I've been toying with the idea of getting in to laser scanning. I think there are regional firms in my area that are offering it but none of the local firms that I know of are. I think I could drum up some clients by showing them what is possible. I've seen several scanners (Topcon GLS-1500, Faro Focus 3D, etc.) go for less than $20k on the used market, and at that price, it starts to make some sense economically.
I'd be interested to hear from any of you about what brands and models of scanner and software might provide best value. I can not afford to spend much more than $20k on this potential venture.
The technology appears to be changing rapidly.
The technology for laser scanning has been changing rapidly for over 15 years. The Achilles' Heel is the software. Leica's "Cyclone" software is fabulous, but it's very pricey. Don't know about other brands.
My lidar guy says that the scanners should not show much change for a while. Who knows...
I know of no software that does it all.
I have been running Carlson Point Cloud for processing (4300-5000 per seat). It is pretty good, but I have a wish list that I have been slowly sharing with the lead programmer there... I would not want to overwhelm the guy.
I have a FARO and it came with a seat of Scene. That's a little rough to use, but I have tried a few things. I prefer Carlson.
I am looking at expanding to a second seat and I am really looking at TopoDOT. ~4300 plus a seat of Bentley (power survey ~1700). That is really slick if you have a calibrated camera in conjunction.
Rick Reid told me some hoopla about C3D and some parent package that has some cloud tools. The C3D that I have seems to be a lame duck. "Give me a cloud that is clean and I will make a surface. Yup, I can handle clouds..."
If you need spheres, let me know. I have a connection to some 150mm precision spheres and I have a jig to make bases with a 5/8" coarse thread female on the bottom. I also have a metal guy who will tap 5/8" bolts with a 1/4" female for attachment to a little tripod or whatever. (The metal guy will make anything, so that's not an issue). I have a handful to paint and would be glad to sell a few. I have 7 in my truck and on the standard job I would prefer 10. The 150mm work well within a 65 foot range. Bigger will go farther, but the costs increase... Check out the C3D TopoDot site for the free planning software to see how your workflow will go with the static scanner on a site.
Good luck. If you want to come down to the Cape to see some scanning in action, drop a line.
Thadd at ese-llc dot com.
Thadd,
Thanks for the informative post.
You're happy with the Faro scanner? Which model are you using?
Al
I would recommend renting scanners on a project by project basis. Each scanner has pros and cons. I would suggest you poke your head in at Laser Scanning Forum: http://www.laserscanningforum.com/
I would also recommend checking Autodesk ReCap Pro. I have a strong belief, for many reasons, that this will be the go to software in the future.
Thanks for the link. Looks like a great resource for all things scanning.
hey al. we have a faro x330 with helical mount and a velodyne HD 32. the faro can be static or mobile. the velodyne is mobile only. I have some post a while ago showing my ugly truck with the scanner jammer equipment.
I will be running a table at the next convention and I plan to run a laser light show.
what about that datugram datumate software? I would like someone to try it to tell the rest of us if it works. 20k would get you softeare and a very good camera.
Hey All - if you have any questions about laser scanning and its potential applications, software, differences in manufacturers, etc, give us a shout! As our handle not-so-subtly suggests, our firm does laser scanning exclusively. We also rent the equipment, and sell spheres/tripods/peripherals for current users...
Anyway, sorry for the blatant plug but hey, if you guys do have questions about the technology I'm more than happy to have a conversation.
-Tim
laserscanning-america.com
412.eight7one.3220
> .. sorry for the blatant plug....
You are welcome to join the conversation but for blatant plugs you should be sending Wendell a check.
