A Survey of Scan-to-BIM Practices in the AEC Industry—A Quantitative Analysis

Abstract

Architectural survey methods using terrestrial 3D laser scanning and digital photogrammetry prove capable of registering a building with a level of accuracy far superior to traditional methods, minimizing errors, and reducing fieldwork. Current developments in the construction industry, and new requirements emerging worldwide, have increased the demand for building information modeling (BIM) models as the end product of these surveys. Still, because BIM is a new paradigm, many professionals find the transition challenging, especially when dealing with old and heritage buildings. The new ways of the market demand solutions to optimize processes and make architectural reconstruction from point clouds even more efficient. An online questionnaire survey was carried out with 208 industry professionals working in 78 countries to assess the scope of these demands. As a result, the article presents an overview of current scan-to-BIM practices worldwide with data regarding the architectural survey and BIM modeling derived from point clouds. The implemented survey also identifies in which countries BIM adherence is most accelerated for conventional buildings and for listed buildings and non-listed old buildings, the main benefits and difficulties encountered by professionals, tools and workflows used, and the role of different professionals in collaborative work.

Research hotspots and trends in heritage building information modeling: A review based on CiteSpace analysis

“…Jelena Žurić et al ( 2022) in 2022 presented a pilot study of HBIM-based certification of GBC historic buildings using the Open Data Interchange standard (IFC), which focuses on data interoperability and preservation. Gustavo Rocha et al (Rocha and Mateus, 2021) in 2021 conducted a questionnaire survey of 208 industry professionals working in 78 countries that focused on the speed and effectiveness of surveying methods for modeling historic buildings using terrestrial 3D laser scanning and digital photogrammetry. Arnadi et al (Murtiyoso and Grussenmeyer, 2020) in 2020 proposed an approach to the semantic annotation of point clouds, i.e., an algorithmic approach in the form of a toolbox to semantically segment large point clouds into smaller, more manageable and semantically labeled clusters.…”

Static Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) for Heritage Building Information Modeling (HBIM): A Systematic Review

“…The literature points out that TLS is one of the most important techniques for the research of heritage assets and has become the mandatory technique for HBIM development [40]. The biggest advantages of TLS for HBIM over other techniques include its high accuracy [41,42], fast speed for the amount of data captured over the time spent [43], and thoroughness of non-invasive object capture [44,45] that does not require a returned field survey [46]. As mentioned in Al-Bayari and Shatnawi's study [47], 25-30% of the time for field surveys could be reduced using TLS to capture and document heritage.…”

A Perspective on AI-Based Image Analysis and Utilization Technologies in Building Engineering: Recent Developments and New Directions

“…Similarly, in the integration process of the photography with laser scanning, a merging procedure is being carried out for the integration of thermal camera surveys [16]. This equipment, compared to the others, is decidedly more delicate and more influenced by environmental conditions [17], and more experiments are needed in the field of temperature corrections.…”