assess the current state, align teams, and move forward with confidence. And the consequences are costly.

Those misplaced pipes can delay critical upgrades. Inaccurate floor plans can lead to safety hazards. Missing asset information can halt production or invalidate a design.

As Michael Schwery, Head of BIM/VDC at Equans, puts it: “It is 10–20 times cheaper to correct an error or deviation in the planning phase or in the model than on the construction site.”

Outdated documentation also tends to be fragmented. CAD files might be spread across different teams, saved in different formats, or maintained by people no longer with the company. Version control issues and poor visibility slow down work, increase confusion, and create risk - especially when planning high-stakes changes.

How Dynamic Reality Capture Helps

To address this, many manufacturers are turning to LiDAR-based reality capture. These technologies quickly generate a highly accurate 3D digital model of the existing facility - something that can be used for layout planning, change simulation, and site coordination.

Reality capture systems like the NavVis VLX and NavVis MLX use SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) and LiDAR to generate large volumes of 3D data per second. The resulting detailed point cloud can be viewed directly in a browser and blended with existing CAD.

The output isn’t just a 3D model: it’s a current, shareable reference of the real site.

Importantly, this isn’t about replacing CAD. It’s about enriching it and giving teams the missing context that traditional documentation can’t capture.

Where CAD models often reflect design intent, a reality capture scan reflects the present-day reality, including all the undocumented changes, as-built conditions, and irregularities that emerge over time. This added layer of spatial truth helps engineers and project managers spot discrepancies early, validate assumptions, and build plans based on what’s actually there, not what was supposed to be.

That means fewer delays, less rework, and more confident decision-making.

Step 1: Planning Your Scan Without Halting Production

Thanks to technology like NavVis, digitally capturing your plant doesn't have to interrupt operations. However, that doesn’t mean you can skip planning.

Key considerations include:

• Scheduling: 
  Process facilities run 24/7 and, in comparison to, say, auto manufacturing plants, have fewer moving parts. Use dynamic laser scanning technology like NavVis, which is equipped with person blurring features, to capture always-on environments at any time.
• Safety walkthroughs: 
  Before scanning, teams should check for obstructions, clear pathways, and ensure safe access. This is especially important near hazardous areas where the environment requires safe work permits and gas monitoring.
• Privacy and IP protection: 
  Identify any proprietary machines or sensitive areas that should be masked or excluded. The point cloud may be shared internally and externally.
• Lighting: 
  Panoramic images are captured alongside LiDAR data. Poor lighting affects image quality. While you can bring in external lighting to support poor ambient light and improve data quality, a tradeoff in efficiency must be made, as lights need to be frequently moved and kept plugged in or battery operated.
• Choosing the right equipment: 
  NavVis dynamic laser scanners record around 3,000 m² per hour, about 10 × faster than traditional tripod-based scanners.
• Planning scan paths: 
  Doors should be unlocked, walkways clear, and trajectories mapped in advance. Where possible, plan a walking route that starts and finishes at the same spot to keep the scan aligned.
• Training internal teams: 
  Companies often start with external scanning providers, but scanning can be brought in-house. With minimal training, internal staff can conduct repeat scans, keep models up to date, and respond quickly to future needs.
  
  

Real-World Insights

In this short video, Eric Thibodeaux, Lead Piping Designer from Burns & McDonnell, explains how his team uses NavVis VLX to quickly capture spatial data for early project scoping.

"We needed to capture the space fast, and the NavVis VLX let us do that with minimal prep. It also meant we weren’t missing any critical areas. We had a complete picture from the start."
— Eric Thibodeaux, Lead Piping Designer, Burns & McDonnell

This approach ensures complete, reliable data early in the process. The scan output can be processed quickly, exported in a standard point-cloud file your design software can open, and used in software like AVEVA or Revit for modeling and design coordination.

What a Well-Prepared Scan Enables Downstream

By investing in a solid setup, you can make the rest of the process significantly easier. A well-prepared scan improves:

• Reduced rework and fewer surprises:
  Projects that start with a clean scan have reported approximately 25% less re-work once installation begins.
• Early discovery of hidden issues:
  The very first scan often reveals the real floor area; one brewery client of NavVis discovered its “40,000 m²” warehouse was 12% larger (i.e., square-metre guesswork fixed in a day).
• Faster processing and integration:
  With clear trajectories and planning, scan data can be processed in under an hour. For example, NavVis processed a 600 m² dataset in just over 30 minutes and made it available in IVION and as an E57 export.
• Higher trust and a single source of truth:
  A high-quality point cloud serves as a reliable reference across teams. With browser-based access, confusion over outdated CAD versions is minimized.
• Planning and testing designs virtually:
  Overlaying point cloud data with CAD makes it easier to check clearances, test layout changes, and simulate installations. Virtual walkthroughs help detect issues like blocked paths or misaligned equipment before work begins.
• Remote collaboration and contractor coordination:
  The scan can be shared securely in the cloud, enabling engineers, contractors, and managers to collaborate from different locations. Some customers even use the scan to brief suppliers remotely, avoiding time-consuming site visits.
• Support for future improvements:
  A high-quality base scan simplifies rescanning. As projects evolve or changes occur, teams can update the model and maintain an accurate digital twin over time.

Looking Ahead

Preparing your facility for reality capture is the foundation of plant digitization. But it’s only the beginning.

This article is part one of a three-part series based on the NavVis Enterprise Mini-Guide to Reality Capture. In the next two posts, we’ll walk through:

• Step 2: How to capture your facility effectively
• Step 3: How to make the most of your data using digital twin technology

If you're ready to take the next step toward more accurate planning and better project outcomes, download the full guide below.

"The enterprise mini-guide to Reality Capture: 3 practical steps for plant digitization"