Scan-to-BIM-an overview of the current state of the art and a look ahead

Abstract

The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology to support building design and construction practices is becoming the standard in the U.S. and worldwide, and various benefits of implementing BIM, such as reduced RFIs and change orders, have already been proven. However, efficient integration of BIM with facility management (FM) systems, which requires having accurate as-built BIM, has not yet been achieved. Integrated BIM-FM systems offer significant benefits to owners such as better visualization of the spaces to be maintained in a virtual environment. BIMs, specifically MEP BIMs, are reviewed on a regular basis during project coordination meetings between stakeholders, and are updated regularly during the construction phase. However, some coordination issues related to MEP components maybe realized within the BIM, but fixed in the field; and those changes are not typically reflected in the BIM. Three dimensional (3D) point clouds provide accurate and comprehensive as-built information, and are used for creating as-built BIMs. The process of creating as-built BIM from 3D point cloud data is referred to as Scan-to-BIM. Currently available off-the-shelf Scan-to-BIM software packages require significant manual user input making the entire process cumbersome and error prone. Significant amount of research has been done both in academia and in industry to automate Scan-to-BIM process. The goal of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review on current Scan-to-BIM software and their capabilities to retrieve MEP components from 3D point clouds, while identifying challenges and the look ahead for future research.