When it comes to digital twins, the model is only as good as the data feeding it. A digital twin from design-intent BIM alone is a hypothesis because field conditions change, routing gets modified, and the as-built reality diverges from plan in hundreds of ways.
Construction reality capture, particularly clearly captured 3D laser scans, helps project teams bridge the gap between the planned model, and what is actually being built. A model updated with cleanly captured as-built data from 3D laser scans, UAV/drones, or photo and video documentation becomes capable of providing usable, actionable insights to project teams. The reality capture data makes the BIM an actual “digital twin” of what is being or has been constructed.
Project data captured by Multivista specialists can be put to work alongside the Hexagon Multivista Create and Analyze services, designed to maximize value from the connection between planned models and real-world, as-built conditions by automating tasks that were historically so burdensome and time-consuming they rarely got done.
Capture: Real-time visibility into site progress and conditions
Professional Multivista reality capture specialists and scanning experts use photography, 360° imagery, and Leica 3D scanners that deliver millimeter-accuracy to capture a project’s as-built conditions at key construction milestones (before a slab pour or cover-up, for example). Progression reality capture shoots are scheduled weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly according to each project’s specific needs.
Reality capture services help project teams track progress, find deviations from plan, reduce delays, resolve disputes, avoid rework, and ensure quality control. As well, Multivista specialists are trained to ensure the jobsite data collected is clean enough to support and enable other digital workflows in the data pipeline on the path to true digital twin enablement.
Create: Transform captured reality into coordinated models
The Hexagon Multivista Create teams take captured reality and transform it into coordinated building information models (BIM), constructible documentation, and operational digital assets. Scan-to-BIM workflows begin with millions of measurement points and end with models reflecting what was actually built, instead of what was planned months or even years ago.
Working from real, as-built models – new or updated – drives efficiencies throughout the construction process because the entire build and design team is working from a cloud-accessible single source of truth. For renovation and retrofit projects, particularly with older, heritage buildings, these as-built, data-rich models are a team’s secret weapon.
Analyze: Automated reporting to avoid costly, error-prone manual methods
Analyze services provide automated progress reporting to streamline construction management, save time, and reduce potential delays and errors. When it comes to enabling digital twins, there are two main Analyze services to consider:
- Deviation analysis compares as-built scan data against design-intent models to detect deviations by trade and floor, track quality trends, and prevent downstream clashes. Finding issues early greatly reduces (or eliminates) destructive discovery, project waste, and time and resources spent on remediation.
- Building progress reporting automates construction progress tracking by comparing regularly captured (weekly or bi-weekly) progression photos against a project schedule. Is what’s supposed to be built actually built? Hexagon Multivista uses a combination of automation technology and real human oversight to speed up the process of recognizing progress by floor or trade to produce regular, accurate insights.
- Earthwork progress reporting combines UAV/drone capture and proprietary technology to deliver accurate cut/fill volumes and discrepancies against project benchmarks.
Data-fueled, full-lifecycle digital twins
The value of a digital twin should not end once construction is finished. Owner training videos where system experts walk through important facility systems such as HVAC, security, fire-suppression, or MEP. With QR code access on each system linking to videos of the actual experts who installed each system and digital manuals, facilities teams are far better equipped for maintenance, operation, and upkeep while also preventing valuable knowledge loss in the case of employee turnover.
For facility owners: digital-twin-ready documentation ensuring assets remain future-ready for decades. For architects: precise as-built scans keeping design intent on track. For GCs: measurable progress insights strengthening project execution.
The firms thriving in the digital twin era build a continuous data thread from the first site survey to the last facility management decision, and Multivista reality capture is a key first step. We don’t just capture your project; we set it up for success.
At Multivista, we’ve been capturing as-built construction data since 2003 – the original construction reality capture provider – and have since expanded to service more than 500 cities around the globe. To learn more about getting a Multivista reality capture specialist working alongside your current or next project team, reach out for a demo.
