But treat it like a strong espresso shot: great for getting the job done, terrible if you mainline it.
Reality Capture Crack: Why 3D Scanning is the Most Addictive Tool in AEC
Then it happens.
I didn’t mean to stay until 2 AM. I just needed "one more scan."
If you’ve ever held a modern LiDAR scanner or even an iPhone with a lidar sensor, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The industry calls it "reality capture." The rest of us call it reality capture crack
You watch the point cloud populate on your tablet in real-time. Every brick. Every pipe sag. Every HVAC duct that was never on the original plans. It’s not a drawing. It’s a digital twin of reality, stitched together by billions of points.
So go ahead. Set up the scanner. Watch the dots appear. Get your hit of digital reality. But treat it like a strong espresso shot:
Have you lost a weekend to point cloud processing? Tell me I’m not alone in the comments. Disclaimer: No actual narcotics were used in the making of this point cloud. Just caffeine and desperation.
Just remember to eject the SD card before you start shaking. I just needed "one more scan
It starts innocently enough. A client needs as-builts for a 100-year-old building. The drawings are wrong (they always are). You rent a scanner for a day, set it on a tripod, and hit "Start."