Digital Twins & Building Intelligence
Know Your Building Inside and Out
We combine aerial drone surveys with handheld LiDAR scanning to create a precise, navigable 3D replica of your building. Stop relying on outdated plans. Know your building as it is today.
What Is a Building Digital Twin?
A digital twin is a precise, navigable 3D replica of a real building — created from actual scan data, not from drawings or assumptions. Unlike a CAD model or an architect’s design, a digital twin represents the building as it is today, with every wall, ceiling, floor, and structural element captured in three dimensions with centimetre-level accuracy.
Building owners use digital twins for maintenance planning, renovation design, lease documentation, and insurance baseline records. Facilities managers use them to locate concealed services, plan refurbishments, and manage assets across a portfolio. Architects and engineers use them as the starting point for any design work on an existing building.
Drones At Work is the only operator in New Zealand that can deliver a complete exterior-to-interior digital twin from a single team — combining our DJI M350 RTK aerial platform with the Xgrids Lixel K2 handheld interior scanner. No other provider offers this.
How We Build Your Digital Twin
Step 1: Aerial Survey
Our M350 RTK drone captures the roof, facade, and site context with H30T thermal and L2 LiDAR payloads. The exterior of the building is mapped in precise 3D, referenced to NZTM2000 coordinates.
Step 2: Interior Scan
Our Lixel K2 handheld scanner walks through the interior — every room, corridor, plant area, and ceiling space — building a georeferenced 3D model from inside the building.
Step 3: Data Fusion
Aerial and interior datasets are fused through our aerial-ground data fusion process — merged into a single coordinate system. The result is one unified point cloud covering the building from rooftop to floor slab, with no gaps.
Step 4: Delivery
You receive a colourised point cloud (.LAS), 3D mesh model, as-built floor plans, and a shareable web viewer link. Optional: 3DGS photorealistic walkthrough for premium visual deliverables.
What You Receive
- Colourised point cloud (.LAS file) — survey-grade accuracy, NZTM2000 georeferenced
- 3D mesh model — navigable in standard viewers, shareable by web link
- As-built floor plans — extracted from scan data, accurate to 1 cm
- Thermal overlay (optional) — heat map of walls, ceiling, and floor surface temperatures
- 3D Gaussian Splatting walkthrough (premium option) — photorealistic, immersive building tour
- Condition notes and maintenance flags identified during the scan
Who Uses Digital Twins
Building Owners & Investors
No accurate as-built drawings? We scan the building as it stands today and deliver a complete 3D record — the foundation of all future maintenance and renovation planning.
Architects & Engineers
Design against reality, not assumption. Our as-built twin gives you precise existing conditions for any extension, alteration, or seismic strengthening project — far faster and more accurate than a traditional measured survey.
Facilities & Asset Managers
Know where every pipe, duct, cable, and structural element runs. Plan maintenance, manage contractors, and make decisions from data — not from guesswork or memory.
Insurance Professionals
Pre-event baseline documentation of building condition and geometry — timestamped, georeferenced, and legally defensible. Accelerate claims and eliminate disputes about pre-existing conditions.
Portfolio Managers
Standardise asset documentation across your entire portfolio. Every building, the same format, the same accuracy. Scheduled re-scans keep your records current as buildings change.
Related Services
Interior Space Scanning & Floor Plans
Fast, accurate as-built floor plans and interior 3D models — ideal for a single space or renovation quote.
LiDAR Walkthroughs
A photorealistic, measurement-accurate 3D walkthrough your clients can explore online — built for marketing and leasing.
Scan-to-BIM
Turn a scan into a design-ready BIM model for architects and engineers working on an existing building.
Ready to know your building inside and out?
Contact Drones At Work for a digital twin proposal tailored to your building and your objectives.
Get a free quote
Open Hours
Monday – Friday: 8am – 6pm
Weekend appointments available by request
Office Location
Christchurch, New Zealand
Serving the entire South Island, North Island, and beyond
Drones at Work - Aerial, Thermal & Spatial Data Solutions Across New Zealand. CAA Part 102 Certified.