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Volume 6
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Article

A Suitable Scan-to-BIM Process Using OS Software and Low-Cost Sensors: Trend, Solutions and Experimental Validation

by
Massimiliano Pepe
1,*,
Przemysław Klapa
2,
Andrei Crisan
3,
Ahmed Kamal Hamed Dewedar
1,* and
Donato Palumbo
1
1
Department of Engineering and Geology, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Viale Pindaro 42, 65127 Pescara, Italy
2
Department of Geodesy, University of Agriculture in Krakow, ul. Balicka 253a, 30-198 Kraków, Poland
3
Department of Steel Structures and Structural Mechanics, Politehnica University Timișoara, Piața Victoriei 2, 300006 Timișoara, Romania
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Architecture 2026, 6(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture6010024
Submission received: 10 December 2025 / Revised: 20 January 2026 / Accepted: 2 February 2026 / Published: 5 February 2026
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Abstract

Open-source software is transforming visualization-oriented digital documentation and conceptual BIM by lowering financial and technical barriers, enabling broader participation in the digitalization of the AEC sector. This study develops and validates a cost-effective Scan-to-BIM workflow that combines low-cost hardware with freely available software for 3D data acquisition, processing, and modeling. Photogrammetry and SLAM-based techniques generate accurate point clouds, which, once verified against terrestrial laser scanning data, can be integrated into open-source BIM environments. The workflow leverages COLMAP for 3D reconstruction and BlenderBIM for parametric modeling, combining geometric and semantic information to produce fully interoperable models. While open-source tools offer accessibility and transparency, they require supplementary validation in precision-critical applications and may involve trade-offs in accuracy, stability, and automation compared to commercial solutions. Application to a case study shows how efficient and rapid the process is, representing the trend for the scientific community.
Keywords: Scan-to-BIM; point cloud; low-cost sensors; open-source software; COLMAP; BlenderBIM Scan-to-BIM; point cloud; low-cost sensors; open-source software; COLMAP; BlenderBIM

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MDPI and ACS Style

Pepe, M.; Klapa, P.; Crisan, A.; Dewedar, A.K.H.; Palumbo, D. A Suitable Scan-to-BIM Process Using OS Software and Low-Cost Sensors: Trend, Solutions and Experimental Validation. Architecture 2026, 6, 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture6010024

AMA Style

Pepe M, Klapa P, Crisan A, Dewedar AKH, Palumbo D. A Suitable Scan-to-BIM Process Using OS Software and Low-Cost Sensors: Trend, Solutions and Experimental Validation. Architecture. 2026; 6(1):24. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture6010024

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pepe, Massimiliano, Przemysław Klapa, Andrei Crisan, Ahmed Kamal Hamed Dewedar, and Donato Palumbo. 2026. "A Suitable Scan-to-BIM Process Using OS Software and Low-Cost Sensors: Trend, Solutions and Experimental Validation" Architecture 6, no. 1: 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture6010024

APA Style

Pepe, M., Klapa, P., Crisan, A., Dewedar, A. K. H., & Palumbo, D. (2026). A Suitable Scan-to-BIM Process Using OS Software and Low-Cost Sensors: Trend, Solutions and Experimental Validation. Architecture, 6(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture6010024

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