Discovering the power of scanning

Author: Monica Miller Rodgers

If you know laser scanning, then you also know the headache of registering and stitching together scans – meticulously spending hours to make sure everything fits just right to obtain the entire picture of a site. The latest 3D laser scanner by Hexagon’s Geosystems division uses edge computing to make these pains a worry of the past.

The new Leica RTC360 is a light (only 6 kilograms) and small laser scanner that automatically records moving from station to station to pre-register scans in the field. The Reporter caught up with Juergen Mayer, terrestrial laser scanning business director, to find out the latest on the latest.

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The RTC360 is the latest in the Geosystems 3D laser scanning line. Can you give us the scoop on what’s new?

Leica RTC360 is the optimal solution for maximum productivity on highly challenging and complex site conditions where the environment, the accuracy, the reliability and the speed of operation are of the utmost importance. The RTC360 is tuned for short to medium scan ranges and High-Dynamic Range (HDR) applications, which require the highest possible level of accuracy. It is equally suited for demanding indoor and outdoor applications. We gave particular care to workflow automation, integration of quality checks and real-time completeness checks. Combined with Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 and Leica Cyclone FIELD 360 laser scanning software, high quality laser scan data is provided quicker than ever before.

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We’ve heard a lot about edge computing lately. Can you explain what edge computing is and how does the RTC360 use it?

The RTC360 solution uses edge computing by streaming in real time scans and automatically processes the scan data to provide real-time quality control and data registration in the field.  

Unlike cloud computing, edge computing does not hold critical data centrally. Instead, this new process allows data to be streamed to mobile devices, enabling quicker access and more efficient analysis of data. For our users, this means they can pre-register the scans in the field and provide on-site QA for significant time savings.     

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Who should use the RTC360?

The RTC360 was developed to make scanning accessible to professionals who need accurate data capture but may not be 3D data capture experts, yet. RTC360 solution is ideal for those working in plants, building construction and public safety.

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What ROI are customers going to get out of this latest laser scanning innovation?

The RTC360 was designed with simple and highly automated workflows in mind. This allows immediate productivity even for scanning novices. Innovative technology allows integrated near-real-time quality assurance and completeness checks of your field work. The novelty of automatic pre-registration in the field reduces the complexity and the time of your office work. High quality point clouds become immediately available for your design work. These time savings, workflow simplifications and productivity gains automatically translate into increased profits and accelerated paybacks. In addition, the solution puts you in a position to expand your business activities pursuing new opportunities with new innovative deliverables. With the faster scanning and high portability of the RTC360, time on site is also reduced and safety is increased. Get in and get out faster with the increased accuracy you receive, affording you the opportunity to plan your work more efficiently off site so your time per scan is reduced by a factor of four.

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How does the RTC360 differ from other Leica ScanStations and the Leica BLK360?

The Leica ScanStation P40 is the right solution where survey grade workflows matter and highly reliable accurate results are required (traversing, target measurements, dual-axis compensation). It is also the right scanner for harshest operating conditions across the globe, in particular at extreme temperature ranges.

Due to its superior measurement range, the Leica ScanStation P50 will also be the instrument of choice when covering larger areas.

The Leica BLK360 is ideal for relatively small-scale reality capture applications where images are as important as accurate 3D data. The BLK360, though suitable for outdoor operation, is optimised for indoor applications with short ranges and that require maximum portability in highly congested areas. Due to its simplicity, it easily can be adopted by users who are absolutely not familiar with scanning so far.

The RTC360 is the scalable solution for varying sizes of projects, from basic to complex. It meets the needs in between the ScanStations and BLK360, and provides its own class of solution for construction, plant and public safety.