Imerso can work with any point cloud, but the quality of the scans you share with us directly influences the quality of the results.
Which scanners work best
Imerso accepts point clouds from any 3D scanner. Two types give the best results:
Stationary scanners: also called terrestrial laser scanners, or TLS, such as Leica's BLK360, Trimble's X7 or Faro's Focus. The aim is for at least 8 million points per scan setup.
Mobile (SLAM) scanners: the Navvis VLX and MLX, or the Faro Orbis. Panoramas must be included in the export.
Imerso uses the panoramas to provide the best automatic analysis results. They are also used for the side-by-side comparison between the scan and the BIM Model.
Other SLAM scanners can work, but the point quality varies considerably between them. Contact us before committing to a scanner that is not listed here.
⚠️ Photogrametric scanners (like photo-drones) are not recommended, as their point cloud quality is not good enough for milimetric inspection versus the BIM model.
Export as E57
E57 is the format we recommend. One E57 file can hold several scan setups, along with the panoramas and the position and orientation of each setup.
💡 If the scans you have are in another format, let us know before sharing them. We can process several other formats, which is often quicker than requesting a new export from your surveyor.
Keep each scan setup separate
When exporting from a stationary scanner, each scan setup should remain its own point cloud inside the E57 file. Do not merge them into one cloud.
⚠️ Merged scans lose their panoramas, cannot be corrected if a registration error is found later, and produce less precise BIM Deviation results. Unregistered, registered and merged scans on Imerso explains the drawbacks in full.
The Best scan export practices guides cover how to export unmerged setups from the most common registration software.
Stay under 750 million points per point cloud
Imerso has a limit of 750 million points per point cloud. In an E57 file this limit applies to each scan setup individually, not to the file as a whole, so keeping the setups separate normally keeps each point cloud well below it.
The limit is most often reached with scans from mobile scanners, which produce one continuous point cloud. A large site can exceed it in a single capture. See Understanding the 750 million points limit for Imerso.
Match the BIM Model's coordinate system if possible
Ideally the scans are in the same coordinate system as the BIM Models. But this is not a hard requirement. If the coordinate systems do not match, Imerso has the possibility to automatic align the scans against the BIM model, or to apply coordinate offset for georeferenced scans.
If you are new to scanning
Imerso does not need a specific scanning method. There is no single answer we can give you on how to scan a site. Every scanner has its own way of capturing a space and holding accuracy across setups, so the scanner manufacturer's guidance is the place to start.
Beyond the scanner, how many scan setups you need depends on the site. An open area needs far fewer than a densely packed technical room, where equipment and pipework block the line of sight.
If you are unsure whether your approach will give good results, contact us before scanning the whole site.