Developing As-Built Building Information Model Using Construction Process History Captured by a Laser Scanner and a Camera

Abstract

Availability and accuracy of building information is critical for a variety of tasks during the lifecycle of facilities. Currently Building information modelling (BIM) is mostly used for design and construction. When the as-designed BIM is not updated with the construction changes, it can contain inaccurate information. A way to collect the as-is conditions is to capture how a facility is changing over time. Vision-based data capture technologies, namely laser scanners and cameras, are being widely used. However, occluded components and the challenges associated with reverse engineering of complex construction objects can result in incomplete as-built data. This paper presents a case study, in which a laser scanner and a camera were used to capture the construction history and develop a more complete as-built BIM. A progressive approach is followed to mitigate challenges associated with cluttered construction data. Components/features occluded in any captured scans were reconsidered throughout a continuous planning and data capturing process. Other sources such as as-designed documents are supplemented to as-built data for extraction of information items required for the as-built BIM. The discussions include more ample description of the background research and the addressed problem, followed by detailed description of this study's approach. Lessons learned, findings and recommendations for future research are summarized.