2017 Issue

61 Let’s say you are the owner of an older building and the original constructions documents have been lost over the years or they are simply outdated due to upgrades and changes over the years. What do you do when you want to make major changes or perform a complete remodel? The first thing you would do is hire an architect and make it their problem. The best thing for the architect to do is bring in a com- pany with a 3D laser scanner to scan the building. That data would then be used to create an accurate as-built 3D model of the building. Now you have a baseline for the existing layout and conditions. That 3D model is the beginning of your BIM model. Now as replacement systems or changes are designed, clash detection can happen virtually rather than waiting for con- struction to find that duct work run- ning into the main beam. Here’s another example: You own a manufacturing company and want to bring in a new state of the art piece of equipment. You’re not sure how it is going to fit with your existing equipment. You could spend hours or days on the shop floor with a tape measure and a clipboard, hoping your measurements are accurate or you could have the shop scanned with a laser scanner. Once scanned, the data can be used to create an accurate 3D model that can be use to manipulate the existing equipment to make room for the new piece of equipment. The model can also be used to determine the best route to get the new equip- ment in place. What about the architect that is con- tracted to design a new office in an existing space or design a new store layout in the downtown mall? They could rely on the tape measure and clipboard approach and hope their measurements are accurate or they could scan the existing location and create a 3D model to use to move walls around to create the best fit and design. That same BIM model could then be used to design electrical and lighting as well as all the other neces- sary systems. So back to baseball and hot dogs or the Fourth of July and fireworks, how do 3D laser scanning and BIM fit to- gether. Laser scanning makes creating accurate 3D BIM models possible and does it faster and cheaper than tradi- tional means. Can you say time and money saver? McNeil Engineering is a multi-disci- plinary engineering firm that special- izes in the use of 3D laser scanning technology. McNeil Engineering has been utilizing this relative new technol- ogy for the past several years . McNeil Engineering’s goal is to bring the entire site to your desktop and give you the visual and measurable tools to make your project more successful. www.mcneilengineering.com 801-255-7700 888-303-7700 Structural Engineering Laser Scanning & Survey