Leica Reality Capture Solutions

Real-time collaboration between field and office is the new standard

For most 3D laser scanning projects, the workflow has not fundamentally changed for years. Data is captured in the field, physically imported back at the office for final registration, and only then shared for further deliverable creation. Each phase only begins once the previous one has been completed.

The process is sequential, and this has consequences: project timelines become longer because the workflow progresses in a linear manner. Teams that could deliver faster are held back.

In a market where customers increasingly expect shorter turnaround times and competition for project contracts is intensifying, this disadvantage is becoming increasingly difficult to compensate for.

Field and office: two separate worlds

Advancements such as apps for registration directly in the field reduce some of the manual work that previously could only be carried out once the data had reached the office. However, they have not changed the delays caused by the sequential workflow.

The field and the office still remain two separate working environments. A project manager in the office only gains insight into the site once the data physically arrives. If an area was missed during scanning in the field, this may only become apparent during final registration in the office.

These "blind spots" occur more frequently as projects increase in scope. Especially when several scanners operated by different people are working in parallel on the same project, it only becomes clear when the data is brought together in the office what each person has captured. Coordinating the work to ensure complete coverage of the site often relies on standard communication methods and informed estimates. Operators therefore frequently scan more than necessary as a precaution, wasting time in the process. Nevertheless, "blind spots" are occurring more and more often.

Even the best software or cloud solution cannot change the sequential workflow with separate worlds between field and office, insufficient coordination, missed areas and the resulting costly delays. This is a structural issue. The workflow itself needs to change.

Livelink: real-time collaboration is the new standard

With today's wireless networks, the gap between field and office can be effectively bridged. With the new Leica RTC product range, Livelink was introduced to enable real-time collaboration both between field and office and between different teams working on a project in parallel.

The feature seamlessly connects scanner operators, field coordinators and office teams in a single live project environment within Leica Cyclone FIELD 360 while data is still being captured. All captured data is immediately available. While the laser scanners are capturing the data, it is transmitted via a shared Livelink scene in Hexagon GeoCloud to every connected mobile device as well as to the office.

Registration begins before the final setup has even been completed. Further processing starts before a team has even left the site.

A sequential workflow becomes a parallel workflow. Livelink changes the workflow.

Benefits of Livelink in practice

Significantly shorter delivery times

Capture, import and registration take place simultaneously. No waiting time in the office. Deliverables are completed faster and can be shared with customers sooner.

The market for 3D laser scanning is growing. As a result, the number of potential projects is also increasing. At the same time, competition is becoming more intense. By significantly reducing the time required to complete final deliverables, Livelink gives companies a competitive advantage over competitors that are still tied to linear workflows, while also enabling teams to move on to the next project sooner.

Complete real-time overview for field and office

When multiple RTC laser scanners are used within a project, all team members, both on site and in the office, have a complete overview of the capture process through a shared Livelink scene. They can see what has already been scanned and where gaps still remain.

The benefits for medium-sized to large scanning projects can be illustrated by the example of capturing a tunnel: Two scanner operators start simultaneously from opposite ends and work towards each other. Both operators and the team in the office can see the scanning progress from both sides of the tunnel simultaneously and in real time. Since the setups of the different operators are displayed in different colors, coordination becomes even easier and complete coverage without overlaps or missed areas can be ensured.

Similar benefits apply to high-rise projects spanning multiple floors. All field staff can coordinate with each other across all floors in real time. As soon as one section is completed, resources can be reassigned. Unnecessary duplicate scanning is avoided.

Livelink ensures completeness, avoids repeat site visits and gives all field staff the confidence when leaving a site that the work has been carried out correctly and completely.

The coordinator: a new role for experienced experts

Livelink helps make the work of scanning teams more efficient. An experienced expert can now act as a scanning coordinator between the teams in the field and the office.

This person monitors incoming data from the field, handles registration and intervenes if an area has been missed before capture continues elsewhere.

The coordinator can also work on the project while data is still being captured, group setups, take measurements and produce initial results such as a floor flatness analysis before everyone has left the site.

For larger scanning projects involving multiple RTC laser scanners, the coordinator ensures the best possible quality while maximizing time savings.

Scalable staffing

Since the scanning coordinator handles immediate registration, individual scanner operators can focus entirely on data capture. New or inexperienced team members do not first need extensive training in registration before they can begin scanning. Registration skills can be learned gradually. This division of responsibilities allows companies to expand their scanning capacity without the need for specialized training increasing proportionally.

Integrated intelligent data management via the cloud

With Livelink, preview data can be synchronized with GeoCloud. Data from the field can therefore be uploaded seamlessly to a cloud environment without placing a burden on the company's own network or requiring large files to be downloaded. The complete scan data can be downloaded from the cloud into Cyclone FIELD 360 to adjust targets or perform more precise registration. Teams gain real-time visibility without having to move large amounts of data at every step.

The complete, high-density scan data remains securely stored on the respective laser scanner until it is downloaded for final registration, detailed analysis or advanced deliverables. If the internet connection is lost, the workflow is not interrupted. All data synchronized up to that point remains available in Livelink. Synchronization is paused and automatically resumes as soon as the connection is restored.

Market trends and further developments

Workflows based on a single scanner continue to form the backbone of the industry. At the same time, projects are becoming larger and scanning teams are becoming more distributed. Workflows increasingly need to support both single-operator setups and multi-user environments. Across all projects, customers expect short delivery times. At the same time, there are not enough experienced experts available. Training takes time.

The new Leica RTC product range and Livelink in Leica Cyclone FIELD 360 connected with Hexagon GeoCloud already address these developments today.

As Livelink continues to evolve, users can expect more comprehensive collaboration features, even greater automation of data processing and even easier synchronization between field and office.