Senior Reality Capture Product Manager Michael Harvey delves into the most meaningful reality capture developments, the biggest challenges, and exciting new opportunities in this intriguing Tech Insider interview.
Mike Harvey still remembers the elation and frustration of using one of the earliest laser scanners, the giant Cyrax 2400, which first deployed in 1998. In the decades that followed, the technology has evolved to become significantly smaller, faster, and easier to use. In fact, with push-button operation and automated workflows, today’s reality capture technology can be used by just about anyone. So what separates the winners from the wannabes?
We recently sat down with Mike to capture his insights on key advances in reality capture and the “secret sauce” that distinguishes successful service providers. Watch the full interview, or browse the discussion highlights below.
What has been the most meaningful development in laser scanning over the last two decades?
The first thing that really revolutionized the industry was cloud-to-cloud registration. Having multiple large scans that you can piece together without the need for targets—because essentially now reality becomes your entire target—really starts to speed up the workflow.
With technologies that augment this process, like the VIS technology that came out with the RTC360, you’re adding in IMU as well as visual SLAM algorithms to help the users track from scan to scan. And with a tablet, you can see each scan as it comes into place.
So cloud-to-cloud registration and VIS have been the two biggest developments.
Now we’re on the cusp of having a lot of other things happen on the scanner out on the field when AI capabilities come into play.
What are the biggest challenges for those who are involved in the day-to-day work of reality capture?
The industry as a whole is moving to a more systematic approach where the reality capture device is part of a whole system that includes the software, tablet, and other components. It’s a much more connected workflow. So the challenge that many users have is identifying the most efficient workflow to get from point A to point B.
What is the biggest misunderstanding about reality capture?
Reality capture originated from the term High-Definition Surveying™, HDS™ [trademarked by Leica Geosystems], which was based around tripod-based scanning systems. Now, reality capture has also evolved into different sensor types. So not only do you have traditional tripod scanning systems, you also have mobile mapping systems, handheld devices, UAVs, and even photogrammetry that can be classified as reality capture.
So looking at the industry as a whole, reality capture has really started to morph from being product-centralized to more process-centralized. In the same way that BIM [building information modeling] is more of a process, reality capture is now really a process because there are so many different sensors that you can use to get to a certain deliverable. That process becomes the “secret sauce” that differentiates service providers in the market.
Despite the rapid expansion of technology, there still aren’t any standards that can help users make an informed decision. What is the impact of this lack of standardization on the industry?
Many people just compare spec sheets, but then they’re overlooking the whole system approach.
There is no one unit that does everything perfectly. Each device excels in a certain area to provide a certain result. And the challenge there is in understanding what you’re going to get with a certain instrument. It’s really about choosing the right instrument for the right job.
There’s also a challenge with software. You don’t want to have multiple software workflows to get to the deliverable. You want to have one software workflow regardless of what hardware you’re using.
What differentiates Leica Geosystems as a brand in reality capture?
Leica Geosystems has the expertise. A construction person is not going to speak the same language as a police person or somebody on a movie set. So we hire people from those industries, and we take great care in getting that type of knowledge to help customers succeed.
That also extends to our training. We have many different training groups that are focused on specific applications.
Speaking of training, HDS University—which is now LGS University—is taking place in October 2024. What will professionals find at the educational event this year?
One of the main reasons we changed the name from HDS University to LGS University is that we wanted to encompass more of the full workflow through the overall reality capture journey.
So we will have training on our full suite of software and hardware for reality capture, but we’re also going to be talking about GPS and total station workflows with Captivate field software. We’ll be talking about converting imagery into a point cloud in our Infinity office software. We will also talk about some of our mobile mapping solutions.
We have just under 70 classes in total that will be running over the course of three days.
And LGS University is in person. Are there remote training opportunities available as well?
We have a whole learning journey available through an HDSU Smart Plan subscription. It provides some onsite training as well as access to a virtual classroom and pre-recorded materials that we have compiled over the last 12 years, including classes on using Cyclone 3DR, going deeper into CloudWorx, and making Reality Cloud Studio an integral part of your workflow.
There are always people coming and going in companies, so there needs to be some way companies can train people easily on demand. Professionals can also contact me or Training Manager Karen Hughes to request courses on specific topics.
What are you most excited about as you look to the future?
I think the future will be focused on AI and machine learning. We’re already seeing more instantaneous recognition of things, whether it be classification of point clouds, or recognizing different aspects of data sets so you can start putting in predetermined models. At Leica, we’re focused on helping customers capture data quickly and then come up with a deliverable very quickly, whether it be a full model or something else.
A lot of the traditionally office-based workflows are being pushed out into the field. And you need to have programs that are able to identify certain things out in the field for quick deliverables that you can pass off to anybody right away.
Is there still going to be a need for office software? I think so. But the human interaction will start to go through different phases of a semi-automatic and then fully automatic workflow where you just kind of push a button and out pops and answer. That also needs to be very clever so that the user can have proper QA/QC tools, as well.
Looking into the future, I think software is definitely going to be the key. I wouldn’t be surprised if the paradigm of the current market shifts to where hardware becomes less expensive and software becomes more expensive, because that’s where all the magic happens.
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