A laser scanner records what it can see. That one fact explains nearly every incomplete scan: a locked room, a wall hidden behind stacked boxes, a ceiling nobody opened. The scan itself is fast. The return visit to capture what was missed is what costs time and money.
Most of that is avoidable with an hour of preparation. Here is what to do before the scanner arrives.
A week before
Confirm the scope in writing. Which floors, which rooms, interior only or exterior and roof as well, above-ceiling or not. Scope decides how the day is planned, and anything not on the list will not be captured.
Arrange access to everything. Every locked door inside the scope needs a key, a code, or a person. Electrical rooms, janitor closets, roof hatches, tenant suites, and storage cages are the usual gaps. If a space needs an escort or a badge, line that up now.
Tell the occupants. A short notice to tenants or staff prevents most problems: what day, roughly how long, and that the scanner captures geometry and imagery of the space as it is. Ask them to put away anything they would not want recorded.
Send what you have. Old drawings, a fire evacuation plan, even a sketch. They do not need to be accurate. They help plan the route and make sure no rooms are skipped.
The day before
Clear the walls and corners that matter. The scanner cannot measure a wall it cannot see. You do not need an empty building, but move pallets, stacked furniture, and stored materials away from walls, columns, and any area being redesigned.
Open what needs to be seen. If the project involves ductwork, piping, or structure above a suspended ceiling, tiles need to come out in those areas, typically one tile every few bays or wherever the design team needs to see. Decide who is pulling them, because it is rarely the scanning crew by default.
Check the lights. The laser does not need light, but the color imagery does. Replace burned-out lamps and make sure every space can be lit, including vacant suites where power may be off.
Prop or unlock interior doors. Open doors let the scanner tie rooms together as it moves, which makes for a cleaner, better-connected dataset.
On scan day
Have one point of contact on site. Someone who can open doors, answer "is this room in scope," and make decisions when something unexpected turns up.
Keep people moving, not standing. A mobile scanner handles an occupied building well, and people walking through are filtered out of the data. A person standing in front of a wall for a full pass is not. Staff do not need to leave. They just should not follow the scanner around.
Leave things where they are. Once capture starts, avoid moving furniture, vehicles, or equipment in and out of the area being scanned.
Mirrors, glass walls, polished stone, and standing water reflect or pass the laser and produce noise. It is normal and it is cleaned up in processing, but tell your provider about large glazed or mirrored areas in advance so the capture can be planned around them.
What you do not need to do
You do not need to empty the building, shut down operations, or deep clean. You do not need to place targets or markers. And you do not need to stay for the whole visit, as long as access is sorted and someone can be reached by phone.
The one-page version
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| A week before | Confirm scope, arrange keys and escorts, notify occupants, send any old drawings |
| The day before | Clear key walls, pull ceiling tiles where needed, check lighting, open interior doors |
| Scan day | Provide a site contact, keep foot traffic moving, do not rearrange the space |
Preparation is the cheapest part of a scanning project and the part with the most effect on the result. If you are planning a scan and are not sure what your site needs, send us the address and scope and we will tell you what to have ready.
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