Glossary
Reality Capture Glossary
Key terms explained in plain English — for teams evaluating or working with LiDAR, BIM, and spatial documentation.
As-Built
Documentation that reflects the actual constructed conditions of a building or site, as opposed to the original design intent. As-built drawings and models capture what was actually built — including field modifications, undocumented changes, and current conditions — providing a verified spatial baseline for renovation, maintenance, and facility management.
Aerial Thermal Survey
A drone-based inspection that uses thermal imaging cameras to detect temperature differentials across building surfaces, roofs, and infrastructure. Thermal surveys reveal issues invisible to the naked eye — including moisture intrusion, insulation gaps, energy loss, and electrical hot spots — providing objective data for facility assessments and maintenance planning.
Construction Progression
The practice of capturing periodic LiDAR scans or 360° photography at defined milestones during construction to create a time-stamped spatial record of project progress. This data supports scan-vs-BIM deviation analysis, pay application verification, dispute resolution, and creates a permanent archive of conditions behind walls and above ceilings before they are concealed.
Digital Twin
A spatially accurate, navigable digital representation of a physical building or asset that can be accessed remotely and updated over time. Digital twins combine point-cloud data, 360° photography, and operational information to create a living record that supports facility management, capital planning, remote inspection, and stakeholder communication.
Existing Conditions
The current physical state of a building, site, or infrastructure as it exists today — including all modifications, additions, and deterioration that may differ from original design documents. Existing-conditions documentation through reality capture provides a verified spatial baseline that design, engineering, and construction teams use as the foundation for renovation, adaptive reuse, and facility planning projects.
LiDAR
Light Detection and Ranging — a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances and create highly accurate 3D representations of physical environments. In reality capture, LiDAR scanners emit millions of laser pulses per second, each measuring the distance to the nearest surface, producing dense point clouds that serve as the foundation for BIM models, floor plans, and spatial analysis.
Level of Detail (LOD)
A specification that defines the geometric precision and information richness of BIM model elements. LOD 200 represents approximate geometry suitable for schematic design. LOD 300 includes accurate geometry for design development. LOD 350 adds coordination-ready detail. LOD 400 provides fabrication-level precision. The appropriate LOD depends on how the model will be used downstream.
MEP Coordination
The process of spatially coordinating mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems to avoid conflicts before installation. In reality capture workflows, MEP coordination uses accurate as-built point clouds and BIM models to overlay new system designs against existing conditions, identifying clashes and routing conflicts before they become costly field problems.
Point Cloud
A dataset composed of millions (or billions) of individual 3D coordinate points, each representing a measured location on a surface within the scanned environment. Point clouds provide a dimensionally accurate digital replica of a space that can be measured, sectioned, and navigated — and serve as the primary input for downstream deliverables like BIM models and architectural drawings.
Registration
The process of aligning multiple individual LiDAR scans into a single, unified coordinate system. During a scan, dozens or hundreds of individual scan positions are captured; registration combines them into one seamless point cloud with verified accuracy metrics, ensuring spatial consistency across the entire dataset.
Scan-to-BIM
The process of converting a registered point cloud into an intelligent Building Information Model (BIM), typically in Autodesk Revit. Scan-to-BIM produces 3D model elements — walls, floors, structural members, MEP systems — with geometric accuracy derived from the scan data and classified properties that support design, coordination, and construction workflows.
Virtual Tour
An immersive, web-based walkthrough of a captured space that allows users to navigate through a building as if they were physically present. Virtual tours are created from 360° panoramic photography captured during LiDAR scanning and are hosted online for easy sharing with remote stakeholders, prospective tenants, and project teams.
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