LiDAR_to_BIM

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  Technology Stack

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  From real-world to BIM

Inspiration

A while ago we discovered the powerful yet handy tool of LiDAR scanning on smartphones. We thought it would be great if these scans could be integrated into BIM workflows. Speckle emerged as a great interoperability tool to get the scan models into Dynamo and Revit.

What it does

You scan any environment with a smartphone that has LiDAR capability. Using our custom Python connector, the geometries and their tags are uploaded to Speckle. Once in Speckle, we use Dynamo to read the tags' information and interpret the geometries to create Revit objects.

How we built it

We started by experimenting with LiDAR scanning on smartphones to capture detailed 3D models. We then developed a custom Python connector that enabled us to upload these models to Speckle. Finally, we created a Dynamo script to convert the Speckle geometries into categorized Revit objects based on their tags.

Challenges we ran into

First, we needed to understand how to push the USDZ geometries to Speckle, which required learning to work with the Speckle API in Python. Another challenge was that if we pushed geometries directly from Speckle to Revit, they were converted to generic models. Since the scan tags elements, we wanted them correctly categorized as Revit objects, therefore needing the implementation of Dynamo.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully filtered different types of elements recognized by the scan in Dynamo, converting them appropriately into Revit objects.

What we learned

We learned how to effectively use the Speckle API with Python, and how to utilize Dynamo to categorize and convert scanned geometries into Revit objects. We also gained insights into the complexities of working with LiDAR data and integrating it into BIM workflows.

What's next for LiDAR to BIM

We created an initial Dynamo script that identifies wall tags and extracts their geometries, allowing the creation of Revit walls according to user-selected Wall Types. Next, we plan to expand this functionality to include other elements like doors, windows, and furniture, further enhancing the integration of LiDAR scans into BIM.

Built With

• dynamo
• python
• speckle