A standard Noise at Work Assessment gives you a set of dB(A) readings at specific points, tied to the duties those figures trigger under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. 3D noise mapping (sometimes called noise visualisation, or a photorealistic noise survey) takes the same underlying measurements and turns them into a spatial model of the whole floor — every source, every corner, every Hearing Protection Zone boundary, visible at a glance rather than read off a table.
What it actually is
A 3D noise map is a scale model of your floor plan, coloured by measured noise level. Loud machines and processes show as raised peaks or hot colours; quiet areas settle low and cool. It can be viewed as a photorealistic 3D landscape, an interactive 3D room model (the noise field inside the actual room shell, with reflections contained by the walls), or a 2D plan view with dB contour lines ringing each source — whichever is easiest to share with the audience you're briefing.
How it's built — and what it isn't
Every map starts with a genuine on-site Class 1 acoustic survey — the same measurement rigour as a standard Noise at Work Assessment, not an estimate generated from a floor plan alone. The measurements are then run through the same physics used to model how sound actually behaves in a real room: propagation loss with distance, line-of-sight barrier attenuation around obstructions, and room-to-room sound transmission calculated from each partition's own sound-reduction figure — not a flat colour gradient painted over a picture. It is worth being direct about what it isn't: it's not an AI-generated illustration, and it's not a substitute for the written assessment and the legal duties that come with it. It's the readable layer built on top of real, defensible numbers.
3D noise mapping vs. a standard written report
| Standard written assessment | 3D noise map | |
|---|---|---|
| Output | A report with dB(A)/dB(C) readings by area | A visual, spatial model of the whole floor |
| Best for | Meeting the legal duty to assess and record | Explaining risk to non-specialists; planning changes |
| Reading it | Needs some familiarity with the figures | Legible at a glance to anyone |
| Underlying data | Real on-site measurement | The same real on-site measurement |
The two aren't competing products — a 3D map is an optional, visual layer added on top of the same survey work, for the sites and audiences where a table of numbers doesn't do the job on its own.
Who this is for
Briefing a site or a board
A map explains where the risk actually is faster than a spreadsheet, and holds up better in a toolbox talk.
Assessing a space
Model an existing floor before a redesign, or verify a change worked once it's built — see the effect spatially, not just in a delta figure.
Documenting control measures
A clear visual record of where Hearing Protection Zones sit and how noise is being managed, alongside the written assessment.
Marking Hearing Protection Zones on the map
Because the map is built from real measured contours, the 85 dB(A) upper action value boundary — the trigger for a Hearing Protection Zone — can be drawn directly onto both the 2D plan and the 3D model, to scale, rather than estimated. See Hearing Protection Zone visualisation for more on how that specifically works, and Hearing Protection Zones explained for the underlying legal duty.
Pricing
3D noise mapping at Impact Acoustics is priced by tier and floor size, from £750 + VAT (Standard, up to 3 rooms) up to £1,350 + VAT for a Photoreal map with a rendered flythrough video, with a fixed per-room rate above 3 rooms. See the full 3D noise mapping overview for the complete tier breakdown, or go straight to request a quote.
See a real example first?
A worked 3D noise map from a real press shop, or take the free 60-second check to see where your own site likely stands.
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