3D Laser Scanning

Overview

Astrolabe Engineering has been intensively engaged in activities related to 3D Laser Scanning and LiDAR technology since 2005. Over the years, our know-how and expertise has grown to cover different aspects of the technology in every possible field of application. 3D Laser Scanning – and the wider range of 3D Reality Capture services are now considered to be the core competence of our company.

We currently use a wide range of terrestrial laser scanning systems, covering all kinds of applications. Starting from very short to very long-range, at accuracy from a few microns, we use static or mobile workflows. Thus, we can provide the best possible data capture solutions and post-processing scenarios for any 3D survey and modeling requirement.

What is 3D Laser Scanning?

• It is a method of spatial data collection from a distance (non-contact / non-destructive).
• It is based on LiDAR technology (Light Detection And Ranging): detection and positioning of objects by sending and receiving a laser beam.
• A Laser Scanner is similar to a highly automated topographic Total Station, but is able to measure up to millions points per second.
• Instruments can be static (tripod-mounted), portable / hand-held (SLAM-based), mobile (vehicle-, vessel- or backpack-mounted), or airborne (UAV / drone, helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft) — enabling 3D data capture at any scale, across virtually any terrain or operational context.
• Beam is deflected by mirrors to scan the whole object with the required density / resolution.
• Immediate product: a cloud of measured points (pointcloud) with additional grey-scaled intensity or RGB color information for each point (x,y,z,i) or (x,y,z,r,g,b).
• It digitally captures reality and brings it to our desktop.

Benefits of 3D Laser Scanning

• Extremely fast 3D geometry capture in the field, with simultaneous collection of color information (RGB pointclouds and panoramic images).
• Transfer of the total object or scene to the computer minimizing the need for further checks and visits.
• Incomparable density and detail, especially suitable for complex and irregular objects.
• Highly accurate and reliable. Accuracy enhanced by oversampling and total geometry capture.
• Suitable for objects of any size, morphology and complexity.
• Can be applied for inaccessible / sensitive objects (non-contact, non-destructive method).
• Available across multiple deployment platforms: static / tripod-mounted, hand-held, mobile (vehicle, vessel, backpack) and airborne (UAV / drone, helicopter) — adapted to any site conditions, scale or access constraint.
• Can be applied during day or night, even at zero lighting conditions (intensity color only).
• Produces a wide range of highly reliable products at low cost, increasing productivity.

Combining Technologies for 3D Reality Capture

Depending on the nature and purpose of a 3D survey project and its accuracy requirements, 3D laser scanning may be replaced or supplemented by other 3D Reality Capture technologies. We routinely combine different scanning modalities — static terrestrial scanners, hand-held SLAM devices, mobile mapping systems and airborne LiDAR — with photogrammetric approaches based on terrestrial or aerial (UAV / drone) imagery and processing via Image Based Processing software. Each technology type offers a different range, speed and accuracy profile; selecting and mixing the right instruments ensures the most efficient and precise data capture strategy for any project scale, site environment or access constraint.

Therefore, our goal is not to adapt the project’s needs to our technologies. Instead, we apply the best possible combination of all available 3D Reality Capture technologies to ultimately create a solution fitting the client’s actual requirements. Following the data capture field work and depending on the combination of methods, we perform several pre-processing tasks to import, filter, clean, align, georefence and colorize the 3D field data. Finally, in all scenarios, even from different sources, with different accuracies and resolutions, we end up generating a unified colored georeferenced pointcloud. From this point on, we deploy different post-processing workflows based on the project’s requirements, for the production of ready-to-use high-quality deliverables.

Our 3D scanning Equipment

The continuous investment in the use of cutting-edge technologies and the acquisition of high-level know-how has been a key priority of our company since its establishment. In this context, we use various scanning systems or combinations thereof with topographic or photogrammetric methods, drones / UAVs, etc., depending on the application, size and shape of the object, the desired accuracy, the required range, etc.

The main 3D scanning systems currently used by the company’s field crews are:

• ARTEC EVA 3D handheld optical (structured light) scanner for small objects, architectural or archaeological elements, statues, mechanical parts, vehicles, details, etc., with accuracy up to 0.1 mm, range from 40 cm to 1 m, data recording speed up to 288,000 points / sec and simultaneous texture / color recording 24bpp.

• FARO Focus laser scanners (x3) – X130 and M70 models – for infrastructure, architectural, archaeological, short range mining, industrial, marine, forensic, and other short to medium range 3D scanning applications, with an accuracy of 2-3 mm, range up to 130 m, speed up to 976,000 points / sec and built-in color panoramic camera with total resolution up to 70 Mpixels.

• Matterport Pro3 LiDAR camera for rapid indoor 3D documentation, building surveys, and BIM capture. It combines a LiDAR sensor with a 20 MP 360° camera to produce a full spherical scan in under 20 seconds. Point cloud range up to 100 m in e57 output, with an accuracy of ±20 mm per 10 m and 100,000 points / sec. Also used extensively for our True 3D Virtual Tours.

• OPTECH ILRIS 36D long-range terrestrial laser scanner for large structures, archaeological sites, historic facades, geology, open-pit mining, and other medium to long range 3D documentation applications. Its scanning range reaches up to 1500 m with an accuracy of 7 mm at 100 m and a data acquisition speed of 10,000 points / sec.

• FJD Trion P1 handheld SLAM LiDAR scanner for rapid 3D capture in complex, confined or GPS-denied environments — building interiors, tunnels, dense vegetation and irregular terrain. Weighing just 1.15 kg, it captures at 200,000 points / sec with a relative accuracy of up to 2 cm, a scanning range of 40–70 m depending on surface reflectivity, and supports real-time point cloud preview via a paired mobile device.

• TELEDYNE OPTECH Maverick Mobile Mapping System for zone and corridor mapping (highway and railway corridors, airports, pipeline right-of-way, city modeling, etc). It is mounted on a backpack or moving vehicle and combines a 100 m range laser scanner of 2 cm accuracy / 700,000 points / sec speed with a 30 MPixels panoramic digital camera and a GNSS / IMU system for positioning and orientation.

• Trimble MX60 vehicle-mounted mobile mapping system for high-speed corridor and urban surveys — roads, highways, railways, pipelines and city modelling. It integrates a high-density LiDAR sensor (up to 2,000 kHz effective measurement rate, 400 scans / sec) with a 72 MP spherical camera and a precision GNSS / IMU unit, achieving absolute positioning accuracy better than 0.01 m X/Y under open-sky conditions at collection speeds up to 110 km/h.

Processing software

• Autodesk ReCap — point cloud import, visualization, and project management hub for the Autodesk ecosystem. Used to register, clean, and publish laser scan data as .rcp/.rcs projects for direct use in Revit, Civil 3D, and AutoCAD. Accepts data from virtually any scanner brand.
• Gexcel 3D Reconstructor — complete LiDAR data processing suite for multi-scan projects. Handles point cloud import (compatible with FARO, Teledyne Optech, Riegl, Z+F, and others), automatic target-free scan registration, meshing, orthophoto generation, section extraction, DTM/DSM production, change detection, and CAD/GIS export.
• FARO SCENE — native processing and registration environment for FARO Focus laser scanners. Automates target detection, scan registration, colorization, and export; includes cloud-based project collaboration via FARO Sphere and immersive VR visualization of captured data.
• Artec Studio — dedicated processing software for Artec handheld structured-light scanners (EVA, Spider, Leo). Manages real-time scan preview, multi-scan fusion, texture mapping, 3D mesh generation, and export for reverse engineering, quality inspection, and cultural heritage documentation.
• FJD Trion Model — native post-processing companion to the FJD Trion P1 SLAM scanner. Processes raw LiDAR trajectories into clean georeferenced point clouds; supports point cloud classification, cross-section extraction, stockpile volume calculation, and Scan2CAD / Scan2BIM output in LAS, LAZ, and DXF formats.
• Teledyne Optech Distillery — Teledyne Optech’s post-processing software for imaging, LiDAR, and GPS data from Optech sensors, including the ILRIS series and mobile mapping systems. Handles trajectory computation, point cloud generation, sensor colorization, and accuracy verification workflows.
• Teledyne Optech LMS Pro — LiDAR Mapping Suite Professional, the high-volume post-processing platform for airborne and mobile LiDAR datasets from Teledyne Optech sensors. Performs sensor calibration, boresight adjustment, accuracy quantification, and full coordinate transformation for direct delivery in local reference frames; uses distributed processing for fast throughput on large projects.
• TBC Mobile Mapping – Trimble MX — the Trimble Business Center mobile mapping module: office post-processing software for Trimble MX series data. Combines raw GNSS/IMU trajectory (with integrated Applanix POSPac adjustment), point cloud registration, and 360° spherical imagery into georeferenced deliverables, with tools for classification, feature extraction, and export to GIS and CAD environments.
• Edgewise Plant — automated Scan-to-BIM tool by ClearEdge3D for industrial plant and piping environments. Uses computer vision to extract pipes, structural steel, ducts, cable trays, and conduit directly from point clouds, then outputs to Autodesk Plant 3D, Revit, and AVEVA E3D Design — dramatically reducing manual modeling time on industrial and refinery projects.

Ready to mobilize worldwide

For the field works, together with the use of our high-end equipment, we deploy worldwide multiple field crews of surveying engineers and operators. Our crews are specialized in 3D laser scanning and well trained and experienced in the most demanding 3D data capture workflows. Thus, we provide immediate availability and mobilization capability around the world to serve your needs.

Fields of application

• Large infrastructure projects (highways and roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, etc)
• Mines, Quarries, Earthworks
• Architecture
• Archaeology and Cultural heritage
• Industrial & Mechanical (plants, refineries, cabling, equipment, vehicles, parts, etc)
• Marine (ships & vessels, engine rooms, pump rooms, decks, hulls, etc)
• Geological & Geotechnical (geological formations, slopes, landslides, glaciers, etc)
• Urban Planning and City Modelling
• Forensic reconstruction and analysis, accident and disaster site documentation
• Cinematic Visual Effects, Virtual Reality, etc
• Forestry
• and more…

3D Laser Scanning products

Depending on project requirements, deliverables include: georeferenced, coloured point clouds for direct browsing and processing; 360° panoramic imagery with built-in measurement capabilities; orthoimages, sections and contour lines at any position and orientation; volume, cut-and-fill and geometric measurements exported to CAD or GIS; Digital Terrain and Surface Models (DTM/DSM) and textured 3D meshes; intelligent 3D models in BIM or PDMS format; and inspection and comparison results — deviation maps, statistics, reports and visualisation videos.

See It in Practice

Almost every project we take on involves 3D laser scanning in some form — whether as the primary survey method or in combination with photogrammetry, mobile mapping, or other techniques. Browse our project case studies to see how we’ve applied these technologies across heritage recording, infrastructure surveys, industrial facilities, and more.

Work With Us

Have a project that needs accurate 3D documentation? Get in touch — from heritage recording and as-built surveys to infrastructure inspection and mobile mapping corridors, we’ll advise on the right platform and deliver the data you need.