Case Study: Italferr achieves 5 cm‑precision reality mesh of the Borratino Viaduct with Bentley ContextCapture

Italferr Merges Survey Data to Create Precise Reality Mesh of the Borratino Viaduct

Italferr, part of the Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group, needed a highly precise 3D multiresolution reality mesh of the 1,300‑meter Borratino viaduct (50 spans) to support future design and maintenance. The project combined GPS surveying, aerial photogrammetry, drone imagery, high‑precision laser scans, and tachymetric surveys, creating a large, multisource dataset that was difficult to integrate and manage until they turned to Bentley solutions.

Bentley delivered the workflow—using ProjectWise for data management, ContextCapture to build the 3MX reality mesh (converted to 3SM via OpenRail Designer) and ContextShare/iTwin for iModel integration—allowing separate processing and later fusion of drone and laser data. Bentley’s tools processed billions of points (analyzing 3 billion points simultaneously and ~35 billion overall), achieved mesh precision of 5 cm, cut processing time with parallel machines, and produced a high‑resolution mesh that revealed pier degradation and reliably supports future projects.

Italferr

Vincenzo Conforti

Head of Lines, Nodes, and Track Design