Leica Geosystems Launches BIM Field Trip Solutions for Contractors

Leica Geosystems Inc. announced new BIM Field Trip solutions to help contractors extend the value of building information modeling (BIM) into the field and connect field information back to the model in the office.

Tailored to fit any stage of BIM adoption in concrete layout, MEP layout, quality assurance, renovation/retrofit, and operations/maintenance as-builting applications, BIM Field Trip includes customized packages of hardware and software that make it easy to move from 2D to 3D workflows to achieve common BIM goals such as reduced rework, increased predictability and higher profitability, the company said.

According to the announcement, the new BIM Field Trip solutions take full advantage of Leica Geosystems’ established precision measurement technologies, such as the trusted iCON robot 50 robotic total station and popular 3D Disto laser measurement tool, as well as the latest innovations. For example, the revolutionary “BIM One Box” Leica Nova MS50 MultiStation, introduced in June 2013, offers full-featured total station layout capabilities that can handle BIM layout points from Revit, AutoCAD or virtually any other BIM or CAD program with ease, while also integrating real-time delta reporting for quality assurance checks and high definition laser scanning capabilities for capturing as-built point clouds to be compared with the as-designed model.

The BIM Field Trip solutions are available in three basic levels to help companies bridge the gaps in their BIM processes.

BIM 101 is the simplest way to get started with digital layout using paper or CAD files as a starting point. Easy-to-use, highly accurate tools such as the 3D Disto, iCON robot 50, and DISTO handheld laser measuring devices combined with intelligent, intuitive field and office software create an easy on-ramp to BIM for preconstruction as-builting, concrete layout, MEP layout, preconstruction as-builting and quality assurance. (Learn the basics of digital layout in the BIM Learning Center.)

BIM 102 provides an intermediate-level solution to help contractors improve their BIM workflows. For preconstruction as-builting, industry-leading ScanStation high definition laser scanners capture existing building conditions in the form of near photorealistic, highly accurate point clouds that can be used directly in Revit for faster and more accurate modeling. For digital layout, high-precision iCON robot 50 robotic total stations combined with intuitive field software creates a “paint-by-numbers” installation in the field that reduces errors and provides a higher level of predictability of project outcomes. For MEP and interior BIM applications, the 3D Disto combined with specialized MEP software further simplifies and streamlines interior layout. And for preconstruction as-builting, layout and quality assurance, the innovative new “BIM One Box” Nova MS50 MultiStation performs robotic layout with ease while the field software tracks the layout locations. When quality control checks are performed, any deviations are identified in real-time with a BIM delta report and can be easily scanned with the same device, producing point clouds that are automatically oriented and positioned so they flow back into the model perfectly aligned. This substantially reduces post-processing so teams can focus on comparing field data with model data to avoid rework in the field.

BIM 103 is for contractors that are experienced in BIM and want to take their capabilities to the next level. Hardware solutions such as the innovative multistation, ultrafast high-definition laser scanners and high-precision robotic total stations are combined with full featured field and office software to create advanced 3D workflows that streamline and optimize preconstruction as-builting, construction layout, and quality assurance as-builting. What’s more, the innovative “BIM One Box” multistation introduces a new era of versatility in BIM workflows with the ability to use a single instrument for preconstruction as-built point cloud data capture, replicating highly accurate BIM layout points in the field, and then high-definition laser scanning for quality assurance as-builts for comparing with as-designed models to create a complete 3D BIM lifecycle.

At each level of the BIM Field Trip, hardware and software selections are tailored to the needs of the contractor and are easily scalable from one level to the next to provide practical solutions to common BIM challenges.

“For many project teams, the benefits of BIM stop in the office; there simply hasn’t been a total solution for BIM as-builting and construction layout that connects all the dots from the model to a real-world jobsite and then from the jobsite back into the model,” said Cathi Hayes, BIM Business Manager for Leica Geosystems. “The new BIM Field Trip solutions from Leica Geosystems close the gaps by connecting the digital world to the real world. This allows companies at any stage of BIM adoption to take advantage of improved workflows.”