Metropolitan Museum of Art Skylight Laser Scanning and Scan-to-BIM Project

TrueScan provided 3D laser scanning and Scan-to-BIM services for a skylight replacement project at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The project required precise documentation of the existing skylight’s structural steel so a new skylight could be designed and prefabricated to fit the existing structure.

Project Facts

Location: New York City, New York

Property Type: Museum / cultural facility

Services:

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

Size / Scope: Existing skylight structural framing

Areas Documented:

• Primary steel framing
• Existing skylight structure
• Structural connection geometry

Deliverables:

• Registered scan data
• 3D model of the primary steel framing
• Existing-conditions information for design and fabrication

The Challenge

The new skylight needed to connect accurately to the museum’s existing steel structure.

The design team therefore needed precise information about the geometry of the existing framing before the replacement system could be designed and fabricated.

TrueScan’s Approach

TrueScan laser scanned the structural components of the existing skylight and used the resulting data to create a 3D model of the primary steel framing.

The model was delivered to the client and used as a reference in Autodesk Inventor during design of the replacement skylight.

The Result

The completed design was sent to a steel fabricator, which used the model to prefabricate a new steel frame that fit the existing structure.