Plant Design

Laser Modelling Interface

Seamlessly Combining Laser Models with PDMS

Design Models
The Laser Modelling Interface (LMI) from AVEVA provides
a dynamic link between the VANTAGE PDMS design
environment and the point cloud data available in a
third-party Laser Modelling System (LMS). The LMI is part
of the VANTAGE Plant Design suite of products and its
capability has been built into the very heart of the PDMS
Design module.
There is a recognised need across the process plant
engineering industry to gather and maintain detailed
information about existing facilities. For the first time, the
detailed 3D visualisations of existing plant and equipment
created during laser scanning surveys can be accurately
combined with intelligent PDMS 3D design models,
delivering a wealth of benefits throughout the engineering
lifecycle.
From the design, fabrication and assembly phases of a
greenfield engineering project, to the retrofit and
maintenance phases of a brownfield project, the LMI has
significantly enhanced the value that can be delivered
through the capture of 'as-built' data from existing plant
and equipment, revolutionising the way projects are
managed and delivered.
Extending the Value of Laser Scanning
The advantages of laser scanning have quickly been
proven on a range of diverse projects. Recent
advancements in the technology used to capture the
scanned data have delivered faster, cheaper, safer and
more accurate surveys making the resulting as-built
data available earlier in the project. The first beneficiaries
of this new approach to laser scanning have been the
offshore oil and gas, and nuclear industries; hostile
environments where on-site time has to be minimised.
These technical developments have delivered point cloud
data, where incredibly detailed, almost photo-quality 3D
representations can be delivered to an accuracy of
35mm.
The LMI further enhances AVEVAs laser scanning value
proposition by allowing the detailed point cloud data to be
referenced and utilised, not only within PDMS Design, but
also in VPD Clash Manager and PDMS Global.

The integration of PDMS with laser models delivers:

Visualisation of new 3D design combined with

existing plant
Very high positional accuracy and alignment of

piping 'tie-in' points

Identification of clear routes for new pipework
Improved steel fit-up around existing steelwork

structures
Automatic clash checking between new 3D design

and existing plant

Design integration of scanned prefabricated

assemblies and supplied equipment

Measurement between all as-designed and as-built

components
Better commissioning and maintenance planning
Safer sites due to shorter survey times
Reductions in engineering rework lower project costs

and shorten schedules

Completing the Bigger Picture
The LMI addresses one of the most significant
engineering challenges facing a brownfield project team:
a lack of existing plant data, particularly 'as-built' 3D
design models. Instead of modelling the existing plant
from drawings or manual surveys, the LMI provides
engineering teams with an automated solution that
significantly reduces cost by removing a previously
manual and often error-prone process.
In a plant refit project, for example, the LMI allows new
pipework to be quickly routed through the existing plant,
space identified for new equipment, and steel fit-up
around existing plant components to be improved. In
addition, 'destruct' areas can be clearly identified within
the plant.
Uniquely, the LMI allows 'tie-in' points to correlate the 3D
plant model with the point cloud data. These tie-in points
reference the laser model and act as PDMS design aids,
for example, to connect and route a pipe along a centre
line. The distance between points in the laser model can
even be measured accurately within the PDMS
environment.

Most importantly, clash checking can be carried out

between point cloud data in the laser model and the
PDMS 3D plant model. This instantly highlights problem
areas and provides an effective design-driven mechanism
for managing them, thereby delivering significant
cost- and time-savings, whilst enhancing the overall
quality of the design.
The benefits of LMI also extend to greenfield projects,
where modules are often manufactured at different
locations. These modules can be laser scanned to capture
their as-built status and the resulting point cloud data can
be used to check alignment and connectivity of the
different plant and equipment with the PDMS model. The
commissioning, operation and maintenance of the plant
becomes safer as activities can be planned and rehearsed
using a model review walk-through in a completely
risk-free environment.
Regardless of the type of project, the LMI supports a lean
method of working, by ensuring that the as-built
geometry (that would have previously been modelled
manually as 3D geometric shapes in the LMS) is now only
modelled in PDMS, where intelligent engineering design
is required. The project team can have complete
confidence that every detail picked up on the survey is
faithfully represented in the PDMS model of the plant.
Open for Business
The LMI has been developed in conjunction with a
number of leading LMS vendors, providing support for the
majority of commercially available scanning systems.
These LMS vendors each provide the required coupling
for their particular LMS, enabling the LMI to reference the
laser survey point cloud data directly within the PDMS
Design module.
By making the LMI vendor-neutral, engineering teams are
free to choose the best laser scanning solution for their
particular project and switch between LMS systems in the
future, safe in the knowledge that the LMI will manage
the laser model regardless of its origin so they can focus
on the intelligent engineering design within PDMS.
The LMI can interact with laser models from more than
one vendor simultaneously, which will be particularly
beneficial on larger projects where different laser
scanning solutions could be used concurrently.
The PDMS LMI currently supports Laser Modelling
Systems from the following vendors:

BitWyse
Leica Geosystems HDS
Quantapoint
Zoller + Frhlich

'AVEVA's Laser Modelling Interface has given AMEC a

key first-mover advantage in the market and weve
already seen the benefits of its deployment on a
number of projects. It has delivered a quantum leap
in overall productivity and significantly improved
design processes, quality and safety.'
Colin Fairweather
Engineering Systems Manager AMEC
AMEC's pioneering use of the PDMS LMI
AMEC is a company that recognises the need to keep
a close eye on emerging technologies which will
enhance the workflow of its designers, engineers and
planners. When Laser Modelling Systems started to
deliver the detailed point cloud data required for 3D
design, AMEC knew it had to act quickly to gain an
advantage over its competitors in the race to improve
design processes, improve safety and cut costs. AMEC
has already deployed the PDMS LMI on projects based
in the UK and Houston, using point cloud data from
laser scanner surveys of various offshore platforms in
the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico, an FPSO off West
Coast Africa and an onshore plant in Kuwait. Many of
AMECs other clients have also expressed a keen
interest in using the technology to capture data on
their existing plant assets, having seen the improved
engineering productivity.

AVEVA Group plc

High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HB, UK
Tel +44 (0)1223 556655, Fax +44 (0)1223 556666
www.aveva.com