Most clients think of a virtual tour as a marketing tool — something for the website, for Google Business Profile, for sales. That is one use. But the same scan that produces the 360° tour also produces a LiDAR point cloud: a three-dimensional data set of the building's geometry that architects, project managers, and facilities teams can use to generate measured floor plans, Revit models, and as-built drawings. The scan is done once. The data serves multiple purposes.
Quick takeaways
- LiDAR point cloud data is accurate to 20mm — suitable for Revit BIM modelling and architectural drawing production
- One scan session delivers a navigable 360° tour and a point cloud — two deliverables from a single visit
- Point cloud data is delivered in .e57 and .las formats compatible with Revit, AutoCAD, and Navisworks
What the scan actually produces
See3D uses a LiDAR-enabled scanner that captures two things simultaneously at each scan position: a 360° panoramic image at 134 megapixels, and a structured-light LiDAR point cloud of the surrounding geometry.
The 360° imagery becomes the virtual tour — the navigable, shareable, embeddable visual record. The LiDAR data becomes the point cloud: millions of georeferenced points that together define the precise three-dimensional shape of every surface in the space. From this point cloud, floor plans, elevations, sections, and eventually full BIM models can be produced — without any further site visits.
For architects working on an existing building, this is a significant workflow change. Traditional existing conditions surveys require a surveyor to take hand measurements with a laser distancemeter, transcribe them into a drawing programme, and then check for errors — a slow process prone to mistakes that only become apparent late in the design phase. A scan replaces the measurement phase with a single session and removes manual transcription entirely.
From point cloud to floor plan
The most common deliverable requested alongside a virtual tour is a set of measured floor plans. These are produced by loading the registered point cloud into CAD or BIM software, taking a horizontal section at the appropriate height through the point cloud, and tracing the wall, door, and window positions that the points define.
Because the points represent actual laser measurements of the surfaces, the resulting floor plan is as accurate as the point cloud — 20mm in most interior conditions. This compares favourably with hand survey, where tolerances of 50–100mm are common and inconsistencies between rooms can compound across a complex floor plan.
For buildings that don't have existing drawings — older commercial properties, converted industrial spaces, Victorian terraces repurposed for office use — scan-derived floor plans are often the first accurate drawings the building has ever had.
Revit modelling from a point cloud
The scan-to-Revit workflow begins with the point cloud as the reference geometry. The point cloud is imported into Revit (or linked, for large datasets) and the BIM modeller traces architectural elements — walls, floors, ceilings, structural elements, openings — from the point data rather than from site sketches or hand measurements.
This produces a Revit model of the existing building (often called the "existing conditions model" or "as-built model") that the design team can use as the starting point for proposed works. The model reflects the building as it actually is — not as it was designed to be, which for older buildings can be significantly different.
See3D delivers the point cloud in .e57 and .las formats. From there, the architect's BIM team or a specialist BIM consultant produces the Revit model to the Level of Development (LOD) required for the project. LOD 200 (approximate geometry) is sufficient for most early-stage design work; LOD 300 (precise geometry, dimensions confirmed) is used where the model is to be used for detailed drawing production and construction coordination.
Who uses scan-to-Revit and when
Architects and interior designers working on fit-outs, refurbishments, or change-of-use projects use existing conditions models to design against the actual space geometry rather than estimated dimensions.
Project managers on complex refurbishment projects use the point cloud to check as-built against design — detecting whether construction has been executed to drawing before the next trade starts work.
Facilities managers maintaining large estates use persistent point cloud data as a spatial record of the building — useful for planning maintenance access, documenting plant locations, and managing asset changes over time.
Structural and M&E engineers use the point cloud to verify structural element positions, check ceiling void dimensions, and coordinate services routing without additional site visits.
The combined virtual tour and point cloud brief
For many projects, both deliverables are useful but serve different audiences. The 360° virtual tour goes to the marketing team, the property management team, or the client. The point cloud and measured drawings go to the design team. Both come from one scan session, one site visit, one invoice.
This is the most efficient structure for any project where both a spatial visual record and measured drawing data are required — which describes most commercial fit-out, refurbishment, and change-of-use projects. Get in touch to discuss your project and we'll advise on scan scope and data deliverables for your specific workflow.