7 Feb 2024

Using Insite360 to export a laser point cloud model for import to REVIT.

How to get a laser point cloud model of your as-built environment using Insite360, for import to Revit?

COGNICA use the NavVis VLX to capture photogrammetry and Point Cloud scans in both the internal and external environments. As the VLX is a mobile mapping system it captures high-definition photogrammetry and a highly accurate Point Cloud, at speed. As part of the mapping process, Ground Control Points linked to a spatial reference system, such as OSGB 36 and WGS 84, can be installed and captured to enhance the accuracy of the scans.

With the use of NavVis Cloud Processing, several site scans can be processed overnight allowing the team to stitch and quality check the work the next day. Where scans have been captured with Ground Control Points, these elements stitch automatically using the points as an alignment position. Completed site scans are deployed onto COGNICA’s Insite360 secure, cloud, web application, giving users 24/7/365 access to navigate their site scans.

Users with the Crop and Download feature enabled, can extract the whole or selected areas of the Point Cloud in a range of compatible formats including: .e57, e57 with panoramas, .las, .ply, .rcs or .pod formats. The following video shows the process of extracting a subset of the Point Cloud from Insite360.


Exported Point Cloud data, in the relevant format, can be imported into other mainstream design software. Figure 1 shows an example of an office Point Cloud that was extracted from Insite360 in .rcs format and directly imported into Autodesk Revit.

              Figure 1 – An Insite360 scan exported to Revit using the .rcs format.

The .rcs format enables the user to import the Point Cloud data into the Autodesk product suite including AutoCAD, Navisworks and Revit. The .pod format enables the user to import the Point Cloud extracts into software such as Bentley MicroStation and Siemens NX.

With Insite360, users can export data to various Point Cloud file types, so designers can use the planning or BIM software that they already have available to them, to plan their site or building improvements. With the ability to select a targeted subset of the site scan, or the entire site scan, data volume can easily be managed during the entire process. Scans captured with Ground Control Points will align with scans from other sources that are using the same spatial referencing system, so users can generate a full picture of their sites from multiple scanning systems.

COGNICA offer flexible hosting plans for their customers through the Insite360 platform. Generally, COGNICA offer the hosting on an annual basis, however this can be flexed to shorter periods, so once the data needed is extracted, then hosting can end.

COGNICA can scale to host single or multiple scans through the same instance, so customers can increase or reduce their hosting requirements for hosting on a consumption needs basis.

                Figure 2 - Insite360 map page showing the location of various site scans.

Contact Us now for a free no obligation quote for scanning your as-built sites or buildings.