Learn all about how NavVis VLX played a role in digitizing an entire neighborhood in Beijing.
The project covers a total of five neighborhoods in Shijingshan District, Beijing, including hundreds of buildings. Having the residents cooperate during the scan is only one problem to solve; the project team also faces the challenge of needing to scan multiple buildings with various apartment types, planning for residents' access to their homes, and even the tricky problem of scanning pipes that are wrapped in the walls.
NavVis VLX is a mobile 3D laser scanner with an industry-leading SLAM algorithm that can provide a global accuracy of 6mm in a testing area of 500 sq meters. It allows fast and comprehensive data capture of space and objects. With its real-time view, high accuracy, and digitization features, it provides data support for drafting, elevation measurement, and accurate accounting.
After importing the data scanned by NavVis VLX, NavVis IVION can display panoramic images and 2D maps, enabling the users to have a clear overview of the data of the scanned area. Point cloud data can also be imported into other mapping software to help create drawings, saving the need to repeatedly check building information onsite, therefore improving work efficiency.
There are two main aspects: data capture onsite and data processing.
NavVis VLX point cloud | Point cloud drawing |
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NavVis VLX mobile 3D laser scanner was able to capture the data of five neighborhoods, including about 100 buildings in Shijingshan District, Beijing, in just one week, which is more than 10 times faster than the speed of traditional terrestrial laser scanners (TLS).
Comparison points |
Traditional surveying method |
Terrestrial laser scanner |
NavVis VLX |
Tools | Tape, laser rangefinder, total station, drawings | 3D laser scanner | |
Measurement methods | Hands-on, close-range measurement, affected by light | Non-contact, long-distance measurement, not affected by light, can be used during the day and the night | |
Manual drafting onsite | Required | Not required, automatic generation of 3D data | |
Efficiency | Low efficiency, can only measure point-to-point distance, strenuous physical activity | Complete a single-station panoramic scan in 30 minutes (in a 500 square meters building) | Complete a single-station panoramic scan in 3 minutes (in a 500 square meters building) |
Level of security | High risk and limitations | Non-contact measurement for personnel safety | |
Result | Mark the measured point-to-point distance on the drawing | Point cloud data can be imported to Revit, AutoCAD, 3D MAX, and other software; single-station image is available | Point cloud data can be imported to Revit, AutoCAD, 3D MAX, and other software; panoramic walk-through and measurement information can be viewed in NavVis IVION |
Modeling | Create CAD drawings according to the manual drafts onsite and then generate 3D models based on the drawings | Efficient reverse modeling based on the point clouds | |
Accuracy | The rescanning areas are only based on people’s experience. The scanned data is influenced by personal factors and tend to be overgeneralized and have low accuracy. | The comprehensive overview of the as-built condition is accurately reflected through 3D point cloud data. Areas that are hard to access can also be covered in the scan, which provides highly accurate measurements. High accuracy helps avoid rework costs. | |
Technical requirements | A team of experienced surveying professionals | The use of the 3D scanner and how to process point cloud can be easily learned. The training only takes one day. | |
Applicability | Only in regular, uncomplicated building structures | Applicable to all building structures, especially for complex or large building areas that contain space that is difficult to access, as well as projects with high accuracy requirements. | |
Visualization | 2D measurements | Point cloud data as the overall 3D spatial information with a moderate level of visualization. | Point cloud data as the overall 3D spatial information, with a high level of visualization provided by the 3D visualization platform. |