3D Scanning & BIM — 01
Scan to BIM converts a 3D laser scan of an existing building into an accurate, intelligent Revit (BIM) model your design and engineering teams can work in.
Dervoss provides scan to BIM across Dubai, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, captured and produced by one in-house team.
Real Dervoss work
Real Dervoss model (villa cross-section)
02 — What you receive
4 deliverables
01 · Real Dervoss deliverable
Clean, measurable Revit models built from the laser scan: architectural, structural and MEP. Correct levels and grids, wall and slab geometry, openings and key structural elements, reflecting the real site condition rather than idealised design intent.
02 · Real Dervoss deliverable
A dense, full-colour 3D record of your site, captured with the Trimble X9, standalone or as the basis for BIM modelling. Edges, materials and MEP elements clearly readable.
03 · Illustration
Existing MEP systems modelled from the scan: major duct runs, pipework, cable trays, equipment, risers and critical penetrations, organised properly in Revit for earlier route planning and fewer clashes.
04 · Illustration
Models structured for coordination in Navisworks, ACC or Revizto: disciplines aligned to consistent coordinates, levels and naming, with LOD 300/400/500 agreed up front so scope, time and cost stay predictable.
Formats
Revit (.RVT)IFCAVEVA (plant models).RCP / .E57PDF / DWG (from model)03 — When you need it
01
Capture accurate existing conditions before any redesign, so layout and MEP decisions are based on verified geometry, not assumptions.
02
Model the real shell, slab levels and ceiling voids so the fit-out fits first time and avoids costly site rework.
03
Document congested ceiling voids, risers and plant rooms exactly as they are, before routing new services.
04
A permanent, accurate digital record of the finished building, typically LOD 500 for handover and facility management.
05
Compare what was actually built against the design model to catch deviations early.
06
When originals are lost, wrong or never existed, scanning creates a reliable model from scratch.
07
Curved, ornate or irregular structures impossible to measure accurately by hand.
Site photo · Dervoss
04 — Real project · Dubai
A villa in Dubai was going through a full renovation and replanning. Before design work started, the team needed the exact as-built geometry of the residence: walls, floors, ceilings, openings, staircases and structural deviations.
The architects and engineers could redesign the floor plans with confidence, run clash detection, take accurate quantities and compare renovation options in 3D, with fewer surprises on site.
Point cloud + Revit BIM model (LOD 300 to 400)
Read the case study05 — How it works
Step 01
We scan your building with the Trimble X9; every surface and dimension in a single visit, minimal disruption.
Step 02
Scans are registered into one accurate, full-colour point cloud, accurate to ±2 mm.
Step 03
Our team builds the model directly from the point cloud to the agreed LOD (architectural, structural and MEP as required).
Step 04
Native Revit model, with point cloud and 2D drawings on request. We stay available for revisions and coordination.
06 — In detail
The villa model shown above is a real Dervoss deliverable: a villa captured with the Trimble X9 and rebuilt in Revit for a full renovation and replanning: point cloud, cross-sections, elevations, the lot. That’s the test to put to any BIM services provider in Dubai: not “do you do Scan to BIM,” but show me a model you scanned and built yourself.
Most of the UAE market can’t, because most of it is split in two: scanning companies that hand your point cloud to an offshore modelling shop, and BIM modelling firms that never touch a scanner. Both models have the same failure point: the hand-off. When the modeller can’t ask the scanner what they saw behind that riser, assumptions get modelled as facts.
One contract and one accountable team from site to model. Accuracy questions answered from field notes, not email chains with a subcontractor. A model that is checked back against the point cloud before delivery, so “as modelled” provably matches “as scanned”. And when the fit-out team finds something unexpected on site, the people who captured the building are the ones updating the model.
LOD is agreed in writing before we start (LOD 300 for design coordination, LOD 400 for fabrication-level intent, LOD 500 for as-built records), so the deliverable stays predictable in scope, time and cost. No overbuilding, no surprises. How the point cloud becomes the model, step by step, is covered in our point cloud to BIM guide.
Laser scan to BIM is the full chain: Dervoss scans the building and models it. Revit modelling services is the second half of that chain, offered on its own when a client already holds a point cloud. MEP BIM services is the discipline scope within either: ducts, pipework, cable trays, equipment and penetrations modelled from the scan for coordination and retrofit. In all three cases the LOD is agreed in writing before modelling starts, and every model is checked back against the point cloud, which is why the deliverable ships with a ±2 mm accuracy statement rather than a disclaimer.
Most BIM companies in Dubai model new designs from architects’ drawings. An existing building is a different job: the model has to match what is actually there, so the questions to ask a provider are different too.
Two real Dervoss projects show what this looks like: a villa scanned and modelled in Revit at LOD 300 to 400 for a full replanning, and a Palm Jumeirah apartment scanned before renovation design.
07 — Why Dervoss for scan to BIM
Unlike offshore BIM shops that need you to supply the point cloud, our UAE team captures the site and builds the model. One point of accountability, and a model guaranteed to match the scan.
01
No hand-off between a scanning company and an offshore drawing shop: the team that measured your site produces your deliverables.
02
Trimble X9 laser scanning and survey-grade instruments, accurate to ±2 mm, with an accuracy statement per delivery.
03
All seven emirates, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC, with deliverables prepared for local authority requirements.
04
On site within 24 hours of a confirmed LPO; urgent concrete and utility scans often same-day.
08 — Questions
Scan to BIM is the process of converting a 3D laser scan of a real building into a digital BIM model. The site is captured as a point cloud (millions of measured points), then rebuilt as an intelligent Revit model that reflects the building's actual, current condition.
Renovation and fit-out design, MEP coordination in congested buildings, as-built record models for handover and FM, construction verification, and reliable documentation where drawings are missing or wrong.
Scan to BIM models from measured reality; CAD to BIM redraws old drawings, inheriting their errors. Full comparison in our point cloud to BIM guide.
LOD 300 is typically used for design development and spatial coordination, LOD 400 for fabrication-level intent, LOD 500 for verified as-built record models; LOD in plain words here. We agree the LOD before starting, so you pay for the detail your decisions actually need and the model isn't overbuilt.
Yes: every model is delivered as a native Autodesk Revit file (.RVT) at the agreed LOD, organised for your coordination workflow. Point clouds ship as .RCP/.E57 and 2D drawings as PDF/DWG on request, and models can be exported to IFC for teams working in ArchiCAD, Tekla or other platforms.
We do both. Unlike offshore BIM modelling firms that require you to supply the point cloud, our UAE team carries out the 3D laser scanning on site and builds the model from that data. You can also send an existing point cloud, but you don't need one.
Models are built from Trimble X9 scan data accurate to ±2 mm. Because the model derives from millions of points captured in a single survey, it avoids the cumulative errors of manual measurement, particularly valuable in large or complex spaces.
Scan to BIM and BIM modelling services in the UAE are provided by specialist survey and BIM companies. Dervoss is a UAE-based provider that handles both the scanning and the BIM modelling in-house, delivering architectural, structural and MEP Revit models across all emirates, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC.
In Dubai, for larger projects. Since January 2024 Dubai Municipality has required BIM models with building permit applications for buildings above 20 floors (structural models above 40), large complexes, hospitals, universities and all government projects. Villas, smaller buildings and most fit-outs aren't covered, and other emirates set their own rules, so check the current thresholds with your consultant. For an existing building, a scan-based model is how it gets into BIM when a project needs one.
Cost scales with building size, disciplines (architectural / structural / MEP) and LOD. Send your building details and you get a fixed quote with the right LOD recommended for your use case.
09 — Get a fixed quote
Describe the job in your own words; you don't need to know the right survey name. A fixed price and a committed delivery date, no obligation. Plans or photos? Send them on WhatsApp.
On site
Within 24 h of a confirmed LPO
Office
Al Barsha South 3, Dubai
Hours
Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00
