3D measurements and areas of a building

Measuring in a virtual tour: how it works

A Matterport tour captured with the Pro3 camera is a survey before it is a tour. At each position, the camera photographs the space and laser-measures it (LiDAR); Matterport’s software then assembles the positions into a single 3D model, consistent from one end of the building to the other. That is what makes remote measurement possible: the distance between two points in the tour matches the real distance, to ±20 mm at 10 m, according to Matterport.

In practice, the visitor opens the measurement tool in the tour’s toolbar, clicks a first point, then a second: the dimension appears. No account or software is needed; the tool works in a browser, on a computer as on a phone. The measurements you take yourself can be saved in the tour, grouped by theme and shown to visitors.

Ceiling height, widths, clearances: 3D measurements, not only on the floor

A 2D plan gives lengths on the floor. The 3D model adds the third dimension: the ceiling height of a space, the clear height under a beam or a duct, the width of a garage door, the clearance between two rows of shelving. These are the dimensions a furniture supplier, a mechanical systems installer or a mover needs, and the ones most often forgotten on site.

See the rooms from above in floor plan view or in the dollhouse, locate the area to measure, step into the tour and measure. For a ready-to-share plan of every floor, the 2D floor plan is included with every tour.

Area of a space: room labels and area report

The model recognizes rooms, names them and calculates their area; according to Matterport, every wall is measured, ceiling height included. This automatic recognition is designed first for residential properties: in an office, a clinic or a warehouse, we check and correct room names as needed. On request, an area report brings together the plan, the room table and the areas per floor and for the building.

These areas are approximate and follow Matterport’s RICS or ANSI standard. For a commercial lease measured according to BOMA, a certificate of location or a permit, you need a land surveyor or a professional who validates the measurements; the scan then serves as their working basis.

Remote measurement, with your suppliers

The real gain is the number of trips avoided. A property manager sends the tour link to three blind suppliers: each takes their dimensions and quotes without a preliminary visit. A developer attaches the tour to a condo listing: the buyer checks for themselves whether their furniture fits in the bedroom. A public works department sends a deep link to the mechanical room to the contractor, who measures the clearance before ordering the equipment.

To go beyond one-off measurements, the same scan serves as the basis for space planning, DWG drawings and 3D building scanning for a point cloud or a Revit model. Uses in real estate and in architecture and construction are detailed on our sector pages.

3D measurements in Montreal and across Quebec

Based in Boucherville, on the South Shore, we scan in Montreal and across Quebec; beyond about 100 km from Montreal, a travel fee of $0.73/km applies, shared between the sites of a single trip.

• A single point of contact, Marc Durand Bréard, from the quote to the one-hour training session included.
• More than 1,000 tours published on Google Maps since 2015.
• Matterport Service Partner, equipped with the Pro3 camera.
• Service in French, with scans possible in the evening and on Saturday mornings.

Measurements are included in the price of the 3D tour, from $395. See all our prices, our portfolio, or write to us for a 30-minute call.