Insight · Jun 2, 2025
What Reality Capture Actually Delivers
Learn what reality capture includes, which deliverables you may receive, and what to define before field work begins.
Reality capture creates a digital record of your site, structure, or environment. Depending on your question, that record may include photographs, 360 imagery, thermal imagery, an orthomosaic, a point cloud, or a 3D model.
Start with the use, not the sensor
Your capture method should follow what you need to see, measure, compare, or document. You may need current site geometry for planning, consistent component views for inspection, or a dated record of installed work before it is concealed.
Those uses lead to different flight plans, camera positions, naming rules, file formats, and acceptance criteria. Define them before field work to reduce missing views and avoid collecting information that cannot support your review.
A usable deliverable includes more than a model
Source imagery, metadata, coordinate information, folder structure, file names, and software dependencies all affect whether your result remains useful after handoff. Know which files are authoritative, what software is required, and how the evidence connects to each site or structure.
Mira supports infrastructure capture and 3D modeling and can also review your capture plan or project handoff.