3.1 Startup and Movement

Startup

The startup position is the reference frame for the entire session. A bad start means every later loop closure works against a bad baseline.

1. Static start on the steel control-point base. Set it on a flat surface and hold it firm at the battery and base. A tripod is not a substitute; the base provides the reference geometry.
2. Clear the area. No people or objects in the field of view during startup.
3. For RTK, reach Fixed outdoors first. Achieve a Fixed solution (green RTK light) in open sky before you pick up the scanner. Interior spaces rarely hold a fix.
4. Wait 15 seconds after the point cloud appears in the app before moving. Moving early starts the trajectory before SLAM has a stable lock.
5. Initialize in a feature-rich spot with at least 3 walls or large features visible. Open plazas, glass facades, and crowds are poor start points.
6. Pick a start point you can return to. The final loop closure (see 3.2 Route Planning) brings you back within 5 to 10 m (15 to 30 ft) of here.

Walking Speed

Speed sets point density. Walking too fast means fewer LiDAR observations per unit of geometry, weaker visual tracking, and faster drift. There is no real-time alarm for moderate excess speed; the cost appears in the processed point cloud.

• Outdoor, open and feature-rich: 3.3 ft/s. The ceiling, not the target.
• Indoor, general: 1.6 ft/s. The default for nearly all indoor work.
• Tunnels and long corridors: 1.6 ft/s or below.
• Past glass or mirrors: 1.6 ft/s, with at least 1 m (3.3 ft) of separation.
• Low-light or featureless: 1.6 ft/s or slower.
• Doorway approach: begin slowing 2 to 3 m (6 to 10 ft) out.

Half-speed roughly doubles point density at the cost of session time alone. It also leaves margin to react at doorways, transitions, and reflective surfaces, where full speed leaves none.

Posture: L2 Pro and K2

Both LiDAR devices share the same posture rules. The K2 is tuned for a 20-degree forward tilt; the L2 Pro's wider vertical field of view tolerates more variation, but these defaults serve both.

Lens Orientation

• Open areas: one lens left, one right of travel, for maximum lateral coverage.
• Corridors, narrow spaces, doorways: rotate 90 degrees so one lens faces travel. This puts the cameras on the long axis where they have the most useful geometry to track.

Carrying and Standoff

• Keep the scanner clear of your body. No object blocks more than 50 percent of the LiDAR field of view within 1 m (3.3 ft). Hold extra gear behind the scanner relative to travel.
• Stay at least 0.5 m (1.6 ft) from the subject. Hold 0.6 to 0.9 m (2 to 3 ft) off walls, and no closer than 0.3 m (12 in), where depth data degrades.
• Use the carry handle, not the device body, which can cover sensors.

Turning and Vertical Movement

• Rotate over 1 to 2 seconds. Fast turns blur visual frames and confuse SLAM.
• At corners, keep both walls in view. Approach on the diagonal so the wall you leave and the wall you enter both stay in the field of view through the turn.
• Change height gradually over 3 to 5 m (10 to 15 ft). No more than 40 degrees of viewing-angle change at any one moment.

Posture: PortalCam

The PortalCam uses a fixed front-facing camera array rather than panoramic cameras, so its posture tolerances differ from the L2 Pro and K2.

Lighting Sensitivity

All three devices share the same Multi-SLAM system, but the PortalCam's 3DGS output depends more heavily on image quality than point cloud output does. Lighting that produces acceptable LiDAR data can still produce degraded 3DGS.

• Avoid sudden light-level changes mid-scan. Pause briefly at transitions to let exposure settle.
• Never point at the sun, windows, or lights. Overexposure degrades tracking and 3DGS color.
• In wind, walk with it. Wind affects PortalCam stability more than the heavier L2 Pro and K2.

Motion Control

The Standing-Still Rule

For LiDAR processing in LixelStudio, only physical movement through space generates new geometry. Standing in place rotates the view but samples the same surfaces from the same vantage point, so after the first few seconds no new useful data arrives. Circle objects at 1.6 ft/s instead of standing in front of them.

The Figure-8 Exception

For 3DGS processing in LCC Studio, controlled figure-8 motions from a near-stationary position add angular variation that improves Gaussian splat density, even though position barely changes. This is the one case where near-stationary scanning adds value. Keep the motion fluid, and use it only when 3DGS output is part of the deliverable.

Smooth Movement

• Plan turns and decelerate into them. Avoid sudden direction changes at full speed.
• Decelerate gradually over the final few feet before a feature you intend to capture in detail.
• Hold posture and height consistent through a session. Switching hold or drifting downward creates trajectory discontinuities SLAM must compensate for.

Operator Endurance

Fatigue degrades posture before you notice it, and it degrades scan quality silently.

• Rest 5 minutes every 45 to 60 minutes. Stop the scan and set the device down.
• Split sessions over 2 hours into multiple sessions joined with Map Fusion. Hour-3 posture produces less recoverable data than a clean second session.
• Watch for the device drifting toward your waist or your stride lengthening. Both signal fatigue. Stop and rest.

Practice Recommendations

• Scan the same space twice, at full speed and at half speed. Compare the point clouds in LixelStudio. The density difference is obvious and makes the speed rule stick.
• Practice doorways and stairwells before client sites. These are the highest-failure transitions and the most expensive to rescan.
• Time yourself on known routes. Knowing how long a correct scan of a given area takes is the basis for accurate quoting.