Renovation and fit-out
An accurate as-built plan before design, without re-measuring on site.
What we do
We take one E57 file and return an engineering description of the space that was scanned. This page sets out exactly what happens to the file, what each phase produces, and what we do not claim to do.
Analysis phases
The analysis runs in a fixed order. Each phase builds on the previous one, is validated against its data contract and is stored separately — so it is always clear where a run stopped.
| Phase | What happens | Included in |
|---|---|---|
| P0 Reading the file header | Reads the file header: version, writing library, scan stations, point count and available fields. No points are read. | Inspect + |
| P1 Loading points | Loads points, normals, intensity and colour into an efficient structure for processing. | Standard + |
| P2 Noise filtering and normals | Outlier filtering, a 1 cm reference cloud and a 2 cm analysis cloud, and normals. | Standard + |
| P3 Frame, floor and ceiling levels | Finds the up axis, aligns to the building axes and establishes floor and ceiling levels. | Standard + |
| P4 Planes, walls and openings | Fits planes: floor, ceiling, wall segments, and detects openings within them. | Standard + |
| P5 Room segmentation and doors | Segments the storey into rooms in 2D and identifies the doors that connect them. | Standard + |
| P6 Object detection per room | Clusters non-structural points into separate objects per room and filters exterior points. | Standard + |
| P7 3D voxel grid | Builds a labelled voxel grid and the actually free interior space. | Standard + |
| P8 Areas, volumes and measurements | Computes areas, volumes, gross and net wall areas, opening dimensions and object counts. | Standard + |
| P9 Floor plan output (SVG/DXF) | Produces an architectural drawing: walls, openings, joints, dimensions and layers — SVG, PNG and DXF. | Professional |
| P10 Assembling the report | Assembles a single HTML report with every image, table and parameter of the run. | Professional |
Outputs
- Measurement table HTML · JSON
- Per room: floor area, height, volume, net wall area, number of openings and number of objects. Shown on the results page and available as a file.
- Opening schedule CSV
- Opening kind (door, window, glass door), width, height and the wall it belongs to.
- Floor plan SVG · DXF · PNG
- A layered drawing that opens in AutoCAD, BricsCAD, Revit (DXF import) or any vector editor.
- Voxel grid PLY
- A labelled 3D representation of structure and free space, for use in 3D software.
- Summary report HTML
- One page with overviews, sections, opening photos and every parameter used — ready to pass to a client or file with the project.
What we read from the E57 file
The standard defines feature categories. This table shows what we actually read and use — not merely what we can open.
| Feature | Read |
|---|---|
| Cartesian points (XYZ) | Yes |
| Spherical points (RAE) | Yes — converted on read |
| Intensity (INT) | Yes — normalised per scan |
| Colour (RGB) | Yes — normalised per channel |
| Surface normals (extension) | Yes |
| Multiple scans (MUL) | Yes — including station poses |
| Embedded imagery | Poses only; the JPEG/PNG blobs are not used |
| Point groups, timestamps, returns | No |
| Geodetic reference system | Read when present; absent in most files |
Limits and assumptions
- No world coordinates. If the file carries no geodetic reference system, the plan has no real-world coordinates and states no true north.
- Interior spaces. The method targets indoor structures with an identifiable floor and ceiling. Exteriors, open roofs and buildings under construction are not supported.
- Scan coverage decides. An area that was not scanned will not appear; shadowing behind furniture or closed doors limits the accuracy of that wall.
- Multiple storeys. Where the storey split is ambiguous, the run stops and is flagged for manual review.
- Not a substitute for a licensed survey. The outputs are an engineering working tool, not an approved map or a licensed surveyor's measurement for registration or permitting.
Typical uses
Facility management
Per-room areas and volumes for billing, maintenance and space planning.
Construction verification
Comparing what was actually built against the designed plan.
Documentation and heritage
Geometric documentation of a building before works or as part of its record.