Reality capture has been a foundation of design and construction since the age of chains and transits. Now, the technology is rapidly improving in sophistication, automation and integration.
In one of the latest examples, Bentley Systems Inc., Exton, Pa., on Feb. 6 acquired a four-year-old French company, Acute3D, whose Smart3DCapture software already has an international clientèle for the automated transformation of batches of digital photos into 3D models up to city scale.