‘The past is never where you think you left it,’ writer and activist Katherine Porter once said. Sometimes this is true of MEP design drawings for buildings erected in the past. These documents may be missing, misplaced or damaged over time. Thus, when renovations and re-design are necessary, models of existing services can be created through the process of scan to BIM. Drawings were developed from these models by building contractors in the past, but today, MEP consultants can do the same just as effectively.

Point cloud files can be linked effectively in Revit by following a certain procedure:

By using the scan to BIM process, the design for remodelling may be precise and detailed. Earlier, on-site teams worked from plans that were created using information from the site. Contractors felt certain plans were more accurate and precise when they were created manually. Today, with laser scanning by high-performance scanners, data is captured and used to develop considerably precise and accurate 3D representations of the scanned area to convert point clouds to BIM.

Engineering consultants are using scan to BIM services for engineering in renovation/redesign projects, as improved models help them work with accurate dimensions and services in existing structures, which may even be retained in a new design.

With worldwide efforts to decrease building waste, scan to BIM services for MEP projects can now be used by engineering consultants to design sustainable buildings and practice building waste reduction. Increasingly, global firms are turning to offshore sources for their point cloud to MEP BIM services.