Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPMFraunhofer IPM spin-off
Smart building: Building plans automatically from 3D data
Converting digital building data into 2D plans or 3D models quickly and easily – that is the business model of bimeto GmbH. The Freiburg-based start-up, which was spun off from Fraunhofer IPM, offers solutions to digitize and automate construction planning and thus make it more efficient. A few months after entering the market, the company employs four people and is already cooperating closely with partners from industry.
Before buildings are newly constructed or remodeled, measurements are taken. This is often done with laser scanners, which provide highly accurate digital measurement data. Today, it takes time-consuming manual data processing to turn this data into a digital 2D CAD plan or a 3D building model. Software from bimeto shortens precisely this process: it automatically converts the 3D point clouds into digital 2D plans or 3D building models. The data refined in this way forms the basis for BIM-compliant construction planning (BIM, Building Information Modeling).
The young company's customers include the construction industry, but also craftsmen such as painters or floor layers. "The demand is huge," says Simon Stemmler, one of the two bimeto founders. Co-founder Bastian Stahl adds: "Our software is faster than previously available solutions for building digitization. This gives planners a competitive advantage." Currently, customers hand over the measurement data to bimeto or have bimeto collect it. In the end, customers receive a 2D map or a 3D model. bimeto also provides support in the form of consulting. In the medium term, the company wants to develop into a pure software provider.
Both founders previously conducted research at Fraunhofer IPM; Stahl is currently completing his doctorate in addition to his entrepreneurial activities. "It's not easy when highly qualified and likeable employees leave," says Prof. Dr. Alexander Reiterer, head of department at Fraunhofer IPM, in whose team the two founders worked out the basis for the technology. "But we remain connected personally and on a professional level. We at Fraunhofer IPM have developed the necessary software for bimeto and are constantly improving it in a very open and fair cooperation."
One of bimeto's investors and co-partners is Dr. Steffen Auer, entrepreneur and long-time president of the Southern Upper Rhine Chamber of Commerce. "As a supplier of doors and gates, we know the challenges of construction planning. When I heard about the technology, I immediately saw the potential," Auer says of his investment.