Point cloud vs. BIM model: what is the difference and what do you need?
After a 3D laser scan you receive a point cloud. Sometimes that is exactly what you need. Sometimes it is only the starting point, and you need a BIM model before you can do anything with it. The difference between the two determines what you can do with the data, what it costs and how long it takes. This article helps you make that choice.
The key difference between a point cloud and a BIM model
A point cloud is measurement data. Millions of points that capture reality exactly, without interpretation. You can measure, check and visually inspect within it. There is now software that is quite good at recognising elements and objects in a point cloud, which is an important development. But in practice a point cloud is still not a structured model: a wall is a collection of points, not an editable object with properties.
A BIM model is a structured working document. Every object (wall, door, pipe) is identifiable, editable and can be extended with information: material, classification, maintenance status. It is the basis for design, coordination and management.
When is a point cloud enough?
In some projects the point cloud is the end product. You do not need a BIM model when the goal is:
Recording the existing situation. For property handovers, when starting a long-term maintenance plan, or as a reference for future maintenance. The point cloud records what is there, at the moment it is there.
Measuring and checking. Floor area calculations (for example in line with NEN 2580), checking dimensions, or comparing the actual situation with a design or specification. Everything you measure comes straight from the point cloud.
Remote visual inspection. Using the Indoorviewer you walk through the building digitally, measure distances and share locations with colleagues or external parties. Nobody has to be on site.
Archiving. For listed buildings, protected properties or buildings due for demolition, the point cloud serves as a permanent, measurable record of the situation.
In all these cases the point cloud delivers the data you are looking for. Additional modelling is not necessary and adds no value.
When do you need a BIM model?
A BIM model is needed when you want not only to know what is there, but also to work with it:
Renovation or conversion. Your architect needs an up-to-date model as the basis for the design. Without one, the entire design team works from outdated drawings or estimates, with all the risks that brings.
Clash detection. On complex projects with multiple building services (climate control, electrics, plumbing), the BIM model lets you check whether pipes and ducts conflict with each other or with the structure. You do that before you build, not afterwards.
Collaboration between disciplines. When the architect, structural engineer and services consultant all have to work from the same data, a structured model is indispensable. The point cloud is the shared measurement basis for everyone, but the BIM model is the shared working environment.
Facility management. Managers who want to work object by object (which installation is where, when maintenance is due, what the material specification is) need a BIM model as the underlying structure.
Permit applications and the Wkb. For some permits, and under the Dutch Building Quality Assurance Act (Wkb), an accurate building model is required as part of the documentation.
Building a BIM model from a point cloud is called Scan-to-BIM. This process is aimed specifically at existing buildings and renovation projects.
Can you use both?
Yes, and in practice that often happens. The two complement each other:
During the project. The point cloud acts as a measurable background in Revit. The modeller builds the BIM model on top of it. After delivery the model is laid back over the point cloud as a quality check: any deviations between model and reality become immediately visible.
After the project. The point cloud remains available as a visual layer in the Indoorviewer. The BIM model is managed centrally and shared via Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Docs). This gives everyone in the organisation access to both the visual walkthrough and the object-based model.
A simple rule of thumb
Ask yourself: what do I want to do with the data?
Only recording, measuring or inspecting? → a point cloud is enough.Designing, coordinating, managing or linking information to objects? → you need a BIM model.
If in doubt, start with a point cloud. It is quickly available and always forms the basis. You can have the BIM model built later, without having to scan again.
Projects we have delivered
56+ clients in 7 countries. Over 2,000 scans completed in 5 years.
-
Read more: Boerenbond Petsplace or OdidoBoerenbond Petsplace or Odido
Boerenbond Petsplace or Odido When a retailer switches to a new store concept or interior, it often isn’t about one location, but about dozens of stores that need to be renewed in a short time. We’ve been involved in the renewal of Boerenbond/Pets Place stores and the transition from T-Mobile to Odido, among others. For…
-
Read more: Basic-FitBasic-Fit
BASIC FIT For Basic-Fit we’ve scanned more than 1,300 existing and newly built locations over the past 5 years. The Digital Twin was set up on the basis of the scan. Basic-Fit uses this data for the delivery of the locations, facility management, all smart systems in the club and much more. Ask about the…
-
Read more: CS ArnhemCS Arnhem
CS ARNHEM Bartiméus is an organisation for the care of people with a visual impairment or blindness, and Atsence offers a solution for indoor navigation, so visually impaired and blind people can orient themselves in public spaces. A wonderful solution! Atsence uses our scan data for their software and asked us to scan Arnhem Station.…
-
Read more: Elysee Pavilion ParisElysee Pavilion Paris
THE ELYSEE PAVILION In collaboration with Hypsos, we scanned and modelled this beautiful pavilion on the Champs-Élysées. To temporarily change the layout of this pavilion in preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris, we had to model all elements such as ornaments and ceiling mouldings accurately.
-
Read more: Kenaupark HaarlemKenaupark Haarlem
KENAUPARK HAARLEM We fully 3D scanned this beautiful monumental building in Haarlem for a local architect and worked it up accurately in Revit. With monumental buildings, no situation is the same and existing drawings are far from always complete or current. An accurate record of the existing situation therefore forms a valuable basis for further…
-
Read more: Monkey TownMonkey Town
MONKEY TOWN Monkey Town is expanding into Germany, and we give every project a great start! Mülheim is the first location we scanned for Monkey Town with our mobile scanner. We used the point cloud to develop the existing situation accurately into a BIM. The BIM, exported DWG and PDF are delivered to the German…
-
Read more: Museumplein 1 AmsterdamMuseumplein 1 Amsterdam
Museumplein 1 We scanned this beautiful building with our mobile scanner and also carried out an archive study. On the basis of the scan combined with the archive documents, the architectural and structural model was set up to BIM basis ILS. With the scan as the starting point, of course, so it’s an accurate copy…
-
Read more: NEMONEMO
NEMO A special application of our 3D scans! For a client that specialises in indoor navigation, we deliver point clouds and 360° images that are used as the basis for navigation in buildings. Via an app on the phone, a user can be navigated through the building with the help of the camera and augmented…
-
Read more: PICNICPICNIC
PICNIC Commissioned by Picnic, we scanned a hub in Amsterdam with the VLX and set up a Digital Twin on the basis of the point cloud. Hubs are the smaller distribution centres your groceries come from. Prior to this process, we had to set up a template with elements that recur in a Picnic hub.…
-
Read more: Stadion GalgenwaardStadion Galgenwaard
Stadion Galgenwaard In collaboration with MVSA, we scanned FC Utrecht’s stadium so they can make a flying start on their project.Using GPS systems in combination with the VLX, we were able to model the stadium accurately in Revit on the exact coordinates.With the help of two scanners, we scanned the stadium as efficiently as possible…
-
Read more: Zandvoort RotondeflatZandvoort Rotondeflat
De Rotonde Flat in Zandvoort: a complete building mapped from a representative sample Anyone who has crossed the central square by Holland Casino in Zandvoort knows De Rotonde Flat. The building is a local landmark, an old and distinctive block that divides opinion: some find it ugly, some find it beautiful, everyone knows it. Buildings…
-
Read more: HallsHalls
Reuse of halls This client specialises in building halls, but also in dismantling and reusing existing halls. An existing hall is carefully taken apart, sold and then rebuilt at another location. An important challenge here is that original drawings are often missing, outdated or no longer match the actual situation. That’s why we fully scan…
-
Read more: Fort Benoorden BeemsterFort Benoorden Beemster
Fort Benoorden Beemster In the middle of UNESCO World Heritage Site the Beemster lies Fort Benoorden Purmerend, part of the historical Defence Line of Amsterdam. Several forts of this former defensive line have since been given a new purpose. In this case, the fort is in use by a wine wholesaler. Commissioned by a local…
-
Read more: Municipality of HaarlemMunicipality of Haarlem
Municipality of Haarlem Everyone from the Haarlem area knows this beautiful, stately building. Commissioned by the municipality, we 3D scanned the entire building inside and out and captured the existing situation accurately in digital form. We delivered the resulting point cloud in both E57 and RCS format, so the scan data is broadly usable for…
-
Read more: Hoge Duin en Daalseweg
Hoge Duin en Daalseweg
Hoge Duin en Daalseweg We fully 3D scanned this beautiful villa on behalf of an architect. On the basis of the point cloud, we then worked the existing situation up accurately into a Revit model. Because a 3D scan only captures what is actually visible and measurable, we supplemented the model with information from available…
-
Read more: JohmaJohma
Johma: unifying a 30,000 m² factory complex in a single digital model Anyone who has walked the Johma site sees not one factory, but a chain of building sections that have grown together over the years. Every extension brought its own column structure and its own dimensions, and for many sections no accurate drawings existed…
-
Read more: Church HoogwoudChurch Hoogwoud
Church Hoogwoud No current drawings of this church, part of the municipal property, were available. To properly prepare future maintenance, management and renovation works, we were asked to map the complete existing situation accurately. With our mobile 3D scanners, we captured the church both inside and out. The resulting point cloud forms an accurate digital…
-
Read more: RijksmuseumRijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum Every so often our work takes us to a very special place. This time: the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, after closing time! Commissioned by our client, we got to fully 3D scan all publicly accessible parts of the museum. An impressive environment where historical architecture, art and technology come together. With our mobile 3D scanners,…
