3D Laser Scanning Services Cost
As 3D laser scanning services become more and more common in the Ontario market, so too does the question of consistent price become apparent. In today’s 3D laser scanning service industry, many companies have a strong fixed cost that limits the range of prices. In this quick article, I will discuss the different factors that are required for a 3D laser scanning service company to quote you in the Ontario market.
1. Cost of equipment
Different 3D laser scanning companies across Ontario have different brands and they consistently buy the same brand to perform their services. Three of the major brands are: Faro, Leica and Trimble. Each brand of 3-D laser scanning equipment has different costs, some are most certainly more expensive. (I will discuss about the pros and cons of each brand in another article). Each brand also comes with a different set of software and certainly some software is more expensive than others as well. Therefore, it’s important to ask what post-processing software the service provider uses in order to register your point cloud data. This will not only tell the service provider that you are familiar with 3-D laser scanning services but that you also understand their operational costs and why they charge such high or low prices. In Ontario, for example, many service providers in the 3D laser scanning service sector lease their scanners in order to perform their services. This creates the conditions for fixed costs in order to pay the monthly expenses. Taking these factors into account allows the person purchasing the service to understand the situation that the 3D laser scanning service provider is in and get a better understanding of the price.
2. Cost of their team
3D laser scanning is not just simply a capture and process service. It requires in-depth knowledge of how to handle point cloud data. This means that in many ways, the operator of the scanner is not processing the data but, rather, their in-house team. If an organization is larger, chances are they have a higher fixed operating cost. In my experience, a lot of my competitors have very high fixed operational costs because of their team. In many ways, their team is too large, hence the costs are much higher than smaller 3D laser scanning service companies like iScano. (The Picture is us in Action!!)
3. Transparency and information
Since the 3D laser scanning service market in Ontario is still quite new, many service companies are overpricing their services because of the complexity of the technology. While this reality is changing, many service providers are still doing this because of the lack of competition and the lack of technological understanding of point cloud data. Transparency is extremely important and it is recommended to understand what 3D laser scanning is before asking for a service. In our experience, our happiest clients were clients that understood what the data was and were not relying on us to manage their information once our services were completed. 3D laser scanning services are a two-way street, it requires transparency on the service provider’s end and basic knowledge/understanding from the client’s end. In this way, there are no surprises and it maximizes the investment.
4. Area
After all the above into consideration, one of the first questions that is asked by a service provider is the size of the area of the facility or work zone. Area is very important when evaluating the cost of a service, especially when it comes to modeling and CAD drafting. In iSCANO’s experience, areas between 5,000 to 10,000 square feet are the sweet spot with us because of being able to provide quality at a cost-effective price. This is because, many facilities do not require 3D scanning of the entire area, but rather key areas for different reasons, such as retrofitting or debottlenecking difficult areas under maintenance. Lastly, areas that are larger will also take more time to post-process, which means that it will also increase the costs drastically. This is why when asking for services regarding LiDAR laser scanning, it is important to see the price differences between each area based on your needs.
We Provide an Alternative route
Overall, iSCANO takes everything that was outlined into account when creating a technical proposal for our clients. LiDAR laser scanning services are still quite new in the Ontario market, but by giving clear, transparent and honest explanations to our clients about the operational costs, both parties maximize their investment and product deliverables. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.
