A Comprehensive Review of 3D Scanning Technologies for Civil and Industrial Applications
3D Scanning 3D scanning has become a cornerstone of modern civil engineering, architecture, manufacturing, and plant design. This paper critically reviews major scanning technologies—terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), structured-light scanning, laser triangulation, photogrammetry, and contact metrology—and compares their accuracy, benefits, limitations, and suitability for key use cases. Drawing on peer-reviewed literature and engineering media, we highlight where each method excels and where it falls short, especially for high-precision applications such as toolmaking, precision machining, and additive manufacturing. 3D scanning converts real-world geometry into digital data, typically a point cloud or mesh, which can then be used for modelling, simulation, and fabrication. Over the past two decades, scanning technologies have matured, with applications ranging from cultural heritage documentation to automated quality inspection. The goal of this review is to establish a clear m...