- Started new line of business offering surveying services
- Needed to save time when working with point clouds to ensure profitability
The CAD Room
Successfully expands business using Veesus Point Clouds for Rhino plug-in
Challenge
Solution
- Veesus Point Clouds for Rhino plug-in
- Allows surveyors to work with point clouds live in Rhino, greatly speeding up the drawing process
Results
- Thriving new line of business generating significant revenue
- Plans to use Veesus more widely in the business to save time and money
About the company – The CAD Room
The CAD Room provides outsourced CAD services, including 2D and 3D drafting, BIM services, prefab installation, and sprinkler system coordination.
Established in 2003, the company prides itself on completing work to a very high standard, reliably, with a personal service.
The Challenge
Founding a new department in a tough market
As part of its growth plans, The CAD Room decided to establish a surveying arm of the business. Surveying complements the other services it offers, allowing The CAD Room to give clients even greater choice and value, and enabling growth for the business.
But starting a line of business is never easy. Craig Greaves, Survey Manager at The CAD Room, explains:
“I built The CAD Room’s surveying capabilities from the ground up – it was like founding a new business. I needed to quickly win the trust of architects and builders alike, and deliver great work for customers – all during the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
Craig made 3D scanning technology a central part of The CAD Room’s surveying service, to deliver clients the most accurate picture of their environments possible. The business already worked with point clouds for 3D modelling, but Craig knew he needed a different solution for the surveying business.
“I’ve worked with various point cloud software packages in my career, but most are very time consuming,” Craig explains. “I needed a faster way to work with point cloud data, to hit my growth targets and prove the value of our new department to the business.”
Point cloud of a staircase generated by Craig as part of a project to model bespoke balustrades for the client.
Colourised point cloud of the windmill and adjoining building, clearly showing key features including staircases.
“Using Veesus cuts the drawing time in half on a project.”
Craig Greaves
Survey Manager, The CAD Room
The Solution
Veesus Point Clouds for Rhino plug-in
Fortunately, Craig knew exactly how to solve his challenge. Back in 2014 he had discovered Veesus Point Clouds for Rhino and had used it ever since to aid his design work. Understandably, he was quick to bring Veesus into The CAD Room and help it experience the benefits, too.
Veesus Point Clouds for Rhino allows users to manipulate point clouds natively within Rhino, saving time and effort. “Using Veesus cuts the drawing time in half on a project,” Craig adds.
Manipulating point clouds live within Rhino means there’s no need to continually create and import slices of the point cloud for drawing work. This has been especially useful for drawing floorplans; if the point cloud shows an obstruction in the slice that Craig is working on, he simply moves it in real time to draw around the obstruction, and then moves it back when he needs to.
“It’s effortless,” Craig comments. “And even better, the guys at Veesus are always spot-on if I need any help or support. It was especially handy starting out with a free trial too; it gave me a chance to demonstrate the value of Veesus before we invested.”
The Results
Happy clients and a thriving business
With Veesus Point Clouds for Rhino, Craig has been delighting clients. After just half a year he’s already booked up solidly for the next 2 months, and business is strong. He’s also received a lot of positive feedback from clients.
“Our clients often comment on how well-presented our designs and drawings are,” he says, “and that’s been made possible by Veesus – it lets you draw how you want to draw.”
A particularly exciting project Craig has worked on was scanning a windmill for a charity that planned to use the building as a food bank and a shelter for domestic abuse victims. As the structure is a Grade 2 listed building, accurate scans were vital to create plans for conversion and restoration work that would be permitted by the local authority.
“Veesus actually helped me create a video showing the scan for the client,” says Craig, “which was brilliant.”
Best of all, The CAD Room’s new line of business is already earning its keep. In its first 6 months, the surveying department has generated more than £30,000 of revenue – 7.6 per cent of the total company turnover in those 6 months. And Craig plans to bring the benefits of Veesus to the rest of the business.
“The CAD team works with point clouds for things like MEP projects, using Revit – and I know that using Veesus Point Clouds for Rhino, and then importing the drawings from Rhino to Revit, could save them time. I think we’re only just getting started with Veesus at The CAD Room.”
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