Digital Twin

Shamrock+ has captured hundreds of houses, businesses, and other structures in our history. Since learning the skills in our Real Estate Virtual Tours offerings, we’ve adapted the process to suit the needs of our Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Clients. The virtual tour is now a tool toward the digital twin, and when combined with our advanced equipment and collection techniques, there’s nothing out of reach. Our equipment is state-of-the-art, meaning we can produce 3D models more accurately and more quickly than even an experienced tape measure-wielding team.

Benefits of Creating A Digital Twin

• Reality Capture – snapshot-in-time virtual environment documentation
• High Resolution 360° Photos – HDR photography provides true color rendering
• Interactive Virtual Tour – 3D scan shows every visible feature with unlimited 360° views
• Floor Plans – high-accuracy floor plans, generated very quickly
• CAD / BIM Conversion – 3D point cloud conversion to formats for use by AEC professionals

From Pencil & Paper to 3D Scan

Digital Twin wasn’t even a concept when I was going through architecture school. I bet nearly every Architect has a story from college of a summer they spent capturing as-built dimensions in a dark, damp, dusty old structure. Back in my day, we would use a tape measure and a good ol’ pencil and paper to get dimensions. That right, even before laser measuring tools were a thing. Those handwritten lines and notes would turn into a floor plan, and the floor plan would eventually get us to where we needed to go: renovation drawings. The problem with that tactic was the inevitability that the walls were never straight, so the dimensions never closed the loop, and our drawings -and our project- was plagued from the start. Those days, my friends, are over!

Now, a few hours with a 3D scanner can replace days or weeks of inaccurate dimensioning. The 3D scanner gives us the answers, proves the walls aren’t straight or plumb, and we get to our renovations drawings faster. But we don’t stop at the walls! We now have hundreds of inspection photos and literally millions of data points, identifying everything the camera can see. That includes the geometry inside, outside, above, and below. This 3D data collection is becoming increasingly known as a ‘digital twin.’ Data like this…coming soon to the metaverse near you!

Right Team, Right Technology

We already mentioned that our Shamrock+ President is an Architect, but having the right team and equipment is helpful too. Our data capturers are also professional photographers, so our team knows that quality matters most. We use special cameras, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors, FLIR, drones, and occasionally a forehead flashlight to capture the 3D data for our Clients. Our FAA-certified Remote (Drone) Pilots capture the out of reach places, reducing the need for scaffolding or bucket lifts to inspect areas.

Accuracy is the name of this game. Our team focuses on capturing a high-quality 3D scan to meet the budget and urgency of our Clients. We can fine-tune the number of data points we collect, so that we don’t over- or under- do it when it comes time to analyze the data.