3Dlaserscanners

3D laser scanners, sometimes written as 3Dlaserscanners, capture the three-dimensional shape of real-world objects by projecting a laser and measuring the reflected light. The data are typically dense point clouds used to create digital representations for analysis, design, and visualization. They are widely used in surveying, architecture, construction, manufacturing, archaeology, and industrial inspection.

Most scanners determine distance by emitting laser pulses (time-of-flight) or by measuring phase shift. They may also capture angular information with rotating mirrors to cover wide fields of view. Multiple scans are usually registered to form a complete model.

Types include terrestrial scanners for large scenes, handheld scanners for portability, mobile scanners on vehicles for rapid mapping, and airborne or drone-mounted scanners for extensive areas. Each type differs in range, resolution, accuracy, and speed.

Applications include surveying and civil engineering, construction monitoring, cultural heritage documentation, product design and reverse engineering, robotics and autonomous navigation, and film or game production.

Outputs are commonly point clouds in LAS/LAZ, PLY, or E57, and meshes or textured models in OBJ or STL. Post-processing often includes alignment of scans, denoising, classification, and conversion to CAD or BIM models. Accuracy ranges from millimeters to centimeters depending on device and distance.

Limitations include difficulties with reflective or transparent surfaces, sunlight effects outdoors, occlusions, and large data volumes that require significant processing power.