3 Myths Behind Not Using Scan To BIM Services

Posted by Bhagwati Iyer Pathak on August 15th, 2018

Over a period of time, the construction industry has evolved with a few path-breaking technologies that have successfully changed the face of Architectural and Engineering Industry. Where some companies have flown with the time and adopted newer techniques, while some companies are still at the crossroads of traditional and modern applications. I have been in the role of consulting since a decade and have had many sessions and presentations with Architectural firms, Engineering Design firms and survey companies where I have promoted the benefits of adopting Scan to BIM services. I have discussed point cloud to BIM services extensively. My last discussion too opened up to a Luke warm response and people actually presented many “logical and illogical” reasons not to use Point cloud technology. Today with this article I would like to discuss the main 3myths and one solution to overcome these issues.

This brief should actually give a deep insight into the issues and accept that they are not as big as they sound. Secondly, it is important to bring a change and accept technologies that make project execution productive and more cost effective. Adopting scan to BIM services will lead to overall progress and excellent business growth of survey companies, General contractors, Architectural firms etc.

Let us talk about some common apprehensions of Survey companies, Architectural firms and Construction companies

Myth 1: High investment and low ROI:

Companies are in a wary of deviating from their old methods and accept a new one. It is a human psychology that people get comfortable with the existing method of execution and are not very susceptible to new changes. They fail to understand the long-term implications of following old methods and the benefits surrounding the new one. Replacing laser scanning and BIM modelling with the manual surveying and drafting technology definitely demands initial investment and time, however, this investment, in the long run, reduces the time taken to survey a site, reduces staffing cost and reduces error index during construction by 90%. Scan to BIM Modelling, the as-built process is simplified extensively.

One simple solution for this is to partly implement newer technology without worrying about ROI or over-head cost is to outsource the work. For example, survey companies can purchase laser scan equipment’s and get onsite scanning done for renovation and reconstruction process. The scanning can be done in-house and the scan to BIM conversion can be outsourced to BIM outsourcing companies. This will keep your investment optimum and help you get the services pretty effortlessly without excess investments.

The value addition we get with point cloud modelling services is to understand design changes, errors, damages and other design issues in the design and demolition stage itself. There is certainly some room for errors or last minute changes, but 90% of the issues are resolved before the construction stage begins.  It is for companies to think about now, can there be a better ROI than this?

Myth 2: Why change when the existing method is giving me good results

It is the happiness of being in our comfort zone that makes us think so. We have accepted the delays, the additional methods, redundant techniques of executing renovation projects as the best way to complete it. This is where the industry is falling back and technologies like Virtual Construction Modelling, Scan to BIM Services etc. are not able to yield good results. When we focus on shallow hurdles like cost, training, consulting and implementation cost we will be bereft of the major advantages that this can offer.

The traditional method has less investment but the project and construction cost actually doubles in progress. These are intangible costs which no company pays attention to. When we break this fear of change, we will be openly able to see the actual long-term benefits of using Scan to BIM services. Once you adopt this method, there are many ways to save on hiring cost, training and software implementation cost.  Correcting errors and doing re-design may seem to be a part of your construction process, but that inevitably delays overall project completion costing more money and time.  There are many errors in as-built drawings and they come into light when we demolish a structure. Point cloud to BIM Modelling services helps in reducing these errors to a great extent.

Myth 3: Shifting gears to BIM Modeling is counterproductive

This is one of the biggest roadblock and a major deterrent in adopting Scan to BIM technology. Contrary to this belief, BIM modelling services actually maximize the productivity of your existing staff and improves project delivery. Initially, you will be slow as the project execution approach has changed, you may not have hands-on experience in software or shortcut keys etc. In case you feel this needs training investments, hiring cost and above all software installation expense, then I am sure you have not heard of “Architectural and Engineering Outsourcing”. BIM outsourcing companies are blessings in disguise. You can very well outsource your modelling or drafting requirements to such companies. They have a skilled and experienced staff in place with a good track record of working on such projects. By doing this you can overcome the issue of being counterproductive. Countries like the Philippines, India, and China have preferred outsourcing destinations for BIM projects. India rules the outsourcing market overall when it comes to Architectural and Engineering Outsourcing. BIM companies in India offer cost-effective scan to BIM conversion services within a short turnaround time. 

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, we have discussed the kind of reasons industry gives in lieu of not adapting point cloud to BIM services. We have also talked about overcoming this issue by using readily available option of outsourcing Scan to BIM conversion services. It is extremely critical to shift focus from techniques that are old to newer technologies that prove to be crucial in saving money and improvise the productivity overall.

As built services can be extremely profitable if we opt for laser scanning instead of manual surveys. Laser equipment facilitates detailed scanning of any building structure, includes those areas which are not visible to naked eyes. Corroded beams, broken pipes, displaced columns etc. all of this can be captured with the help of laser scans. It is easier to re-design old buildings, historical monuments after we prepare an as-built model using Scan to BIM services. 

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