Surpassing customer needs with 3D laser scanning

作者：Yoshie Katagiri

U's Factory Co.，Ltd。是一家日本公司，成立于2013年，是一家建筑信息建模（BIM）管理公司，重点关注BIM进行建筑和建设。自成立以来，该公司已使用激光扫描仪捕获的点云数据来生成3D型号。确定激光扫描能够在准备各种图纸所需的总时间中大幅减少，该公司购买了Leica Geosystems 3D激光扫描仪。U的工厂已经建立了专有技术，以最佳的方式将设备结合起来，具体取决于现场情况，以有效地捕获点云数据。

Providing ‘only-one service’ to match customer needs

U工厂只有一项服务

Surveying, 3D CAD modelling, and various design drawings are conventionally prepared and conducted by various separate companies on a process-by-process basis, which is labour intensive. U’s Factory CEO, Mr Yasushi Uejima, saw this as an issue while working as an engineer at a major general construction company. Based on his experience, he founded U’s Factory with the objective ofusing IT to dramatically reduce on-site workand revolutionise the industry.

U’s Factory providesone-stop services, including surveying and modelling for general construction companies and large design offices. The company offers not only3D measuring and 3D modellingbut also consultation services for customers to achieve their goal. This includes the delivery of optimised configuration, structural, construction and facility drawings – that is U’s factory’s ‘only-one service’.

Improving 3D laser scanning services with BLK360 and RTC360

The use of point cloud data is firmly established as part of U's Factory's business model. As part of the company's pursuit to further improve its services, U's Factory purchased in 2018 theLeica BLK360imaging laser scanner,Leica RTC3603D laser scanner andLeica GS18 tGNSS RTK rover.

“The BLK360 is lightweight, compact, and scans fast. You can simply set up the device and just press a button. We’ve even used it in a project to capture as-built data of the piping arrangements in a confined machine room, which we couldn’t enter without crouching,”Uejima解释说。

As for the RTC360, the company purchased the first unit available in Japan, receiving it immediately after its market release in September 2018.“The RTC360 requires even shorter time to scan than the BLK360, and it automatically recognises its horizontal level with the built-in tilt compensator. Another breakthrough is the way that the point cloud data can be transferred to a tablet so you can check the scanned area on the spot in real time. The situation where you go back to the office, upload the data to a PC and realise ‘Oh no, I should have taken more measurements here or there’ is much less likely to happen, so it’s highly efficient,”said Uejima.

These RTC360 features paid off dividends when Uejima surveyed an8,000-square-metre holiday homesite located in a woodland area with many large trees.“There were no other staff or equipment available, so I went by myself and completed the scanning in just two hours,”Uejima解释说。在这样的环境中，在捕获的数据中很难识别扫描位置和布置。但是，由于RTC360通过集成相机跟踪其位置，因此27 scans without targets were efficiently completedandpre-registered on the spot.

Combining several devices to create an optimal survey plan

U’s Factory focuses its efforts on preparing the optimal survey plan to acquire the data that meets the objectives in the shortest possible time frame. The companydelivers accurate measurements even quicker, having acquired several Leica Geosystems solutions, including:

• Leica Nova MS50MultiStation
• Leica ScanStation C10
• BLK360 imaging laser scanner
• GS18 T
• RTC360 3D laser scanner

The shorter surveying time frame on sites pleases U’s Factory’s customers, especially when sites are still being occupied or have ongoing construction work.“通过组合RTC360和BLK360，我们能够大大减少现场调查时间。当然，这并不意味着我们只能使用BLK360来完成所有工作。我们的起点是考虑客户的需求，然后计划使用各种规格的设备组合的最佳调查工作流程，”adds Uejima.

The company has built up knowledge and experience on how to make full use of all their equipment and perform现场调查工作以最有效的方式. U’s Factory experts, for example, survey geographical locations with the GS18 T rover, use the C10 scanner at an interval of300 m with targetsmeasured by the MS50 MultiStation, and use the RTC360 or BLK360 to fill the gaps in between.

The purposes for measurements have changed from acquiring just distances between two points to creating具有适当绘图集的3D型号that can be even applied in augmented reality and simulations. The need foraccurate point cloud data随着商机的扩展和多元化，一定会增加。