Understanding LOD 200–500: A Need-Based Approach to BIM Modeling
Published 2 June 2026
LOD — Level of Development, sometimes Level of Detail — describes how much geometric and informational detail a BIM element carries, on a scale that runs roughly from LOD 100 (conceptual massing) to LOD 500 (as-built verified). Most of our Scan to BIM work sits between LOD 200 and LOD 500, and the single biggest mistake we see clients make isn't picking the wrong number — it's assuming higher is automatically better.
Why we don't default to the highest LOD
A LOD 400 model of every bolt, bracket, and cable tray in a building takes real time to build — time a client pays for whether or not their project actually needs that level of detail. If the model's job is early massing and feasibility, LOD 200 answers the question just as well as LOD 400 would, at a fraction of the cost and turnaround. We call this our Need-LOD approach: the tier is chosen with the client up front, based on what the model actually has to do, not defaulted to the highest number out of habit.
| Tier | LOD | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Schematic | 200 | "Does this fit? What's the rough massing and system layout?" |
| Coordination-Grade | 300 | "Do these disciplines clash? Is the geometry precise enough to coordinate design?" |
| Fabrication-Grade | 350–400 | "Can this be built or fabricated directly from the model?" |
How the point cloud stays the same, only the processing changes
This is the part clients are usually surprised by: the underlying capture doesn't change between tiers. A Leica Total Station establishes the control network, a FARO Focus scanner captures the point cloud — the same point cloud, registered once — and the LOD decision only affects how far we take the modeling on top of it. On a recent transformer substation project, we modeled directly to LOD 350–400 because the deliverable had to support fabrication-level MEP work; on a multi-storey residential building, we processed a single capture three different ways — a visualization mesh, a coordination surface, and a massing-level BIM model — because three different teams needed three different outputs from the same site visit.
How do you actually decide the LOD tier with a client?
- We ask what the model's next step is — permitting, coordination, or fabrication — before we ask about the building itself.
- If the answer changes partway through (a client starts at LOD 200 for feasibility, then needs LOD 300 for coordination), we can raise the tier from the same point cloud without a second site visit.
- We'd rather quote a lower tier that actually matches the use case than a higher one that pads the invoice.
The honest tradeoff
Need-LOD isn't a marketing term for "we do less work" — a LOD 350–400 fabrication model genuinely takes longer to build than a LOD 200 massing model, and we quote it accordingly. The point is that the decision gets made deliberately, with the client, against what the model needs to do — not assumed by default in either direction. If you're not sure which tier your project needs, that's a normal question to bring to a scoping call, not something you're expected to already know.
Questions about this article
Is LOD the same thing as "quality"?
Can I mix LOD tiers within the same model?
Who decides the LOD tier — us or the modeler?
Does a higher LOD tier take longer to deliver?
If I start at LOD 200, can I upgrade to LOD 400 later without a new scan?
Scope your project in one call.
Tell us the site, the deliverable, and the deadline — we'll tell you the tier and turnaround that fits.