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Ralphieboy
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No Posts for a year and a half

Post by Ralphieboy »

Hi there,

It seems odd the lack of discussions on this forum, any insight? Also, does anyone here use a DSLR to color GLS2000 clouds? What type of workflow with ScanMaster or Collage? Anyone using collage?

Thank you!
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by landmeterbeuckx »

i have a lot of topcon gear but no scanners. I've tested a gls2000 but wasn't impressed at the time. There was no possibility to attach an rtk gps at the time and c2c wasn't effective.

They missed the market completely and are now a minor player in the field.
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by Ralphieboy »

There’s one, thanks Lieven. Seems like most of the major manufacturers have missed the boat with products that are too expensive for the average small firm. Costs of 60/80/100 K plus thousands for software/training/calibrations/subscriptions/maintenance. This is not realistic for the average tiny firm. I’m trying to wade into the scanning world at an affordable used price and it’s incredibly difficult and complicated. :D
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by landmeterbeuckx »

Ralphieboy wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2020 12:57 pm There’s one, thanks Lieven. Seems like most of the major manufacturers have missed the boat with products that are too expensive for the average small firm. Costs of 60/80/100 K plus thousands for software/training/calibrations/subscriptions/maintenance. This is not realistic for the average tiny firm. I’m trying to wade into the scanning world at an affordable used price and it’s incredibly difficult and complicated. :D
It is possible. I'm a one man shop. Invested in a tx5 7 years ago and started scanning. Because it had its limitations i invested in something bigger and more expensive, a Riegl Vz400i. Scary when i bought it but very happy i did. It creates a lot of revenue. Start smaller and see which jobs you can get.
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by smacl »

Ralphieboy wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2020 12:57 pm There’s one, thanks Lieven. Seems like most of the major manufacturers have missed the boat with products that are too expensive for the average small firm. Costs of 60/80/100 K plus thousands for software/training/calibrations/subscriptions/maintenance. This is not realistic for the average tiny firm. I’m trying to wade into the scanning world at an affordable used price and it’s incredibly difficult and complicated. :D
I've seen some very keen prices on reconditioned Leica C10 scanners in this part of the world, Phil Marsh on this forum had one recently. Could be worth checking your Leica rep to see what they've available. A lot of users updated to RTC360s which has left a surplus on the second hand market.
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by Ralphieboy »

Thanks guys. I have rented a scanner and used it on 4 real sites and am excited by the possibilities. Corona has all four projects on hold and another shoe-in has gone away. We are probably all in a tough spot and most made it through the last recession. We will make it through this one. ;) The lending environment has changed dramatically for me in two weeks, most bankers appear to be in "witness protection".

I try to stay out of the Ford/Chevy/BMW type of conversations with dealers and partisans. I am appreciative of user experience and comments on the different branded systems. I have considered the C10 but the size and costs/reviews on the cloud software are a deterrent. Few of the used scanners of any type seem to come as a full package. Like many Surveyors I am looking for something that may not exist - a solid hw/sw combo, that sets up like a total station - with little or no maintenance costs and will last for several years. Another issue I have come to realize is that the quality of the imagery on most scanners is lacking - that you either have to pony up for something really expensive or add a DSLR to the mix?

Does anyone see that raising the scanner up to say 8+ feet gives better, less oblique, scan results?
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by gsisman »

Ralphieboy wrote: Mon Mar 23, 2020 3:52 pm Thanks guys. I have rented a scanner and used it on 4 real sites and am excited by the possibilities. Corona has all four projects on hold and another shoe-in has gone away. We are probably all in a tough spot and most made it through the last recession. We will make it through this one. ;) The lending environment has changed dramatically for me in two weeks, most bankers appear to be in "witness protection".

I try to stay out of the Ford/Chevy/BMW type of conversations with dealers and partisans. I am appreciative of user experience and comments on the different branded systems. I have considered the C10 but the size and costs/reviews on the cloud software are a deterrent. Few of the used scanners of any type seem to come as a full package. Like many Surveyors I am looking for something that may not exist - a solid hw/sw combo, that sets up like a total station - with little or no maintenance costs and will last for several years. Another issue I have come to realize is that the quality of the imagery on most scanners is lacking - that you either have to pony up for something really expensive or add a DSLR to the mix?

Does anyone see that raising the scanner up to say 8+ feet gives better, less oblique, scan results?
Ralph

You may want to hold out a little. There may be something coming down the pike soon that gives you the full imaging total station -robotic-scanner at a C10 quality+
That will be pricey for a small firm, but will be more of a one tool toolbox for a small firm, but not like an upper grade Survey-Scanner now (P series)
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by stutosney »

Unfortunately, you can't have one tool to do it all. Scanning is great, I have been doing it for about 9 years or so, but it will always have it's limitations, same as any other piece of kit. There are total stations on the market that also have in built scanners such as the Trimble SX10 or the MS60 by Leica, but again, the built in scanners will never be as accurate or as fast as a stand alone scanner. Same as the handheld group, what you gain in speed and efficiency, you lose in accuracy. As mentioned above, start small, buy second hand and work within your means and remember, it isn't just about purchasing the scanner, you need to invest in software and hardware, like a decent PC to handle the registrations etc. But again, you don't need a top end PC if you're going to be doing small to medium sized scan sets. Lastly, colour is great on scans, but it isn't always necessary, it always depends on the clients needs, so don't get too hung up on providing fancy coloured scans when a low/medium density non colour scan will get all the data you need.
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by Ralphieboy »

Thanks all. I have a processing work station, as a legacy from my lost years with drones. I wish I had spend all of that time and $$ on terrestrial :lol:
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Re: No Posts for a year and a half

Post by steven.fudge »

Hi @Ralphieboy -

Full disclosure, I work for FARO.. It looks like you're located in the North Carolina region, I'd be happy to hop on a call with you if you're interested in discussing some options for laser scanning solutions HW/SW that could fit into a budget you need? Would like to get to understand your goals first with a call so we can craft a solutions set that best fits your business. I've also got some financial partners that can get you going. PM me if interested.

Thanks!

Steven
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