One job – two standout reasons to use the Trimble X12 3D Laser Scanner.

With an extensive survey fleet to choose from, it was the Trimble X12 that Land Development Services’ Scan Technician Andrew Coggan selected for a recent Measured Building Survey of a nine-storey landmark building in Poole.

Download a PDF of the case study here

Experts in the gathering of data since 1969, Wiltshire based Land Development Servicesis a company known for its professionalism (LDS is an RICS Regulated Firm and also a full member of The Survey Association) and its wide range of experience. Over the years, the team has worked on projects as large and varied as raising the roof on a new construction in London and surveying infrastructure for large international sporting events right down to the smallest jobs such as single building elevation surveys and garden projects.

Assisting with the company’s successful reputation in such broad ranging areas is its commitment to investing in groundbreaking survey technology and in particular, Trimble 3D Laser Scanning systems. Supplied by KOREC, the LDS 3D laser scanning fleet includes two Trimble TX8s for precise, HD scanning, an SX10 Scanning Total Station, two X7s for fast scanning and most recently, Trimble’s highest performing laser scanner, the X12.

Responsible for these systems and the main point of contact for any scanning based enquiries or tricky site work is Scan Technician, Andrew Coggan. Familiar with all the survey fleet, it is Trimble’s high-end X12 that Andrew favours for many of the jobs and especially for Measured Building Surveys. Purchased early in 2023, the X12’s high precision data at long range, lightness and size for travelling ensure that it is in almost daily use.

About the Trimble X12 3D Laser Scanner:

Released in July 2022, the Trimble X12 integrates Trimble software for precise data capture and in-field registration (Trimble Perspective) with state-of-the-art 3D laser scanning and imaging hardware technology from Zoller+Fröhlich (Z+F), combining the expertise of two industry leaders into a single solution. The results is a ‘best of both worlds’ combination of Z+F technology and a tried and tested Trimble workflow. The end result is amazingly crisp data. Small for a scanner of this range (0.3 m–365 m) and precision (≤ 1 mm + 10 ppm/m), the compact unit measures just 150 mm (W) x 258 mm (D) x 328 mm (H)) and weighs in at 7.7kg including the batteries. The unit also has a handle is driven via the Trimble T10x Tablet running Trimble’s tried and tested Perspective software which is also common to the Trimble X7 scanner.

One job, two stand out reasons to use the Trimble X12

The landmark nine-storey Barclays House building in the centre of Poole has dominated the town centre’s skyline since its opening in January 1976. Following a decision by the bank to relocate its staff to Bournemouth, LDS was contacted to create elevation drawings of the whole building which is made up of three conjoined octagons. This was followed up by a further request to deliver a roof plan and detailed plans of the three concrete, spiral staircase fire escapes which run down the centre of each of the octagons from top to bottom. The landings were also requested. Whilst Andrew had access to all of the LDS laser scanning fleet, he felt that the X12 was the only option for this job for two reasons:

Firstly, the Trimble X12 can scan at a short range of just 0.3m and also has a minimal ‘blind spot’ which is considerably smaller than that of other scanners, to the extent that you can see the tripod legs. This would mean that Andrew could complete the staircase scans far faster because fewer setups would be required – around half as many compared to using an alternative scanner.

Secondly, for this job, Andrew required the distance that the X12 can measure whilst still delivering high-quality, crisp data. The X12’s long range would allow him to link data from the roof to the surrounding buildings at floor level. This would enable registration from the ground to the roof, even on a nine-storey building.

Additional benefits

Andrew says that crucial to the success of the job was the Trimble Perspective software which is used to mange the X12 via a Trimble T10x Tablet. The alternative would be to undertake the work ‘blind’ which could have caused a number of problems when processing the data. Instead, onsite registration means that Andrew could check that he had captured all the data he required before leaving the site.

Overall, Andrew completed 157 scans internally (including the roof ones) and a further 127 externally. He used three setting; low-setting (0:46) for the internals, mid-setting (1:34) for the roof with two set ups using the high-setting window scans in each.

Andrew concludes, “The speed of the X12 coupled with the clarity of the scans blows my mind every day and it’s exceeded my expectations. Additionally, although we’re pretty adept at dealing with any issues we may have on site, KOREC is always there to help us and we have a good rapport with them.”

If you’d like to know more about the X12, please contact our 3D Laser Scanning Sector Specialist, Melvin Penwill at melvin.penwill@korecgroup.com watch our X12 webinar here where you can request an access code.

For product information on the Trimble X12 please visit here or to learn more about customer experiences with the X12, please visit here and here.

“Our clients expect the very best from us and that means we’ve got to provide the very best end product and in turn, that relies on great equipment capable of generating great data. The new Trimble X12 fits the bill perfectly”

Neil Pollock, Director, Three Sixty Group

A few weeks ago, our KOREC Laser Scanning Sector Specialist, Melvin Penwill, got his hands on one of the first Trimble X12’s in the country. He was only too happy to put it through some rigorous testing and then share his opinions, including his 6 highest rated features, in a useful LinkedIn Post.

At some point, he was persuaded to let the customers have a go too!

About Three Sixty Group

Operating nationally, Three Sixty Group works across a diverse range of sectors from Utilities and Rail to heritage and listed buildings. The company has a fleet of 3D Laser Scanners that includes three Trimble X7’s as well as instruments from other manufacturers.

We caught up with Director, Neil Pollock, who’s been using the X12 for a floor flatness survey in a vast, engine manufacturing plant in Derby.  With specified tolerances of just +/- 2-3mm for aspects of this job, it was the perfect testing ground for the X12 which was used both indoors for the high accuracy floor survey, and externally for an overall building survey where scans were undertaken with a range of up to 100m.

Here’s what Neil rated:

• Size – although he was aware of the dimensions (150 mm (W) x 258 mm (D) x 328 mm (H)) of the X12, when it came out of the box, he found it even smaller and lighter than he expected.
• Learning curve – The Three Sixty Group surveyors are already familiar with the Trimble Perspective software and workflow from their use of the X7’s. They were therefore able to transition to the X12 seamlessly.  
• Cleanliness of the data – Even at a 100m range, Neil found the quality of the data to be top notch and way beyond any other scanner that the company has worked with previously. This ensured total confidence in the overall quality of the survey. Three Sixty Group is seeing a growing requirement for heritage work and felt that the X12 would excel in the level of detail required for this work as well as being suitable for the short or mid-range work required on more standard jobs.
• Low noise – In spite of the shiny factory floor, noise was minimal.
• Image quality – Excellent quality and super-fast to take at just 2 minutes.  With Trimble Perspective, it’s now also far easier to retake images.
• ‘Window’ feature – rather than take a full 360 scan with the Trimble X7, or carry out a quick preview with the Trimble TX8, Neil rates the ability to ‘window off’ a section for a high-resolution scan as a great time saver.

Neil concludes: “The data from the X12 is just so clean, and that makes it very, very easy to work with across every job. In short, the better the data, the higher the quality of the product that we can provide all our customers with. This is especially important for our heritage work which is growing all the time. Our clients expect the very best from us and that means we’ve got to provide the very best product and in turn, that relies on great equipment capable of generating great data. The new Trimble X12 fits the bill perfectly.”

Thank you to Neil Pollock for chatting to us about his X12 experiences

For further information, please call your KOREC Sales Consultant or contact Melvin.penwill@korecgroup.com

KOREC’s ‘Scanning and Point Clouds’ Sector Specialist, Melvin Penwill, field tests the new Trimble X12.

At the end of July, Trimble announced the new X12 3D Laser Scanner, its first release since the groundbreaking X7 of which you’ve no doubt heard plenty of talk over the last couple of years! A new instrument is always an exciting moment and as KOREC’s ‘Scanning and Point Clouds’ product specialist, I was delighted to get my hands on one of the units that landed at our Huntingdon Offices for our consultant training day.

The Trimble press release describes the X12 as ‘…..integrating intuitive Trimble software for precise data capture and in-field registration with state-of-the-art 3D laser scanning and imaging hardware technology from Zoller+Fröhlich (Z+F), combining the expertise of two industry leaders into a single solution.” A nice description, that highlights that this really is a ‘best of both worlds’ combination of Z+F technology and a tried and tested Trimble workflow, but let’s take a look at how that works in practice.

Out of the box

So, first impressions, it’s small! For a scanner of this range (0.3 m–365 m) and precision (≤ 1 mm + 10 ppm/m), it’s way more compact than its closest rivals  measuring just 150 mm (W) x 258 mm (D) x 328 mm (H)) and weighs in at 7.7kg and that includes the batteries. It also has a handle, a significant detail that’s been much appreciated on the X7. The box looks great too, but doesn’t accommodate the Trimble T10x Tablet, but then again, that makes sense since the tablet is often going to be separate from the instrument for charging etc.

However, this is an all-in-one package and includes everything you need to start scanning immediately including the Trimble Perspective software.

Here’s what I rate – my six top highlights:

• All the KOREC consultants found the Trimble Perspective workflow incredibly easy to use. Those that were familiar with the X7 were up and running immediately, those that were unfamiliar found Perspective intuitive and with just a couple of questions here and there required little further assistance. This is vital for survey companies that need an instrument that’s suitable for use by everyone on the team for an early ROI with little down time for training.

• Window scanning – this is a great feature! Do a quick 360° scan (23 or 46 seconds) to position yourself and then use the window option to select areas for more detail. Expect 0.6mm at 10m….unbelievable!
• Great imagery – you can add excellent imagery to your scan in just 2 minutes, again it’s super quick and the quality is excellent. The Perspective software also means that it’s really easy to retake images. A lot of thought has gone into making this a really simple procedure.
• Clean, sharp data and noise, or more accurately, lack of noise! One KOREC customer scanned a black car. Normally with a reflective surface of this sort, you can expect noise. In this case, the customer thought that that the data had been filtered in  Trimble RealWorks because it looked so unbelievably clean. Not so, this was all the work of the X12. It’s worth noting that noise is at 0.2mm at 10m for the X12 compared to maybe 2-3mm with the X7.
• Scanning in the dark – don’t be put off anymore, even for inspection work. The X12 has four LED lights which are so strong that from the results, you wouldn’t even know you were in a dark room.
• Fast – this scanner is also speedy, one of the fleetest on the market and with Trimble Perspective, users can check their data, take measurements, and add annotations before leaving their site which makes for faster turnaround time in the office.

The proof of the pudding…

I spotted this on the drive back from Huntingdon and couldn’t resist! The obelisk was in a really tricky environment with trees all around but I wanted detail, not trees. I did a 360° scan for registration and then a window scan with images. The end result was clean and crisp.

I chose this bridge because I’ve visited it regularly with the X7 so I knew it would be a really useful comparison to undertake the same scan with the X12. The result with the X12 is a totally different level. This is an instrument with an understandably higher price tag than the X7, but this scan reminded me exactly why. I scanned at an 80-90m range and again, the results were impeccable with the detail on the brickwork crisp and clear.

Conclusion

In all honesty, when I first heard about the X12, I was asking myself how it would fit into the fleet of one of our typical KOREC survey customers and as ever, the answer comes not from a press release or a data sheet but those who are out in the field or running a survey business, all of whom have productivity, profit and great deliverables in mind. The customers I’ve shown the X12 to have been wowed by its performance as a single instrument suitable for any job. So, I’m signing off with a quote from a recent demonstration that sums it up perfectly:

“It’s totally fit for purpose, every purpose, in fact it’s a bloody great scanner!”

If you’d like to know more about the X12, please contact me at Melvin.penwill@korecgroup.com and please do sign up for our X12 webinar at https://korec.group/x12-webinar-1 on Tuesday 11^th October.