3D laser scanning services in New York City

It depends on the size and density of the building, how it can be accessed and when, which disciplines are in scope, and what you need drawn: a single floor with 2D as-builts is a different job from a plant room in Revit. Send the address, building type and deliverables and we will come back with a scoped quote, typically within 24 to 48 hours. Our cost guide explains what moves the price.

On-site capture for a standard commercial floor or building is usually one to two days, planned around the building's access window. 2D as-builts and Revit models typically follow in one to three weeks depending on the level of detail and the services in scope. Larger buildings, campuses and landmark work are scheduled individually, and the dates are confirmed in the quote.

The agreed package: the registered point cloud in E57 (the open exchange format) or Autodesk ReCap (RCP/RCS), 2D as-built floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, sections and elevations in DWG or DXF, a Revit model (RVT) at the agreed LOD, IFC and Navisworks NWC or NWD files for coordination where scoped, and slab elevation or deviation maps where scoped. Formats, sheet list, model elements and coordinates are confirmed before work starts.

Yes. Most of our New York work is in occupied buildings. We phase the capture around tenants, guests and operations, work after hours or on weekends where the building requires it, and the scanner does not touch anything. Access requirements are agreed before we arrive.

A contact at building management, a certificate of insurance where the building asks for one, security sign-in for the crew, freight elevator time for the equipment, and an approved work window. For a full building we also need the roof, mechanical rooms and risers, and tenant spaces on the scope list; where above-ceiling services matter, the ceilings have to be opened by the project team. We confirm the list with management before the day.

The Department of Buildings does not require laser scanning. Our drawings and models document the measured existing conditions and are the base the architect or engineer works from for the existing and proposed plans. The Registered Design Professional of record prepares, seals and submits the filing drawings to DOB; ours support that work and are not filing drawings on their own.

Yes, as a design tool. Local Law 97 sets greenhouse-gas emissions limits and annual reporting for covered buildings, generally those over 25,000 square feet, with reports certified by a registered design professional. Laser scanning is not a Local Law 97 requirement and does not measure emissions. What it gives the engineers is measured existing conditions of the mechanical rooms, risers, roof and ceiling spaces when they plan an HVAC, electrification or envelope retrofit.

The work may need a Landmarks Preservation Commission permit as well as a DOB permit. LPC applications can call for existing and proposed condition drawings and photographs, and a scan gives the architect accurate elevations, profiles and plans of what is there, including the details that are hard to measure by hand. The scan supports the documentation; the LPC application and approval are the architect's process.

It depends on what the project needs certified. We provide the agreed reality-capture data and existing-conditions documentation of the building. Property boundaries, certified site surveys and other regulated survey work stay with a New York State licensed land surveyor; we confirm that split with your project team before quoting, and when a project needs both we tie our point cloud to the surveyor's control so the two agree.

On our building-scale terrestrial projects the registered point cloud is typically within ±3 mm (2–4 mm depending on scanner, range, geometry and control), and we tie it to your project control when you provide it. Registration accuracy is not the same as the tolerance of a finished drawing or model; those are agreed in the scope. Drawings and models are traced from that cloud, so what you get reflects the building as it stands, and areas we cannot see are flagged rather than guessed.

Existing-conditions documentation to the level of detail agreed in the quote (LOD 200 to 350 for models). They are existing-conditions reference drawings and models for the agreed design, planning and coordination uses; they are not issued-for-construction design documents, fabrication or shop drawings, or certified boundary or site surveys. Dimensions that a design or a fit depends on should be field-verified before they are built to. The scanner records visible surfaces only: anything behind walls, above hard ceilings or inside shafts is marked as not visible rather than drawn, and if concealed conditions matter the project team opens access. Design, verification and filings remain with the architect, engineer or contractor of record.