The Smart Way For Starting Capital Projects: Know Your Terminology

Starting capital projects off right requires not just knowledge of your fundamental assets, but accurate data on those assets as well. Many times, people depend on information about their assets from old paper drawings, flat files, blueprints, public documents, etc. Unfortunately, these older files are often not reliable. Those drawings, which may have been accurate at one point in time, may not be up to date. It is common for buildings to shift, sag, or undergo undocumented renovations. With that being said, you will not know the current condition of the building by looking at old drawings. To avoid wasting time and money, it is crucial to make sure that your documentation is correct before you invest in your capital project renovation. The question is, where do you start and who can document your asset without wasting time or money? Do you try to cobble something together from existing documentation and have a team verify and adjust existing drawings, or do you start from scratch? This is where you need an experienced team to help you sort out the best and most efficient way forward to get you exactly what you need.

Here is the beginning of a two part series--knowing your industry terminology and then understanding the technology investment types for data collection.

Industry Terminology
The first roadblock in trying to determine a good path forward with a capital project is what all the industry terminology means, and what technology is needed for the project. An architect may say they need a “BIM model,” but what exactly does that mean? Some may also say they need LiDAR, Laser Scanning, Reality Capture, or a Digital Twin. All these terms can be quite daunting and may lack a clear definition. Let’s look at an overview of these terms to get a general understanding of each:

BIM Modeling
BIM is short for “Building Information Modeling.” It describes a process of joining 3D drawings and data together so that you are documenting not just the geometry of a project, but the information behind that geometry. BIM is adding intelligence to a 3D model such as phasing, scheduling, materials, volumetric calculations, energy studies and more. The amount of intelligence that can be added to the model is virtually limitless. A door, wall, or window is not just a set of lines like in CAD, but they are an object that can store information like materials, identity numbers, sizes, insulation values, etc. Once this data is collected, it can be scheduled to discover critical building information.

LiDAR, Laser Scanning, & Reality Capture
These terms are essentially the same thing, even though there are minor differences. LiDAR is the technology used to measure distances utilizing laser light. “Laser Scanning” is the process of using LiDAR technology in a device to capture 3D data of a space. After scanning, the results are known as a “Point Cloud.” 

“Reality Capture” can be any form of capturing reality, including taking simple photos, but it usually refers to large scale methods of capturing real-world objects with imagery and/or laser scan data such as photogrammetry or laser scanning. 

Point Clouds, Laser Scan Data
The result of laser scanning is called a “Point Cloud” or “Laser Scan Data.” These two terms are used interchangeably but are slightly different. The laser scan data encompasses all the information that is captured on-site, including images. However a point cloud is just the point information collected from the scanner without the images. The points can still be colored or greyscale giving the appearance of an image, but the views will be grainy and not as crisp as an actual image. 

Digital Twin… or Triplet
As a relatively new term in the industry, “Digital Twin” means a digital copy of a physical building. The idea is to have a BIM model of a building that contains data tied to elements so that when something needs to be serviced, there is a database record that can be tracked along with the location of that element in the model. This ties in closely with facility management software that aims to do the same thing, but in contrast, most legacy facility management software is 2D focused. The idea behind a Digital Twin is to leverage the great 3D information found in BIM models with facility management data. 

The difficulty with a Digital Twin is that specialized BIM file formats are currently employed that are not easily accessible to the everyday person. Architects and engineers can take advantage of these tools, but building owners typically need assistance to leverage this type of data for their own use. 

The idea of a Digital Twin is great, but in actuality, a Digital Triplet will be of a broader use. The BIM model can be the digital twin of a building, but with the laser scan data captured on site, could become a Digital Triplet. Laser Scan Data provides the ability to have Virtual walkthroughs of space, indoor navigation, and documentation of various points of interest like mechanical equipment maintenance, room numbers, or bathroom locations. The Laser Scan Data provides a more accessible tool for the everyday person that allows people to directly interact with a digital copy of a building through a web browser interface. 

Jared Curtis, President, Existing Conditions
Email Address: [email protected]
Primary Phone: +1 (617) 247 9161

Existing Conditions is a pioneering company that creates digital versions of the built environment more accurately and efficiently than anyone else in the market. Existing Conditions uses reality capture tools such as 3D laser scanning and drone imaging to deliver the most reliable existing conditions surveys of buildings. Mr. Curtis has lectured at Cornell AAP and Harvard GSD, and is an alumni of Cornell Architecture. He is also Co-Chair of NAIOP’S Government Affairs Committee. Recently, he has shared his thoughts on real estate and technology in pieces by the Boston Globe, ULI, Boston Magazine, NAIOP, Banker & Tradesman, Bldup, and the Boston Foundation.