Reality Capture
What is Reality Capture?
Reality capture is recording the physical world as accurate digital data (via laser scanning, 360 photography, drone imagery, or photogrammetry) so the current state of a site or building can be measured, compared, and analyzed remotely. It is the input side of progress tracking, scan-to-BIM, and digital twins.
In practice
On active projects, crews walk sites with 360 cameras or fly drones on a schedule; software aligns captures to plans and models so anyone can inspect the site from a browser and compare states over time.
Tools for Reality Capture
OpenSpace
Automatic 360 photo capture mapped to floor plans for construction progress
DroneDeploy
Aerial maps, 3D models, and progress tracking from drone and ground data
Matterport
3D digital twin platform for spatial intelligence
Track3D
Consolidates drone, 360 photo and LiDAR site data into AI-analyzed construction progress and quality insights.
Buildots
AI-powered site monitoring with 360° imagery vs BIM
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