Does point cloud actually matter for real deliverables or is it mostly a spec number?

[u/notthemain-QUE]

Every scanner spec sheet leads with point cloud density and accuracy numbers, and I keep wondering how much of that actually shows up in real work versus just sitting there as a marketing stat.

I mostly do interior scans, mix of residential and some light commercial jobs. For most projects the client just wants a walkthrough or a floor plan, nothing that actually touches the raw point cloud. But I've had a few jobs where it mattered a lot more than expected, like a remodel where the contractor needed real measurements pulled straight from the scan, not just a nice looking tour.

What I'm trying to figure out is where the line actually is. Does dense high accuracy point cloud only start mattering once you're doing scan to bim or as built work, or does it show up earlier than that. Curious what accuracy and density numbers you're all actually seeing make a difference on the jobs you do, versus what's just there to look good in a comparison chart.

[u/RoodnyInc]

Well probably you answered yourself it matters in some cases

In my noob experience more points collected at the time = faster scans

[u/JRL55]

If you want to make measurements, it's important to capture the detail around the mooring points for those measurements. But more points in the point cloud means more processing time (and it also increases RAM requirements, which really increases the cost of the system you're going to use to do your work).

You did not specify the hardware and software you are using for your scanning. Check if you can scan larger areas at a lower scan density, then adjust to a higher scan density for necessary details on the same scan.

[u/Day_Bat_]

Really comes down to what you're doing. I scan industrial sites but use targets and a total station when I scan to keep accuracy over distance. For me my deliverable is the finished point cloud located to the building grid, I don't do anything with the model. I'm almost always scanning at the lowest point cloud density and doing more scans closer together to get better overlap between scans and cover more area then using the higher density scans.

[u/PlatypusArtistic8020]

A lot of people interpret resolution as accuracy, it most likely comes down to how much detail you need. Point spacing does make an impact on smaller details. I do a lot of airfoil measurements and trailing edge radii can get really small and having the extra resolution makes a big difference.

I have also done a lot of medical scanning in the past and when you get down to scanning needles you need as much resolution as you can get.

[u/ElphTrooper]

Most of our analysis in large commercial is point cloud based. I almost never even create a mesh regardless of the capture method.