Terrestrial and mobile laser scanning technologies have become essential tools in geoinformation, surveying, cultural heritage documentation, and construction. However, access to modern laser scanning equipment remains limited for many universities and training institutions due to high costs, logistical constraints, or disruptions caused by crises such as pandemics or military conflicts. The VRscan3D project addresses this challenge by developing a realistic virtual simulator for stationary and mobile laser scanning that supports education, training, and research.
VRscan3D is based on a game-engine environment that enables immersive interaction with virtual scanning devices and realistic 3D scenes. The simulator reproduces the physical parameters of real terrestrial laser scanners. Users can define scan stations, configure scanning parameters, and generate synthetic point clouds that incorporate realistic noise, intensity behavior, and beam characteristics. The platform also supports simulation of mobile scanning systems, including handheld scanners, mobile platforms, and UAV-based systems, allowing users to explore error propagation, scanning trajectories, and operator influence on data quality.
In addition to training purposes, VRscan3D enables the generation of synthetic point clouds with known ground truth for testing point cloud processing algorithms and training AI models. Ongoing research focuses on comparing simulated and real datasets to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of synthetic scanning data under dynamic conditions.