Looking at Job Sites from Different Angles with 360° Cameras
As an architect or engineer, how often have you returned from a job site to review your pictures only to find that you missed that important corner of the room? Not only is this aggravating, but it potentially means that someone must return to the site to capture the missed building information. Add this frustration to the fact that getting back to job sites might not be as easy these days with social distancing in place due to Covid-19. That is where 360° cameras come in handy.
Saving Time and Money
Though 360° cameras have existed for some time, they are often overlooked as an important tool for architects and engineers who may rely on laser scanners to perform the same task.
While a laser-scanned site will generally provide design teams with more tools to use for review than a 360° camera, they come at a premium price tag. A high-quality laser scanner can cost between $6,000 and $10,000, whereas a high-quality 360° camera will only run about $500. This price tag is much more palatable and can allow for a higher level of site review without a large hit to overhead expenses.
360° Cameras and Bluebeam Revue
Once back in the office, some pretty cool and powerful things can be done with a 360° picture. Bluebeam Revue has a function where a camera icon can be placed on a floor plan where the photo was taken and act as a live link to the picture itself. Imagine having a PDF containing your site documentation showing where every picture was taken. This PDF can then be shared with others on the design team working remotely and may not be able to visit the site often. Having these types of documents will help create greater collaboration during the design process.
In summary, 360° cameras are an affordable way to simplify and improve the quality of your site documentation. As an architect or design engineer, you can better understand the project ahead with only a few secondary steps.
By using 360° imagery, you can deliver full, detailed pictures of your project that will help save time and money and provide high-quality client service.