3D-scanning for Quality Control During the Production Phase

Not very often BIM people visit construction sites. Last Monday, however, it was time for an on-site meeting with two representatives from the 3D-scanning firm, Exact, and discuss yet another area where laser scanning could enhance the quality of construction projects. 

At SISAB, we have now started documenting our facilities using our Matterport scanner within an experimental project titled as "Facility Information Modelling" (FIM). The primary focus of the project is creating web based navigable models of the interiors of our school facilities that would enable FM personal, tenants, education authorities and other stakeholders to remotely visit our schools. Further applications such as creating updated drawings, extracting surface areas and maintenance planning will also be examined within the FIM project.

Our Monday visit to Enskedefältets School aimed, however, to plan a different type of experiment: 3D-scanning building structures during the production phase, verifying the resulting point cloud against design-intent BIM models in IFC format and visualizing the potential deviations using 3D-PDF reports including sequential color schemes. More rigorous verification methods as such will eventually compel more accuracy, fewer reworks and increased efficiency in building industry.