Accurate internal building surveys are vital for a wide range of professionals, from architects and building consultants to estate agents and facility managers. As the built environment becomes more complex, the demand for fast, precise, and reliable data capture tools has never been greater. One such innovation is Matterport 3D, a platform that blends detailed visual walkthroughs with powerful spatial data.
This article explains how survey professionals and property managers can use Matterport 3D to carry out detailed internal building surveys and improve accuracy with LiDAR data.
What Is Matterport 3D and Why Is It Useful for Building Surveys?
Matterport is a cutting-edge tool that captures and renders immersive 3D models of inside areas. It goes beyond traditional photography by allowing users to navigate digital copies of buildings. This visual documentation serves a variety of businesses, including architectural and construction, property management, and insurance.
For surveyors, Matterport offers several key advantages:
- Time Efficiency: Capturing a 3D model is far quicker than traditional surveying.
- Data Richness: The scans record visual and spatial information that can be referred back to long after the site visit.
- Accessibility: Off-site Stakeholders can virtually explore the building from anywhere.
Adding a floor plan, point cloud data, and high-resolution images makes it easier to talk to people and make plans during repairs or compliance checks.
Why LiDAR Enhances Internal Building Measurements
LiDAR measures the distance to objects around it by sending out laser pulses. LiDAR makes spatial data much more accurate when it is connected to or built into a Matterport capture device. This is especially helpful for studies inside a building, where small details like ceiling heights, alcoves, or uneven wall features are important.
Here are some of the best reasons to use Matterport 3D for building research on the inside:
1. Greater Accuracy in Dimensional Data:
For tasks like space planning, facilities management, or as-built design creation, LiDAR provides depth data that is precise to within millimeters.
2. Improved Performance in Low Light or Complex Spaces:
Unlike cameras, which depend on visible light, LiDAR works well even when the inside is dark or crowded. This makes it possible to collect data more consistently in storage rooms, basements, or sheds.
3. Time Efficiency in Large or Multi-Level Structures:
Matterport devices survey large or multi-floor properties much faster than traditional manual methods or standard laser distance measurers, thanks to their advanced scanning speed and efficiency.
4. Remote Accessibility and Data Sharing:
The 3D model can be safely shared with team members, clients, or legal bodies after it has been scanned. This makes it easier to coordinate the job and cuts down on the number of times people have to go back to the site.
Steps to Conducting an Internal Survey Using Matterport 3D
Applying Matterport and Lidar to an interior building evaluation is a simple procedure. Let me show you one way to tackle it:
1. Preparation and Planning:
Before you arrive at the site, plan the layout. Consider how many scan positions you’ll need to capture the entire space accurately. Make sure all areas are accessible and well-lit.
2. Capture the Environment:
Using a Matterport-equipped camera, begin scanning the building. Move methodically from room to room, ensuring you place the scanner at overlapping points to create a complete mesh.
Take note of areas with reflective surfaces or tight corners, as these may require additional attention to ensure accuracy.
3. Upload and Process the Data:
Once captured, the scan data is uploaded to the Matterport platform. Here, the imagery is stitched together to form a comprehensive 3D walkthrough. This process can take a few hours, depending on the size of the building.
4. Review and Extract Data:
After processing, you’ll be able to explore the model and extract key deliverables. These might include:
- Schematic Floor Plans
- CAD File
- Colourised point cloud (.XYZ)
- OBJ files for 3D modelling
These outputs are especially useful when planning refurbishments or performing condition assessments.
Common Applications of 3D Internal Building Surveys
Many sectors across the UK benefit from using Matterport for internal property inspections:
- Building Surveyors: For creating condition reports or tracking defects.
- Architects: For designing refurbishments or extensions.
- Estate Agents: For virtual tours that support sales and lettings.
- Facility Managers: For asset mapping, health and safety checks, or space planning.
- Insurance Providers: For damage assessment and claim validation.
Drone Site Surveys, a leading name in aerial inspection and digital surveying, has successfully integrated Matterport into many of its internal scanning projects across the UK. The firm reports significant time savings and enhanced client satisfaction when using these methods.
Using Matterport Data Beyond the Survey
Beyond the initial review, Matterport 3D scans are very useful. Models can be saved and retrieved later, which is helpful for ongoing maintenance, legal issues, or making sure that policy is followed. Within some situations, the digital twin can also help with 3D models for planning renovations or applying for permits.
You can update your process and give better documentation and service to clients by adding Matterport to your internal survey toolkit.
Furthermore, Drone Site Surveys keeps pushing for the use of 3D scanning tools that raise the bar for the industry while still being affordable and easy for all business sizes to access.
Practical Reflections
When applied, Matterport 3D provides a current answer to the difficulties of conducting surveys inside buildings. Multiple stakeholders can use precise, interactive models that are made by this software, which saves time, improves accuracy, and cuts down on the need for site trips.
This approach is useful and looks to the future, whether you’re doing a thorough property inspection, getting ready for a retrofit job, or supporting legal paperwork. Once professionals adopt this technology, they will be better prepared to meet the changing needs of the built world.
