Plant Design

Laser Modelling Interface

Seamlessly Combining Laser Models with PDMS The integration of PDMS with laser models delivers:
Design Models
❚ Visualisation of new 3D design combined with
The Laser Modelling Interface (LMI) from AVEVA provides
existing plant
a dynamic link between the VANTAGE PDMS design
❚ Very high positional accuracy and alignment of
environment and the point cloud data available in a
piping 'tie-in' points
third-party Laser Modelling System (LMS). The LMI is part
❚ Identification of clear routes for new pipework
of the VANTAGE Plant Design suite of products and its
❚ Improved steel fit-up around existing steelwork
capability has been built into the very heart of the PDMS
structures
Design module.
❚ Automatic clash checking between new 3D design
and existing plant
There is a recognised need across the process plant
❚ Design integration of scanned prefabricated
engineering industry to gather and maintain detailed
assemblies and supplied equipment
information about existing facilities. For the first time, the
❚ Measurement between all as-designed and as-built
detailed 3D visualisations of existing plant and equipment
components
created during laser scanning surveys can be accurately
❚ Better commissioning and maintenance planning
combined with intelligent PDMS 3D design models,
❚ Safer sites due to shorter survey times
delivering a wealth of benefits throughout the engineering
❚ Reductions in engineering rework lower project costs
lifecycle.
and shorten schedules
From the design, fabrication and assembly phases of a
greenfield engineering project, to the retrofit and Completing the Bigger Picture
maintenance phases of a brownfield project, the LMI has The LMI addresses one of the most significant
significantly enhanced the value that can be delivered engineering challenges facing a brownfield project team:
through the capture of 'as-built' data from existing plant a lack of existing plant data, particularly 'as-built' 3D
and equipment, revolutionising the way projects are design models. Instead of modelling the existing plant
managed and delivered. from drawings or manual surveys, the LMI provides
engineering teams with an automated solution that
Extending the Value of Laser Scanning significantly reduces cost by removing a previously
The advantages of laser scanning have quickly been manual and often error-prone process.
proven on a range of diverse projects. Recent
advancements in the technology used to capture the In a plant refit project, for example, the LMI allows new
scanned data have delivered faster, cheaper, safer and pipework to be quickly routed through the existing plant,
more accurate surveys – making the resulting as-built space identified for new equipment, and steel fit-up
data available earlier in the project. The first beneficiaries around existing plant components to be improved. In
of this new approach to laser scanning have been the addition, 'destruct' areas can be clearly identified within
offshore oil and gas, and nuclear industries; hostile the plant.
environments where on-site time has to be minimised.
Uniquely, the LMI allows 'tie-in' points to correlate the 3D
These technical developments have delivered point cloud plant model with the point cloud data. These tie-in points
data, where incredibly detailed, almost photo-quality 3D reference the laser model and act as PDMS design aids,
representations can be delivered to an accuracy of for example, to connect and route a pipe along a centre
3–5mm. line. The distance between points in the laser model can
even be measured accurately within the PDMS
The LMI further enhances AVEVA’s laser scanning value environment.
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.
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.
'AVEVA's Laser Modelling Interface has given AMEC a
Open for Business key first-mover advantage in the market and we’ve
The LMI has been developed in conjunction with a already seen the benefits of its deployment on a
number of leading LMS vendors, providing support for the number of projects. It has delivered a quantum leap
majority of commercially available scanning systems. in overall productivity and significantly improved
These LMS vendors each provide the required coupling design processes, quality and safety.'
for their particular LMS, enabling the LMI to reference the
laser survey point cloud data directly within the PDMS Colin Fairweather
Design module. Engineering Systems Manager – AMEC

By making the LMI vendor-neutral, engineering teams are AMEC's pioneering use of the PDMS LMI
free to choose the best laser scanning solution for their AMEC is a company that recognises the need to keep
particular project and switch between LMS systems in the a close eye on emerging technologies which will
future, safe in the knowledge that the LMI will manage enhance the workflow of its designers, engineers and
the laser model regardless of its origin – so they can focus planners. When Laser Modelling Systems started to
on the intelligent engineering design within PDMS. deliver the detailed point cloud data required for 3D
design, AMEC knew it had to act quickly to gain an
The LMI can interact with laser models from more than advantage over its competitors in the race to improve
one vendor simultaneously, which will be particularly design processes, improve safety and cut costs. AMEC
beneficial on larger projects where different laser has already deployed the PDMS LMI on projects based
scanning solutions could be used concurrently. in the UK and Houston, using point cloud data from
laser scanner surveys of various offshore platforms in
The PDMS LMI currently supports Laser Modelling the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico, an FPSO off West
Systems from the following vendors: Coast Africa and an onshore plant in Kuwait. Many of
❚ BitWyse AMEC’s other clients have also expressed a keen
❚ Leica Geosystems HDS interest in using the technology to capture data on
❚ Quantapoint their existing plant assets, having seen the improved
❚ Zoller + Fröhlich 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