3D Scanning in Reunion Island

What is 3D scanning ?

3D scanning is a process model/that allows contactless measurement of the shape and color of an object’s surface to create a digital replica. It is one of the many specializations of surveying. Different tools can be used, such as a camera, LiDAR system or 3D laser scanner.

Specifically, lasergrammetry or remote detection is the process of measuring an environment using a 3D laser scanner or LIDAR. These are laser scanning tools capable of measuring millions of points within a short time. The collected data provides virtual representation of reality as 3d point cloud, colored or uncolored.

From databases to preventive maintenance, technical expertise or structural projects integration in complex environments (such as industrial factories), 3D scanning is the technology that is revolutionizing topography.

ARCAD ingénierie uses two different tools for its surveys : the 3D laser scanner and the LiDAR system. The former is a static measurement tool that needs to be moved multiple times until we obtain a full digitization of the area. The latter is dynamic and put aboard on a vehicle, drone or helicopter : it collects data while following a specific path.

• Concerned industry sectors

  Manufactoring, Maintenance, Energy, Public works, Civil engineering, Renovation, Consulting companies, Engineering, BIM, Archeology, Heritage conservation, Environment, Geology, Architecture, Insurance companies, Forensic, Hydraulic, Agriculture, Disaster risk management.

• Digitization examples

  Quarry, ravine, excavation, rock formations, rockfill, levee, tunnel, road, building, infrastructure, tank, pipe, tuyauterie, framework, accident, structural damage …

What is a LiDAR system ?

Laser remote sensing or LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) is a measurement technology based on analyzing the properties of a light beam reflected back to its sensor. Our first AL3-32 LiDAR (Velodyne’s HDL-32E lidar sensor) is a cutting-edge technological tool.

It can be attached to a car, but also to our DJI M600 drone thanks to its small size. With it, we can conduct aerial laser surveys and obtain geo-referenced 3D point clouds directly.

Thanks to this system which benefits from the advantages of drone surveying, we are pioneers all across the Indian Ocean to provide LiDAR survey services by drone.

Our second LiDAR system, a VUX240 Riegl coupled with an AP60 inertial measurement unit, embarked under a helicopter or ultralight aircraft, allows us to conduct surveys on a very large urban or non-urban areas, freeing us from drone legislation constraints. This LIDAR has an acquisition speed of around 1,500,000 points per second and up to 15 echoes for better penetration through vegetation.

Those tools are used to map and create Digital Terrain Models (DTM). The benefits of the system are numerous :

• No hindrance due to vegetation

  Unlike photogrammetry surveying, LiDAR surveying and its echo technology allows us to see through vegetation and to map accurately the terrain as it is.

• Very fast digitization

  With up to 1.5 million points recorded per second, our LiDAR systems can measure large areas very quickly.