The three-dimensional scanning LiDAR can actively acquire three-dimensional information of target. High-speed data acquisition and transmission are key technical issues for three-dimensional real-time imaging. A ground-based three-dimensional scanning LiDAR was designed using data acquisition and control system to achieve three-dimensional imaging with point cloud. The LiDAR hardware design included a transmitting and receiving unit, a ranging unit, and a scanning unit for acquiring the three-dimensional point cloud data of the target. The software design of the LiDAR included upper computer program, lower computer program and USB firmware program design for accomplishing point cloud data acquisition, data transmission, data storage, data analysis and real-time imaging which were collected in lower computer and transmitted into upper computer. Through multiple scene experiments, the results show that three-dimensional scanning LiDAR system has a centimeter-level ranging error, which can realize three-dimensional real-time imaging.