Reality capture work keeps changing. Sites become more complex, detail requirements increase, and workflows evolve. A capture device may look the same from one year to the next, but the work expected of it rarely does.
Hardware is largely fixed once it ships. What keeps a device useful over time is the software running on it and how that software continues to develop.
Two things make this possible:
- NavVis System Software is the operating software on NavVis LX-Series devices. It drives the sensors, runs the SLAM that positions the device in real time, guides the operator during capture, and prepares each dataset for processing.
- Versioning is how that software moves forward. New versions bring updates to devices already in the field. System Software determines what a device can do, while versioning allows those capabilities to develop over time.
What “more capable” really means
New features are one part of that development. Just as important are ongoing improvements to reliability, performance, compatibility, and security.
These updates help devices remain dependable as the tools, formats, and services around them change.
As Nora Arendt, VP Global Head of Customer Experience at NavVis, puts it:
“The updates I'm proudest of are often the ones customers never notice. Reliability and compatibility work rarely feels dramatic, but it is what lets people stop worrying about their equipment and simply get on with the job.”
A customer example: AKSM
AKSM, a Greece-based company working across laser scanning, Scan-to-BIM, construction, and industrial facilities, has seen this development with its own equipment.
In a conversation with NavVis, founder Alexandros Karditsas described how successive updates improved the point clouds his team could produce with the same hardware.
The team can process one dataset at very different densities depending on the job. That can range from around 40 mm resolution for volume calculations to the fine detail needed for BIM modeling up to LOD 500.
This allows one device to support both cost-sensitive volume work and high-detail deliverables.
As Karditsas put it, “every upgrade you make really is like working with a different machine.”
Keeping your System Software up to date
NavVis continues to improve its capture devices through regular System Software updates. These updates can introduce new capabilities and improve performance, reliability, compatibility, and security. To benefit from these improvements, customers need to keep their System Software up to date.
Continuous Pano Capture, for example, lets operators capture panoramas without stopping, helping save time in the field. Cross-Dataset Alignment in IVION Processing automatically aligns overlapping datasets and uses those overlaps to improve accuracy. Some capabilities also depend on the device running an up-to-date version of System Software.
As Nora Arendt explains:
“A NavVis device continues to improve throughout its lifetime. We regularly introduce new capabilities and enhance performance, reliability, and security. By keeping their System Software up to date, customers can take full advantage of these improvements and get even more value from their investment.”
Keep your device current
Learn more about NavVis System Software and how regular updates help keep your capture device capable, reliable, and compatible over time.