Scan to BIM guide.

The research-stage questions buyers actually type: what it is, how the work runs, what LOD means, what registration involves, how a cloud becomes a Revit file, and why there is no per-square-foot rate.

Scan to BIM is the process of converting a lidar point cloud, a 3D scan of a physical space, into a Building Information Model: a Revit file organized by real building elements such as walls, doors, and MEP systems, instead of raw scan geometry. That is the deliverable we produce as a scan to BIM service.

You send us the registered cloud, families, template, LOD, and the zones that matter. We quote a scope of hours that covers modelling, QA, and the revisions the engagement needs. We process and you review; a model is not finished until your client has signed off on it. We bill on the actual hours used. Under the quote costs less, and we do not invoice beyond the cap.

LOD 100 is early massing. LOD 200 to 300 covers most renovation and facilities-documentation work, and LOD 400 is for MEP coordination and clash detection. LOD 500 is as-built field-verified, the dense end of MEP coordination. If you are unsure which applies, tell us what the model will actually be used for and we will recommend the LOD ourselves rather than leave you guessing.

Registration is aligning individual scans into one coordinate system using target-based, cloud-to-cloud, or geo-referenced methods, with documented control. On multi-wing government and heritage complexes we've used DGPS and Total Station control to cross-reference scan targets to a global coordinate system, holding registration accuracy to 2 to 6mm across the full site, the same tolerance we hold across our work.

We build inside your family library, project template, naming and worksets. The model lands the way your office already works, rather than as a generic Revit file. Send your families and project template and we model directly into them. If you do not yet have a library, we can build a starter set as part of the engagement.

We do not quote per square foot. Cost depends on LOD, area, and MEP density. The things that actually move the number are LOD and density, especially MEP at LOD 400 and above, how much area there is to draw and whether the cloud is clean enough to draw from, and working in your own template and families. Send the scans and the spec and you get a capped quote in one to two business days. The how we quote page walks through the full breakdown, or request a quote.