[ Field kit 03 ] Scan-to-BIM specification // Architects & designers
Scan-to-BIM Brief Template: Specify LOD, Deliverables and Access Before You Request a Quote
A point cloud survey brief for architects, building designers and engineers. Specify the deliverables, the LOD for each element and the site access before you ask for a quote, whether you're planning a home extension, renovating a Queenslander home or documenting a fit-out.
Contents
- 1.0Project basics and access
- 2.0Deliverables and formats
- 3.0LOD by element
- 4.0Exclusions and the surveyor
- +One-page LOD reference card
- Scan positions
- 0123456789101112
- Coverage
- 0%8%17%25%33%42%50%58%67%75%83%92%100%
- Extent
- House, verandah, under-house, rear yard
- Deliverable
- Revit · LOD 300 · .E57
Access notes from the brief
- Roof voidHatch in the hall
- Under-houseStumps and services
- Rear yardExtension footprint and facade
Issued with the proposal
Transmittal
No. BT-03
| Item | Format | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| Brief template | .docx | 1 |
| Brief template | 1 | |
| LOD reference card | 1 |
In this guide5 sections · 5 min read
An under-specified scan request produces one of two models: one too thin to design on, or one so heavy nobody wants to open it. The difference usually comes down to a few decisions made before anyone goes to site: which deliverables, which elements, and at what level of development.
This brief template walks through those decisions in the order a scan-to-BIM scope is built. Fill it in once, and the scope that comes back matches the model your team actually needs, whether you’re planning a home extension, renovating a Queenslander home or scoping a commercial fit-out.
What goes into a scan-to-BIM brief
The template has four parts: project basics, deliverables, LOD by element, and exclusions. Each one answers a question the scope depends on, so nothing has to be guessed or chased by email.
Project basics
- Site address and access: keys, parking, lifts, and any areas that need an escort.
- Building type: residential, Queenslander or character, heritage, commercial, or mixed use.
- Footprint and levels, including roof voids, subfloors, under-house areas and plant you need captured.
- Occupied or vacant, with the access windows that work for occupants or tenants.
- Anything time-critical: a lodgement date, a design workshop or a demolition start.
Deliverables
- Registered point cloud (.E57). The spatial record of the site, readable by any software that handles point clouds.
- Revit model (.RVT) or IFC. Built from the point cloud to the LOD you set for each element. Tell us your Revit version.
- Scan-to-CAD 2D plans (.DWG). Existing-conditions plans, sections and elevations, if your team works in CAD.
- Hosted 3D tour. Consultants and the client can walk the site without booking a visit.
- MatterPak™ files. An optional paid add-on of mesh, point cloud and imagery files to keep for CAD and Blender. They’re files, not an offline tour.
Old drawings are a starting point, not a record. Anyone who has learned how to read house plans for an older home knows the plans and the building rarely match after decades of changes. The brief asks for what’s there now.
Brief writer // fill the blanks
Write the brief in four sentences.
Pick from the blanks and the numbered brief builds itself on the right. Send it straight to the booking form with AEC & BIM selected, or copy it into your own scan to BIM specification.
Your project
We need of in , about over .
It's for , modelled to , with structure at .
The building is . Include in the capture.
We need the proposal .
Brief · BT-03 · Rev A
Draft
- 1.0Project[purpose] · [type] · [loc]
- 2.0Extent[size] · [levels] · extras: [extras]
- 3.0Deliverables[deliv][addon]
- 4.0LOD[lod] · structure [slod]
- 5.0Access[access]
- 6.0ProgrammeProposal [when]
- 7.0ExcludedBoundaries, set-out and levels to a survey datum (registered surveyor). Concealed elements. Not survey grade.
Strictly quote only: a fixed quote, capture plan and SWMS come back with the proposal.
Set LOD by element, not by project
LOD (level of development) sets how fully each element is modelled. Set it per element rather than once for the whole model. That keeps the model light where detail doesn’t matter and rich where it does.
| LOD | What it means in the model | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | Generic elements at their approximate size, shape and position | Massing, feasibility, early house extension design ideas |
| 300 | Specific elements modelled to the captured size, shape and position | Design development, documentation, coordination |
| 350 | As 300, plus the interfaces between elements, such as framing at openings or services meeting structure | Detailed coordination where elements connect |
The template lists the elements to set one by one: walls and partitions; floors, ceilings and roofs; structure such as beams, posts and stumps where they’re visible; doors and windows; and any visible services you need modelled. If you’re designing a house extension, structure is usually where LOD 350 earns its keep: where the new work meets the old frame.
LOD reference card // two sides
LOD 300 for most of it. 350 where it matters.
Side A compares LOD 200, 300 and 350 element by element, the way a LOD 300 existing conditions model is usually specified. Side B is the wording to drop into your brief.
| Element group | 200Massing and options | 300Design and documentation | 350Coordination where elements meet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walls & partitions | Generic walls at nominal thickness | Actual thickness, heights and openings | Plus junctions with floors, roof and framing |
| Floors, ceilings & roofs | Slabs and roof as massing | Levels, set-downs and ceiling heights | Plus bulkheads, penetrations and roof framing where visible |
| Structure | Indicative grid | Visible beams, posts and stumps in position | Plus how they connect to walls and new openings |
| Doors & windows | Placeholder openings | Sized openings, sill and head heights | Plus frames tied to the wall structure |
| Visible services | Not modelled | Fixtures, outlets and meters where seen | Plus exposed runs and where they meet structure |
LOD sets how much is modelled, not how accurate the capture is. The capture is architectural-grade, not survey grade.
Tap a column heading to highlight it
What a scan records, and who confirms the rest
A scan records what’s visible on the day: walls, openings, floor-to-ceiling heights, exposed structure, and service points like meters, pits and downpipes. That covers most of what a design team needs to start. Some things still need a professional sign-off.
- Boundaries, title and set-out need a registered surveyor, as do levels tied to a survey datum.
- A scan shows where walls, beams and posts sit. Identifying load-bearing walls is a job for an engineer or builder.
- Underground services aren’t captured. Before You Dig Australia plans are indicative and may not show detail inside the property boundary, so use a skilled locator to locate pipes underground on your own land.
- Anything concealed inside walls, under slabs or above sealed ceilings isn’t captured unless it’s exposed on the day.
- The capture is architectural-grade: a reliable digital as-built for design. It isn’t survey grade.
Existing ceiling heights are worth capturing early. Under the NCC Housing Provisions, the minimum is 2.4 m in habitable rooms and 2.1 m in kitchens, corridors, bathrooms and laundries, and the certifier checks the design against them during the building approval process in Queensland.
Scope boundary // who does what
The scan records it. Others confirm it.
What the capture gives your team on a house extension or renovation, and who signs off the rest.
| Brief item | rchive capture | Your designer | Engineer | Surveyor | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Existing-conditions model, plans and sections | Leads | Input | — | — | — |
| Existing ceiling heights for approval checks | Leads | Input | — | — | Input |
| Visible structure: beams, posts, stumps | Leads | Input | Input | — | — |
| Is this wall load-bearing? | Input | — | Leads | — | — |
| Boundaries, set-out and levels to datum | — | — | — | Leads | — |
| Underground pipes and cables | Input | — | — | — | Leads |
| Building approval | Input | Leads | — | — | Leads |
LeadsInput
Others: Before You Dig Australia and a skilled locator for underground services, and the building certifier for approval. Minimum ceiling heights under the NCC: 2.4 m in habitable rooms, 2.1 m in kitchens, corridors, bathrooms and laundries.
NCC: room heights ↗BYDA: for homeowners ↗Where a surveyor comes in →
From finished brief to scope proposal
The template uses the same fields as the brief builder on our booking form: building type, footprint, levels, deliverables, LOD per element and the MatterPak™ add-on. Once the brief is filled in, the booking form takes a few minutes, and a scope proposal comes back with a fixed quote and a capture plan.
In a custom home design process for an existing site, the brief usually goes out before concept design. For an extension, it covers the rooms that join the new work, the roof space above them and the subfloor below. If the project also needs a registered surveyor, say so in the brief, and the capture is planned alongside their work.
Scan-to-BIM brief FAQs
RFI-01What’s the difference between E57 and RVT?
Answered
E57 is an open point cloud format: the spatial record from the scan. RVT is a Revit model built from that point cloud. Most briefs ask for both: the point cloud as the record, and the model to design on.
RFI-02Which LOD should I ask for?
Answered
Usually LOD 300 for design and documentation, LOD 200 for early massing or feasibility, and LOD 350 only where elements meet and the connection matters. Setting it per element keeps the model light.
RFI-03Does a scan replace a registered surveyor?
Answered
No. Boundaries, set-out and levels to a survey datum need a registered surveyor. The scan gives the design team the existing conditions to work from.
RFI-04Can the scan show which walls are load-bearing?
Answered
It shows where walls, beams, posts and stumps sit, which helps an engineer or builder make that call. The confirmation is theirs to give.
RFI-05Will the scan find pipes underground?
Answered
No. It records what’s visible, such as meters, pits and downpipes. For buried services, lodge a Before You Dig Australia enquiry and use a skilled locator, because the plans may not show detail inside your property boundary.
RFI-06Can you capture an occupied building?
Answered
Yes, with access windows agreed in advance. Note occupied areas and times in the brief, and the capture is planned around them.