Presented by: Executives from Spar Point research, Pointools, and Bentley
Summary:On October 14, 2009, Bentley announced that it had signed a “Continuous Technology Transfer Agreement” to incorporate Pointools’ Vortex Engine in the Bentley Technology Platform to enable reuse of 3D laser scanned data. This webinar will include three different perspectives on this agreement. To see the future of 3D data integration and platform interoperability you have to attend this webinar.
What you can learn:
An overview by Spar Point Research of the impact that laser scanning technology is having on the design, construction, and management of industrial plant, BIM, and civil/transportation infrastructure assets
The importance of integrating this technology into the daily workflows of infrastructure professionals and the value users will realize from this integration
A brief demonstration by Pointools of the Vortex engine functionality including an explanation on why the Pointools’ technology is so fast and so capable of handling billions of point clouds at one time
Watch this eSeminar by chapter:
These videos open directly into your media player.
The Autodesk® Subscription Advantage Pack for AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 provides new functionality for importing and visualizing point clouds and designing roundabouts, and powerful enhancements that can help streamline existing workflows in AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 software. This pack also includes Autodesk® ImageModeler™ 2009 software.
This Subscription Advantage Pack is available exclusively for Autodesk® Subscription customers through download in the Autodesk Subscription Center.
Features and Benefits
Point Clouds—Import and visualize large sets of point cloud data, such as 3D laser scanning/LiDAR data sets with millions of points, in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 with the Point Clouds feature. The point cloud feature enables you to:
Import LiDAR data in LAS format and all point file formats supported by AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010
Visualize large point clouds in 3D
Stylize point data based on LAS classifications, RGB, elevation, and intensity
Filter point data by style
Snap to points within the point cloud using standard AutoCAD® software tools
Some common uses of LiDAR data in AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 may include using the point cloud data for site surveys, developing an understanding of the site context, and digitizing as-built features (for example, building footprints and curbs) for design projects.
Autodesk and partners released the following webcast overview. The meat of the relevant information starts at about the 35 minute marker. http://www.aec-projects.com/seminars/022510/
Due to inclement weather in Washington D.C., I was not able to make it back to The Woodlands in time for the first day of SPAR 2010, but I sure do have a lot to share with you after day 2. Below are some highlights from the well-attended event:
Zebra Imaging – if you did not have a chance to see them in person, be sure to check out their website because they have developed a truly remarkable product. Zebra Imaging makes digitally-mastered, actively-animated, true-color, full-parallax holographic images. These holographic images are available in full color, or in monochrome (green). Zebra’s holographic images can be scaled to any size, large or small. By tiling together multiple tiles, it is possible to create large city maps, full sized cars, humans, and machinery. Check out a sample video of their technology here. Look for a full post about this technology after the conference.
Trimble Indoor Mobile Mapping Solution (TIMMS) – Simply put, this technology is full-dome mobile scanning for interior applications. The technology uses the same IMU-type technology as aerial LiDAR and mobile mapping, but without the GPS. You simply push a cart around a facility to capture detailed, accurate point cloud data without the hassles of registration. Monthly rentals are available or you can purchase the technology.
Z+F showed off a new digital camera attachment for the Imager 5006i/Leica HDS-6100. The camera mounts on top of the unit and integrates with the point cloud data through the use of their proprietary software. There are batch capabilities that allow application of the RGB values to be applied to multiple scans at once. These values are appended to the ZFS files without affecting the intensity values. It works flawlessly with the HDS6100, however, a hardware upgrade is needed in order to work with the HDS6000. The cameras can be purchased or leased from Z+F directly.
Velodyne Lidar Inc. showed off their real-time 360-degree LiDAR sensor. Velodyne’s sensor was used on the Radiohead House of Cards music video directed by James Frost and Zoo Film Productions for which I recently had the privilege of working with on a new project. More on that once the project has been released… it is big, real big! In the meantime, check out the results from the Radiohead project. It is guaranteed to amaze you!
I regret that I was not able to attend the first day, but it has been great to see colleagues I have not seen in a while and catch up on some new technology. Look for more info to be posted tomorrow. Follow us on Twitter for real-time updates from the conference.
The Leica HDS4400 mine scanning system offers all the benefits of laser scanning in a convenient, easy-to-learn and highly productive package. It is long range High-Definition Surveying (HDS) for the mining industry.
The Leica HDS4400 mine scanning system offers all the benefits of laser scanning in a convenient, easy-to-learn and highly productive package. It’s long range High-Definition Surveying for the mining industry.
The complete system includes the Leica HDS4400 scanner, a rugged field controller, software and support for mine scanning from the global leader in laser scanning solutions.
The Leica HDS4400 offers users these advantages for long range, pulsed laser scanning:
Long range scanning with up to 700 m range
Integrated high-resolution digital camera for panoramic color images
Removal battery pack
4400 points per second
Rugged tablet PC for easy scan control and data visualization
Spar Point Research LLC has been acquired by Diversified Business Communications, a U.S.-based trade show, publishing and eMedia company headquartered in Portland, Maine. Tom Greaves, founder of Spar Point Research, will join the Diversified management team as managing director of the Spar Point Group. “We are excited about the future growth opportunities for Spar Point Group as part of Diversified,” Greaves said. “Diversified is a leading media and trade show organization with global reach and a proven record of strengthening the industries it serves. Diversified’s resources will allow our team to expand our geographic reach more quickly and better serve the needs of users and suppliers of 3D imaging technologies worldwide.“
“Diversified is actively looking for opportunities to partner and acquire emerging industry franchises,” said Nancy Hasselback, president and CEO of Diversified Communications. “We see a tremendous opportunity for growth in 3D imaging technology.”
“The Spar Point Group products are a great addition to our portfolio,” commented Mike Lodato, group vice president, who will be responsible for the corporate leadership of the Spar Point Group portfolio. “I look forward to working with Tom and the rest of the team to expand this franchise and leverage his expertise.”
Spar Point Research LLC, a Massachusetts-based company, has organized SPAR conferences in the United States and Japan since 2003. SPAR 2010 will be held Feb. 8-10, 2010 in Houston, Texas, USA. SPAR 2010J will be held April 15-16, 2010 in Kawasaki, Japan. The company also publishes SparView, an electronic newsletter serving more than 12,000 readers from engineering, construction, manufacturing, law enforcement and security planning organizations worldwide.
Diversified Business Communications provides information and market access through trade exhibitions, magazine publishing and eMedia products on four continents. Diversified serves a number of industries including seafood, food service, natural and organic products, commercial marine, integrative health care, oil and gas, and business management. Diversified operates divisions in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India and the UK. For more information, visit www.divbusiness.com.
https://scanable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SCANable_logo_emblemSimple-180x180.png00Travis Reinkehttps://scanable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SCANable_logo_emblemSimple-180x180.pngTravis Reinke2009-12-10 10:05:492016-11-18 17:50:42Diversified Business Communications Acquires Spar Point Research
Bexar County’s criminal investigators soon will have cutting-edge help as they comb through crime scenes: a 3-D, computerized laser scanning system.
County commissioners approved the $207,000 purchase Tuesday.
“This is state-of-the-art equipment,” said Jose Treviño, the Sheriff’s Office homicide supervisor. “This will provide much more accurate data, and much quicker, to investigators at the scene.”
The system, which will be operational by March, takes a 3-D electronic photograph that plots objects in a 360-degree scan.
The unit “will all but eliminate human error” when it comes to measuring and plotting crime scene evidence, Treviño said.
“Eliminating the human error means you’ll have much greater chance that evidence won’t be missed,” he added. “It also guarantees much more accuracy in documenting the evidence’s location.”
Law enforcement officials say they plan to use the tool to probe major incidents, such as bank robberies, homicides and large-scale traffic accidents.
The Leica Geosystems scanner the county is purchasing is similar to but newer than scanners used at Fort Hood to gather evidence in the shooting massacre that killed 13 people last month. A similar device also was used to reconstruct the Interstate 35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis in August 2007.
Under a regional contract, surrounding counties and municipalities also will have access to the equipment, said Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz.
In other business, the commissioners were briefed on a project that will allow county residents to electronically request and track work orders for repairs to roads, sidewalks, bridges, signs and drainage structures.
Once operational, residents can access the Public Works Citizens Request Portal to create an electronic work request. The system also will provide status reports on all pending projects on a given street or in a neighborhood, said County Engineer Renee Green.
She said the public will be able to access the program starting Jan. 4.
https://scanable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SCANable_logo_emblemSimple-180x180.png00Travis Reinkehttps://scanable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SCANable_logo_emblemSimple-180x180.pngTravis Reinke2009-12-02 09:41:002009-12-02 09:41:00Investigators get 3-D crime scanner
by Vladislav Savov @ Engadget posted Nov 18th 2009 at 6:40AM
The MIT Technology Review has unearthed a new laser-based 3D mapping robot that can produce results similar to those obtained from $100,000 systems at about a fifth of the cost. Funded by the US Army, researchers at the Stevens Institute of Technology have now demonstrated the Remotely Operated and Autonomous Mapping System (ROAMS, for short), which employs a mirror-based LIDAR system that bounces a laser off a rapidly rotating mirror and gleans environmental information from how long it takes for each pulse to bounce back. An array of video cameras and IR proximity sensors add to this recon bot‘s sentience, though you’ll still need to be within a mile’s range to operate it. So not quite yet ready for solo missions to Mars, but plenty useful for gathering data on our own planet. You’ll find video and imagery of the results this machine kicks out after the break.
Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) October 30, 2009 — Coign Asset Metrics & Technologies (CoignAMT.com) announced today that it was selected for a five-year, $30 million, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract awarded by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Public Buildings Service (PBS). For this nationwide contract CoignAMT, as prime, and its partners will provide professional laser scanning and Building Information Modeling (BIM) services to each of the eleven GSA regions.
“We are very excited to be part of this monumental opportunity,”
CoignAMT is recognized for excellence with 3D Laser Scanning and Building Information Models
“We are very excited to be part of this monumental opportunity,” said Travis Reinke, Asset Inventories Sector Manager for CoignAMT. “Our team is comprised of some of the most talented individuals in the laser scanning and building information modeling industries and we look forward to sharing our experiences utilizing the latest technologies and software to assist the GSA PBS in effectively managing their facilities for years to come. Having been involved in the laser scanning industry since the very beginning, it is exciting to not only see the rapid progression of the technology itself, but also the acceptance of its benefits in the architectural and federal community.”
This contract will support the new construction, renovation, and modernization initiatives of the GSA’s PBS central office and its eleven regional offices. Sites will likely involve federal offices, courthouses, border stations, laboratories, warehouse, and childcare facilities, among other types of real property. Services being provided by CoignAMT under this $6 million base year contract with four one-year options will include:
Documentation of facility interior and exterior conditions and systems utilizing 3D laser scanning
Transformation of point cloud datasets into BIM
BIM that encompass the facility life cycle (planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance, rehabilitation, and divestiture)
Subject Matter Expert support for architectural design; mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP); and structural and civil engineering
Visual, geospatial and engineering analysis
Development of Best Practices relating to laser scanning, building information modeling and facility management
Business processes improvement through comprehensive facility life cycle management and expanded use of technology
CoignAMT President, Gary Sheets, stated, “Throughout the federal government and private sector, GSA Public Buildings Services is regarded as a leader in maximizing facility efficiencies through the application of advanced technologies. We are honored that GSA PBS has recognized our technical expertise, depth of experience and innovative solutions with this selection and look forward to supporting the GSA PBS with its laser scanning, BIM, and facility life cycle management initiatives nationwide.”
About the GSA PBS and the National 3D-4D-BIM Program: The landlord for the civilian federal government, GSA Public Buildings Service (PBS) acquires space on behalf of the federal government through new construction and leasing, and acts as a caretaker for federal properties across the country. PBS owns or leases 8,600 properties, maintains an inventory of more than 354 million square feet of workspace for 1.1 million federal employees, and preserves more than 480 historic properties.
In 2003 the General Services Administration (GSA), through its Public Buildings Service (PBS) Office of Chief Architect (OCA), established the National 3D-4D-BIM Program. OCA has led over 30 projects in its capital program, and is assessing and supporting three dimensional (3D), four-dimensional (4D), and Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications in over 35 ongoing projects across the nation. The power of visualization, coordination, simulation, and optimization from 3D, 4D, and BIM computer technologies allow GSA to more effectively meet customer, design, construction, and program requirements. GSA is committed to a strategic and incremental adoption of 3D, 4D, and BIM.
About Coign Asset Metrics & Technologies LLC: Coign Asset Metrics & Technologies, LLC (CoignAMT) is a HUBZone qualified, SBA certified, small business that provides a full range of asset management life cycle services and specialized technologies, including high definition laser scanning (HDLS). Its mission is to strengthen public and private sector organizations by aligning their assets and operational practices with their strategic initiatives. CoignAMT is headquartered in the Pittsburgh, PA area, with regional offices located in Colorado Springs, CO, and Houston, TX. Clients include federal, state, and local governments, as well as private sector customers in the construction, energy, transportation, manufacturing, and security industries.
For more information, contact:
Travis Reinke, Asset Inventories Sector Manager
Phone: 888.600.5849 ext 3 www.CoignAMT.com
PITTSBURGH, PA — (Marketwire) — 10/29/09 — Quantapoint (http://www.quantapoint.com) — recent recipient of a General Services Administration (GSA) laser scanning IDIQ contract — announced the integration of Quantapoint 3D laser scan data with Autodesk® Revit using QuantaCAD(TM). Laser data may be accessed directly within Revit as photo-realistic Laser Images(TM) of individual 3D laser scans and high-definition Laser Models(TM) of integrated laser data, not fuzzy “point clouds” whose sparse measurements make them difficult to use and understand.
“One of the challenges of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been creating 3D BIM models that accurately represent existing buildings,” said Eric Hoffman, Founder of Quantapoint. “By integrating Laser Models and Laser Images with Revit, Quantapoint can more quickly create 3D BIM models and validate their accuracy. Additionally, new 3D BIM designs can be viewed and clashed with the laser data to ensure that they will fit into the existing facility, thus eliminating rework.”
QuantaCAD provides a number of useful capabilities to Revit users to enable them to create and validate 3D BIM models, visualize proposed modifications for design and constructability reviews, and identify and correct potential interferences. Some of the capabilities include:
Direct Integration: Integrate laser data with Revit directly, without sub-sampling or converting to “polygon meshes.”
Laser Models: Display 3D BIM models using solid, high-definition
Laser Models for direct remodeling or to create new designs.
Laser Image Projection: Project 3D BIM models into Laser Images of individual 3D laser scans for real-time validation or design reviews.
Measurement: Measure points, distances and mechanical or plumbing pipe information between the 3D BIM model, Laser Images and Laser Models.
Clashing: Clash laser data and 3D BIM models to verify remodeling accuracy or identify interferences with new designs.
Demolition: Group Laser Models that are parts of the facility being demolished and highlight or hide them for planning or design analysis.
Multi-user Database: Share measurements across the team via a multi- user database to ensure consistent information and easier interactions.
State Manager: Store and recall laser data (Laser Models, Laser
Images and views) to focus on areas or interest and more quickly resume work.
By using QuantaCAD to put reality in Revit, BIM remodeling time can be reduced while ensuring accuracy, design time can be decreased by accessing complete and clear Laser Models and Laser Images that represent existing conditions, and rework from design clashes can be eliminated by correcting clashes between the Laser Models and the new design.
James McGill VP of Marketing Quantapoint, Inc. Telephone: 412-653-0100, x-200 E-mail: jmcgill@quantapoint.com
https://scanable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/QuantaPoint.jpg58300Travis Reinkehttps://scanable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SCANable_logo_emblemSimple-180x180.pngTravis Reinke2009-10-29 14:54:512009-10-29 14:54:51Quantapoint Announces Integration of 3D Laser Scan Data With Autodesk(R) Revit(R)
Ottawa, Canada, Wednesday, October 28, 2009 – Ambercore is pleased to announce its point cloud technology has been incorporated into the release of AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 and AutoCAD® Map 3D 2010, part of Autodesk’s Subscription Advantage Packs. These releases are the first products from Autodesk that incorporate Ambercore’s technology which provides valuable new functionality for importing and visualizing large point cloud data sets.
Point clouds are extremely large data sets with millions of points, and are typically created through the use of laser scanning, high-definition surveying, or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). They provide accurate representations of existing conditions of terrain surfaces, roadways, bridges, and the interior or exterior of features of buildings.
Some common uses of LiDAR data in AutoCAD® Civil 3D® and AutoCAD® Map 3D include using the point cloud data to create DEMs and contour data, digitizing as-built features for design projects, visualizing power lines and surrounding vegetation for right-of-way management, and developing an understanding of the site context in site surveys.
The Ambercore point cloud technology within the AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 and AutoCAD® Map 3D 2010 products enables customers to read, store, index, and quickly retrieve the extremely large point cloud data sets associated with laser scanning and LiDAR. As a result, customers are able to visualize and analyze data in 3D and better build high-precision 3D models.
“The point cloud technology from Ambercore allows Autodesk AEC customers to easily incorporate extremely large and highly accurate LiDAR data into their infrastructure design and management processes,” said Charlie Crocker, Infrastructure Product Line Manager, Autodesk AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) solutions. “The incorporation of this technology into AutoCAD Civil 3D and AutoCAD Map 3D software means that our customers will be able to better plan, design, and manage infrastructure projects.”
“We are very excited about the first release of our technology within Autodesk’s AutoCAD® Civil 3D® and Map 3D products,” said Ted Reeler, Director, Projects & Technology at Ambercore. “We are confident that this new functionality for point clouds will be a significant asset to their customers, and we look forward to our ongoing collaboration with Autodesk.”
About Ambercore Ambercore is the 4D Company. We make innovative mobile LiDAR technology, we provide LiDAR data collection services, and integrate and extract knowledge from 4D data. Ambercore’s 4D-iQ provides enterprise-scale software and service solutions for Energy, Mining and natural resource sectors. With its powerful spatial modeling and simulation software, 4D-iQ helps clients make important business decisions by collecting, integrating and analyzing spatial information in 2D, 3D and in 4D (over time).
TITAN® is a revolutionary technology that produces high accuracy survey and mapping products for corridor and infrastructure projects across a number of vertical markets. Travelling at highway speeds – or on rail or vessel – the system uses state-of-the-art LiDAR, imaging and positioning technology to provide feature rich 3-dimensional data, from which intelligent information is extracted and delivered to clients. TITAN® has been deployed on projects throughout the world since 2003.
Ambercore’s Terrapoint Division has provided LiDAR and other digital mapping services for a diverse clientele in over forty countries for the past twenty years. Terrapoint’s primary focus is to find solutions that fit client needs, and to continue a reputation for meeting and exceeding client demands in the delivery of digital elevation and image data. Service and product offerings include complete airborne LiDAR, and digital imaging for engineering, survey and mapping applications. Terrapoint is considered a leader in aerial LiDAR services, and owns one of the largest fleets of sensors in the world. Best of breed solutions comprised of software, hardware and services have been deployed internationally with tier-one clients. Ambercore is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada with offices in Houston, Calgary, South Africa and Europe.
https://scanable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SCANable_logo_emblemSimple-180x180.png00Travis Reinkehttps://scanable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SCANable_logo_emblemSimple-180x180.pngTravis Reinke2009-10-29 13:58:222009-10-29 13:58:22Autodesk Releases Subscription Advantage Packs with Ambercore Point Cloud Technology
Presented by: Executives from Spar Point research, Pointools, and Bentley
PITTSBURGH, PA — (Marketwire) — 10/29/09 — Quantapoint (
Direct Integration: Integrate laser data with Revit directly, without sub-sampling or converting to “polygon meshes.”
Ottawa, Canada, Wednesday, October 28, 2009 – Ambercore is pleased to announce its point cloud technology has been incorporated into the release of AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010 and AutoCAD® Map 3D 2010, part of Autodesk’s Subscription Advantage Packs. These releases are the first products from Autodesk that incorporate Ambercore’s technology which provides valuable new functionality for importing and visualizing large point cloud data sets.
