The Speed of Color: Reducing Time for Color Scans

Time spent in the field and the quality of our product are two success factors that TrueScan takes great consideration of on every project. The quality of the work that TrueScan produces is critical to everything we do. Providing accurate information in a format that’s easy for our clients to use is always our #1 goal.  We focus on providing deliverables in a timely manner that adds value to our client. The more efficiently we can work in the field, the more we can increase that value proposition. To honor these commitments, we make sure we are always using the best, most advanced technology in our 3D laser scanning toolkit.

The P-40 scanner that TrueScan uses is one of the most reliable and accurate scanners on the market. It can collect over 1,000,000 points per second and has a range of over 200 meters. This scanner can generally perform an intensity scan in around 3-4 minutes. One drawback is that it can take much longer to do color scans with the P-40 device. In some cases, it can take up to 15 minutes to do a color scan with the P-40. This can add additional field time over the course of a day or a project, thus decreasing efficiency. Using the improved i-Star camera, TrueScan can now perform color scans by doing an intensity scan with the P-40 scanner and supplementing this with 360-degree color imagery from the i-Star camera shot at the exact scan locations. This allows us to reduce our scan times to around 5 minutes each and provide higher quality color imagery than is available with the P-40 scanner alone. By using this combination in the field, we’ve seen our productivity for color scans increase from around 40 per day to over 100 in some cases. The increased efficiency and higher quality is a win–win scenario for TrueScan’s clients!

In addition to becoming more efficient in the field, the i-Star camera has provided TrueScan with other great opportunities. It has also allowed us to provide a “lower-level” visual documentation of a building or space where the accuracy of laser scanning might not be needed. Using the panoramic camera, we can move through a space and visually document it very quickly as if we were simply photographing the space with a camera. All the panoramic images can be tied together (much like registering a point cloud) to allow the user to move from image to image and see the space in a 360-degree view. This is great for a project where the user might not need to measure the space but just wants to see and understand its features in great visual detail. This can be done very quickly and at a fraction of the cost of scanning.

With the continual evolution of equipment and software available for reality capture, it is imperative that service providers like TrueScan always look for ways to become more efficient and serve their clients better. TrueScan continuously keeps a focus on creating the most accurate and valuable data for clients with the best and strongest equipment available. Contact our team today and see the benefits 3D laser scanning can bring.