Applying BIM and 3D laser scanning technology on virtual pre-assembly for complex steel structure in construction

Steel structure needs to be assembled before the components are transported to the site to ensure the installation of the steel structure successfully. The traditional assembly is a physical assembly method, which needs an amount of equipment, occupies large areas and can be labor and time-consuming. To address these issues, industrial photogrammetry has been developed to acquire data, and the steel structure has been virtually assembled in a virtual environment. The high-precision data acquisition of steel components is now carried out by using 3D laser scanner, and therefore, the feature data of those components can be automatically extracted by programming. As a result, the accurate linear shape of the post-splicing components can be extracted after completing the precise assembly of the steel structure in a virtual environment, which is significant for the subsequent mechanical analysis.