BIM-based terrestrial laser scanning path planning for large-scale civil infrastructure

Building Information Modeling (BIM) provides comprehensive design data that supports terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) in capturing the as-built geometry of civil infrastructure. However, scanning path planning based on BIM models often encounters practical challenges such as limited model quality and inefficient data acquisition. To address these issues, this paper proposes a method that optimizes both scan locations and single-station scanning parameters to generate an optimal scanning path. Recognizing the need to consider structures objects, the BIM model is converted into a full point cloud model (FPCM) to simulate the actual scenario. A visibility analysis algorithm based on fine simulation scanning is proposed to improve the computational efficiency of virtual scanning simulations. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through a simulated planning for scanning (P4S) process for a large steel arch bridge. This method offers a solid theoretical and algorithmic foundation for P4S in large-scale civil infrastructure applications.