CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
19 May 2004
Company News
AVEVA and MENSI Announce Technology Integration Alliance
AVEVA has announced an alliance with MENSI, the 3D laser scanning business of Trimble, to integrate laser scanning technology and plant design software capabilities. The alliance is expected to bring significant improvements in the use of automatically captured 'as built' plant information for new and ongoing engineering projects.
Gathering and maintaining accurate information about existing plant facilities is a recognized challenge to the engineering industry. The problem becomes most evident during site revamps and extensions when new design projects have to tie in with existing installations for which there may be no reliable digital model.
MENSI, a leader in the field of laser scanning, uses a technique that employs reflected laser pulses to create accurate digital models of existing objects. The alliance will integrate MENSI's 3D, laser-scanned survey data (known as 'point cloud' data) with AVEVA's VANTAGE Plant Design Management System (PDMS).
The alliance intends to deliver genuine advancements in utilizing point cloud data. MENSI's analysis software is able to process most industry point cloud data formats and bring it into a PDMS design model. MENSI software provides data masking, measurement gathering and geometry fitting tools. The PDMS model can then be used for advanced interference detection and design verification, supporting the revamp/retrofit projects.
Increased recognition of the value of plant data and the need to execute revamp projects faster, with minimum downtime, are driving business adoption of the laser scanning technology on projects. Since the 1970s, AVEVA has had a long association with as-built engineering practices such as photogrammetry. However, recent advancements have made 3D laser scanning a more viable option and project teams are seeking close integration with design systems, such as PDMS, to improve the cost effectiveness of revamping or retrofitting.
MENSI, founded in 1986 and located in Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, is a 3D laser scanning company. MENSI 3D scanning tools use laser technology to capture the shapes of physical structures or scenes and convert them into digital format for follow-on data editing or direct analysis. MENSI's RealWorks Survey software incorporates a series of precision tools particularly suited to 2D and 3D civil survey applications, and offers numerous deliverables for direct output or export to major CAD packages. For enhanced 3D modeling requirements in Power & Process, manufacturing etc., MENSI's 3Dipsos software package includes processing, modeling, meshing and imaging tools as well as intelligent outputs to major plant design software platforms. MENSI was acquired by Trimble in 2003, and represents the 3D Scanning Solution Business.
For more information, visit MENSI's website at http://www.mensi.com
Trimble is a leading innovator of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. For more information about Trimble, visit http://www.trimble.com
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