In industrial environments, small movement creates big consequences. A few millimeters of foundation settlement. A pipe rack drifting out of tolerance. Thermal expansion that no longer behaves the way it did on paper.
Most failures don’t come from lack of engineering—they come from lack of visibility.
Scan-based deviation analysis replaces assumptions with measurable reality. It allows owners, engineers, and operators to see, quantify, and trend how facilities actually change over time—across millions of data points, not a few survey shots.
At AsBuilt3D, deviation analysis has become one of our most trusted services for power generation, utilities, and heavy industrial clients because it directly answers the question that matters most: What is really happening at my site—and how fast is it changing?
Watch: AsBuilt's Fabrication Inspection Service using deviation analysis to analyze the design to the fabricated end result.
Traditional surveys answer where a few points are. Deviation analysis answers how the entire facility behaves.
Using high-resolution LiDAR reality capture, we:
This density matters. Movement in industrial environments is rarely uniform. When only 20–30 points are monitored, the most critical behavior often occurs between them.
Across power plants, substations, and industrial campuses, we consistently see the same pressures:
Deviation analysis provides defensible, repeatable evidence to manage those risks proactively.
We don’t just “scan everything.” Each scan is designed around:
Whether it’s a baseline scan, hot vs. cold analysis, or quarterly monitoring, capture strategy is what determines value.
Deviation analysis is only as good as registration accuracy. We:
This ensures detected movement is real—not registration artifact.
Depending on objectives, we compare:
Each comparison answers a different engineering question.
Color maps alone don’t make decisions. We translate deviation results into:
This is where experience matters.
Many operation and site leader implement our Mangement of Change services that includes perioditic scans so that an as-built 3D model is always on file for virtual tours, virtual measurements, source file to provide on-demand 2D drawings, and accurate data for capital project planning.
A newly constructed bulk storage unit at a power plant in the New Englind area began showing signs of distress from unplanned settling.
Meanwhile, reinforcement work was already underway, increasing load on the foundation and only serving as a band aid until a proper long-term fix could be planned and implemented.
By scanning:
We uncovered:
Instead of debating survey numbers, the team now had facility-wide evidence and accurate as-built drawings, 3D model of the envionrment, and a baseline data set to monitor future site changes from settling and other factors.
A New York power plant was experiencing recurring weld failures—particularly during seasonal transitions.
Failures were being repaired—but not prevented.
We implemented quarterly scans, capturing:
Deviation analysis revealed:
This allowed the plant to:
Deviation analysis is routinely applied to:
Learn about our fabrication and installation vericiation serivce that inlcudes anlyzing original CAD models to the reality capture of the fabricated or installed equipment.
Deviation analysis is often viewed as an “advanced” service—until the math is done.
By identifying movement before failure, plants shift from emergency response to planned intervention.
Without deviation data, engineers often design conservatively:
Deviation analysis allows:
We routinely see six-figure savings from avoided overdesign alone.
All deviation analysis results are hosted in our secure private data environment:
Heavy computation stays on our infrastructure. Stakeholders simply log in, review, and collaborate.
The most sophisticated operators don’t wait for failure. They monitor behavior.
Deviation analysis enables:
It becomes part of how facilities think—not just how they react.
If your site relies on limited survey points to manage complex movement, you’re making critical decisions with incomplete information.
Scan-based deviation analysis gives you:
Talk with AsBuilt3D about establishing a baseline scan or implementing a recurring deviation analysis program tailored to your facility’s risk profile.
Each project represents our commitment to accuracy and technical excellence
Talk with our team about your facility, scope, and objectives to determine the right capture, modeling, and analysis approach.
