@Anonymous wrote:
Thanks for your responses guys, I appreciate it very much.
I have several follow up questions after online research and contact with Faro. My company is only starting out, so an investment on the order of 40k isn't within my capabilities yet, but I still need to improve my workflow and produce a better product.
Yes Terrestrial scanners are quite expensive and the assocciated software can make Autodesk products look like bargin bin software when comparing price only. so make sure you look into it in great depth. also $40k sounds like the price of the scanner only. you will then also need to get tripods and targets as well as the registration software etc. etc. etc.. most of the time to get into terrestrial scanning you will be looking in the order of around $100k when all things are said and done. this might be in Australian dollars only though, but ask about what else you need to do the job and not just the scanner.
@Anonymous wrote:
What about the capabilities of Recap's photo to 3d service?
Would any of the various data sets created by this process be useable in AutoCAD Architecture to verify my model from an exterior point of view?
That is, to verify all the exterior points, so that I could then trace these in ACA and then rely on the manually gathered interior measurements to fill the resulting void with interior walls and such.
I don't specifcally use these services, but i have been doing a lot of research into it as i think this will be "the next big thing". what i have found is that due to the fact it is so new the software isn't quite there yet for the kind of thing you want to be doing with it. it is still very hit and miss and the accuracy isn't quite there just yet. while great results can be found, i think they are the exception and not the normal just yet. also the work that goees into getting these results and the learning curve to get there would make any gains you would get from it minimal at the start and you may even find not worth it in the long run. that is across the board too, not just autodesk's offerings. but again keep looking into it, i might not have found the right thing yet. also keep a close eye on it as the tech is improving every day and it won't be long before it is "there".
Candarco wrote: I can handle investing 2-3k in a Phantom 4 and it's needed components and software, buy Recap 360 fly, and if the accuracy is good to around an inch over the size of a residence, that would be well worth it now, when I have As builts piling up in front of me.
as above. also there is no "cheap" way to get into this when dimensional accuracy is involved. you have to spend the money to get the results. if you need fast results and you don't have the moeny to invest in the hardware and software, maybe consider spending some money on getting a scan of one of your jobs done by a contractor and see what it is actually like to work with the point cloud data first. there is a chance that it might be over kill for what you are doing. spending a few hundred to a few thousand on one job might be better than spending 100k on scanning equipment and software to find out that it is still to slow for what you are trying to do with it.
@Anonymous wrote:
Also, what is to stop someone from using one of the less expensive tabletop types of laser scanners, setting it in each room, and just merging the outputs later to trace over. All I need is walls, doors, windows, ceilings, and floors. I realize this is a piecemeal fashion, but I need to make progress now, and manual measurement is by it's nature deficient.
the thing stopping this is basically accuracy and time. if something like this worked, everyone would be doing it. as stated above there is no cheap way to get into this. it's all or nothing really.
