What LOD should I ask for?

Match LOD to use case. LOD 200 (generic geometry, approximate sizes) is enough for early space planning and feasibility. LOD 300 (specific geometry, dimensions match field reality) is the right default for design-development on retrofits. LOD 400 (fabrication-ready, includes connection details) is for MEP coordination and prefabrication, and roughly doubles modeling hours versus LOD 300. We'll suggest a level based on your downstream workflow during scoping.

Do you model from someone else's scan data?

Yes. We accept registered point clouds in .e57, .rcp, .las, or .pts format. We run a QC pass on the registration before modeling starts and flag any accuracy issues — if the source data has problems, modeling on top of it propagates them. About 20% of imported-data jobs need re-registration before we can guarantee model accuracy.

Can you model in something other than Revit?

Revit is our primary platform because it's the AEC default in Southern California. We can deliver IFC for ArchiCAD, Vectorworks, or Tekla downstream. Native modeling in those tools is available on request but adds 15–25% to budget.

How accurate is the model versus the scan?

We model to ±10 mm tolerance against the registered point cloud by default. Tighter tolerances (±5 mm for MEP prefab work) are achievable but require LOD 350+ and extra QC time. The model accuracy report we deliver shows the actual measured deviations per element category.

What's the typical turnaround?

Mid-rise commercial buildings (40,000–80,000 sqft) at LOD 300 typically take 15–20 business days from scan handoff to delivered Revit file. Smaller jobs (single floor, simple geometry) can ship in 7–10 days. Large or complex MEP-heavy facilities run 4–6 weeks.

Do you handle the laser scanning too, or only the modeling?

Both. Most clients hire FieldScan end-to-end — we scan, register, and model. We also accept third-party scan data as input when clients already have it. Single point of contact through the whole pipeline is the more common path because it eliminates blame-shifting if accuracy issues surface late.

Scan-to-BIM San Diego — LOD 200/300/400

FieldScan converts registered LiDAR point clouds into Revit BIM models at LOD 200, 300, or 400 — modeled to the specs your team actually builds with, delivered in 2–4 weeks for typical mid-rise commercial buildings.

Scan-to-BIM is the process of converting a registered LiDAR point cloud into an intelligent, parametric BIM model — typically in Autodesk Revit — where each modeled element carries the geometry, dimensions, and metadata downstream design and construction workflows need.

FieldScan handles scan-to-BIM as either a bundled service (we scan and model) or as a modeling-only engagement against your existing point cloud data. The deliverable is a Revit file your in-house team can open the next morning and start designing against.

When scan-to-BIM is the right tool

Scan-to-BIM earns its budget on three project types:

Retrofits and renovations of existing buildings. Original drawings are rarely accurate after decades of changes. Scan-to-BIM gives the design team a verified as-built starting point — slab elevations, column locations, MEP routing, ceiling heights — so design decisions are based on what’s actually there, not what someone hoped was there. This is where the highest ROI lives.

MEP coordination and prefabrication. A registered scan paired with an LOD 400 model lets fabricators cut to known geometry instead of field-verifying every dimension. Pre-fab assemblies arrive and fit. On healthcare and industrial work, this routinely saves 5–15% of MEP schedule.

Heritage documentation and adaptive reuse. Historic buildings often lack any digital record. Scan-to-BIM creates one in a format that permits, drawings, and future work can build on. The City of San Diego’s historic districts (Gaslamp Quarter, Sherman Heights, Burlingame) all see this regularly.

The handoff problem most teams underestimate

The single biggest hidden cost in scan-to-BIM isn’t modeling hours — it’s the mismatch between what the modeler produces and what the downstream team can use. A model at LOD 300 with categories the receiving Revit template doesn’t recognize, or with worksets that don’t match the firm’s standards, is a model that gets rebuilt.

FieldScan scopes every job with a kickoff call that confirms your template, your worksets, your level names, your view conventions, and your model element categories. The model arrives matching them. We’ve yet to have a client need to rework a delivered file to fit their project setup.

What drives scan-to-BIM cost

Scan-to-BIM is scoped by the work the model actually contains, not by hours on a clock. Six factors move a quote:

Modeled area. Cost scales with the square footage you model, not the square footage you scan — you can capture a whole floor and model only the core and shell.
LOD level. Moving from LOD 200 (generic geometry) to LOD 300 (field-verified dimensions) to LOD 350/400 (connection- and fabrication-level detail) raises modeling hours sharply. LOD 400 across an entire building is the most common way teams overpay.
MEP density. A packed mechanical room or a Sorrento Valley lab ceiling carries far more geometry per square foot than open office, and MEP is where most modeling time goes.
Disciplines in scope. An architectural shell alone is a fraction of architectural, structural, and MEP modeled and coordinated together.
Source-data quality. A clean, well-registered point cloud models faster than one that needs re-registration first — about one imported dataset in five does.
Rush and access. Compressed schedules and phased or occupied-site handoffs add coordination overhead.

We quote fixed-fee once scope is confirmed, so the number doesn’t move while we work. Because LOD is the single biggest lever, the BIM LOD levels guide is worth reading before you set scope.

Typical timelines from registered point cloud to delivered Revit file:

Building size	LOD 300	LOD 400
<20,000 sqft	7–10 days	14–18 days
20,000–60,000 sqft	12–18 days	21–28 days
60,000–120,000 sqft	18–28 days	4–6 weeks
>120,000 sqft	Custom scoping	Custom scoping

What you receive

Every scan-to-BIM delivery includes:

The Revit (.rvt) model at the agreed LOD, structured per your firm’s template
The linked, registered point cloud (.rcp) so your team can verify any element against scan data
A model accuracy report showing measured deviations per element category against the source point cloud
AutoCAD-format 2D extracts (plans, sections, elevations) generated from the model
An IFC export for non-Revit downstream tools
A handoff session — typically 30 minutes — to walk your project lead through model organization and any noted field conditions

Quality gate before delivery

Before any Revit file leaves our shop, it passes a fixed QC checklist: correct shared coordinates, level names matching scope, no orphan or unplaced elements, all model categories assigned, workset structure matching client template, accuracy report attached. The checklist is in every project SOW so there’s no ambiguity about what “done” means.

Matching the model to the decision it supports

Not every project needs a full BIM model, and not every model needs high LOD. The right scope starts broad and narrows to what each decision actually requires.

If a team only needs dimensioned floor plans for a permit set, 2D CAD drawings extracted from the scan — not a full parametric model — are the faster, cheaper answer. When the work is genuinely three-dimensional — clash avoidance, MEP routing, structural analysis — a Revit model earns its cost. Within BIM, LOD 200 suits early space planning, LOD 300 is the right default for design development on a retrofit, and LOD 350/400 belong only where elements feed fabrication or tight coordination. Paying for connection-level detail across a whole building, instead of on the MEP that needs it, is the mistake we correct most often at scoping.

The BIMForum LOD Specification is the industry reference for these definitions; the BIM LOD levels guide applies them to real scoping decisions.

Scan-to-BIM across San Diego County

FieldScan delivers scan-to-BIM from San Diego, serving all of San Diego County, with projects across Orange County, Riverside County and the Inland Empire. The modeling process is identical wherever the building is; what changes locally is the kind of work that needs it.

Sorrento Valley and Torrey Pines lab and biotech tenant improvements are MEP-dense, and a fit-out’s feasibility usually turns on a verified as-built model rather than decades-old record drawings. Campus and institutional facilities are built in phases and rarely fully documented, so an accurate Revit baseline pays back across every later project. And Southern California’s seismic-retrofit work — driven by statewide standards and local ordinances targeting older concrete and soft-story buildings — needs a structural model that matches the building as it stands, which is exactly what scan-to-BIM produces.

Frequently asked questions

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Scan-to-BIM works best as the second stage of a bundled engagement: 3D laser scanning captures the field reality; scan-to-BIM converts it into a usable design artifact. For roofs, facades, and site context a tripod can’t reach, FAA Part 107 compliant drone surveying fills the gaps, and when a project needs a certified boundary or topographic survey, our land surveying service delivers it through a licensed California PLS partner. The BIM LOD levels guide explains the LOD framework in depth — read it before scoping if your team is new to LOD-based contracts.

Tell us what you’re modeling and we’ll tell you the right LOD and scope. Get a scope and quote.

Scan-to-BIM