Practical article
Scanning and 360-degree images for site visits and dialogue
Digital images of a building can help people understand spaces, examine existing conditions and discuss a planned solution. But a photographic survey, a point cloud and panoramic images from a BIM model provide different kinds of information. The choice should follow the task the recipient needs to solve.
Contech's demonstrations from 2020 and 2021 show several approaches. Together, they offer a practical introduction to clarifying what should be captured, how the result should be processed and what the user actually gains access to.
Specify material that fits its use
In Contech #15, Kjetil Greiner Sæter from Angvik Prosjektering shows photographic surveys, point clouds and comparisons with existing drawings. He distinguishes capturing conditions from processing the capture into a model.
A photographic survey can provide an overview of rooms and surroundings. Point clouds provide geometric information for examination and further processing. Creating a BIM model still requires modelling and clarification of the objects and information needed.
Shared coordinates and a clear purpose are recurring prerequisites in the presentation. Before commissioning capture, the client and supplier should therefore clarify which decision the result should support and what must be delivered for the recipient to do their job.
From existing buildings to rooms and zones
The silent demonstration From old drawings to an integrated building operations platform shows a workflow from old floor plans and digital surveys to a point cloud in Autodesk ReCap and further modelling in Revit.
Towards the end, floors and area zones are shown. A diagram illustrates how identifiers can connect zones to operational and sensor data. This makes the link to management, operation, maintenance and development clear: capture can be the start of an information foundation used throughout the building's life.
The film shows the visual steps and a proposed connection between systems. It does not document that all connections in the final diagram have been established. Its value as an example lies in showing that processing and structuring are separate tasks after capture.
Present a planned solution with panoramas
In Customer-friendly BIM, Sindre Gundersen from Angvik Utvikling shows another approach. Here the model is the starting point, and the aim is to make rooms and layouts easier for the customer to understand.
The demonstration's workflow moves from Revit to Twinmotion. Three panoramas are combined in Momento360, and the sharing link becomes a QR code placed on a presentation. Customers can open the images on their phones and view the solution from selected viewpoints.
What is shared is a collection of panoramic images. Free navigation throughout the BIM model is discussed as possible further development. This distinction matters when commissioning and presenting the view: clarify both what the user can see and what they can explore themselves.
Film can provide a guided tour
The virtual home presentation shows a selected route through a scanned home. The opening title lists Matterport Pro2, a Highlight Reel, screen recording with OBS and editing in Shotcut.
The result is a continuous film through rooms and outdoor spaces. It provides an example of presenting a specific route. The recording is not a guide to scan settings and provides no basis for assessing measurement accuracy or sales results.
Clarify the deliverable with the recipient
Consider these questions before work begins:
- Does the recipient need to understand a room, check existing conditions or assess a planned solution?
- Is a selected film route, shareable images, geometric information or a processed model needed?
- Which parts of the building must be included, and how will the information be updated?
- Who will check that the deliverable is suitable for its agreed use?
This makes it easier to connect capture, processing and presentation to the same task. The toolchains in this article follow recordings from 2020 and 2021; current prices and software features have not been assessed.