Battle of the LiDAR Scanners: MLX, VLX, BLK2GO, & RTC360 Reviewed

In this video I compare NavVis's new handheld laser scanner to Leica's BLK2GO & their RTC360 along with the NavVis VLX2.

00:00 - Intro
01:53 - Disclaimer
02:23 - What is SLAM?
06:26 - Accuracy Testing Methodolgy
10:37 - Accuracy Testing Results
14:40 - Transportability & Ergonomics
16:05 - Cost
18:32 - Scan shadows & Noise
21:08 - Speed
22:47 - Final Thoughts

[isaacbarreto]

Great comparison between scanners- you really give a full sense of the scanners and where they fall short/excel. Thank you for a great video!

[radoslawraczynski]

Like the systematic approach! Thanks for the video.

[tvince]

Good video. Currently assessing the VLX 3 for outdoor urban topos.

[maenlesta]

Always delivering pleasant, honest and invaluably informative videos. How about making the same video for comparing stationary laser scanners

[MaxxH.GGR]

Few points: 1. BLK360 Gen 2 with imagery would be a more appropriate choice for scanning smaller sites like a house relative to the RTC. 2. If you want access to jobs near critical infrastructure, public safety facilities, federal/state property, etc. you might want to rethink employing NavVis' Hesai sensors. Leica scanners are used on federal property, military installations, citical infrastructure projects, etc. No issues there. 3. Think about where you are employing something like the VLX. Is having an apparatus strapped to your body with part of it above your head a safe idea? How many pipes, doorways, overhangs, branches, valves, etc. are going to be catching and banging into you. The time you spend avoiding real world site hazards could be spend setting up a terrestrial scanner with better data capture and from safe positions. The RTC can reliable gather accurate data at 130m in all directions. 4. All suppliers have some pay to play set up. With Leica you will have license subscriptions to maintain. You will, however, own all your data--raw, registered, and exported. If you're doing larger scans or a lot of scans, you may find NavVis' token system starting to eat up your bottom line. Hexagon and Leica also have Reality Cloud Studio via HxDR, TruView, their own suite of software such as 3DR, as well as plug-ins for Autodesk products. There is room to tailor your workflow anyway you like. 5. BLK2GO is truly handheld. If unit size and weight is your primary specs, then the BLK2GO is the smallest and lightest. For targets, cloud density, and final data quality there are a few things: a. if you need more point density from a BLK2GO, simply walk slower or spend more time in an area to gather more data. b. You can also run it off the puck to initialize and re-run the SLAM in Register to improve quality. c. Typically BLK2GO users are not ones concerned with control. Architects, interior designers, realtors, construction estimators/precon, property managers, custom home builders etc. are looking for general outlay, floorplans, and site conditions with greater accuracy and detail than 360 camera walkthroughs can provide. Also, its a great, extremely mobile unit for small tree surveys or getting topographic data in brushy areas where GPS/UAS are occluded, Total Stations/terrestrial scanners require clearing and can be cumbersome. 6. You should not be spending days in Register 360. Cyclone Field in combination with VIS-enabled scanners like the BLK360 G2 and RTC360 should do the heavy lifting. They automatically position, align, and optimize the scans. You can trim unwanted data, geotag features, and mark targets in the field as you go as well. Register 360 can automatically detect targets, align scans with sufficient overlap, and auto link scans. Breaking up projects with multi-level structures can be done in separate scans and registered as sites that are easily linked together in Register with sufficient overlap.

[aleksandrkasimov]

CHC NAV RS10 would be great to compare with the ones you tested
Great videos, always enjoy watching them

[profsasquatch]

Awesome overview of these products. Thanks!!

[DavidWilson-jvvh]

We bought a VLX3 for about $120, 000 AUD which includes 3 years of maintenance. It has been quite impressive so far. The VLX is significantly faster than the Faro Focus S+ we have however it’s not 10x faster than what Navvis claims, as control networks still need to be run route planning etc. one limitation is Navvis does not provide data past 30 or 50m even if it has captured it. So for instance tall church spires etc will be cut off however for that range a terrestrial scanner is the better option anyway. For someone starting out and looking at a SLAM and tripod scanner the Z+F is impressive as it can be backpack mounted or tripod mounted and the license is perpetual, however they are quite expensive ~$200, 000 AUD.

[TrevorGardiner-by]

Hi,

Great video, we use predominantly the RTC but are looking at the faster options. The testing is also good, particularly with the use of the Starnet software and then the dimension companions.

As a land surveyor of 20+ years in the UK I think there is one more test you could do that would show even more clarity on the accuracy.

To traverse through a building, using again the Starnet adjustment program but as you go, compelte an measured building survey using a high spec total station. A decent 1" TS you can expect a 1/2mm accuracy to the internal walls etc, drae it up to create a floor plan. Using this as effectively the baseline, overlay each of the scan cut floor plans to it and then check the deviations.

This would give you a direct overlay position accuracy, wall dim comparisons and any shifts in data.

[Matthew-qpov]

I think the big difference between slam systems and tripod based data collection is unstructured vs structured data point clouds.

Fantastic video.

[tylermass]

Nicely done! Would love to see a comparison with the FARO Focus premium paired up with the RTC360.

[gmeinero]

Great video test, as usual... My vote goes to doing an analysis of some software available for vector data extraction from point clouds (from photogrammetry and/or LiDAR)... In my opinion, I believe this is the stage that's falling behind the most, automatic processes yield poor results, and I think we're still far from being able to use AI effectively... Anyway, I wasn't familiar with the N4ce software, I'll check it out!

[DarrJarr]

Nice review. I think checking wall length as well as control is a good idea. I would maybe try to to have some distances over multiple rooms or longer distances though. That way you can also get a better idea of the registration or drift that might occur. I would preferably want some cross distances over 50 meters cause I think here is where the real errors are. Exterior wall thickness can also be a good indicator in my experience.

[JeffreyMartin]

Awesome review, thank you so much! :-)

[DeepApnea]

Thank for the video, I like how you go trough the analysis of the MLS. Could you please share the excel documents with the analysis ? have a good day

[TalibHussainAttari]

what a wonderful explanation thanks' a lot

[timothyalldrin]

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on the VLX for exterior topographic surveying and specifically if it is accurate enough for ADA compliance. We had a short demo of the VLX3 and the relative accuracy of the point cloud seemed to be able to pick up 1/4" grade breaks. I have also read / heard that the vertical accuracy is often better than the horizontal accuracy due to there being less "vertical" movement while walking. But your results seem to indicate that it is actually worse vertically. I am curious if that is due to the positioning of the check points. Perhaps a checkpoint on a floor or sidewalk would check better vertically that a checkpoint on a wall would due to the orientation of the front sensor on the VLX2/VLX3?

[mrosenblatt]

Have you ever compared the Matterport Pro3 e57 output to the output of a device by Leica or NavVis?

[jaywbus]

which is the best option for residential home renovations ? looking for accuracy - speed is nice but client is currently have accuracy issues with lower end accuracy matterport pro3.

[Donpapapedro]

have you done already some comparison between NavVis and Viametris in buildings?