3D laser scanning and digital as-built surveys – Scan-to-BIM
In existing buildings, the design basis is the biggest risk: old drawings are rarely accurate, and every wrong assumption spreads into every trade. PCM-Reichl surveys existing buildings itself with a 3D laser scanner – a millimetre-accurate point cloud, modelled in-house into an as-built BIM model. From Lindau (Lake Constance) and Memmingerberg (Allgäu), throughout the DACH region.
From laser scan to point cloud: a precise building survey in hours instead of weeks
A 3D laser scanner captures rooms without contact and generates a point cloud: millions of measurement points that map geometry, plant and services to the millimetre. What takes weeks with a folding rule and survey sheets – and still leaves gaps – the scan completes on site within a few hours.
Millimetre-accurate
The point cloud documents the building as actually built – including downstand beams, slopes and service runs that appear in no old drawing.
Fast on site
The scanner captures entire rooms per setup position – even large buildings are surveyed quickly.
During ongoing operations
Scanning is contact-free and does not interfere with the use of the building – production, offices and building services keep running throughout.
Scan-to-BIM: the as-built model as your planning basis
The point cloud is the raw material – it only becomes a planning basis as a model. From the scan we create an as-built BIM model: walls, floors, openings and the building services (MEP), at the level of detail your project needs. This lets you design, tender and build reliably – even without usable legacy documents. The model is then yours; on request we continue designing directly in it – as coordinated building services (MEP) planning. You will find all our services at a glance.
What does a 3D building survey by laser scanning cost?
The cost depends on three factors: the floor area and geometry of the building, the required level of detail in the modelling, and the deliverable you need – a pure point cloud, 2D drawings or a complete as-built BIM model. Quoting flat rates without knowing the property would not be credible.
After a brief consultation – documents, photos and, if needed, a site walk-through – you receive a quotation that transparently itemises capture, modelling and delivery formats.
MEP as-built survey: plant, service routes and plant rooms captured digitally
In building services (MEP) projects, more than the building envelope matters: what counts are service routes, shafts, plant and plant rooms – exactly the areas most often missing from old drawings or long since built differently. We scan with the eye of the MEP designer.
This makes the as-built survey directly relevant to planning: as the basis for refurbishing and modernising electrical systems, HVAC & plumbing and building automation (BMS) – on request through to MEP site supervision during construction.
Scan + MEP planning from a single source – the difference from a surveying firm
Hardly any building services engineering firm scans in-house – and hardly any scanning provider understands building services (MEP). PCM-Reichl combines both: capture, modelling and specialist planning stay under one roof. Every piece of information from the scan arrives exactly where it is needed – no handover chain, no losses in interpretation.
No data breaks
Scan, model and design all use the same data set – nothing is translated between offices, nothing is lost at interfaces.
MEP expertise behind the scanner
Engineers who will later design the routes and plant capture the building differently: with targeted precision exactly where it matters for the design.
Also as a standalone service
We also deliver point clouds or as-built models to architects and design offices who take it from there – handed over cleanly in open formats.
Which projects benefit from scan-to-BIM?
Whenever decisions rest on uncertain as-built data: refurbishment and modernisation, change of use and extensions, renewal of building services during ongoing operations – and wherever as-built drawings are missing, outdated or contradictory. The more complex the building technology, the sooner the precise basis pays for itself.
What does a 3D building survey cost?
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That depends on the floor area and geometry of the building, the level of detail in the modelling and the deliverable you need – point cloud, 2D drawings or as-built BIM model. After a brief consultation you receive a transparently itemised quotation.
How long does a laser scan take?
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Depending on the size and accessibility of the building, on-site capture takes a few hours to a few days – without interrupting ongoing operations. The subsequent modelling into the as-built model depends on the agreed level of detail.
What is a point cloud?
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A point cloud is the digital image of a building made up of millions of individual measurement points, each captured by the laser scanner with exact 3D coordinates. It documents geometry, plant and services to the millimetre and is the basis for the as-built model, drawings and design.
In which formats is the as-built model delivered?
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We deliver the point cloud in standard formats such as E57, and the as-built model natively for Revit or as open IFC – plus derived 2D drawings as PDF and DWG. We agree which formats your project needs before the survey.
The process: enquiry, aerial survey/walk-through, point cloud, model, handover
Every as-built survey follows the same five-step process. We carry out the capture from Lindau and Memmingerberg: around Lake Constance, in the Allgäu, around Memmingen and Kempten and, depending on the project, across the entire DACH region. More on the region: Building services planning Allgäu & Lake Constance.
We clarify objective, scope and level of detail in a short, binding exchange – based on existing documents and photos.
On-site scan appointment during ongoing operations – exterior areas and roofs captured additionally by drone, depending on the building.
Registration and clean-up of the scan data into a single, dimensionally accurate point cloud.
In-house modelling into the as-built BIM model at the agreed level of detail.
Point cloud, model and drawings in the agreed formats – or straight on into MEP planning.
Technical standards: from scan to BIM model
For us, as-built capture is not a matter of interpretation but a documented standard. Housing companies, general planners and serial-renovation providers receive reliable, tender-ready data sets – based on a scope of services we commit to contractually.
Survey concept & georeferencing
Georeferenced capture of building and site with a local coordinate system. Permanently mounted control points on each facade side, structural reference levels measured at component openings.
Interior & exterior capture
Laser scanning and photogrammetry from apartment to site boundary – including staircases, basements and attics. Photo documentation with hand-measured control dimensions, repeat visits until capture is complete.
Point cloud
Delivered as RCS and E57, split into structured packages: interior, exterior with surroundings, entire site. A reduced working version for large data sets – linked to the model at true scale, workflow documented.
BIM model (as-built)
Modelled 1:1 from the existing building rather than idealised. Typically LOD 300 interior / LOD 400 envelope, neighbouring buildings LOD 100, tolerance down to 10 mm. Level and phase structure following your project template.
True-to-original details
Wall thicknesses and inclinations as built, roof structure with real cross-sections, windows and doors with installation depth and shutters, balconies as separate elements, building services in correct position.
Site plan, orthophotos & 3D walkthrough
North-oriented, georeferenced site plan in survey quality (PDF + DWG), facade orthophotos and a virtual 3D walkthrough – viewable without special licences.
Let’s talk about your as-built survey.
Tell us about your building – you speak directly with the engineer responsible for both scan and design.
PCM-Reichl GmbH · Building services (MEP) engineering · Lindau (Lake Constance) · Memmingerberg (Allgäu) · +49 173 6959138