3D Laser Scanning Surveys in London and the UK
A 3D laser scanning survey captures a building, structure or site as millions of measured points, giving you a precise digital record of exactly what exists rather than an interpretation drawn by hand. For architects working up a refurbishment, engineers checking as-built conditions against design, or contractors coordinating a fit-out, that difference matters. When the model is wrong, the clashes, redesigns and site delays that follow are expensive. When it is captured from a real scan, you are working from measured reality.
Scan Surveys carries out terrestrial laser scanning across London and the wider UK. We set up survey-grade scanners on site, capture the space from enough positions to remove blind spots, then register those individual scans together into a single coordinated point cloud. The result is a dataset you can measure from directly, take sections through, and hand straight to your design or BIM team.
Because every deliverable is built from the same underlying capture, you are not choosing between a point cloud and drawings and a model as separate exercises. You capture reality once, then we produce whatever outputs your project needs from it.
What we capture and deliver
Our scanners record both the geometry of a space and, where useful, the colour, producing a coloured point cloud that is far easier to read and navigate than raw monochrome intensity data. Modern terrestrial laser scanners typically achieve accuracy in the region of a few millimetres under good site conditions, which is well within tolerance for building and construction work.
We deliver point clouds in the formats your software expects:
- E57 - the open, vendor-neutral point cloud format supported across most survey and design packages.
- RCP and RCS - Autodesk ReCap formats, which is what Revit and AutoCAD require. Revit cannot read E57 or LAS directly, so we index and convert the registered cloud into RCP/RCS ready for you to attach.
- LAS and LAZ - widely used for larger or landscape-scale datasets.
Alongside the point cloud we can provide registered scan data, panoramic imagery from each scan position, and 2D or 3D deliverables produced from the capture. If you need drawings or a BIM model rather than the raw data, see our measured building survey and scan to BIM services.
When you need it
A 3D laser scanning survey earns its place whenever accurate existing conditions are the foundation of the work:
- Refurbishment and retrofit, where the building rarely matches the original drawings.
- Design coordination and BIM, where a point cloud gives every discipline the same reference.
- Clash detection and fit-out, where a few millimetres of error becomes a site problem.
- Heritage and complex geometry, where hand measurement is slow and incomplete.
- Verification, comparing what was built against what was designed.
If your project depends on knowing precisely what is already there, scanning removes the guesswork before it reaches site.
Deliverables
- Registered, coordinated point cloud in E57, RCP/RCS, LAS or LAZ
- Coloured point cloud where site conditions allow
- Panoramic imagery tied to scan positions
- Point cloud prepared and indexed for Revit or AutoCAD
- Optional 2D drawings or 3D/BIM models produced from the capture
A survey you can plan around.
A clear, repeatable method on every job, so you know what is happening on site and what lands on your desk afterwards.
Scope
We agree what needs capturing, the level of detail and accuracy required, and the formats your team works in, so the survey is designed around the outputs you actually need.
Capture
We scan the site from multiple positions, using enough set-ups to remove occlusion and shadowing, with targets or control where the project calls for it.
Process
We register the individual scans into one coordinated cloud, clean out unwanted noise and passing objects, and apply colour where captured.
Deliver
We index and export the cloud into your required formats and hand over a dataset ready to measure from or model against.
Questions we are asked about this service.
What is a 3D laser scanning survey?
A 3D laser scanning survey uses a laser scanner to record a building or site as millions of individual measured points, known as a point cloud. Each point has a precise position in space, so the combined dataset is an accurate digital record of the existing conditions that you can measure, section and model from.
How accurate is 3D laser scanning?
Terrestrial laser scanning typically achieves accuracy in the region of a few millimetres under good site conditions. The exact figure depends on the scanner, the range to the surface, the number of scan positions and the survey control, all of which we set to suit the tolerance your project requires.
What is a point cloud?
A point cloud is the collection of measured points a scanner produces. Each point holds a 3D coordinate and, in a coloured point cloud, a colour value. Together they form a dense, measurable representation of the scanned space that design and BIM software can read directly.
What file formats do you deliver point clouds in?
We deliver in E57, the open industry-standard format, and in RCP/RCS for Autodesk ReCap, Revit and AutoCAD. We can also provide LAS and LAZ. Because Revit and AutoCAD do not read E57 or LAS directly, we index and convert the registered cloud into RCP/RCS so it attaches straight into your project.
What is the difference between laser scanning and reality capture?
Reality capture is the broader term for digitally recording an existing environment, which can include laser scanning, photogrammetry and imagery. Terrestrial laser scanning is the survey-grade method within that, using a laser to measure geometry directly rather than deriving it from photographs.
Can you turn the scan into drawings or a BIM model?
Yes. The point cloud is the starting point for both. We produce 2D CAD drawings through our measured building survey service and Revit models through our scan to BIM service, all built from the same capture so nothing has to be re-surveyed.
One team, from point cloud to pull test.
Measured building surveys
Accurate as-built floor plans, elevations and sections in CAD, drawn from a measured survey.
See the service RevitScan to BIM
Turn a laser scan into an intelligent Revit model, scanned and modelled by one UK team.
See the service TOPOTopographical surveys
The land, the levels and the boundaries, measured precisely for planning, design and setting out.
See the serviceSend us the brief. We will scope it.
Tell us the site, the deadline and what you need to know. We will confirm the right survey or test, the standard it meets and exactly what you will receive.