When CAD became established, everyone shared their data on an agreed coordinate system.

As surveyors, we had control points in the field which were marked with screws and the like. We had known and published coordinates for these control points, so other surveyors, builders, and other spatial professionals could align themselves in the field and virtually (ie their own CAD) with everything produced before it.

There is no reason to stop this practice with technologies like laser scanning or UAV surveys. We hear it all to often, how consultants are "nudging" point clouds in to place. It isn't supposed to be like that.

If the point clouds and reality meshes you are receiving, don't line up with your other CAD and BIM data out of the box - and "origin-to-origin", there is another way - Reality Surveying, not reality fudging.

Reality capture used technologies like laser scanning and photogrammetry to capture immense amounts of data about a scene.

This allows us to produce CAD, models, meshes and all manner of downstream deliverables.

'Reality capture really is amazing - check out this mesh below - but to truly understand how it might work for your project or site, we would be more than happy to give a demo and discuss.