Introducing Manufacturing-Level Precision into the Building World By David Cohn Reality capture provides architects with tons of additional information about structures, resulting in a greater degree of precision. captures a complete representation of the site in much greater detail. For renovations and additions, capturing the existing reality provides a much more accurate picture than manual field measurements and site photos. Since many existing facilities were built before computers even existed, the original construction documents—if they exist—often consist of old, hand-drafted vellum sheets; there are no accurate as- built drawings. Existing information is out-of- date or unavailable, and changes that were subsequently made in the field were never recorded. R eality capture is rapidly becoming commonplace in the building industry. Technologies that had previously been used primarily in manufacturing are fast finding a home in many construction projects. Autodesk has helped lead the way, thanks to its integration of point cloud capabilities into most of its software—including AutoCAD, Revit, and Civil 3D—and continued improvements to its ReCap software for managing and manipulating point cloud data. Scanning existing facilities yields accurate data of as-built conditions and subsequent changes made in the field that were never recorded. Scanning at various stages during construction Laser Scanning can capture the precise locations and sizes of features that will ultimately be inaccessible At the planning stage, laser scanning provides a powerful way to analyze site conditions. Compared once construction is complete. In addition, laser scanning and analysis of the resulting point cloud to standard survey techniques that produce only data can reveal critical flaws. The 3D model topography and feature locations, laser scanning 18 www.cadlearning.com