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Fig. 2 - The point cloud is an accurate representation of the scanned major projects the whole plant can be modelled.
plant For minor plant extensions, it may be sufficient to
model just the tie-in items to facilitate clash detec-
tion and efficient piping design.
Building the 3D model is straightforward. Basically,
the operator clicks a component such as a pipe.
The software then automatically determines the
size, location and direction, and also inserts items
such as elbows and tees.
One of our clients recently developed a set of up-
to-date documentation for a refinery in Eastern
Europe. They scanned the whole plant and then
made 3D models of 173 piping runs. These mo-
dels included details of all piping components and
equipment connections, etc. The models were also
used to produce isometric drawings and to provide
input for the pipe stress analysis software. Overall,
a comprehensive package was produced quickly
(figure 4).
These accurate models, point clouds and photo-
graphs are now available to all authorized users for
a wide variety of applications from daily operations
and maintenance to planning, giving improved data
access throughout the life cycle of the installation.
The efficiency and accuracy of laser scanning is in
marked contrast to the frustrations encountered
during the manual plant surveys, which I was in-
volved with at the start of my career. I have also
seen some unexpected uses of 3D scanning, for
example documenting historic buildings and crime
scenes and to support special effects creation in
the movie industry.
Fig. 3 - An example of a point cloud integrated with digital photographs. Updating existing 3D models
FPSO, which had to be modified. Although there Sometimes the point cloud and Smart 3D software
was extensive documentation for the unit, spread can be used to verify and update an existing 3D
over 360,000 documents, there was no 3D model model, instead of building a 3D model from scratch.
available. Hence, they commissioned a survey- This is an efficient way of obtaining as-built docu-
ing company to do a full laser scan of the FPSO, mentation and identifying differences between the
moored 50 km off the coast of Western Australia.
The point clouds were then linked to the schemat-
ics, text documents and spreadsheets using Smart-
Plant® Fusion, an Intergraph solution that enables
users to find, capture, organize, link, and visualize
large volumes of engineering data and documents.
Fusion is available through a web portal so that all
the designers and contractors involved in the modi-
fication project had access to uniform and accurate
data. Consequently, during the modification project
the schedule and costs could be reduced and mis-
takes avoided. All this was possible even without
building a full 3D model.
Building a 3D model Fig. 4 - Developing a 3D model in Intergraph Smart 3D
Where appropriate, the next step is to build a 3D
model in Intergraph Smart 3D design solution. For
68 Impiantistica Italiana - Settembre-Ottobre 2016
