3D Scanning Will Help Rebuild Notre Dame

April 19, 2019

Paris officials have vowed to restore Notre Dame Cathedral after fire destroyed the roof and other parts of the historic building, and construction technology will speed the process.

According to Trimble, Building Information Modeling (BIM) and 3D laser scanning technology will make it relatively quick and easy to rebuild. In 2015, architectural historian Andrew Tallon used a 3D laser scanner to map the entire cathedral and create a precise image of the building in a digital format. This will provide the foundation of the restoration project, as it can show exactly what the building looked like inside and out.

Trimble says 3D scanning is routinely used on new construction, remodeling,  and restoration projects.

The article explains that 3D scanning is a 3-step process:

  1. Scan- Millions of measurement points are collected and saved, providing an accurate 3D representation of the area.

  2. Register- Once a series of cloud points is uploaded from the scanner, software can “stitch” together the individual scans into one composite 3D point cloud model.

  3. Detail- Detailing software changes the scanner’s capture into data rich BIM components.

Notre Dame has been scanned and registered, giving restoration contractors a head start. They can now detail the existing 3D point cloud to generate a fully functional constructable model for use throughout the rebuild.


Source: Constructible