Spotlight: Leica X-PAD, and a BIM view on the stakeout pole
Leica put X-PAD on its instruments and launched the GS11. Field crews can overlay BIM, drawings and AR stakeout on a live site view.
Yesterday’s unused story was a native Revit-to-IES VE connection. The leftover INTERGEO note that still matters on the slab is a field-software change: Leica put X-PAD on its own instruments and launched the GS11.
That is not a new layout robot and it is not a new authoring tool. Firms already export points, lines and surfaces from the coordinated model, then watch a pole crew navigate by distance and a 2D sheet. The usual waste is the last ten metres: the issued BIM sits in the office, the stakeout file is a stripped DXF, and nobody on the rod can see whether the point still matches the wall that moved last week. Leica’s claim, announced 14 September and repeated by GeoInformatics on 16 September, is that one field app can hold drawings, surfaces and BIM data, and that the GS11 can overlay that design on a live camera view.
What actually changed
The software is not new to the industry. X-PAD is the GeoMax field stack Leica is now selling as a Leica Geosystems portfolio. GeoMax instruments stay on sale. Existing GeoMax X-PAD sensors keep working next to compatible Leica hardware. Elmar Lenz, head of surveying at Hexagon’s Geomatics Division, called it deliberately simple: one workflow through the job, for routine work done to a professional standard by teams with mixed experience.
What is new for a BIM or VDC lead is the Leica-side packaging and the antenna. Leica’s X-PAD page says the app combines CAD, mapping, BIM models, field calculations and visual surveying. Construction stakeout is listed as points, lines and surfaces from CAD drawings and BIM models. As-built work is listed as measuring completed work against design information before you leave. That is a visualisation and stakeout path, not a clash set and not a CDE.
The GS11 is the hardware headline. The GS11 I variant has dual cameras, tilt compensation and an integrated laser. Paired with X-PAD it overlays stakeout guidance and design or captured data on live site imagery, and it can measure extra points from captured images when the pole cannot reach the corner safely. The GS11 T keeps tilt compensation and drops the cameras. Hexagon’s portfolio page lists more than 1,400 channels, 20 Hz and dual hot-swappable batteries. Those are vendor figures, not a project tolerance.
Around the pole sit the office pieces. X-PAD Fusion prepares drawings and coordinate systems, then processes the return. Hexagon GeoCloud moves the file. Hexagon SmartNet supplies GNSS corrections. Compatible sensors named at launch are the GS11, the GS05 and the TS13. Product FAQs also list the TS03. The software runs on Android tablets and phones, or on the Leica CSX8.
Leica is careful about where this sits. Captivate remains the high-capability survey stack. iCON remains the construction product. X-PAD is the everyday slice. Availability is the other limit: select countries in 2026, broader in 2027. Do not write a global rollout into a bid.
What a BIM or VDC lead should do
Do not retire the issued layout file because the pole can now show a model. Keep a written coordinate statement, a stakeout scope and a check that the set point matches the current revision. An AR overlay is a navigation aid. It is not proof that the wall on camera is the wall in the federated model.
If the firm already loses time because the crew cannot see the design they are setting, trial it where GNSS stakeout is already the method: site control, pads, utilities or a simple grid — not a congested interior that belongs on a total station and iCON. Load the same CAD or BIM extract you already issue. Then ask four questions: does the field view sit on the CRS you already use; does the overlay match the current revision; can the crew verify coverage before they leave; and does the as-built come back into Fusion or GeoCloud as a file someone owns.
If the answers hold, the model can travel with the pole. If the overlay is a pretty picture on the wrong grid, keep Captivate or iCON in charge.
Start with Leica’s 14 September note and the X-PAD product page.
Frequently asked questions
What did Leica announce?
On 14 September 2026, Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon, launched the Leica X-PAD portfolio and the GS11 GNSS smart antenna. GeoInformatics restated the launch on 16 September. The package is field software, selected instruments and connected services for everyday measurement and stakeout.
Does this replace Captivate or iCON?
No. Leica is explicit that Captivate stays the high-capability survey stack and iCON stays the construction workflow. X-PAD is positioned for a select set of everyday routine tasks, often by crews with mixed experience.
Which instruments work with X-PAD?
The launch names the new GS11, the GS05 GNSS smart antenna and the TS13 robotic total station. Product pages also list the TS03, and the office path is X-PAD Fusion with Hexagon GeoCloud and SmartNet.
When can a firm buy it?
Leica says select countries in 2026 and broader availability in 2027. Existing GeoMax X-PAD sensors keep working. Confirm the country, instrument list and licence with a Leica or GeoMax partner before you write it into a method.