LiDAR Capture · Metro Vancouver
3D Laser Scanning in Vancouver
We capture existing buildings with LiDAR and turn the result into something you can actually work from: measured plans, layered CAD, a Revit model and a walkable 3D tour. One visit, one dataset, every deliverable.
- ±10mm accuracy
- iGUIDE PLANIX
- One visit, every deliverable
What laser scanning does that a tape measure cannot
A LiDAR scanner measures millions of points across a space, each one a real distance to a real surface. Instead of a handful of dimensions written on a sketch, you end up with a complete geometric record of the room, including the parts nobody thought to measure at the time.
That matters most for the questions you did not know to ask on site. When the ceiling height turns out to matter three weeks into design, or a column is not where the old drawing put it, the answer is already in the data. Nobody has to drive back out.
It also removes the compounding error problem. Hand measurement accumulates: every dimension is taken from the last one, and small mistakes stack up across a long run of wall. A scan measures everything from the same reference, so a 40-metre warehouse is as accurate at the far end as it is at the door.
The capture, in numbers
- Measurement accuracy
- ±10mm
- Camera
- 60MP 360°
- Standard
- ANSI/RMS
- Floor plans delivered
- 1–2 days
- CAD & BIM delivered
- ~1 week
- Typical site visit
- A few hours
The equipment
We scan with an iGUIDE PLANIX, a survey-grade system that pairs integrated LiDAR with a 60MP 360° camera. Because the imagery and the measurements are captured together and registered to each other, the resulting model is both dimensionally accurate and visually complete.
The practical consequence is that you get a measured dataset and a photographic record of the building from the same visit, rather than commissioning a scan and a photographer separately and hoping the two line up.
What we produce from a scan
The point cloud is the raw material. These are the things you actually receive.
Measured floor plans
Dimensioned, drafted plans as PDF, with area figures suitable for lease documentation and space planning.
Layered AutoCAD DWG
Properly organised linework you can design over directly, rather than a traced image.
Revit BIM model
Existing-conditions geometry for BIM workflows, so the model you design in starts from reality.
Reflected ceiling plans
Ceiling grid, heights, lighting, diffusers and sprinkler heads, all captured in the same pass.
iGUIDE 3D tour
A browser-based digital twin. Anyone on the project can revisit the site and measure it themselves.
Elevations and sections
Cut anywhere through the dataset, including interior elevations for millwork and equipment.
Laser scanning compared to the alternatives
Three ways to document an existing commercial space, and where each one lands.
| Method | Accuracy | Coverage | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tape and hand sketch | Error accumulates over distance | Only what was measured on the day | A single small room where nothing is at stake |
| Photo-based 3D capture | Good visual record, looser dimensions | Visible surfaces only | Marketing and walkthroughs rather than construction documents |
| LiDAR scanning | ±10mm, consistent across the whole building | The complete space, including what you did not think to measure | Permit sets, CAD and BIM, area calculations, fabrication |
The distinction that matters for construction documents is whether a dimension was measured or inferred. LiDAR measures.
Where we scan
We cover Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley from our North Shore base, including Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Delta, Langley, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, New Westminster, North and West Vancouver, Maple Ridge, Mission, Abbotsford and Chilliwack.
Much of the industrial work sits in the Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Delta and Langley corridor, where large-floorplate warehouse and flex buildings are exactly the case that hand measurement handles worst.
Common questions
How long does a scan take on site?
A typical commercial suite is a few hours. Larger industrial buildings take longer, and heavily subdivided spaces with many small rooms take longer than open floor plates of the same area, because the scanner has to be set up in more positions.
Is the point cloud itself a deliverable?
The point cloud is the working dataset we draft from. What you receive is the drawings, CAD, BIM and 3D tour produced from it. If your team specifically needs the raw registered data for their own workflow, ask when you book and we will scope it.
Does scanning disrupt the people using the building?
Very little. The scanner sits on a tripod and moves from position to position, with no cabling run through the space and nothing attached to the building. We work around occupied areas and can schedule after hours where that is easier for the tenant.
How accurate is ±10mm in practice?
It is tight enough that you can fabricate millwork against the drawing, calculate leasable area defensibly, and submit a permit set without a separate verification visit. It is substantially tighter than what hand measurement achieves across a full building.
Can you scan the exterior and the site as well?
Yes, exteriors and site context are part of a normal capture, and we add aerial photography where the building or the listing calls for it.
Keep reading
- As-built drawings — What the finished drawing set contains and who it is produced for.
- Scan to Revit — Turning the point cloud into a usable BIM model of existing conditions.
- Warehouse case study — A real Surrey industrial scan, from site visit to delivered CAD.
Scan the building once, answer every question after
Book online with an instant estimate. One visit produces the plans, the CAD, the model and the tour.