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iTen Associates_MicroStation_Case Study

iTen Associates_MicroStation_Case Study
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iTen Associates_MicroStation_Case Study - 1

Case Study Project Summary Organization i-TEN Associates Location Portland, Oregon Project Objectives • Quickly analyze massive amounts of point-cloud data captured with laser scanners to create visually immersive, 3D models of buildings, artifacts, and other objects • Ensure a high degree of accuracy and quality, while keeping costs low • Meet tight project deadlines Products Used MicroStation® V8i Fast Facts • i-TEN Associates leveraged MicroStation to quickly analyze, assemble, and render large point clouds, creating hybrid models and detailed video animations i-TEN Associates Uses MicroStation to Deliver Highly Accurate 3D Models from Point-cloud Data Bentley Software Enables Quick, Cost-effective Visualizations Support for Massive Point-cloud Files i-TEN Associates is a Portland, Oregon-based provider of geospatial information systems (GIS), photogrammetry, computer-aided design (CAD), and computer-aided facilities management (CAFM) services. Using unfiltered point-cloud data, i-TEN can create 3D models and extraordinary visualizations that can be shared and viewed by anyone. Producing these models in the traditional way, through surveying and modeling, however, was expensive and time consuming. Laser scanning and the resulting point cloud offered i-TEN a way to produce fast, low-cost models and compelling visualizations with maximum quality, and impeccable accuracy. To achieve this, i-TEN needed software that could efficiently manipulate and integrate point clouds and 3D geometry. The right software would also need to be stable, able to support massive datasets, and easy to learn. • No data size limits • MicroStation provided native point-cloud support, photorealistic rendering and animation, as well as powerful, easy-to-use modeling tools • Reduced time required to complete animations of point clouds from months to days • Using MicroStation’s distributed rendering has provided a 5- to 10fold reduction in the time required to complete projects Using Point-cloud Technology to Meet New Client Needs Laser scanners can capture detail like never before, resulting in massive, unfiltered point clouds. Using this data, i-TEN can create extraordinary visualizations and usable, measurable, 3D models that can be shared and viewed by anyone. The models are used by architects and engineers to verify as-built conditions and create visualizations, by animators to create special effects, by historians to preserve artifacts and structures, and by marketing firms to showcase places of interest. “We’d been using MicroStation for years, but never for animations and still rendering,” said Miyake. According to Paul Tice, the Visualization Specialist at i-TEN, “It’s incredibly stable, reliable and intuitive to use, and it has no data size limit.” In addition, MicroStation provides unparalleled speed and efficiency in handling point clouds, empowering users to view and interact with this data in real time - directly within the design environment. ROI • Gained the ability to consistently meet tight project deadlines while keeping costs low and quality and accuracy high and derive products for clients ranging from public agencies and engineering firms to commercial enterprises throughout the U.S.,” said Brian Miyake, VP of operations at i-TEN Associates. “When our clients began asking us to create visually immersive, 3D models of buildings, artifacts, and other objects, we needed a way to turn massive amounts of point-cloud data – permanent spatial digital files created using laser scanners – into these models. Bentley’s MicroStation allows us to do this – quickly and cost-effectively.” MicroStation delivered the unique combination of robust point-cloud viewing and lifelike rendering that i-TEN needed. MicroStation V8i: A Dynamic, Powerful Platform for Visualization It researched a number of software tools available to produce laser scan data, but none could support the massive pointcloud files (up to 600 MBs each) required to produce highly accurate models and videos. Nor could these products render animations with the level of realism clients desired. It then discovered that Bentley’s MicroStation V8i, which it had already been using for other project work, offered the powerful, dynamic platform it needed. “We specialize in developing highly accurate, high-resolution photogrammetry, i-TEN now uses MicroStation to produce photorealistic animations and renderings from highly accurate 3D models and point clouds – quickly and cost-effectively. For video production and renderings, i-TEN professionals first use scanners to capture unfiltered point-cloud data of a physical landscape, artifact, or structure. Scanner software is then used for post-processing of the data, such as registration and filtering. The final step is to analyze point-cloud data in MicroStation, which renders 100 percent of the point clouds.

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iTen Associates_MicroStation_Case Study - 2

“With MicroStation V8i, we can deliver exactly what the client wants – with minimal time and expense.” – Brian Miyake, vice president of operations, i-TEN Associates “With native pointcloud support and superior rendering and animation capabilities, MicroStation V8i has These renderings are examined for reflectance anomalies, floaters, and other objects that are then cropped out using specialized editing software. Gaps in point-cloud data are filled in by modeling and applying materials using digital photographs taken in the field. Utilizing MicroStation’s distributed rendering tools and the...

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