Trimble RealWorks: As-Built 3D

Eleccon Maquinarias Experience

On this occasion, our friends from Eleccon Maquinarias present the process they follow to digitize an existing structure using Trimble X7 laser scans and subsequently create a 3D model with Trimble Realworks software.

It is quite common to find installations that lack As-Built plans, especially when these installations have been in operation for several years. If maintenance or expansion work is required, generally only design plans are available, which do not always accurately reflect how the installation was built or the modifications made during its operation. For this reason, it is necessary to capture reality with great precision to generate the necessary documentation that will serve as the basis for new projects.

Thanks to the Trimble X7 laser scanner, it is possible to digitize existing installations quickly and accurately, with the purpose of obtaining 2D and 3D information of structures and components. In addition, the incorporation of a tablet allows visualizing the survey in real time, directly on site, which facilitates progress monitoring and avoids possible shadows caused by poorly planned scans. In this particular project, the scanner was used to capture even the most intricate details of the warehouse, covering everything from its general structure to the smallest features.

We also use a drone to complement the scanning. While the point cloud generated with the drone does not have the precision of a scanner, it serves as a reference for areas without data. Furthermore, the drone plays a fundamental role in providing us with aerial images of the warehouse and its immediate surroundings. This combination of technologies, both terrestrial and aerial, allows us to obtain a complete and detailed view of the site in question.

For data processing, Trimble Realworks software is used, which is a powerful, scalable software for working with point clouds. It allows for efficient management, processing, and analysis of large datasets with confidence and speed. It features assisted tools for modeling metallic structures based on catalogs loaded into the software. Through the editing and copying tools for geometries based on patterns, it provides high productivity in 3D modeling.

This 3D model will allow visualizing the warehouse in detail and from any angle, facilitating the preparation of the plans requested by the client.