Every scan-to-deliverable project starts with the same raw material: a point cloud. What comes out the other end depends on what you ask for. Two of the most common requests are as-built drawings and BIM models, and teams often use the terms loosely, assuming one is just a smaller version of the other.
They’re not. They’re different products, built for different uses, at different price points. Picking the wrong one either wastes budget or leaves your design team without the information they need.
What an As-Built Drawing Actually Is
An as-built drawing is a 2D representation of existing conditions: floor plans, elevations, reflected ceiling plans, sometimes sections. It’s produced by tracing the point cloud in CAD, and it documents what’s there without carrying additional data behind each element.
You get accurate dimensions, wall locations, door and window placements, and room layouts. What you don’t get is a 3D object you can rotate, schedule, or query. A wall on an as-built drawing is a line. It doesn’t know its own height, material, or fire rating unless someone writes that on the drawing separately.
What a BIM Model Actually Is
A BIM model is a 3D, object-based representation built in software like Revit. Each wall, door, and column is a modeled element with parameters attached: dimensions, material, sometimes fire rating or manufacturer data if that information is requested and available.
Because the elements are objects rather than lines, a BIM model supports things a 2D drawing can’t: automatic quantity takeoffs, clash checks against new design elements, and coordination between disciplines working in the same model. That capability is why architects and engineers request BIM for renovation and addition projects where new work has to fit against existing conditions.
The Real Difference Is Time and Cost, Not Quality
Neither deliverable is more “accurate” than the other — both trace back to the same scan data. The difference is how much modeling effort goes into representing that data. A 2D as-built takes less time to produce because it doesn’t require building parametric objects. A BIM model takes longer because every element has to be placed, sized, and often assigned a Level of Development (LOD 200 or 300 is typical for renovation work).
That time difference shows up directly in the invoice. For a project where a design team just needs accurate floor plans to start sketching, paying for a full BIM model is spending money on capability nobody will use.
When As-Built Drawings Are the Right Call
Choose 2D as-builts when the next step is schematic design, a permit submission that only requires plan views, or a facility team that needs current floor plans for space planning and life safety documentation. If nobody downstream is opening Revit, a BIM model isn’t buying you anything.
When You Need a Full BIM Model
Choose BIM when your architect or engineer is designing in a 3D platform and needs existing conditions to coordinate against, when the project involves multiple design disciplines working from a shared model, or when the owner wants a long-term facility model that gets updated over the building’s life. Any project with structural or architectural work tying into existing walls, columns, or floor elevations benefits from having those elements as real objects instead of lines on a page.
If you’re not sure which category your project falls into, ask your architect what format they want existing conditions delivered in before you request a scan. That one conversation usually settles it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we start with as-built drawings and upgrade to BIM later?
Yes. Since both deliverables come from the same archived scan, we can produce a BIM model from an existing scan later without a return site visit, as long as the point cloud is still current relative to the building.
Does a BIM model cost significantly more than as-built drawings?
It costs more, and the gap depends on project size and how much of the building needs to be modeled. Simple, single-floor spaces see a smaller gap than large, multi-system buildings where every element takes modeling time.
What file formats do you deliver for each?
As-built drawings are typically delivered as CAD files or PDFs. BIM models are delivered as Revit files, and the underlying point cloud is available separately in .rcp or .e57 format for either deliverable.
Who decides which deliverable a project needs?
Usually the architect or engineer of record, since they know what their design workflow requires. If you don’t have one on the project yet, we can walk through the options with you before scheduling a scan.