Today, at SPAR International 2015, Trimble announced that it has entered a reseller agreement with DotProduct to distribute the DPI-8 handheld scanner “as part of a shared objective to make 3D scanning more accessible to the building design and construction market.”
In conversation with SPAR, Bryan Williams, Segment Manager for Field Solutions with Trimble Buildings said, “We’re always looking for new technologies to bring more productivity for building contractors. We tried to make an easy workflow for them, and this technology offered by DotProduct, the DPI-8, basically allows them to bring 3D positioning technology to the masses.”
Williams praised DotProduct’s software, mentioning the the simple interface, the live stitching of data, and the quick creation of a “complete 3D dataset.”
Another attraction to DotProduct, he said, was the versatility of the handheld scanner. “You can use it for many different applications on a building site,” he continued. “For instance, if you’re trying to tie into some existing facilities, you can quickly capture the key components of that. You can augment it with captured performed on a traditional tripod based dataset, so if you had a tripod-based scanner which captures a large amount of data in a short period of time and you needed to tie it into a highly detailed capture, then you could use the same devices together.”
A second application that attracted Trimble was the ability to scan regularly as a way to track progress on a job site. Williams explained that you could take DotProduct’s format into RealWorks to combine the two datasets, and so “you can tie the [old and new data sets]together, and you can look at that and see what has changed since the last time you were there. So as you’re going through your daily build, you can quickly capture the data, see the progress of where things are at, and then you can start looking at things like–what has been built? what hasn’t been built? You can compare that to the design, the construction model, and use that to figure out where you’re up to, and who needs to be scheduled to come in next.”
This sort of process could be critical, Williams noted, in keeping a construction job on schedule and to cost.
Williams explained a number of other benefits, including the ability for users to scan in dangerous, difficult, or obstructed locations that wouldn’t safely accommodate a tripod-mounted scanner, the ability for non-specialists to scan, and the low cost of DotProduct’s units. He believes these factors will be instrumental in convincing the construction market to adopt 3D scanning more widely.
In a statement, Jim McCartney, market manager, field solutions and mobility for Trimble Building’s General Contractor/Construction Manager Division said “Scanners, the point cloud data they generate, and the intelligent integration of this data within highly accurate and constructible 3D models deliver significant value to building construction—but cost and complexity have prevented more widespread adoption,” said Jim McCartney, market manager, field solutions and mobility for Trimble Building’s General Contractor/Construction Manager Division. “We’re excited to bring more accessible scanning and imaging solutions to the market that can stimulate the broader use of 3D laser scanning among construction users.”
DotProduct, for their part, is pleased that their small company cano now access the markets and distribution network Trimble has. “We’re absolutely thrilled,” said DotProduct VP of marketing and sales Tom Greaves. “It’s really going to extend our reach and grasp. Trimble’s worldwide support and distribution capabilities are a real positive for us.”
