NavVis VLX Scanning Best Practices

The following document describes 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 VLX, begin with the Start Scanning with NavVis VLX.

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 VLX.

• Scan Outdoor Areas - NavVis VLX: 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 VLX: 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 VLX: 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 VLX: Use this guide when a site includes a large machine, such as production equipment, a rack, or a line segment, that must appear sharp, correctly positioned, and complete in the deliverable. You'll need a planned two-pass orbit and the surrounding structural features in view. By the end, you'll have captured the machine with crisp geometry, multi-angle coverage, and readable panoramas.

• Scan Stairs and Corridors - NavVis VLX: 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 VLX: Use this guide when doors along your 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.