3D Building Documentation – Scan to CAD – Scan to BIM

3D Laser Scanning for building data capture and extraction of architectural & structural BIM and CAD drawings

The challenge

Scan to BIM converts as-built 3D laser scans into accurate CAD drawings and intelligent BIM models. The fast and complete as-built documentation of all kinds of buildings and facilities poses a big challenge for architects, engineers, AEC and facility management professionals, etc. The need for up-to-date and accurate 2D drawings and intelligent 3D models is constantly growing. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a growing market trend – soon to become a global standard. BIM provides architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals the insight and tools to more efficiently plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure.

The solution

To address this, Astrolabe Engineering combines 3D Reality Capture tools and techniques, such as terrestrial 3D Laser Scanning, True 3D Virtual Tours by-products and Photogrammetry for 3D Building data capture, as well as Scan to CAD – Scan to BIM workflows for the generation of reliable deliverables for multiple uses and applications:

• Building Information Modeling (BIM) — creation of intelligent, data-rich 3D models for use across the full AEC lifecycle: design, coordination, construction management, and facilities management.
• Digital Building Identity & Building Registry — comprehensive as-built documentation for official property records, cadastral submissions, and digital twin initiatives.
• Maintenance and restoration of historic and protected buildings — precise geometry capture of monuments, temples, and heritage-listed structures to support conservation, restoration planning, and technical studies.
• Maintenance and renovation of hotels, hospitals, and industrial facilities — complete interior and exterior surveys for refurbishment planning, spatial coordination, and MEP integration.
• Redesign and completion of unfinished buildings — accurate existing-conditions models to provide a reliable basis for resumed or revised design work.
• Structural integrity assessment — deviation analysis and comparison against design specifications to identify deformations, settlement, or structural defects.
• Verticality and levelness inspection of structural elements — quantitative checks on columns, walls, slabs, and beams, delivered as colour-coded deviation maps and inspection reports.
• Building permits and legalization of unauthorized constructions — survey drawings and documentation meeting the requirements for permit applications and regularization.
• Construction monitoring and progress tracking — repeated surveys over time to compare as-built versus design and support informed decisions at each project stage.

Projects

Astrolabe Engineering has performed 3D architectural and structural documentation surveys in more than 100 buildings and building complexes in Greece and worldwide. These include hospitals, hotel facilities, factories, multi-storey buildings, and traditional and historically protected buildings. Each project typically delivers complete internal and external 3D surveys and the generation of architectural and structural drawings (floor plans, elevations, sections), BIM models, and inspection reports.

For detailed project writeups and outcomes, browse our case studies.

Methods and tools

3D laser scanning is the primary technique for the complete geometric and photographic documentation of buildings and built environments — capturing interior spaces, exterior facades, surrounding areas, and complex structural details in a single field workflow. The result is a three-dimensional coloured pointcloud that represents the building or facility as it exists at the time of survey, ready for archiving and downstream processing.

Depending on accuracy requirements and site conditions, we apply either static 3D laser scanning or portable SLAM scanning. Static scanning, carried out with a tripod-mounted scanner, delivers the highest positional accuracy and is the preferred approach for heritage documentation, structural inspection, and any application where millimetre-level precision is essential. Portable SLAM scanning trades some accuracy for speed: a handheld or mobile-mounted scanner captures large or complex spaces in a fraction of the field time, making it well suited to projects where rapid data collection and minimal site disruption are priorities. Scanner selection is determined by the specific accuracy requirements of each project.

For difficult site conditions — inaccessible rooftops, high facades, or complex exteriors — the scanning workflow can be supplemented with UAV/drone photogrammetry, processed using Image Based Processing software.

Following the data capture field work and depending on the combination of methods, we perform several pre-processing tasks to import, filter, clean, align, georeference and colorize the 3D field data. Ultimately, we generate a unified coloured georeferenced pointcloud. From this point on, we deploy different post-processing workflows based on the project requirements and the specific needs of the client, for the production of ready-to-use deliverables.

Results – Deliverables

Commonly required digital deliverables include:

• Unified colored 3D pointcloud in combination with documentation through panoramic images and the ability to interactively browse and extract measurements. It is usually delivered in Autodesk ReCap (RCP) format, suitable for importing in all Autodesk applications (AutoCAD, Revit, etc).
• Orthoimages of elevations, floor plans, sections at any position. They are delivered as images embedded in digital DWG files, allowing the direct digitization to generate the respective drawings.
• 2D architectural and structural as-built CAD drawings (elevations, floor plans, sections) in DWG / DXF format.
• Inspection and deviation maps and reports to check for distortions (e.g. deviations from a horizontal of vertical plane, comparison between design and as-built).
• 3D CAD or BIM models in Autodesk Revit format.
• True 3D Virtual Tours.
• and more…

Cooperation flexibility

The range of deliverables supports flexible cooperation models — from rapid data delivery to full Scan2BIM production — tailored to each client’s technical workflow, team capacity, and budget.

One common arrangement is for Astrolabe to carry out the 3D scanning survey and deliver the processed data — georeferenced pointcloud, panoramas, and orthoimages — directly to the client’s team. The client then handles CAD drafting, BIM modelling, or design work in-house using familiar tools and their own professional judgment. This reduces costs and mobilisation time while keeping the project within the client’s control.

Alternatively, we take on the full project from scan to finished deliverable, with our own architects and modellers producing the drawings, BIM models, or inspection reports. We are equally at home with hybrid arrangements — and we will always take the time to understand your project before recommending an approach.

Work With Us

Whether you need a complete Scan2BIM package or just the georeferenced pointcloud and panoramas to take the modelling in-house, we will find the right approach for your project. Tell us about your building — we are ready to discuss scope, deliverables, and timeline.

Related Videos