Location Scouting & Mapping with Bosch GLM 80

[PatrickFaith]

I started using the Bosch GLM 80 laser distance & angle measuring "thing", and it's hugely helping my workflow. I can't believe now that i "manually" measured rooms and messed around with trying to determine angles by hand. Also, my scene diagrams for pre-viz take a few minutes now, and the initial sfx rooms are "perfect". I mean this thing is really nice. I'm sure the big guys have been using them, but this is a great tool for indies, since I'm using "found" locations and need to map things out quickly. You do need to be careful of the laser, and do the measurements when no one is likely to walk through them.

 

[Phil Holland]

Yep and a +1. It's pretty much standard gear for on set Data Collectors on VFX shoots. I've got two Disto Lasers for just such a thing. Great for planning, great for surveying, great for logging. There are so many of these on the market now. Some even have digital cameras on them to help you place your point accurately.

On bigger gigs with more demanding visual effects work studios have a company come in with a LIDAR scanner or Surfphaser which actually give you geometry and depending on the rig might also give you a 3D photographic texture pass as well.

 

[PatrickFaith]

Yep and a +1. It's pretty much standard gear for on set Data Collectors on VFX shoots. I've got two Disto Lasers for just such a thing. Great for planning, great for surveying, great for logging. There are so many of these on the market now. Some even have digital cameras on them to help you place your point accurately.

On bigger gigs with more demanding visual effects work studios have a company come in with a LIDAR scanner or Surfphaser which actually give you geometry and depending on the rig might also give you a 3D photographic texture pass as well.

Do you know of any of these that are "set" safe ... where you can do quick focus measurements when people are around?