Plants and plant rooms
Dense scans of pipework and plant rooms open in the same viewer as everything else.
Point clouds and BIM
Why Is My Point Cloud So Slow in Revit?
Because a full-site scan is a lot of data for a model to draw in every view. Keep Revit for modelling. For looking, measuring and sharing, SpatialSense opens the whole scan in a browser, with your IFC model laid over it.
- Free Lite Viewer for LAS, LAZ, PLY, IFC
- Unlimited users
- 30-day free trial, no card
The short answer
Revit is built to model, and it does that well. A full-site scan is a different kind of data: millions of points that every view showing it has to draw. Cropping and splitting the scan helps the people who model. The people who only need to look at it, measure it or show it to a client still wait for a workstation. SpatialSense gives them a second place to open it: the whole scan in a browser, with the IFC from Revit laid over it.
What you can do without opening the model
- Open the whole scanE57, LAS, LAZ, PCD and PLY from any scanner, in a web browser.
- Lay the model on topUpload the IFC exported from Revit and overlay it on the scan, or view the two side by side.
- MeasureDistances, heights, areas and sections on the scan, and between the scan and the model.
- Share with anyoneA share link opens without a login, and LAS, LAZ, PLY, IFC and GLB files open free in the Lite Viewer.
- Keep Revit for modellingModel in Revit as you do today. SpatialSense is for viewing, checking and sharing.
Scan and model in the browser, in five steps
Your modelling stays in Revit. This is for everyone who needs to look at the scan.
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Create a project
Give it a name and a type: building, highway, bridge, tunnel or railway.
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Upload the scan and the model
Add the point cloud as E57, LAS, LAZ, PCD or PLY, and the model exported from Revit as IFC.
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Open the whole scan
The full scan opens in the 3D viewer, in a browser, with nothing to install.
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Lay the model on top
Choose Overlay and fade the model in and out with the opacity control.
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Or side by side
Choose Split to see the scan and the model next to each other.
Why do big scans slow a model down?
Questions about slow point clouds have run on user forums for years. The reasons are mostly about what a scan is, not about any one program.
Every view draws the points
A linked point cloud is drawn in each view that shows it, so a model with many views has a lot of drawing to do.
Scans keep getting bigger
Faster scanners and more setups per visit mean each new scan is larger than the last one.
Not everyone needs to model
Project managers, clients and site teams often only need to look and measure, yet the scan sits inside the modelling file.
The usual fixes help inside the model: link only the scans or regions you need, crop with a section box, and hide the point cloud in views that do not need it. For everyone who only needs to look, open the scan somewhere built for looking.
Big scans in SpatialSense
On the map
Georeferenced scans sit on the map, so you can see where each one was taken.
Earthworks and quarries
Drone and laser surveys of open ground sit in the same project as your building scans.
The scan in a browser and the scan in the model
Each is good at a different job.
| SpatialSense in a browser | A scan linked in the model | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can open it | Anyone you invite, with unlimited users, or anyone with a share link. | People with the software, a licence and the files. |
| What they need | A web browser. | A workstation that can carry the model and the scan. |
| Model on the scan | Overlay or split view with the IFC exported from Revit. | Native, inside the model. |
| Measuring | On the scan, on sections, and between the scan and the model. | The tools in the model. |
| Modelling | Not what SpatialSense is for. Keep Revit. | The right place for it. |
Try it with your own scan
Two ways in, both free to start.
- For a quick lookOpen a LAS, LAZ or PLY file in the free Lite Viewer. Nothing to install, no account.
- For the full projectStart a 30-day free trial, no card details.
- Export the model as IFCExport from Revit and upload the IFC to the same survey as the scan.
- Line them upUse georeferenced data, or align the model to the scan, then choose Overlay or Split.
- Share itInvite the team, or send a link that opens without a login.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a point cloud faster in Revit?
Link only the scans or regions you need, crop with a section box, and hide the point cloud in views that do not need it. Working from a local copy rather than across a network can also help. For people who only need to view and measure, open the scan in a browser instead.
Can I see my Revit model on the point cloud in SpatialSense?
Yes. Export the model as IFC, upload it with the scan and choose Overlay or Split. The model needs to be georeferenced or aligned with the scan.
Does SpatialSense replace Revit?
No. Revit is for modelling. SpatialSense is for opening, checking, measuring and sharing scans and models, with 360° walks and drone flights in the same project.
Which point cloud formats does SpatialSense open?
E57, LAS, LAZ, PCD and PLY, from any scanner. Models open as IFC.
Is there a free way to open a scan?
Yes. LAS, LAZ, PLY, IFC, GLB and splat files open free in the Lite Viewer. The full platform has a 30-day free trial with no card details.
See SpatialSense on your project
Keep modelling where you model. Open the scan where everyone can see it.