BOEING 737 – Enhanced Interior Design Through 3D Imaging

Written by Creaform Team

An international company and global leader in business aviation service has turned to 3D modeling of the plane’s interior to design, produce, and assemble Boeing 737 BBJ2 furnishings.

The project was carried out in two main phases: first, a complete scan of the aircraft interior; second, the creation of detailed 3D model files.

For the initial phase, a team of Creaform application engineers traveled to the client’s site in Germany. They brought a range of advanced equipment, including Handyscan 3D scanners, a Leica long-range scanner, MetraSCAN optical CMM 3D scanners with C-Track sensors, and a MAXscan system for photogrammetry. After collecting and compiling the scan data, the team post-processed the files before sending them to Creaform’s CAD department in Lévis to begin the second phase.

Using CATIA V5, Creaform’s designers rebuilt the aircraft interior, modeling structural components such as floor beams and panels, frames, longerons, mechanical systems, and various piping and wiring assemblies. The work was organized by aircraft section, and solid digital models of each component were developed from the processed scan data.

The completed solid models could be sectioned as needed, allowing planes or surfaces to be created directly from them. For components with continuous cross-sections, solid models were produced either by extruding a profile along a specified direction or by sweeping a scanned section along a defined trajectory. In contrast, non-continuous components—such as certain mechanical assemblies—were broken down into simpler elements and reconstructed using basic geometric features. For particularly complex shapes that could not be easily defined as solids, surface modeling techniques were applied instead.

These surface models were subsequently thickened to convert them into solid forms. The high level of precision achieved during reconstruction made it possible to reuse certain components in multiple areas of the aircraft interior, such as the pulleys used to guide control cables.

To finalize the project, all reconstructed files were assembled into a complete 3D model of the Boeing 737 interior. This comprehensive digital model was delivered to the aviation service company, which used the virtual 3D representation to design, manufacture, and install customized interior furnishings tailored to the specific requirements of its clients.

Powered by advanced 3D scanning. Designed with aircraft-level detail. Let’s create your future-ready interior. Book a demo with Drawbridge Team now!