If you've heard "we'll just scan it" on a project, there's a good chance someone meant LiDAR. Here's what that actually delivers — and what to ask for.
What is LiDAR?
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) measures distance with laser pulses to build a dense, accurate 3D point cloud — a set of millions of 3D coordinates representing every surface in a space. Unlike a photo-based tour, a point cloud is measurable engineering data.
The file formats that matter
For AEC and BIM work, the deliverable format determines whether the data is usable:
.e57— the open standard for point-cloud exchange..rcp— imports directly into Autodesk Revit and ReCap..pts— a widely supported plain-text point format.
We export all three from the Matterport Pro3. See our LiDAR scanning and BIM services for the full deliverable list.
When does accuracy matter?
Not every project needs millimeter precision:
- Coordination, RFIs, progress capture? The Pro3's ~1% room-scale accuracy is plenty.
- Modeling input for Revit? Use the Pro3's
.rcppoint-cloud export. - Marketing or training tour? A standard Matterport tour is enough.
The trap is paying for survey-grade accuracy you don't need — or worse, modeling from data that isn't accurate enough. We scope the right tool up front. If you're working a project in the region, our AEC page covers our typical workflow, or reach out to talk specifics.
