Indoor scan-to-BIM workflows: Progress, challenges, and future directions (2014-2024)

Yahan Chen; Xiaowei Luo

doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106578

Indoor scan-to-BIM workflows: Progress, challenges, and future directions (2014-2024)

Yahan Chen
, Xiaowei Luo^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

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Abstract

With the increasing adoption of BIM in building operation and maintenance, generating as-built Building Information Models (BIMs) for existing buildings becomes a growing demand. Converting laser-scanned point clouds into as-built BIMs (i.e., “Scan-to-BIM”) in the indoor scenes holds significant potential for the industry demand. This paper reviews the current state of indoor Scan-to-BIM research through a survey of 109 publications from the past decade. In the bibliometric analysis, the research status and relevant hot topics are identified. In the technical analysis, the implementation path, related methods for key steps, and modeling results of indoor Scan-to-BIM are statistically analyzed. Based on these findings, recommendations concerning development foundations, directions, and contents are proposed to foster the advancement of indoor Scan-to-BIM workflows. © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license

Original language	English
Article number	106578
Journal	Automation in Construction
Volume	181
Issue number	Part A
Online published	11 Oct 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106578
Publication status	Published - Jan 2026

Funding

This work was jointly supported by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program #JCYJ20220818101019039, Hong Kong Research Grant Council Collaborative Research Fund #C7080-21GF, C6044-23GF, and City University of Hong Kong Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Grant #7020075.

Research Keywords

Scan-to-BIM
Point clouds
Indoor
Building information model (BIM)
PRISMA
Bibliometric analysis
Technical analysis

Publisher's Copyright Statement

This full text is made available under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

RGC Funding Information

RGC-funded

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title = "Indoor scan-to-BIM workflows: Progress, challenges, and future directions (2014-2024)",

abstract = "With the increasing adoption of BIM in building operation and maintenance, generating as-built Building Information Models (BIMs) for existing buildings becomes a growing demand. Converting laser-scanned point clouds into as-built BIMs (i.e., “Scan-to-BIM”) in the indoor scenes holds significant potential for the industry demand. This paper reviews the current state of indoor Scan-to-BIM research through a survey of 109 publications from the past decade. In the bibliometric analysis, the research status and relevant hot topics are identified. In the technical analysis, the implementation path, related methods for key steps, and modeling results of indoor Scan-to-BIM are statistically analyzed. Based on these findings, recommendations concerning development foundations, directions, and contents are proposed to foster the advancement of indoor Scan-to-BIM workflows. {\textcopyright} 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ",

keywords = "Scan-to-BIM, Point clouds, Indoor, Building information model (BIM), PRISMA, Bibliometric analysis, Technical analysis",

author = "Yahan Chen and Xiaowei Luo",

year = "2026",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106578",

language = "English",

volume = "181",

journal = "Automation in Construction",

issn = "0926-5805",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Indoor scan-to-BIM workflows

T2 - Progress, challenges, and future directions (2014-2024)

AU - Chen, Yahan

AU - Luo, Xiaowei

PY - 2026/1

Y1 - 2026/1

N2 - With the increasing adoption of BIM in building operation and maintenance, generating as-built Building Information Models (BIMs) for existing buildings becomes a growing demand. Converting laser-scanned point clouds into as-built BIMs (i.e., “Scan-to-BIM”) in the indoor scenes holds significant potential for the industry demand. This paper reviews the current state of indoor Scan-to-BIM research through a survey of 109 publications from the past decade. In the bibliometric analysis, the research status and relevant hot topics are identified. In the technical analysis, the implementation path, related methods for key steps, and modeling results of indoor Scan-to-BIM are statistically analyzed. Based on these findings, recommendations concerning development foundations, directions, and contents are proposed to foster the advancement of indoor Scan-to-BIM workflows. © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license

AB - With the increasing adoption of BIM in building operation and maintenance, generating as-built Building Information Models (BIMs) for existing buildings becomes a growing demand. Converting laser-scanned point clouds into as-built BIMs (i.e., “Scan-to-BIM”) in the indoor scenes holds significant potential for the industry demand. This paper reviews the current state of indoor Scan-to-BIM research through a survey of 109 publications from the past decade. In the bibliometric analysis, the research status and relevant hot topics are identified. In the technical analysis, the implementation path, related methods for key steps, and modeling results of indoor Scan-to-BIM are statistically analyzed. Based on these findings, recommendations concerning development foundations, directions, and contents are proposed to foster the advancement of indoor Scan-to-BIM workflows. © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license

KW - Scan-to-BIM

KW - Point clouds

KW - Indoor

KW - Building information model (BIM)

KW - PRISMA

KW - Bibliometric analysis

KW - Technical analysis

UR - https://www.webofscience.com/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001598707500002

U2 - 10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106578

DO - 10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106578

M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 0926-5805

VL - 181

JO - Automation in Construction

JF - Automation in Construction

IS - Part A

M1 - 106578

ER -

Indoor scan-to-BIM workflows: Progress, challenges, and future directions (2014-2024)

Abstract

Funding

Research Keywords

Publisher's Copyright Statement

RGC Funding Information

Access Output

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