What is a point cloud and what can you do with it in your project?
After a 3D laser scan, you receive a point cloud. But what exactly is that? What does it look like, what can you measure with it and when do you need more? This article explains it in plain language, so as a client you know what you have in hand and what next step suits your project.
What is a point cloud?
A point cloud is a collection of millions of measurement points in a three-dimensional space. Every point has an exact X, Y and Z coordinate. Together, those points form a detailed 3D image of the scanned environment: walls, floors, ceilings, pipework, installations and structural elements, exactly as they are present at the moment of the scan.
You can compare it to a photo, but in three dimensions and measurable. Where in a photo you only look, in a point cloud you can measure distances, check heights and make sections. Because Crew-B’s scanners automatically also take 360-degree photos, you combine measurement data with a visual image of the environment.
An average scan of an office storey quickly delivers tens of millions of points. For complex locations such as factories or monumental buildings, that can run up to hundreds of millions.
How is a point cloud created?
A point cloud is the direct result of a 3D laser scan. The scanner emits 600,000 laser pulses per second. Every pulse hits a surface and bounces back. On the basis of the reflection, the scanner calculates the position of the impact point. Point by point, the scanner builds up a complete 3D image.
After scanning, the separate scans are merged into one whole. This is called registration. During this process, the scans are aligned, checked for accuracy and cleaned up (unnecessary points, such as moving objects or noise, are automatically removed).
The result is a clean, accurate point cloud that is ready to use. The cleaned-up data is usually available within 24 hours of the scan.
What can you do with a point cloud?
A point cloud is not an end product that disappears in a drawer. It is a working document that delivers value in different phases of your project.
Measuring and checking
In the point cloud, you measure distances, heights, surface areas and volumes. This is immediately usable for:
- -Surface area calculations in accordance with NEN 2580, for example for rent calculations or valuations
- -Checking dimensions in construction projects
- -Comparing the existing situation with a design or specification
- -Recording the current situation as a reference for future maintenance
Design and engineering
Architects, structural engineers and installation advisers use the point cloud as an underlay for their design. Instead of measuring on site and sketching by hand, they work on an accurate digital basis.
That way you prevent a design from being based on outdated or incomplete drawings. A situation that in practice regularly leads to design errors, additional works and delay.
Visualisation and inspection
Via Crew-B’s Indoorviewer, you walk digitally through your building on the basis of the scan data. Compare it to Google Street View, but for your own building: you view locations, measure distances and share specific points with colleagues or external parties, without anyone having to be physically on site. The Indoorviewer is web-based, requires no installation and works in every browser.
Point cloud, 3D model, BIM model: what is the difference?
This is a question many clients have. The terms are regularly used interchangeably, but they mean something different.
A point cloud is raw measurement data: millions of points without interpretation. You see walls and pipework, but the software doesn’t “know” that it is a wall or pipe. It is an exact image of reality, without object information.
A 3D model is a processed representation in which objects are recognisable: walls, floors, doors, windows. It is visually clear, but does not necessarily contain technical properties or information about materials.
A BIM model goes a step further. In a BIM model (Building Information Model, built in software such as Revit) you can add properties to every object: material, dimensions, classification, maintenance information. That makes a BIM model a working document for design, construction, coordination and management.
When does a point cloud suffice?
If you just want to record the existing situation, check dimensions or need a surface area calculation, the point cloud is often enough. No additional modelling is then needed.
When do you need a BIM model?
Are you going to renovate, refurbish or integrate a new design with existing buildings? Then the point cloud is processed via Scan-to-BIM into a full BIM model. The BIM model then forms the basis for your design, calculation and coordination. Scan-to-BIM is specifically aimed at existing buildings and renovation projects.
Which software reads a point cloud?
Point clouds are stored in standard file formats, including E57, LAS and RCP/RCS (for use in Autodesk software). The most commonly used software for viewing and editing point clouds:
- -Autodesk ReCap for opening, navigating and cleaning up point clouds
- -Autodesk Revit for building BIM models on the basis of the point cloud
- -Autodesk Navisworks for coordination and clash detection
- -CloudCompare (open source) for viewing and analysing point clouds
As a client, you don’t need to have this software yourself. Crew-B processes the point cloud and delivers the result in the format you need. Anyone who wants to view the scan data without software can use the Indoorviewer: web-based, without installation, immediately accessible to everyone in your organisation.
How big is a point cloud?
Point clouds are large files. A scan of an office storey of 1,500 m² quickly results in a file of several gigabytes. For larger locations or higher scan density, that increases further.
This has practical consequences. Sharing point clouds via email is usually not possible. Crew-B delivers files via secure download or via Autodesk Forma (formerly Autodesk Docs), where all project data is centrally managed and shared.
In summary
A point cloud is the measurable, digital basis of your building or location. It is the starting point for everything that comes after: measuring, designing, modelling, coordinating and managing. What you then do with that data depends on your project and your goal.
Crew-B guides that entire journey, from the first 3D laser scan to delivering models and unlocking building data via Autodesk Forma. Get in touch for a no-obligation conversation about your project.
Projects we have delivered
56+ clients in 7 countries. More than 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,…
