Reality capture 101 is the technological process of acquiring data intended for use in re-creating a space or construction project in a digital 3D format for the purposes of establishing existing conditions, planning, quality assurance, or concepting changes.
How has reality capture software revolutionized design and documentation?
3D reality capture has roots in the simpler process of surveying, which involves recording a construction site’s measurements and data. As other modern spatial plotting techniques such as LIDAR/point clouds, photogrammetry, and ultrasonic became more widespread, architects and construction firms realized they could contribute to the physical representation of a project in digital form and augment 2D plans and elevations on paper.
Today, any combination of mixed-reality capture technologies can be used to create a faithfully accurate 3D digital model of an aspect of the built world. Combined with real-time inputs from third-party data sources about usage patterns and performance, reality capture software can serve as the linchpin of building information modeling (BIM), which represents a project’s progress in real time.
Reality capture versus traditional site-capture methods
Reality capture doesn’t replace traditional techniques but rather provides for their consolidation and integration as digital data. Techniques that preceded 3D reality capture are suited to specific applications. Traditional surveying usually measures ground area rather than height or shape; LIDAR scanning captures very detailed shape and distance information but without color or material properties; and photogrammetry analyzes surfaces’ response to natural light from photographic data of an object or site, but isn’t as precise.
Reality capture software can combine the strengths of each method to create a digital model with an extremely accurate representation of distance, shape, material finish, and many other metrics. It can be an invaluable cost- and time-saving tool because any changes, ideas, or interrogation of usage can be executed in test runs that don’t affect the physical project.
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