For years, General Motors has relied on reality capture to support some of the most complex manufacturing environments in the world. From vehicle development to plant retooling, accurate as‑built data has become essential for coordinating teams, validating changes, and reducing risk across facilities that operate at a massive scale.
GM has been a long‑time user of Cintoo under the Twin Edition subscription, using high‑accuracy laser scan data to support engineering, construction, and operational workflows. But as project timelines accelerated and plants became more dynamic and also more global, GM began to see a gap: laser scanning alone couldn’t provide the day‑to‑day visibility teams needed to stay current.
Historically, GM’s approach to reality capture followed a familiar pattern. Initial “wall‑to‑wall” laser scans were performed to ensure nothing was missed. Follow‑up scans were often broader than strictly necessary, driven by a “just in case” mindset rather than targeted need. While this approach ensured accuracy, it also introduced inefficiencies, including extra scanning time, higher costs, and reliance on specialized capture teams traveling between sites.
As GM’s Reality Capture Group became a formal, mandatory step in the Global Vehicle Development process, the stakes increased. Multiple gates, including initial scans, tooling changes, and final documentation before handover, required reliable site visibility at each stage. The question became not whether reality capture was valuable, but how to scale it more efficiently.
GM’s interest in Cintoo’s 360 Edition was driven by a simple but powerful idea: make reality capture more continuous, accessible, and targeted.
Rather than replacing laser scanning, the 360 Edition offers a way to complement it, ultimately filling the gaps between survey‑grade captures with fast, lightweight 360 video. Using the Ricoh THETA X camera, on‑site teams can document changing conditions themselves and push that information directly into the Cintoo platform, without waiting for specialized crews or external contractors.
As John Brown, Head of Reality Capture at GM, summarized, with the 360 Edition “scanning can become surgical - wall to wall is no longer necessary”. This means that GM’s team can go in and capture the exact places they need to without over-capturing as the combination of 360 and 3D data allows for fast in-between updates, while regular terrestrial laser scanning can remain for high-fidelity needs. The two methods complement one another, suitable to every use case necessary.
One of the most immediate values GM sees in the 360 Edition is its impact on how laser scanning is planned and prioritized.
Instead of scanning entire facilities repeatedly to ensure coverage, teams can now:
Use 360 capture to identify which areas have changed
Visually confirm where high‑accuracy data is missing
Deploy laser scanning only where survey‑grade precision is truly required
This shift allows GM to eliminate unnecessary work while still maintaining confidence in engineering and construction decisions. As a result, laser scanning becomes more focused, intentional, and cost‑effective since it is used where it delivers maximum value.
Another key advantage of the 360 Edition for GM is who can capture data.
In the past, reality capture was often gated by complexity. Specialized equipment, workflows, and expertise limited participation to a small group. With the 360 Edition, GM sees an opportunity to put capture tools directly into the hands of on‑site industrial engineering teams who are arguably the people closest to day‑to‑day changes.
This democratization enables several new workflows:
Immediate communication of plant floor changes back to centralized reality capture teams
Daily or near‑daily documentation of evolving conditions
Faster collaboration between project managers, facilities teams, and automation suppliers
Because the capture process is simple and cloud‑connected, there is no “plant‑level gatekeeper” slowing access to visual data. Anyone can capture, while Cintoo remains the unified platform where all data is contextualized.
GM also views the 360 Edition as a collaboration accelerator.
Project managers working with equipment and automation suppliers such as robotics and line integrators can use 360 imagery and Gaussian splats to provide immediate visual context. Instead of relying on static photos, outdated scans, or written descriptions, teams can reference current site conditions directly within Cintoo’s unified 3D environment.
This shared visibility reduces misunderstandings, speeds up reviews, and supports more confident decision‑making across internal departments and external partners alike.
A critical reason GM is comfortable expanding into 360 capture is Cintoo’s transparent positioning around accuracy.
Laser scans continue to provide survey‑grade precision where engineering tolerances demand it. Gaussian splats generated from 360 imagery deliver visual‑grade accuracy which is ideal for navigation, inspection, measurement, and validation. Both data types coexist in the same 3D space, allowing teams to choose the right level of precision for each task without sacrificing trust in the data.
This complementary approach aligns well with GM’s operational reality: not every question requires millimeter accuracy, but every decision benefits from current, reliable visibility.
Even in early use, GM sees 360 Edition as a foundational tool for the future of reality capture across its plants.
Frequent, low‑effort capture enables teams to:
Reduce unnecessary travel and site visits
Keep stakeholders aligned with up‑to‑date conditions
Support faster transitions between development, construction, and operations
Scale reality capture across sites without scaling cost or complexity
With thousands of users already accessing Cintoo and adoption continuing to grow, the 360 Edition fits naturally into GM’s broader digital twin and asset visibility strategy.
To learn more about the 360 Edition, including the workflow connection between the THETA X camera and Cintoo's unified 3D space, and to hear user testimonials, watch our latest webinar - Expand Reality Capture to Stay Current: Use 360 Imagery to Fill the Gaps Between Laser Scans
For GM, the value of the 360 Edition is strategic.
By turning reality capture into a continuous resource rather than a fixed‑schedule event, GM gains flexibility. Teams stay informed as conditions change. Laser scanning becomes more targeted. Collaboration becomes more visual and decisions are made with greater confidence and less friction.
As GM continues to expand its use of the 360 Edition, the value of reality capture continues to expand too – meaning workflows can be better supported for faster and smarter work at scale. As Brown elaborated, democratization is key: “[With 360 capture], there isn’t a plant‑level gatekeeper for reality data because it’s too complex and not part of anyone else’s core job. We have up to 6,500 users [in Cintoo] and we’re adding 10–12 every day, which means 360 capture can really become an accessible solution for those users and what they need.”
Ready to get started with the 360 Edition? Learn more and explore a demo today!