Hexagon rearchitects Inspire software for easier, faster 3D scanning: On show at Advanced Engineering

Hexagon’s Portable Metrology Division has introduced a major update to Inspire, its inspection software for portable probing and 3D scanning, that help shop-floor manufacturing and quality teams work more efficiently and build 3D metrology directly into their production processes. The update will be on display at Hexagon’s stand at Advanced Engineering 4-5 November (NEC Birmingham), on stand M170 in hall 3.

Built to make 3D metrology simple, Inspire’s single, intuitive interface guides operators through measuring, aligning and inspecting parts against CAD, whatever the measuring device, cutting the time and expertise needed to get from raw scan to verified result.

This 2026 release gives quality teams complete confidence in the origin and consistency of their measurement data. A new unified point cloud architecture preserves every edit: the raw scan data is always preserved and recoverable, so edits can be toggled, reordered, or removed at any time without any risk to the original measurement. That traceability now comes with a significant performance gain – the latest version of Inspire opens large point cloud files up to 50% faster and stores them in up to 50% less space, while intelligent memory management keeps interaction smooth even on the largest datasets.

The latest version of Inspire adds support for the Leica Absolute Tracker ATS800, enabling high-accuracy, targetless measurement of parts and features from distances of up to 40 m. ATS800 region, line and feature scans, along with circle and slot selection for ‘measure perimeters’, are seamlessly integrated into a single scan workflow within Inspire. A simplified overview camera process also reduces set-up complexity by replacing multiple legacy scan profiles with a single profile. Together, these enhancements allow users to leverage the ATS800’s large part measurement capabilities directly within Inspire’s familiar environment without switching applications or learning new workflows.

This release also brings a series of workflow and automation improvements to speed up everyday inspection work. A new ‘remeasure out of tolerance’ action automatically walks operators through re-measuring any features that failed inspection criteria, clearing and rechecking each one before the process continues, with configurable retry passes for consistent, repeatable results. Perimeter construction, vector comparison displays and cloud-from-mesh creation have also been streamlined, reducing the manual steps involved in setting up and reviewing an inspection.

“This release is about giving quality teams a foundation they can trust and then making them faster on top of it,” states Zach Rogers, Product Manager for Inspire, Hexagon. “The point cloud overhaul means every edit is fully traceable back to the raw scan, and the ATS800 integration brings genuinely targetless scanning into Inspire for the first time. Together with the ‘remeasure out of tolerance’ action, this is a release that lets our customers build 3D metrology directly into their manufacturing processes, not just perform it alongside them”

The latest release is built on a modernised software platform, giving customers a faster and more secure application without any change to their existing workflows. Expanded Python scripting adds further control over inspection criteria, including GD&T annotations, duplicate feature creation, and cardinal point construction to enhance productivity with automation.

Updated CAD compatibility includes AutoCAD 2026, Revit 2026, SolidWorks 2026, NX 2512, Parasolid 38 and ACIS 2025. This capability is standard with every Inspire licence, so customers can work directly from the latest design data without the need for translation

Inspire 2026.1 is available to existing users now via the Universal Updater

Advanced Engineering visitors can experience easy shop-floor measurement for themselves on 4-5 November by scanning the John McGuiness 100^th TT Start Honda Fireblade on the Hexagon stand M170 in Hall 3.