November 15, 2016 – At Autodesk University 2016, Leica Geosystems and Autodesk announced an innovation that ushers in a new era of 3D reality capture. The new Leica BLK360 imaging laser scanner is so small and light that it fits in a typical messenger bag and can be carried almost anywhere. At the touch of a button, the scanner captures full-color panoramic images overlaid on a high accuracy point cloud. The product is being offered at an extremely low price point and will be bundled with Autodesk’s ReCap 360 Pro and the new ReCap 360 Pro app for iPad, bringing laser scanning to the masses.
“When Autodesk first introduced ReCap, it was for one purpose: the democratization of reality capture,” said Aaron Morris, who oversees reality solutions at Autodesk. “We saw the tremendous power of this technology for the AEC industry, but realized that the cost and portability of scanners combined with difficult-to-use data was limiting the adoption of reality capture. Autodesk’s collaboration with Leica Geosystems helps solve these issues by giving just about anyone access to the amazing advantages of reality data.”
“As the leader in the spatial measurement arena, we recognized the gap between Leica Geosystems’ scientific-grade 3D laser scanners and emerging camera and handheld technologies, and set out to bring reality capture to everyone,” said Dr. Burkhard Boeckem, CTO of Hexagon Geosystems. “Together with Autodesk’s ReCap 360 Pro, the Leica BLK360 empowers every AEC professional to realize the benefits gained by incorporating high resolution 360° imagery and 3D laser scan data in their daily work.”
The Leica BLK360 captures full-dome scans at a 60-meter measurement range at high speed — a complete full-dome laser scan, 3D panoramic image capture and transfer to the iPad Pro takes only 3 minutes. Using the ReCap Pro 360 mobile app, the BLK360 streams image and point cloud data to iPad. The app filters and registers scan data in real-time. After capture, ReCap 360 Pro enables for point cloud data transfer to a number of CAD, BIM, VR and AR applications.
The announcement immediately generated a significant amount of buzz online.
The new scanner by @LeicaGeosystems is a game changer! #BLK360 #GraspRealityBLK360 The @autodesk interoperability will be awesome!
— Jay Meszar (@JMeszar) November 16, 2016
#Apple are now in the commercial #recap #bim business every #blk360 needs an iPad pro! https://t.co/3OKb9bLzpC — Geo Muse (@geomuseblog) November 16, 2016
Wow! @LeicaGeosystems blk360! #AU2016 pic.twitter.com/LfkPdTJtVN
— Mark Rainville (@Mark0Rainville) November 16, 2016
What I like most is that aside from the miniaturization of technology, the whole proposition is workflow driven #blk360 #bim #laserscanning
— Will (@TompkinsonWill) November 16, 2016
The Leica BLK360 and Autodesk ReCap 360 Pro Bundle will be available to order in March 2017. The anticipated bundle suggested retail price is $15,990, which includes the BLK360 scanner, case, battery, charger and an annual subscription to ReCap 360 Pro. A special limited promotion for a discounted three-year ReCap 360 Pro subscription with a voucher giving priority access to buy the BLK360 is being offered through the product launch website. Go to http://BLK360.AUTODESK.COM to learn more.
