Cincinnati Museum Center Laser Scanning and Scan-to-BIM Project

TrueScan provided 3D laser scanning services for the historic Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, completing one of the largest scanning projects of its kind in the region.

The project covered approximately 600,000 square feet and captured nearly 4.3 billion data points across the rotunda, concourse, and building exterior. The resulting scan data was used to create a detailed model for the design and construction teams.

Project Facts

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Property Type: Historic museum / cultural facility

Services:

• 3D laser scanning
• Scan-to-BIM
• Existing-conditions documentation
• 3D modeling

Size / Scope: Approximately 600,000 square feet

Fieldwork Duration: Approximately 10 weeks

Scan Count: More than 2,300 scan setups

Data Captured: Nearly 4.3 billion data points

Areas Documented:

• Rotunda
• Concourse
• Building exterior

Deliverables:

• Registered scan data
• Detailed 3D model
• Updated existing-conditions information for design and construction teams

The Challenge

The project teams were working from plans that were decades old while renovating an 83-year-old historic building.

Given the scale and complexity of Union Terminal, the teams needed current dimensional information that could better reflect the building’s actual conditions.

TrueScan’s Approach

TrueScan deployed two scanning teams working two shifts per day for approximately 10 weeks.

During that time, the crews completed more than 2,300 scan setups across approximately 600,000 square feet, capturing nearly 4.3 billion data points.

The scan data was then combined and used to create a detailed model of the documented areas.

The Result

The model provided the design and construction teams with updated building information that could be used in place of relying solely on decades-old plans.

The dataset also gave the Cincinnati Museum Center management team a detailed digital reference for the documented portions of the historic facility.