Mastering Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2013

Chapter 22

Using Laser Scans in Revit

LiDAR, or laser scanning, is an emerging technology used to quickly locate geographic information and extrapolate that into a means that is insertable into an Autodesk^® Revit^® Architecture model. This type of scan is used to cut down the time of a traditional survey while collecting more data about the site or building. In this chapter, you'll learn to:

• Understand LiDAR
• Understand common uses of LiDAR
• Plan for a LiDAR survey
• Use the scan in a project

Understanding LiDAR

About the Contributing Authors: Tony DiMartino and Adam Horn

Tony DiMartino is a project designer and BIM coordinator at HNTB Architecture. He has been a key contributor to the Revit implementation and standards at HNTB as well as with partner firms during project-based BIM design and coordination. He is also a board member for the Kansas City Revit Users Group.

Adam Horn is a technologist in the Incubation Center at HNTB and is currently performing R&D on data acquisition methods. He is a registered professional land surveyor with more than 12 years of experience in land surveying and data acquisition. Adam is a forward-thinking thought leader who maintains a cutting edge outlook on the AEC industry in order to identify and develop new technologies that will improve current best practices.

There are many forms of 3D reality data capture that can be used to collect existing conditions of the built or natural world. Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR, is a noncontact ...