From Point Cloud to CAD Drawings — How We Produce Your Survey in AutoCAD

From Data to Drawings

Once the point cloud has been registered and processed in ReCap, it's ready to be used as the reference dataset for producing 2D CAD drawings. This is the stage where the three-dimensional scan data becomes the floor plans, elevations and sections that architects, engineers and developers actually work from.

At SurveyX we produce all 2D survey drawings in AutoCAD — the industry standard for CAD production. The point cloud is loaded directly into AutoCAD as a reference underlay, and drawings are traced and modelled from it at the correct scale and dimensions.

Loading the Point Cloud into AutoCAD

AutoCAD natively supports RCP point cloud files — the file produced by ReCap after processing. Once loaded, the point cloud appears as a three-dimensional reference dataset inside the AutoCAD environment. It can be sliced at any height to produce plan views, or viewed from any angle to assist with elevation and section production.

The key tool for 2D drawing production is the point cloud section slice — a horizontal cut through the point cloud at a specified height. For a floor plan, we typically slice at around 1.2m above finished floor level, which cuts through all doors and windows while avoiding most furniture and giving a clear picture of the wall layout. The resulting slice shows the exact outline of every wall, partition, door opening and window reveal in the building.

Producing Floor Plans

Floor plan production is the first and most time-intensive drawing stage. The process involves:

1. Setting up the drawing sheet

Each floor plan is set up on a standard drawing sheet with the SurveyX title block, at the agreed scale (typically 1:50 for residential, 1:100 for larger buildings). The point cloud is positioned in the model space and the plan slice is set at the correct height.

2. Tracing the building outline

External walls are traced from the point cloud slice using AutoCAD's polyline tools. The point cloud gives us the exact position of each wall face, so we can trace to millimetre accuracy rather than estimating. Wall thicknesses are measured directly from the dataset — the distance between the inner and outer wall faces is clearly visible in the slice.

3. Internal walls and partitions

Internal walls, partitions, columns and structural elements are traced in the same way — each element assigned to the correct layer according to our drawing standard. Layer naming follows industry conventions (WALL-EXT for external walls, WALL-INT for internal partitions etc.) so your architect's software can read the file straight away.

4. Door and window openings

Door and window positions are taken from the plan slice, with opening widths and reveal depths measured from the point cloud. Door swing directions are added based on site observations and the scan data. Window cill heights and head heights are taken from vertical sections through the point cloud at each opening position.

5. Annotations and dimensions

Room names, areas, floor levels and key dimensions are added to complete the drawing. We follow the RICS guidance for measured building surveys in terms of what detail is shown and how it's annotated.

Producing Elevations

Elevations are produced by creating a vertical section slice through the point cloud, cutting parallel to each face of the building. This gives a precise vertical projection showing the exact position of every window, door, feature, roof line and surface change.

The point cloud makes elevation production particularly accurate for complex facades — irregular window arrangements, projecting features, bay windows and changes in material are all recorded precisely in the scan data and can be traced with confidence.

Key information shown on elevations includes window and door head and cill heights, floor-to-floor heights, eaves and ridge levels, material indication and all architectural features.

Producing Sections

Sections are vertical cuts through the building showing the internal storey heights, floor-to-ceiling dimensions, and the relationship between levels. They're produced by creating a vertical section slice through the point cloud at the agreed cut position.

The point cloud shows the exact profile of floors, ceilings, beams and structural elements at the section cut, making it straightforward to produce accurate section drawings that correctly show ceiling heights, floor thicknesses and stair geometry.

Drawing Standards and Layer Structure

All SurveyX drawings are produced to a consistent standard:

• All elements assigned to named layers with industry-standard naming conventions
• Line weights assigned by layer for clean print output
• Drawing scale set in the sheet layout — plots correctly at the specified scale without manual adjustment
• AutoCAD version compatibility — files saved to AutoCAD 2018 format by default, compatible with all versions from 2018 onwards
• Coordinate system retained from the point cloud — drawing origin aligned to the building and levels referenced to agreed datum

Quality Checking

Every set of drawings goes through a quality check before issue. This involves checking key dimensions against the raw point cloud to verify accuracy, checking that all areas of the building have been captured, and reviewing the drawing presentation for consistency and completeness.

Where a dimension looks unusual or a wall appears to deviate from what was expected, we go back to the point cloud to verify before including it in the drawing — the raw data is always there as the reference.

Delivery

Completed drawings are delivered as DWG files (AutoCAD 2018 format) and PDFs, via a secure Dropbox download link. The DWG files are fully layered and structured for immediate use by your design team — no cleanup or restructuring required before they can start working.