Stephen Gross, an Architectural Engineer at Valley Home Improvement in Northampton, Massachusetts, has had his BLK360 since August of 2017. He recently shared with us how using the BLK360 has improved his workflow.
#1: SITE VISIT CHANGES
Before the BLK, you would walk into a space with an idea of the items and information you need to get. This information is project dependent, of course, but includes everything from specific plumbing locations, wall thickness, door and window sizes and locations, ceiling heights, and on and on. At the time, we used to have to try to transition real-world 3D as-built data into a 2D drawing on paper, then back to 3D data again in design software. But there is only so much data you can fit on a few sheets of graph paper, and only so much time you can invade the home or business of a potential client. It begs the question, “Can we find a way to skip the step of the “2D” copy of site data, and just take the property with us and reference it on our schedule?”
Can we find a way to skip the step of the '2D' copy of the site data, and just take the property with us and reference it on our schedule?
The answer is yes. By helping us take entire scans with us back to the office, it made us more accurate, more efficient, and way less stressed.
#2: WORKING WITH PRECISION DATA
Working in renovations, we’ve run into several occasions where having the BLK360 has saved us a lot of time (and gas). Because we had our scans, we didn’t have to go back out to check when a dimension or other existing condition didn’t quite add up. This was especially true for a recent project. Dealing with projects ranging from colonial America to modern construction has its curve balls, specifically with analyzing an existing roof structure. A current project has a roof with 2x8’s flat roof span and limited access for reinforcing. It’s presented us with an interesting engineering problem. The scan data has helped us out tremendously. For one, it has allowed us to understand that reinforcing in such a small accessible space will not be cost-effective. It also has allowed us to design and construct a steel frame bridging the exterior support walls, and avoid major upgrades to the existing structure. Working with true data has been a huge time-saver.
#3: PROGRESSIVE SCAN DATA
With any renovation, plans are subject to change as soon as the walls are opened up. On a lot of our larger projects, we will take progressive scans to record rough plumbing, electrical, and other conditions before all the finishes are up. Because our company offers a warranty program, in the rare event of an issue, we can use this information to help diagnose the culprit and locate and plan access points that mitigate the amount of demo we have to do to contain the issue. In those cases, having progressive scans is crucial.
Stephen Gross, Architectural Engineer for Valley Home Improvement, took us out in the field for a site survey and filled us in on the efficiencies they've gained by making reality capture a part of their work.
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This article was written about the BLK360 G1. To learn about the new, next generation BLK360 and how it differs from the G1, check out this interview with Gian-Phillipe Patri, our BLK360 Product Manager
