Why Hasn't it Been Available Until Now?

High Definition 3D Laser Scanning has only recently become more cost effective because of a surge in technology. There are three main factors: Computers, Software and Laser Technology. Only in the last few years have computers evolved into portable machines that are powerful enough to cope with the large files generated by the scanner. A single "point cloud" file is measured in gigabytes. Up until recent years, desktop and laptop computers simply did not posess the storage capacity. Another influencing factor is 3D technology. The awesome 3D technology that is available today is, strangely enough, a spin-off of the 3D gaming industry. Without the immense power of the 3D graphics card and today's processors, manipulation of a point cloud would almost be impossible.
Software developers have had to overcome the problems of displaying and manipulating point clouds, at the same time making it user friendly. Major breakthroughs have been made in the past few years.
Laser technology has been around for quite some time. Only recently has it been incorporated into an instrument with the accuracy, reliability and ease of operation that is now available.
Because of technological progress, High Definition 3D Laser Scanning is a reality today.