Steel Detailing and Shop Drawings

Steel that does not fit is expensive in a specific and avoidable way. The member is already cut, drilled, painted and delivered before anyone discovers that the existing column is fifteen millimetres out of position or the connection fouls a brace nobody modelled. The cost is not the steel, it is the crane standing, the crew waiting, and the rework done under site conditions instead of shop conditions.

Delta Scan produces steel detailing and shop drawings in Advance Steel, modelled to fabrication level of detail so that connections, bolts, welds, holes and cleats are resolved in the model rather than on site. Where the new steel ties into existing structure, we detail against a laser scan of the as-built condition rather than against the original design drawings, because the two are rarely the same. That combination is the point: the fit is verified digitally before anything is cut.

When to use it

Typical engagements.

Each scenario below represents a real-world trigger for this service. If your situation matches one of these, get in touch.

New steel tying into an existing structure

Brownfield extensions, retrofits and plant modifications, where the design intent drawings no longer describe the structure the steel has to connect to. This is where scan-based detailing pays for itself most obviously.

Fabrication drawings from a design model

Taking a design-level model or a set of general arrangement drawings through to fabrication level of detail: connection design representation, assembly marks, part drawings and material lists.

Fabricators without in-house detailing capacity

Overflow or outsourced detailing to a fabricator or contractor working to a programme, delivered in the file formats their shop already runs.

Clash resolution before fabrication

Where steel, services and existing structure occupy the same congested space, resolving the interference in the model is a fraction of the cost of resolving it on site.

How it works

Our process.

A repeatable five-stage workflow. The same disciplined sequence runs whether the site is a 500-hectare mining operation or a single 60-metre bridge.

01

Confirm level of detail and deliverables

We agree the level of detail, the connection standard, the drawing set required, and the file formats your fabricator and erector need before modelling starts.

02

Capture existing conditions where required

For brownfield work the existing structure is laser scanned and registered to site control, giving a measured basis for the tie-in rather than an assumed one.

03

Model to fabrication level of detail

The structure is modelled in Advance Steel with connections, bolts, welds, holes, cleats and stiffeners resolved, at the level of detail a shop can build from directly.

04

Clash and fit verification

The steel model is checked against the scan of existing conditions and against other disciplines, so interferences are found and resolved while they are still a modelling change.

05

Issue the fabrication set

You receive general arrangements, assembly and part drawings, bolt and material lists, and the model itself, in the formats agreed at the outset.

Request a steel detailing quote See scan to BIM

Equipment

What we use.

Calibrated, sector-matched hardware combined with proprietary software. The capture stack is selected for the asset, not the other way around.

NavVis VLX 3

Mobile SLAM capture of existing steel, plant and circulation space as the basis for brownfield detailing

XGRIDS Lixel L2

Handheld LiDAR for rapid capture of localised tie-in areas and congested connection zones

Emlid RS4

RTK GNSS control so the existing-condition scan and the steel model share one coordinate system

Sectors

Where this fits.

The same engineering discipline applies across Mining and heavy industry, Energy and process, Commercial and industrial construction, Steel fabricators. The detail changes with the asset class and the operational context.

Mining and heavy industry

Plant steelwork, conveyor structures, chutes, platforms and access steel, generally tying into structures that have been modified repeatedly.

Energy and process

Pipe rack steel, equipment supports and structural modifications inside operating plant where shutdown time is the binding constraint.

Commercial and industrial construction

Portal frames, mezzanines, canopies and structural extensions detailed for fabrication and erection.

Steel fabricators

Outsourced detailing capacity delivered in the formats and to the connection standards the shop already works to.

Selected work

Recent engagements.

Specific projects where this service was deployed. Each links to the full case study with metrics, equipment, and outcomes.

Energy, South Africa

Kusile Power Station

Confined-space drone assessment after a flue collapse. About 1,600MW returned to grid, zero personnel at risk.

View project →

Infrastructure, Johannesburg

Park Station

70,000 square metres digitised across three levels, with over 10km of underground infrastructure mapped.

View project →

Mining

Mine Storage Silos

Annual baseline inspection of two mine storage silos using drone capture and a digital twin.

View project →

FAQ

Frequent questions.

Direct answers to the questions clients ask most often before engaging.

What level of detail do you model to?

Fabrication level of detail, equivalent to LOD 400, where connections, bolts, welds and holes are modelled rather than represented. Where a project only needs design-level or coordination-level modelling we scope to that instead, but the fabrication set is what this service is built around.

Do you do the connection design?

Connection design is an engineering responsibility and is confirmed with the engineer of record. We model and detail the connections to the design that governs the project. Where Delta Scan is the engineer of record, the design is ours and is signed accordingly.

Why detail against a scan instead of the original drawings?

Because on an existing structure the original drawings describe what was intended, not what was built and subsequently modified. Steel detailed against design intent and erected against reality is the single most common source of site rework on brownfield jobs.

What file formats do you deliver?

Advance Steel models, DWG and PDF drawing sets, and the associated bolt and material lists. Where a fabricator requires a specific exchange format for their shop equipment we confirm that at scoping rather than at delivery.

Can you detail steel someone else designed?

Yes. Detailing from another engineer design is routine. What we need is a clear statement of the governing design, the connection standard, and who carries the design responsibility for the connections.

Related services

If this fits, these often do too.

Engineering programmes rarely run on a single service. These adjacent capabilities most often pair with the work above.

Accuracy & standards

Built to be signed, not just shared.

Pr EngECSA 202001436

Every engineering deliverable is reviewed and signed by Darryl Epstein, a registered Professional Engineer (Pr Eng, ECSA 202001436).

SAGIsurvey

Geospatial deliverables carry registered land-surveyor sign-off where accuracy must be certified.

Classstated

Every deliverable carries a stated survey accuracy class or BIM level of development (LOD), reported per engagement against check-point analysis.

Standardscited

Findings cross-referenced to the applicable codes (SANS, TMH, EN), with accuracy statements on every report.

Start here

Request a steel detailing quote

Send the brief and our engineering team will review your enquiry and reply within one business day. Prefer to talk first? Call or WhatsApp us below.

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