NavVis MLX Scanning Best Practices

The following documents describe the preparation, field decisions, and environment-specific considerations that determine whether scan data is complete and reliable enough for everything that follows.

If you are new to scanning with the NavVis MLX, begin with the Start Scanning with NavVis MLX.

Scope of each document

Each document covers recommended methods, preparation guidance, and key considerations relevant to its topic. The goal in every case is the same: complete scan coverage and data quality that holds up when it matters — in processing, in delivery, and in client review.

How to use these documents

These documents focus on what to do and why, not on step-by-step task execution. Where a best practice corresponds to a specific detailed procedure, a direct link to the relevant Knowledge Base article is provided within the document.

On-Site Scanning Best Practices

The following documents describe the best practices for achieving various scanning tasks with the NavVis MLX.

• Scan Outdoor Areas - NavVis MLX:Use this guide when a project spans indoor and outdoor areas that must be in one dataset. You'll need planned indoor–outdoor transition points at key doorways and building corners. By the end, you'll have a single continuous scan with clean loop closures across the entire scan area.

• Capture Panoramic Images - NavVis MLX: Use this guide when panorama quality matters, for navigation, client review, or readable labels, not just point-cloud geometry. You'll need clean lenses and even lighting. By the end, you'll have sharp, evenly spaced panoramas with the extra density in areas where they are needed.

• Capture Control Points - NavVis MLX: Use this guide when the project requires geospatial orientation, and your surveyor has provided marked control points on site. You'll need at least three well-distributed control points with known coordinates. By the end, you'll have a dataset that aligns to project coordinates with minimal rework.

• Scan Obstructed and Complex Objects - NavVis MLX: This document describes how to scan areas containing large machines (production equipment, cells, racks, or line segments) with NavVis MLX so they appear sharp, correctly positioned, and complete in your deliverables.

• Scan Stairs and Corridors - NavVis MLX: Use this guide when your scan path runs through corridors, landings, and staircases, areas where feature-poor geometry and foot traffic commonly cause SLAM errors. You'll need open access to the full route at low foot traffic times.

• Open Doors While Scanning - NavVis MLX: Use this guide when doors along your NavVis MLX scan route cannot be propped open in advance and you'll have to open them yourself mid-scan. You'll need a free hand and a clear approach path. By the end, you'll know how to pass through doorways without breaking SLAM.

• Scan Facades - NavVis MLX: Use this guide when scanning a building facade for the first time with NavVis MLX, especially with tricky elements like glass, long plain walls, or recessed entrances. You'll need the building plan, and a clear, feature-rich start point. By the end, you'll have complete facade coverage ready for alignment with interior scans.

• Scan Narrow Spaces - NavVis MLX: Use this guide when your route runs through confined spaces, such as narrow corridors, tunnels, service shafts, or tight stairs, where standard scanning patterns strain accuracy and safety. You'll need a planned path with safe entry and exit points; by the end, you'll have full coverage through the narrow spaces.