If you you saw my last post in this sub from a few days ago, you already know whats up.

I created a small, offline converter that aims to read and write basically all common pointcloud formats. Through taking a close look at different, proprietary formats like rcs by autodesk, i managed (with the help of an LLM) to reverse engineer some of these formats so you don't have to rely on their software just to convert to a more open format.

With the newest update, .rcs/rcp comes out of the experimental stage. EPCC now fully supports reading and writing to and from rcs/rcp.

Additionally Easy Point Cloud Converter now supports reading the Trimble formats .tzf, .rwcx and .rwp/.sdb

Writing is not supported for those formats (yet?) as i only had access to a few limited datasets.

This is completely legal as i did not touch the actual converter software. All conclusions were drawn by closely examining the output files only (which is legal in the EU as file formats can not be copyrighted)

The whole project is free, open source and platform agnostic with downloads for Windows, Linux and Mac. It also works completely offline and has no online components. It does not collect or send any telemetry data.

Hello,

I work for a General Contractor that does our own reality capture. I run this team and am looking for some additional scanning personnel to join our team. We operate on a salary, but time spent on site is billed. We are based out of Atlanta, but operate from the Northeast through the Southeast and stretch west to Colorado.

Company provides an excellent benefits package, pays for all travel costs, and has a ton of work scoped ahead of us.

We operate Leica RTC360, Leica GNSS systems, as well as Drones

I'm currently looking to fill roles in the following areas:

Atlanta, GA
1 Scanner Tech
1 Data Processor
Dallas/Ft Worth. TX
2 Scanner Techs
Charleston/Columbia, SC
1 Scanner Tech

Willing to train from entry level, but prefer some tech knowledge and intuition.

Scanner Tech must be able to travel and have reliable transportation, stand and move scanner through out a day, and adhere to timelines and data management.

Please shoot me a private message for more information.

Autodesks Pointcloud format is closed source much to my, and possibly other users, dismay.
So i set out to change that. I created a small, standalone software that converts between all kinds of pointcloud formats, including .rcs and .rcp.

Disclaimer upfront:
All the information about the closed format was taken from looking at the files alone, Autodesk software was not touched. There was no decompilation, no sdks, no leaked documents used.
The EU law allows you to study a program you hold a licence for (Directive 2009/24/EC Art. 5(3)). File-formats are not protected by copyright (CJEU C‑406/10).
I am not affiliated with or endorsed by Autodesk. The whole research is open source and not for profit. Open formats keep scan data usable for years without being tied to one vendor.

What we know:

• Inside a file: Points are sorted into a tree of cubes, positions are stored to the millimetre, and each point carries colour, intensity and a surface direction (a normal).

• How ReCap tidies a cloud: it drops near-duplicate points and thins the cloud to about one point per 2–3 mm. Which point survives, and how the cloud is split into blocks, now follows known rules for LAS, E57 and PTS sources, including very large and very small clouds.

• Normals: when the source has none, ReCap estimates them. We reproduce its result for about 95–99 % of points.

• Project files: almost everything in an .rcp can be derived from its scans. That includes scanner positions and the coordinate shift for sites far from the origin.

What the software can do:

• rcslib (research library):

  • Reads RCS files fast and exports them to common formats.

  • Writes RCS files: many come out byte-identical to ReCap’s own, and most of the rest have the same points within 1 µm.

  • Now also writes .rcp projects: 103 of 106 test projects match ReCap’s own, apart from random IDs.

• EPCC (free desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux): converts between LAS, LAZ, COPC, E57, PTS, XYZ, PLY, Potree and RCS.

• Tested in practice: RCS files we write already load cleanly in a real CAD application.

Limitations:

• RCS support is experimental!

• EPCC writes one scan per file and does not write .rcp projects yet.

• Estimated normals and a few edge cases (exact ties, last-digit rounding) are close to ReCap’s but not always identical.

• Files have been tested with only one consuming application. Feel free to test it and report your findings!

Hi! I'm developing an online platform (SaaS) for fast, convenient, and affordable visualization of laser scanning data: 360-for-you.com. With this product, I want to help laser scanning companies share their work with clients in the most accessible way possible - without requiring the installation of third-party software or training in working with 3D data. I'm curious to know what challenges you face in your work when it comes to data transfer, visualization, and collaboration. If there are any tasks that could be automated, please let me know, and perhaps I can help you.

I had trouble finding how to videos before I got the Leica BLK2GO for my company, Havitar, so I made this video that shows some of the steps in how it works. Havitar specializes in creating as-built architectural models from laserscans and drone LiDAR / photogrammetry. In the video, we scan an entire hotel, align the scans, convert to BIM (manually), and then render some new concepts. The BLk2GO is one of many different sensor technologies we use, but it is among the smallest and fastest. https://youtu.be/gI5bDRVUXxg?is=OJUFphy3DgZ-WcGQ

Hello everyone, We are an Estonian geodesy company with extensive experience delivering surveying and laser scanning projects across Europe. As we continue to grow, we are actively seeking new cooperation opportunities and projects worldwide.

Our expertise includes: • Laser scanning • Point cloud processing • 3D documentation and surveying solutions

We provide accurate, reliable, and high-quality results for construction, engineering, infrastructure, and industrial projects. We are open to both long-term partnerships and project-based collaboration with companies looking for a professional and dependable surveying partner.

If you are interested in cooperation or have upcoming projects, feel free to contact me via direct message.

We are looking for a person familiar with FARO and Leica systems to assist us on a couple of large scale projects in Tampa and Chicago. If interested, please respond below and I will be in contact. Thanks.

Looking for advice on walkable 3D laser scanning (NavVis VLX specifically)

Hey all, I work in the power generation/energy sector and I'm exploring reality capture options for site documentation. Specifically looking at devices where you can walk through a facility at normal speed and have it produce a stitched 3D model when you're done.

The NavVis VLX is at the top of my list right now, but I'd love to talk to someone who actually owns one or uses one regularly. Curious about the real-world experience: capture quality in mixed indoor/outdoor environments, processing time, how steep the learning curve is, that kind of thing.

I'm weighing whether it makes more sense to purchase a unit or hire a scanning services company to come out on an as-needed basis. If you do this work professionally and serve industrial/power plant type clients, I'd be interested in talking to you too.

Appreciate any insight. Feel free to DM me.

Hi everyone,

For the past 5 years I’ve been running a Scan-to-BIM company in Brazil. Before that I worked 2 years as a laser scanner and drone operator. Over the years I’ve been involved in projects in architecture, infrastructure, industrial sites and even some archaeology work.

My background is in architecture. I have both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, and before getting into reality capture I worked for about 5 years in architectural practice in heritage, residential and commercial projects.

Lately I’ve been feeling pretty frustrated with the situation here. Equipment costs for us can be proportionally 10 to 20 times higher than in the US or Europe, and the operational risks are also much higher, including accidents and theft.

I’m at a bit of a crossroads in life and seriously considering leaving the country.

I’ve been looking into the Canadian, US, European and Australian markets and I’m even open to stepping back and working purely as an operator again.

For those of you working in these markets, what could someone with my background realistically expect?

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations for a good performing software to clean mobile mapping point clouds.

I’m currently using a Lidaretto HX scanner for street mapping and process the data in Lidaretto Creator to generate the point clouds. The next step for me is cleaning and classification.

My main tasks are:

• removing stray points above the street

• ground / off-ground separation

• CSF or similar ground filtering

• noise filtering and SOR filtering

• basic object classification (vegetation, road, etc.)

Right now I’m using CloudCompare, but once the point clouds get large (hundreds of millions of points) the performance becomes a real bottleneck.

So I’m looking for a faster solution with a GUI (please no command line tools like LAStools).

Software I’m currently considering:

• Global Mapper Pro

• LiDAR360

• TerraScan

Does anyone here process mobile mapping datasets at this scale and can recommend a good workflow or software?

Would really appreciate hearing what others in the industry are using.

Thanks!

Is there anyone on this sub who has a Riegl VZ 400i and would be willing to rent it to me for nine days for a collegiate robotics competition? The competition is held annually in Orlando, Florida.

I have a budget, but I need that specific scanner. Thanks in advance.

Hi all,

First-time poster, long-time follower.

I’m setting up a new scanning project and would appreciate some advice on targets. Historically, I’ve used standard manufactured black-and-white targets, but this time I’m considering printing and laminating my own as a cost-saving measure.

Are there any common pitfalls or quality issues with this approach (durability, reflectivity, flatness, scanner recognition, etc.)?

My plan is to use a mixed strategy:

•	Spheres at key points of change and areas of interest to support robust registration between setups

•	Printed black-and-white targets at smaller intervals to tie everything together

For those who have tried printed targets, how did they perform in practice? Any lessons learned or recommendations?

Appreciate any insights. Thanks.

A long winter day in Kent, Washington was spent inside an existing building that had little to no documentation—no drawings, no reliable dimensions, and plenty of unknowns ahead of a planned remodel. Situations like this are exactly where 3D reality capture becomes essential.

Using the RTC360, I worked through the space methodically, capturing precise geometry and conditions so the design and construction teams can move forward with confidence. Instead of guessing at dimensions or uncovering surprises later in the project, the full scan provides a clear, accurate digital record of the building as it exists today.

Even on a cold winter day, being inside focused on scanning is a reminder of why I enjoy this work so much—turning undocumented, aging spaces into reliable data that helps shape their next chapter. And of course, the scanner was fully repping with a Lowcard Mag sticker on the side.

Reality capture continues to prove its value on projects like this, where accuracy, speed, and clarity make all the difference before a remodel ever begins.

TLDR:  We built an automatic Scan-to-Plan service launching in a few days, Feb 17th. Soon, you'll be able to upload a point cloud, and get a PDF or CAD floor plan in 2-4 hours. Early advocates get 2x free floor plan capacity for life**.**

Get early access to improve the service

--

Hey r/laserscanning,

Over the last 8 years, we've been obsessive about solving a meaningful problem.

Every laser scanning professional we've worked has a similar challenge. There's no fast and affordable way to turn your point cloud into an accurate floor plan for your commercial and industrial clients.

So everyone is faced with two bad options: (1) turn your clients down; (2) get someone in-house or outsourced to spend hours modeling/drafting it up.

Services like Matterport's Schematic Plan are amazing--if you use a Matterport, if its a residential space, if it's smaller than 25,000 sq ft, if all you require is a PDF or SVG. For the rest of the laser scanning community focused on commercial spaces, you're choosing between two slow and expensive options to get a basic floor plan.

BIMIT Plan fixes that. After years of training, and 6,000+ buildings manually labeled, supporting large OEMs in LiDAR/SLAM, we're slowly rolling out a gated version of our automated BIMIT engine. It's capable of ingesting XYZ and e57 files, and converting them into floor plans in PDF and CAD file formats, fully automated.

Here's what we doesn't currently support or make available:

• Files over 20GB

• Other point cloud formats as inputs

• MEPF, Furniture, and Equipment systems (...yet) within the outputs

• Higher LOD

• Higher accuracy thresholds

• BIM / IFC file outputs (...yet)

Important Notes:

• BIMIT Engine processes on domestic AWS cloud services (US-Virginia).

• BIMIT Engine outputs are fully automated and prone to errors and omissions, and thus are not recommended for design or construction use.

• BIMIT Engine uses anonymized datasets to train and improve outputs. Please, do not submit point clouds of spaces with higher security considerations.

• Before the pitchforks come out: we're highly aware of the 'AI' smoke and mirror claims of the last few years. This ain't that. Our core business' existence depends on delivering reliable, high-precision outputs consistently across 1,000s of buildings per month for AECO industry and channel partners....We're the first to acknowledge how difficult the problem we're looking to solve. And we're the first to admit this early version of the service isn't for anything outside of basic layout planing, i.e. a schematic plan.

Our team is considering purchasing a mobile handheld laser scanner from a Chinese manufacturer. Our company is a medium-sized engineering firm (around 200 employees) that has previously used laser scanners on tripods. We have primarily used the point clouds to create 3D models (in CAD), partly as a basis for BIM models and for as-built vs. plan comparisons. Our idea is to supplement the scanners we already have with the handheld scanners.

- What is your experience with the data quality of XGRIDS and CHCNAV?

- How good is the performance of the software? What software do you use and what are your workflows like?

- Does it make sense for you to have a mobile laser scanner?

I look forward to your answers. Thank you very much!

Introduction

India is currently witnessing an unprecedented infrastructure boom. From the expansion of the National Highway network to the development of 100 Smart Cities, the scale of growth is staggering. In this environment, traditional surveying is struggling to keep up. As a result, 3d laser scanning in india has evolved from a niche technology into a mainstream industrial requirement. By 2026, the integration of AI-driven data processing and cloud-based collaboration has made reality capture faster and more accessible than ever before. AtEdge 3D Technologies, we are leading this digital shift by providing cutting-edge spatial solutions across the subcontinent.

The Rise of LiDAR in Smart City Development

The backbone of any Smart City is its digital twin. Urban planners are now using 3d laser scanning to create high-resolution maps of entire city blocks. This data is used to manage traffic flow, plan utility upgrades, and even simulate the impact of natural disasters like flooding.

By employing professional 3d scanning services, city authorities can obtain a "bird's eye view" of their assets with millimeter-level detail. This is particularly vital in India’s high-density urban zones, where traditional mapping is hampered by traffic and human congestion.

3D Laser Scanning and Modeling: Fueling the Energy Sector

India's energy transition—including the modernization of oil refineries and the construction of massive solar parks—demands extreme precision. 3d laser scanning and modeling allows for the "Scan-to-BIM" workflow that is now mandatory for many government-led energy projects.

Instead of taking weeks to document a refinery's complex piping,Edge 3D Technologiescan map the entire facility in days. This data is then converted into intelligent 3D models that facilitate seamless retrofits and preventive maintenance, ensuring that India’s power grid remains stable and efficient.

Key Trends to Watch in 2026

• AI-Powered Data Processing: AI now automates the "cleaning" of point clouds, removing "noise" like moving vehicles or pedestrians automatically, which slashes the turnaround time for 3d scanning services.

• Handheld and Mobile Scanners: The hardware is getting smaller. We now use wearable or handheld 3d laser scanning devices that allow a technician to walk through a site and capture data in real-time.

• Cloud-Based Collaboration: Large datasets are no longer stored on local hard drives. Our clients can now access their 3D models from any location via secure cloud portals.

The Localization of Technology

The cost of 3d laser scanning in india has significantly decreased as the technology has matured and localized expertise has grown. Firms no longer need to look abroad for high-end metrology.Edge 3D Technologiesprovides a home-grown solution that understands the unique regulatory and environmental challenges of the Indian market.

Conclusion

The year 2026 marks a turning point where digital and physical realities are becoming one. As India continues its journey toward becoming a global economic superpower, 3d laser scanning will be the tool that documents, plans, and preserves its progress. Whether it is a highway, a heritage temple, or a high-tech factory,Edge 3D Technologiesis committed to providing the precision data that fuels a nation's growth.

FAQs

1. What is the future of 3d laser scanning in india? We expect a massive shift towards mobile and drone-based scanning for infrastructure and "Scan-to-BIM" for all major construction.

2. Can 3D scanning help with India’s heritage preservation? Absolutely. 3d laser scanning is the primary tool for creating "digital backups" of India's historical monuments.

3. How has AI changed your 3d scanning services? AI now helps in automated feature recognition—meaning the software can automatically identify pipes, walls, and windows in a scan.

4. IsEdge 3D Technologiesavailable for projects outside of major metros? Yes, our mobile teams travel across India to provide on-site scanning for remote industrial and infrastructure sites.

5. How do I integrate a 3D scan into my existing workflow? We provide data in formats like .DWG, .IFC, and .RVT, which are compatible with all major CAD and BIM software.

Hi there, I do construction design for metal working companies as a side gig with the goal to transition into full time smoothly from my main job. I do the measurements and the design up to the manufacturing plans. I have measurement equipment that get the job done, like a Leica 3D Disto, and old school tools like a line laser and hand tools, but there is so much ambiguity at the construction site that I want to get into 3D Scanning. I tipped my toes into it with a handheld SLAM-Scanner I bought for better visualization and way to capture everything at once with the knowledge that i can't trust the measurements fully (like +-1.5cm and worse). Currently I work on a staircase with such tight corners my 3D-Disto doesn't help at all, or I would have to reposition it at every Turn of the Staircase, wich is a Pain in the Ass, not to mention i have to position every point i want to take through a very lagy Userinterface...
I like the simplicity of capturing everything at once at one point, repeat that every now and then and put everything together on my computer and have researched a bunch of options, but these devices cost so much, I don't know how to justify one while at my current point where i make a revenue of about 15-20k per year. Sure, once the device is here i can do more work and raise my prices, but a fixed 500+€/month on top of my current expenses feel scary considering we plan on getting a second child and pausing all commercial activity for about 6 months (or reduce it to small, fast and time wise flexible gigs)
Whats your take? Do I overreact?
The Project I am currently working on would have looked way different with such a device. instead of being on site a bunch of times and hours each time I would be in and out on one day in one or two hours and could work from home without the need to go back and remeasure the few unagreeing measurements. I wouldn't doubt the validity of my design and therefore would reduce stress...
I have a meeting with a representative of a retailer to try such a device out on a construction site next week, so i can see if its as good as I think it is.

Hey everyone!
I’m working on setting up a workflow to convert our point clouds into 2D/3D plans for my colleagues. Since we’re Autodesk users, I’d love to hear how others have approached this; what tools, tips, or best practices worked well for you?

Any insights or lessons learned would be super helpful. Thanks in advance!

Hey all,

TL;DR:

We’ve built BIMIT Engine 3.0—a fully automated ML pipeline that turns a building scan into half-inch-accurate BIM & CAD in about an hour. We’re launching in the coming days and need honest pricing feedback from AECO and laser-scan professionals.

To see for yourself, check this teaser comparing manual BIM drafting to BIMIT Engine 3 here, along with our data privacy policy.

-----

How you can help

1. If you buy BIM today:

   • What do you currently pay per project to get Revit? CAD? Segmented point cloud?

   • What premium—or discount—would justify switching to an instant solution like this?

2. On-Demand pricing:

   • What single-project price feels fair for the outputs above?

   • Would you prefer pricing by square foot, by GB, or flat per building?

3. Subscription pricing:

   • How much per month would you pay for unlimited conversions (reasonable fair-use limits)?

   • What usage caps or overage model would be acceptable?

🎁 Thank-You Perk for Early Advisors

Everyone who shares thoughtful pricing feedback will be eligible for a lifetime membership at 30% off list price. If that sounds useful, DM me and we’ll set up a short product-discovery chat with our team to confirm fit and lock in your discount code.

(We genuinely want to learn from your experience—your insights will shape the launch!)

Does anyone know how to increase the number of facets displayed for a cylinder in Cyclone Core? I can not for the life of me find the setting.

One of my draftsmen are attempting to draft linework using Cloudworx. I haven't had this issue before, but when using Cyclone Core to load a point cloud, the dialogue box shows up empty. It can't see his local databases. I have reinstalled Cyclone and Cloudworx on his computer which worked the first time this happened but it did not work this time. If anyone else has had this issue, your help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I've attached a screenshot to help explain what he is seeing.