Scan to BIM for industrial plants and factories

Why industrial sites are different

• Density. A plant room or process area can hold more objects per square meter than an entire office floor. Area-based pricing breaks down (see the Scan to BIM cost guide).
• Live operations. Scanning has to fit around production and safety rules.
• Short shutdowns. Tie-ins and installations must fit first time, so the model has to be right.
• Many changes. Lines are reconfigured often; the record falls behind quickly.

Capture

Mobile SLAM scanners cover large factory and warehouse floors fast; a peer-reviewed study found indoor accuracy around 5 mm for leading devices (see choosing a scanner). Use terrestrial scanners where tie-ins need tight tolerances, and plan extra positions around dense pipe racks. Coordinate with site safety for access, permits and moving equipment.

What to model

What the model is used for

• Line changes and new equipment layouts.
• Tie-in design and prefabrication of spools.
• Clash checks for new services (see Scan to BIM for MEP).
• Safety and egress studies.
• Robot and automation deployment, where a physics-ready copy of the site is used to plan and test robots (see from Scan to BIM to SimReady).

Data security

Factory scans can be commercially sensitive. Ask where data is processed and stored. Moving Atoms offers on-site processing so scans do not leave your network.

See an example

Our public LiDAR samples include a factory floor and a process plant: you can compare scan and model from the same viewpoint, select individual objects and watch a humanoid robot work in the scanned factory. When you are ready, upload a scan and get every machine, pipe and rack separated in Revit, IFC and USD within 48 hours.

Frequently asked questions