Leica BLK360

[deepwater]

The 360 cloud mapping technology looks interesting and I wonder if it can be used for digitizing kitchens. I own a Lieca 360 which also works with cloud points so I assume the accuracy is the same. The advantage I see here is that you have almost every detail and measurement you would ever need

https://lasers.leica-geosystems.com/blk ... -recap-pro


This youtube video shows a kitchen
https://youtu.be/zwpMta-YmKs?t=1m4s

[BrianStoiber]

It is a very interesting device and I am not saying this because it could potentially be seen as a competitor of ours, I am trying to say this this from a neutral standpoint. The BLK360 is not meant for the granite industry.

The BLK360 collects a lot of data. When I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Taken from Leica's website, the device can capture up to 360,000 measurements per second. The problem with this is, for a cabinet base, how many points do you really need? You need two per side and then a few to scribe the back wall. This equates to somewhere between 4-10 based on how accurate you scribe the wall . Over the past 12 years, we have accumulated thousands of jobs during training, offering support, and plotting templates for our customers. I would estimate that more than 90% of those jobs have less than 50 points measured. This means you would need to delete a lot of points to in order to get only the points you need.

I haven't used the BLK360 but I would guess you could change the laser to measure every x inches which would reduce the amount of points. This also leads to problems. If you measure ever 2 inches and you capture a point on the countertop and then one on the cabinet door? You miss the cabinet base measurement and you are still deleting a lot of points that are not needed.

They also only spec it at 6mm @ 10m (1/4"). When digital templating system in the industry carry 1/16" (1.6mm), 6mm doesn't seem acceptable.

This IS a really cool laser but it is truly meant for geospatial applications that relate more to the GIS industry and object positioning. For example, capturing entire buildings or large areas. The following video is a great example of this. Realize that in this video, there are millions of individual points located so close together, they visually look like solid surfaces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wja_QIybEZc

Again, cool product for other industries, but we feel it is overkill for the granite industry.

[lgs3DDisto]

This is an interesting discussion, but the fundamental point is that taking discrete point measurements, like the 3D DISTO can do is different than getting a full dome point cloud. The BLK360 will deliver a full dome 360 degree point cloud that shows every point, and if you need to take measurements for specific points, that is all done in post processing. The accuracy of the device is also important to note, as the BLK360 is between 4 mm and 6 mm at ten meters. Depending on the application, the user will have to decide whether that accuracy will work for them.