Investigation of TLS Scanners

This notebook summarizes technical configurations and practical insights into various terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) scanners and their built-in imaging systems, with a focus on point cloud colorization techniques.

Built-in Camera Configurations

Scanner Type	Camera Count	Camera Position	Image Resolution	Point Density Info	Angle Resolution	Software	Notes
Faro Focus3D S350	1	Co-axial with laser	3264×2448 px (per image), up to 867 MPx (raw)	–	–	Faro Scene	–
Faro Focus3D X330	1	Co-axial with laser	Up to 70 MPx	–	–	Faro Scene	–
Leica BLK360	3	On one side	2592×1944 px, up to 150 MPx	–	4.04×10⁻⁴ rad	Cyclone REGISTER 360, Cyclone	3 flash lights
Leica P50 / P40	1	Co-axial with laser	1920×1920 px, up to 700 MPx	–	1.55×10⁻⁴ rad	Cyclone REGISTER 360, Cyclone	External camera supported
Leica RTC360	3	On one side	4000×3000 px, up to 432 MPx	–	~2.75×10⁻⁴ rad	Cyclone REGISTER 360, Cyclone	Full dome HDR capture
Z+F 5016	1	Opposite rotating mirror	Up to 80 MPx	–	–	Z+F LaserControl	4 LED lights, HDR i-Cam
Riegl VZ-4000	–	–	–	–	–	RiSCAN PRO	See official specs

Methods to Generate Colored Point Clouds

Standard Workflow

1. Camera Calibration
   • Use intrinsic parameters of internal or external camera(s).
2. Image Matching
   • Create panoramic images or spherical projections.
3. 3D–2D Projection
   • Use extrinsic parameters to project point cloud onto images.
4. Color Interpolation
   • Assign RGB to 3D points using nearest pixel or interpolation.

Challenges

• Parallax error (especially with external cameras)
• Misalignment in handheld/mobile scans

graph LR;
    Camera_Calibration-->Image_Matching
    Image_Matching-->Point_Projection
    Point_Projection-->Interpolation

Scanner-Specific Details

Faro Focus3D X330

• Co-axial camera minimizes parallax.
• Uses SCENE software for automatic colorization.
• Scanner rotates 180°, but camera rotates 360°.

Leica BLK360

• Uses 3 cameras (10 photos each) to generate full panorama.
• Produces 360° × 300° image coverage.
• Supports HDR and LDR imaging.
• Integrated IR (thermal) camera.
• Minimum scanning range: 0.6 m.

Leica P50 / P40

• Internal camera resolution: up to 700 MPx (HDR mode).
• Supports mounting of DSLR cameras (e.g., Canon EOS 60D–90D).
• HDR capture support.

Leica RTC360

• Integrated VIS system (Visual-Inertial Odometry) for trajectory tracking.
• Captures 36 HDR images (3 × 12 configuration).
• Panoramic resolution: up to 432 MPx (raw), ~200 MPx usable after mapping.
• Minimum scanning range: 0.5 m.

Z+F 5016

• Built-in HDR i-Cam: 80 MPx, supports up to 11 exposures.
• Colorized scan capture in approx. 3 minutes.
• Integrated 4 × LED (700 lumens).
• Supports external T-Cam (thermal).
• Software features:
  • Camera model selection
  • Internal/external camera calibration
  • Color mapping & camera registration
  • Direct scan colorization

Riegl VZ-4000

• Long-range scanner.
• Camera configuration not public; refer to official specs:
  • Riegl VZ-4000 Product Page

References

• Leica ScanStation P50/P40/P30 System Field Manual v6.0
• Evaluating the Quality of TLS Point Cloud Colorization – Remote Sensing, 2020
• HDR Imaging – Towards Data Science
• Laser Scanning Forum – Camera & Wavelength Discussion
• Z+F 5016 Specs (PDF)
• Z+F Tutorial & Manual