Equipment & accuracy
Leica RTC360 accuracy for plant documentation
DDG scans with a Leica RTC360. Here are Leica’s published figures, and how instrument accuracy carries through to the point cloud, model, and drawings you receive.
3D point accuracy
Accuracy is best close to the scanner
Leica publishes 3D point accuracy at 10 m, 20 m, and 40 m. The error at 40 m is 2.8 times the error at 10 m, so setups are planned to keep critical equipment at short range.
3D point accuracy, mm
Leica manufacturer specification. Accuracy and range noise stated at 89% albedo; 68% confidence level. Only the published ranges are shown; nothing is implied between or beyond them.
How to read the specification
- 68% confidence level
- Leica states accuracy as one standard uncertainty, per the GUM (JCGM 100:2008). About two in three points fall within the stated value. For roughly 95% confidence, the same guide applies a coverage factor of k = 2.
- 89% albedo
- The figures are measured on a bright, highly reflective surface. Dark, weathered, or polished plant surfaces return a weaker signal and noisier points.
- Noise is not accuracy
- Range noise (0.4 mm @ 10 m, single shot) is the scatter of points on a surface. 3D point accuracy (1.9 mm @ 10 m) is how close a point sits to its true position. A cloud can look crisp and still be offset.
Instrument vs. project
Instrument accuracy vs. project accuracy
Leica’s figures describe single measurements under test conditions. What a finished point cloud, model, or drawing supports combines three sources of error, and conditions on site move all three.
The error budget
Instrument
The error in each measured point. Leica publishes it for test conditions (Fig. 1).
Registration
How closely the separate setups are tied into one point cloud.
Modeling and interpretation
How points become geometry: what is modeled, at what level of detail, and assumptions such as pipe size under insulation.
Project accuracy
What the finished point cloud, model, or drawing can be relied on for. It is set by scope and site conditions, not by the scanner alone.
Independent random errors combine as a root-sum-square, so the total is always larger than the largest single term. Interpretation errors, such as modeling the wrong pipe size, are not random; an agreed modeling scope and review control them.
What moves it in the field
Range
Point accuracy is best close to the scanner; setups are spaced so critical areas are captured at short range.
Surface & angle
Dark, polished, or transparent surfaces (rubber, polished stainless, glass, wet pipe) and glancing angles return noisier or missing points and may need extra setups.
Registration
Scans are tied together in the field and refined in the office; registration is checked as part of quality control, and coverage limitations are documented in the coverage summary.
Site conditions
Vibration, heat shimmer, dust or steam, moving equipment, and access limits affect results and are noted in the coverage summary.
Scan to model
How models and drawings relate to the scan
A point cloud is measured data. Models and drawings are interpretations of that data at an agreed level of detail, so modeled geometry is only as precise as the modeling scope specifies.
Fig. 2Measured data
Tier 1 · Point cloud
Registered scan points, as captured. How well they hold depends on the instrument, registration, and site conditions above.
Fig. 3Interpreted at agreed detail
Tiers 2–4 · Models and drawings
Building and process models (Tier 3 shown) and CAD drawings, built from the points at the level of detail the proposal specifies.
Figs. 2 and 3 are illustrations of a simulated example plant, not project records.
Fabrication-critical tie-ins, flange locations, anchor bolts, and tight-clearance dimensions need separate verification before fabrication or installation, quoted separately. Verification rule
Manufacturer specifications
Full specification sheet
Every value is from Leica Geosystems’ published RTC360 data sheet. Imperial values are rounded conversions, marked ≈.
- RTC360
- 872750
- 10.25
- 2026-09-21
Field features
In-field registration (VIS)
The Visual Inertial System tracks the scanner as it moves between setups, so each scan is aligned to the previous one on site. Alignment and coverage can be checked before we leave, not discovered back at the office.
Double Scan
Automatically removes moving objects from the scan. In a running plant, people and forklifts passing through a setup are filtered out instead of leaving ghost points in the cloud.
HDR imagery
Calibrated spherical HDR images colorize the point cloud and give you a photo record of each setup. Bracketed exposures handle dim interiors and bright openings in the same image.
Fast setups
A full-dome scan with HDR imagery takes under two minutes at the 6 mm @ 10 m setting. More setups per day means shorter ranges to critical equipment and fewer gaps behind congested piping.
Accuracy
| Specification | Manufacturer value |
|---|---|
| 3D point accuracy | 1.9 mm @ 10 m≈ 0.075 in @ 33 ft2.9 mm @ 20 m≈ 0.114 in @ 66 ft5.3 mm @ 40 m≈ 0.209 in @ 131 ftAt 89% albedo; 68% confidence level |
| Range accuracy | 1.0 mm + 10 ppm≈ 0.039 in + 10 ppmAt 89% albedo; 68% confidence level |
| Angular accuracy | 18″Arc-seconds; 68% confidence level |
| Range noise | 0.4 mm @ 10 m≈ 0.016 in @ 33 ft0.5 mm @ 20 m≈ 0.020 in @ 66 ftSingle-shot measurements at 89% albedo |
Scanning
| Specification | Manufacturer value |
|---|---|
| Distance measurement | High-speed, high-dynamic time of flight enhanced by Waveform Digitizing (WFD) |
| Measurement rate | Up to 2,000,000 points per second |
| Range | 0.5 – 130 m≈ 1.6 – 427 ftMinimum 0.5 m, up to 130 m |
| Field of view | 360° horizontal × 300° vertical |
| Selectable resolution | 3 mm, 6 mm, or 12 mm @ 10 m≈ 0.12, 0.24, or 0.47 in @ 33 ftPoint spacing; three user-selectable settings |
| Full-dome scan + spherical HDR image | Under 2 minutesAt the 6 mm @ 10 m resolution setting |
| Laser | Class 1, 1550 nm (invisible)Per IEC 60825-1:2014 |
Imaging
| Specification | Manufacturer value |
|---|---|
| Camera system | 36 MP 3-camera system; 432 MPx raw data for a calibrated 360° × 300° spherical image |
| HDR | Automatic, 5 brackets |
| Imaging time | 1 minute for a full spherical HDR imageIn any light condition, per Leica |
Registration & field checks
| Specification | Manufacturer value |
|---|---|
| Real-time registration (VIS) | Automatic point cloud alignment from real-time tracking of scanner movement between setupsVisual Inertial System: video-enhanced inertial measurement unit |
| Double Scan | Automatic removal of moving objects |
| Check & Adjust | Field procedure for targetless checking of angular parameters |
| Tilt sensor | IMU based, 18″For upright and upside-down setups within ±10° inclination |
| Additional sensors | Altimeter, compass, GNSS |
Field
| Specification | Manufacturer value |
|---|---|
| Environmental rating | IP54 (IEC 60529)Solid particle and liquid ingress protection; upright and upside-down setups within ±15° inclination |
| Operating temperature | −5 °C to +40 °C23 °F to 104 °FExtended operation to −10 °C (14 °F) is possible if the internal temperature is at or above −5 °C when powered on |
| Storage temperature | −40 °C to +70 °C−40 °F to 158 °F |
Physical & power
| Specification | Manufacturer value |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 120 × 240 × 230 mm≈ 4.7 × 9.4 × 9.1 in |
| Weight | 5.35 kg, nominal≈ 11.8 lbWithout batteries |
| Batteries | 2 internal rechargeable Li-ionTypically up to 4 hours |
| Data storage | 256 GB exchangeable USB 3.0 flash drive |
Basis of accuracy figures
- 68% confidence level (one standard uncertainty), per JCGM 100:2008 (GUM).
- Accuracy and range noise stated at 89% albedo.
- Range noise stated for single-shot measurements.
Source
Values checked against the published data sheet on September 21, 2026.
Specifications per Leica Geosystems published data; performance varies with site conditions.
Need to know if scan data fits your tolerances?
Send the facility type, approximate area, and the dimensions that matter most. The written proposal states the scope, the deliverables, and any separate verification.