Glossary
BIM
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a modeling technology and associated set of processes to produce, communicate, and analyze building models. BIM is the acronym of "Building Information Modeling," reflecting and emphasizing the process aspects, and not of "Building Information Model."
LOD
LOD stands for Level of Development. The BIM Forum publishes a Level of Development (LOD) Specification, a reference that enables practitioners in the AEC Industry to specify and articulate the content and reliability of Building Information Models (BIMs) at various stages in the design and construction process with a high level of clarity.
Orthogonal
When an element is considered to be orthogonal it is intersecting or lying at right angles. Designers generally prefer to design buildings in an orthogonal fashion. This makes it much easier to dimension. The walls on opposite sides of the room would run parallel to one another and meet perpendicularly at the same intersecting wall at a 90 degree angle.
LOA
LOA stands for Level of Accuracy. The U.S. Institute of Building Documentation (USIBD) publishes a Level of Accuracy (LOA) Specification, a reference that enables practitioners in the AEC Industry to specify accuracy for measurements and representations of measurements.
Point Cloud
A point cloud is series of points in 3D space, defined by a set of Cartesian coordinates in X, Y, Z format, which collectively describe the geometry of a physical object. Point clouds are generally produced by 3D scanners or by photogrammetry software, which measure many points on the external surfaces of objects.
Terrestrial Laser Scanning
Terrestrial laser scanning is a type of laser scanning that utilizes a tripod-based scanner that is moved from place to place to capture multiple scans of a space.
SLAM
Simultaneous Location And Mapping. This is an acronym for a type of laser scanning often referred to as mobile mapping.
Registration
Registration is a term used to describe the process of stitching together multiple individual laser scans into a single point cloud.