Site Capture for Construction: Choosing How to Record Your Site
Every site gets captured somehow — in WhatsApp photos, a drone flight, a surveyor's scan. The question is whether anyone can find it when they need it.
Bring every site capture into one place. 360° walks, laser scans, drone flights, BIM models and floor plans, dated by survey and open in the browser.
14 days free with no credit card, or 30 days when you book a demo.
Have a LAS, LAZ or PLY scan? Open it free in the Lite Viewer — no account needed.
Site capture methods compared
Each method answers a different question. Most projects use more than one.
| Method | What you get | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360° walk (camera on a helmet or handheld) | Imagery of every direction along the route | Weekly progress records, remote site reviews, work before it is covered up | A visual record, not survey-grade measurement |
| 360° drive (camera on a car) | 360° imagery along a road or haul route | Roads, haul routes and long civil sites | Only covers what is visible from the vehicle |
| Laser scanning | A point cloud you can measure | As-built verification, scan-to-BIM checks, accurate measurements | Specialist equipment and operator; large files |
| Drone flight | Aerial imagery, maps or 3D models | Earthworks, roofs, large open sites | Needs a pilot and permission to fly; cannot see inside |
| Phone photos | Individual photos | A quick look at one detail | No consistent coverage, location or filing |
How often should you capture?
Match the capture to the pace of the work and the reporting cycle. A walk of the same route before each progress meeting gives you a record that lines up date by date. On top of that routine, capture the moments that disappear: before a pour, before ceilings close, and before handover.
Laser scans and drone flights usually run less often, at milestones or where you need measurements rather than a visual record.
Setting up a site capture routine
- Decide what the record is for — progress reports, payment evidence, quality checks or remote reviews.
- Pick the method for each area: 360° walks inside, drives along roads and haul routes, scans or drone flights where you need measurements.
- Name one person who owns the capture each week. No owner means no record.
- Walk or drive the same route every visit, so two dates can be compared.
- File every capture by project, location and date in one place the whole team can open.
Common site capture mistakes
Every method in a different tool. Scans on a hard drive, drone maps in one portal, photos in a chat group. Nobody sees the whole picture.
Capturing but never looking. Captures earn their keep when someone compares them, raises an issue or puts them in a report.
Inconsistent routes and viewpoints. If each capture covers different ground, the record has gaps exactly where questions come up.
Waiting for a problem. A record made after an incident is a reconstruction. Routine capture means the record already exists.
Where SpatialSense fits
SpatialSense is a browser-based platform where drone flights, 360° walks, laser scans, BIM models and floor plans sit in one place, dated by survey. Point clouds come in as LAS, LAZ, E57 or PCD, BIM models as IFC, alongside 360° imagery — all in the same project.
For 360° capture, Trace records with an Insta360 X4 or X5 on your helmet, on a car or handheld, and pins every capture to your floor plan or route. From there the team compares two dates, overlays BIM, pins and assigns issues, and generates AI progress reports, without driving to site.
More than storage
Capture with Trace
Helmet walks, car drives along a route, or handheld captures at set points. See how Trace works →
Open laser scans in the browser
E57 scans and other point clouds open without desktop software. Open E57 files in your browser →
Compare scans over time
Line up two captures of the same site from different dates and see what changed. Compare point clouds across time →
Overlay against BIM
Put the as-built capture next to the design model and see where they disagree. Verify as-built against BIM →
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between site capture and reality capture?
The terms overlap. Reality capture usually means producing a digital copy of a physical space, such as a point cloud or 3D model. Site capture is the routine of recording a construction site over time, and can include reality capture alongside 360° walks and photos.
Can I bring scans from any scanner?
Yes. Upload point clouds from any scan vendor in LAS, LAZ, E57 or PCD. They are converted once and then stream in the browser.
Do I need special hardware for 360° capture?
You need a phone and an Insta360 camera (X4 or X5). Trace, the SpatialSense capture app, pairs with the camera, pins every walk to your floor plan and uploads it in the background, retrying on bad signal.
Is it really free?
You can try the SpatialSense platform free for 14 days with no credit card, or book a demo and use it free for 30 days. Paid plans start from USD 500 per site per month, with unlimited users.
Is my data private?
Yes. Projects are private by default and access is role-based — only people you invite can open your captures.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes — the viewer runs in a mobile browser, and Trace is a mobile app for iOS and Android, so captures are made and opened on site as well as at a desk.
Bring your team in. Start a free trial and bring your first site capture into one place today.