Automatic reconstruction of as-built building information models from laser-scanned point clouds: A review of related techniques
TL;DR: This article surveys techniques developed in civil engineering and computer science that can be utilized to automate the process of creating as-built BIMs and outlines the main methods used by these algorithms for representing knowledge about shape, identity, and relationships.
About: This article is published in Automation in Construction.The article was published on 2010-11-01. It has received 789 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Information model & Computer Aided Design.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: A comprehensive segmentation method for reconstructing a three-dimensional (3D) indoor structure with multiple stories and a peak-nadir-peak strategy in the distribution of points along the z-axis is proposed in order to extract connected areas across multiple floors.
Abstract: The fast and stable reconstruction of building interiors from scanned point clouds has recently attracted considerable research interest. However, reconstructing long corridors and connected areas across multiple floors has emerged as a substantial challenge. This paper presents a comprehensive segmentation method for reconstructing a three-dimensional (3D) indoor structure with multiple stories. With this method, the over-segmentation that usually occurs in the reconstruction of long corridors in a complex indoor environment is overcome by morphologically eroding the floor space to segment rooms and by overlapping the segmented room-space with partitioned cells via extracted wall lines. Such segmentation ensures both the integrity of the room-space partitions and the geometric regularity of the rooms. For spaces across floors in a multistory building, a peak-nadir-peak strategy in the distribution of points along the z-axis is proposed in order to extract connected areas across multiple floors. A series of experimental tests while using seven real-world 3D scans and eight synthetic models of indoor environments show the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method.
29 citations
TL;DR: This paper shows how the mobile robot, which carries a 3D scanner, is able to, on the one hand, make decisions about the next best scanner position and navigate autonomously in the scene with the help of the data collected from earlier scans.
Abstract: This paper is framed in both 3D digitization and 3D data intelligent processing research fields. Our objective is focused on developing a set of techniques for the automatic creation of simple three-dimensional indoor models with mobile robots. The document presents the principal steps of the process, the experimental setup and the results achieved. We distinguish between the stages concerning intelligent data acquisition and 3D data processing. This paper is focused on the first stage. We show how the mobile robot, which carries a 3D scanner, is able to, on the one hand, make decisions about the next best scanner position and, on the other hand, navigate autonomously in the scene with the help of the data collected from earlier scans. After this stage, millions of 3D data are converted into a simplified 3D indoor model. The robot imposes a stopping criterion when the whole point cloud covers the essential parts of the scene. This system has been tested under real conditions indoors with promising results. The future is addressed to extend the method in much more complex and larger scenarios.
29 citations
Cites methods from "Automatic reconstruction of as-buil..."
...A review about different techniques for BIM model reconstruction can be found in [20]....
[...]
TL;DR: A heuristic-based method to automate the semantic segmentation of laser point clouds collected from steel girder bridges to facilitate the applications of laser scanning in bridge inspection and management is proposed.
29 citations
TL;DR: The state of the art of scanning tools and methods used to represent a very complex architecture are presented and a methodology is proposed and assessed in a large experiment carried out on the most complex building of a 1300-megawatt power plant, an 11-floor reactor building.
Abstract: In the context of increased maintenance operations and generational renewal work, a nuclear owner and operator, like Electricite de France (EDF), is invested in the scaling-up of tools and methods of “as-built virtual reality” for whole buildings and large audiences. In this paper, we first present the state of the art of scanning tools and methods used to represent a very complex architecture. Then, we propose a methodology and assess it in a large experiment carried out on the most complex building of a 1300-megawatt power plant, an 11-floor reactor building. We also present several developments that made possible the acquisition, processing and georeferencing of multiple data sources (1000+ 3D laser scans and RGB panoramic, total-station surveying, 2D floor plans and the 3D reconstruction of CAD as-built models). In addition, we introduce new concepts for user interaction with complex architecture, elaborated during the development of an application that allows a painless exploration of the whole dataset by professionals, unfamiliar with such data types. Finally, we discuss the main feedback items from this large experiment, the remaining issues for the generalization of such large-scale surveys and the future technical and scientific challenges in the field of industrial “virtual reality”.
28 citations
Cites methods from "Automatic reconstruction of as-buil..."
...As detailed in [29], there is an obvious need for automated or semi-automated methods for the production of as-built BIMs; the current process for creating parametric BIM from a point cloud is largely a manual procedure, which is time consuming and lacks quality controls....
[...]
TL;DR: In this paper, a series of remote, 3D imaging experiments and reliability analyses are used to evaluate the reliability of structural steel members and to identify unknown in situ member sizes and assembly geometries.
Abstract: Reuse of structural steel can be more attractive than recycling in many cases, if associated costs and risks are lowered, and if externalities are considered. Geometric characterization is demonstrated in this article to have a key role to play in the decision process for each case of potential steel reuse, because it is necessary for identifying unknown in situ member sizes and assembly geometries, and for quantifying uncertainty when assessing the reliability of a structure. Without automation of this analysis, it is speculated that such a detailed decision making process would not be feasible. The key role of geometric characterization is demonstrated in this article through a series of remote, 3D imaging experiments and reliability analyses. The reliability analysis demonstrated that automated geometric identification using an algorithm developed for the current study results in a 56% reduction in capacity when compared to similar new steel members. Alternatively, more manual methods of remote geometry detection resulted in only a 2% reduction in capacity. It is concluded that semi-automated geometric characterization has the potential to support increased steel reuse through reduced identification costs and improved reliability. A new set of methods and an understanding of their utility in making reuse more attractive through reduced costs and improved reliability is thus contributed.
28 citations
References
More filters
TL;DR: New results are derived on the minimum number of landmarks needed to obtain a solution, and algorithms are presented for computing these minimum-landmark solutions in closed form that provide the basis for an automatic system that can solve the Location Determination Problem under difficult viewing.
Abstract: A new paradigm, Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC), for fitting a model to experimental data is introduced. RANSAC is capable of interpreting/smoothing data containing a significant percentage of gross errors, and is thus ideally suited for applications in automated image analysis where interpretation is based on the data provided by error-prone feature detectors. A major portion of this paper describes the application of RANSAC to the Location Determination Problem (LDP): Given an image depicting a set of landmarks with known locations, determine that point in space from which the image was obtained. In response to a RANSAC requirement, new results are derived on the minimum number of landmarks needed to obtain a solution, and algorithms are presented for computing these minimum-landmark solutions in closed form. These results provide the basis for an automatic system that can solve the LDP under difficult viewing
23,396 citations
TL;DR: This paper has designed a stand-alone, flexible C++ implementation that enables the evaluation of individual components and that can easily be extended to include new algorithms.
Abstract: Stereo matching is one of the most active research areas in computer vision. While a large number of algorithms for stereo correspondence have been developed, relatively little work has been done on characterizing their performance. In this paper, we present a taxonomy of dense, two-frame stereo methods designed to assess the different components and design decisions made in individual stereo algorithms. Using this taxonomy, we compare existing stereo methods and present experiments evaluating the performance of many different variants. In order to establish a common software platform and a collection of data sets for easy evaluation, we have designed a stand-alone, flexible C++ implementation that enables the evaluation of individual components and that can be easily extended to include new algorithms. We have also produced several new multiframe stereo data sets with ground truth, and are making both the code and data sets available on the Web.
7,458 citations
"Automatic reconstruction of as-buil..." refers background in this paper
...In other fields, such as computer vision, standard test sets and performance metrics have been established [72,83], but no standard evaluation metrics have been established for as-built BIM creation as yet....
[...]
TL;DR: Recognition-by-components (RBC) provides a principled account of the heretofore undecided relation between the classic principles of perceptual organization and pattern recognition.
Abstract: The perceptual recognition of objects is conceptualized to be a process in which the image of the input is segmented at regions of deep concavity into an arrangement of simple geometric components, such as blocks, cylinders, wedges, and cones. The fundamental assumption of the proposed theory, recognition-by-components (RBC), is that a modest set of generalized-cone components, called geons (N £ 36), can be derived from contrasts of five readily detectable properties of edges in a two-dimensiona l image: curvature, collinearity, symmetry, parallelism, and cotermination. The detection of these properties is generally invariant over viewing position an$ image quality and consequently allows robust object perception when the image is projected from a novel viewpoint or is degraded. RBC thus provides a principled account of the heretofore undecided relation between the classic principles of perceptual organization and pattern recognition: The constraints toward regularization (Pragnanz) characterize not the complete object but the object's components. Representational power derives from an allowance of free combinations of the geons. A Principle of Componential Recovery can account for the major phenomena of object recognition: If an arrangement of two or three geons can be recovered from the input, objects can be quickly recognized even when they are occluded, novel, rotated in depth, or extensively degraded. The results from experiments on the perception of briefly presented pictures by human observers provide empirical support for the theory. Any single object can project an infinity of image configurations to the retina. The orientation of the object to the viewer can vary continuously, each giving rise to a different two-dimensional projection. The object can be occluded by other objects or texture fields, as when viewed behind foliage. The object need not be presented as a full-colored textured image but instead can be a simplified line drawing. Moreover, the object can even be missing some of its parts or be a novel exemplar of its particular category. But it is only with rare exceptions that an image fails to be rapidly and readily classified, either as an instance of a familiar object category or as an instance that cannot be so classified (itself a form of classification).
5,464 citations
"Automatic reconstruction of as-buil..." refers background in this paper
...Various researchers have proposed candidate sets of primitives, such as geons [9], superquadrics [3], and generalized cylinders [10]....
[...]
TL;DR: Two of the most critical requirements in support of producing reliable face-recognition systems are a large database of facial images and a testing procedure to evaluate systems.
Abstract: Two of the most critical requirements in support of producing reliable face-recognition systems are a large database of facial images and a testing procedure to evaluate systems. The Face Recognition Technology (FERET) program has addressed both issues through the FERET database of facial images and the establishment of the FERET tests. To date, 14,126 images from 1,199 individuals are included in the FERET database, which is divided into development and sequestered portions of the database. In September 1996, the FERET program administered the third in a series of FERET face-recognition tests. The primary objectives of the third test were to 1) assess the state of the art, 2) identify future areas of research, and 3) measure algorithm performance.
4,816 citations
01 Aug 1996
TL;DR: This paper presents a volumetric method for integrating range images that is able to integrate a large number of range images yielding seamless, high-detail models of up to 2.6 million triangles.
Abstract: A number of techniques have been developed for reconstructing surfaces by integrating groups of aligned range images. A desirable set of properties for such algorithms includes: incremental updating, representation of directional uncertainty, the ability to fill gaps in the reconstruction, and robustness in the presence of outliers. Prior algorithms possess subsets of these properties. In this paper, we present a volumetric method for integrating range images that possesses all of these properties. Our volumetric representation consists of a cumulative weighted signed distance function. Working with one range image at a time, we first scan-convert it to a distance function, then combine this with the data already acquired using a simple additive scheme. To achieve space efficiency, we employ a run-length encoding of the volume. To achieve time efficiency, we resample the range image to align with the voxel grid and traverse the range and voxel scanlines synchronously. We generate the final manifold by extracting an isosurface from the volumetric grid. We show that under certain assumptions, this isosurface is optimal in the least squares sense. To fill gaps in the model, we tessellate over the boundaries between regions seen to be empty and regions never observed. Using this method, we are able to integrate a large number of range images (as many as 70) yielding seamless, high-detail models of up to 2.6 million triangles.
3,282 citations
"Automatic reconstruction of as-buil..." refers background in this paper
...Non-parametric geometricmodeling reconstructs a surface, typically in the formof a triangle mesh [41], or a volume [18]....
[...]