Building digital twin

What is a building digital twin?

A building digital twin starts from the same scan as a Matterport 3D virtual tour: the Pro3 camera photographs the space and measures it with a laser, and Matterport assembles it all into a model you move through freely, with the dollhouse view, the floor plan view and the measurement tool. The difference is in how it is used. An enhanced virtual tour adds tags and a branded menu for the public; the Matterport digital twin uses the same tools but organizes them for the people who run the building: views for each audience, layers by theme, controlled access and tags that serve as equipment sheets, instructions and drawings.

One view per team: maintenance, OHS, leasing

According to Matterport, a single tour can have up to 10 views, each with its own tags and its own access. The maintenance team opens the view where every pump, panel and ventilation unit carries its sheet: that is the equipment register. The health and safety officer opens the view where zones, protective equipment and exits are marked, which serves for 3D training and emergency response plans. The leasing department shares a clean view, with no internal information.

In each view, layers group the tags by theme and the search finds a word in their content. For sensitive sites, password protection and unlisted links complete the views: see the private and secure tour.

Suppliers guided remotely

A contractor prepares a bid in the model: they measure a clearance, locate a panel. A furniture supplier checks a door width. Each receives a link that opens in the right room, and the site visit becomes the exception.

In case studies published by Matterport (these are Matterport clients, not Panosphere clients), Danone reports 50% fewer site visits, and BMO, more than $500,000 and 6,000 hours of surveys saved in 15 months across 503 branches.

Connecting your data: CMMS, drawings, documents

Your equipment list is imported from a CSV file; according to Matterport, the import is tested up to 1,000 tags. Each tag can hold text, photos, a video, a PDF or a link to the matching record in your CMMS. Mechanical or evacuation drawings are attached as PDFs, in the room they describe. For a direct connection to your systems (API), Matterport requires an Enterprise plan: we specify this in the quote.

Updating: rescan one wing, not the whole building

When a wing is renovated, we rescan only that wing and merge it into the existing model; according to Matterport, merging combines up to 2,000 scan positions and tags can be copied from one scan to the next. Between two scans, your team keeps the twin up to date with editor access ($150 per year), or we do it at $90 per hour. Hosting is included for the first year, then from $150 per year: see hosting and maintenance.

Three digital twins produced by Panosphere 360

The City of Gatineau’s drinking water treatment plant, shown above: pump rooms, piping and mechanical rooms, with information tags.

Atelier 25, for the City of Candiac: the public works building, with 76 tags, a six-section menu and three aerial views.

The Quebec Ministry of Transport’s vehicle fleet management centre in Laval: garage, workshops, salt dome and grounds captured in a single model.

The same principle applies to industrial facilities, municipal buildings and health care facilities.

A building digital twin with Panosphere 360

Based in Boucherville, we scan in Montreal and across Quebec, in French, in the evening and on Saturday morning if needed. More than 1,000 tours published on Google Maps since 2015, Matterport Service Partner, and a single person, Marc Durand Bréard, from the quote to the one-hour training session included. See our prices and our portfolio, or request a quote: a 30-minute call is all it takes.