This weekend I have the opportunity to learn about using a laser scanner to create an accurate and detailed model of a building. A guy in our Calgary office has been developing the technique, and we brought him in to do a scan of the school I'm working on. We'll also do a sample at Holt Renfrew, in the hopes of selling them on the idea, and getting them to pay us lots of money to do all their stores, to help with the renovations that we do for them.
The scanner is a compact little thing, and takes about 12 minutes to do a full 360 degree laser scan as well as a series of photos. We did about 35 camera locations.
We placed a series of 'targets' to coordinate between camera locations - each location needs to have 2 or 3 targets visible in order to align the resulting scans.
6 scans were done on the roof, to capture the detail up there.
The spire is a very prominent feature up there.
We needed to be near the edge, to be able to see targets lower down, so that it could all be aligned.
Getting up on the roof was quite a challenge! Up a ladder in the janitor's room, then through a cluttered attic, and out a tiny roof hatch - a bit of a struggle with all the gear!
But the view was well worth it! A great view of the city and harbour.
The scan comes in in bits and pieces, that when put together, looks like a photograph - very cool to see that come together, and a big help as we design the new parts of the building that adjoin the old part!
A little bit of exploring while waiting for a scan - I love the feet on the desks in this classroom - tennis balls!
Some of the artwork on the walls - a scene from Lord of the Rings.
It was a very interesting day, and so good to learn about the scanning process! Our company hopes to use this system more as we work on renovations to existing buildings, as it gives us a very accurate base to work from.
2 comments:
Very cool scanning system. I like the poster under The Lord of the Rings one..."the world is crowded--MOVE!"
Sheri-Lee
Wow....very cool!
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