Matterport does a great job when it comes to both hardware and software, and they dominate the 3d property scanning market. As virtual tour providers in the UK, we use both Matterport Pro2 Camera and the Matterport app at Scene3d. 

The whole Matterport system is our loyal companion in providing our clients with breathtaking virtual tours. And in our opinion Matterport virtual tour sets the standard in the industry. 

Developing such complex software surely is a hard job, but some features and upgrades in the Matterport app would make our job a hell of a lot easier. We see some room for improvement when it comes to Matterport app processing time, scan limit, and alignment issues. What’re some of the features we’d love the Matterport app to go along with the release of the Matterport Pro3 Camera that will resolve these?

Matterport Processing Time – Faster Alignment

As the saying goes, time is money. Another saying is that great things take time. We agree with both. And as much as we’d love to have the scan ready in the blink of an eye, we’re aware that’s not possible (yet). However, as technology is developing, some things that seemed impossible before, are now the new normal. 

We combine the Matterport camera with their companion app thus controlling the camera with the iPad. The whole Matterport system is easy to use and helps us create stunning virtual tours for our clients. But by lowering Matterport App processing time, we’d be able to do our work at a larger scale in less time. 

As each scan with the camera has to align with previous scans, that can eat up a lot of our time. How long does Matterport take to process and align scans?

• It takes roughly 20 seconds for the scan itself.
• Alignment with other scans lasts 20-30 seconds.
• With over 200 scans, this results in roughly 1 hour and 40 minutes of waiting for the scans to align. 

 What we’d love to see improved when it comes to alignment that’s definitely possible?

• If each scan could take only 10 seconds that means that the waiting time for 200 scans would be approximately 33 minutes.
• The time we save with scans would allow larger jobs to be carried out on one camera charge, resulting in making our work more efficient.

Matterport Scan Limit – The More the Merriere

While the Matterport app and camera make a great duo for 3d property scanning, a higher scan limit would come in handy. 

The app itself has limits in terms of how many scans it can capture on one model – but why?

• iPad storage doesn’t seem to be a factor with this as each model only uses between 500 MB and 1 GB depending on the size and intricacy.
• If you exceed a certain number the app starts to crash regularly not allowing you to carry on capturing. 
• Larger models become slower to use on certain devices – this should be fixed as well. 

What does Matterport recommend?

• The recommended limit is 200 scans. However, we’ve managed occasionally to go up to 400 scans with some difficulty. 
• Increased scan limit would help us tremendously. Especially when it comes to capturing larger spaces in one model.  

Our clients often request this as it’s especially important in commercial real estate and education sectors. The technology already exists, because applications such as the Licia Cyclone app have much higher data capture and no size cap for each model. It would be great if Matterport could increase the scan limit in the next updates which would help us create the immersive experience of virtual tours more efficiently.

Matterport Alignment Issues and Ways to Deal With Them Manually

There’re a few error messages you can get on the Matterport app that signalize there’re misalignments among the scans. What are the causes and can you deal with them manually?

No alignment error Matterport – the main cause of this error is too much ambient light. It’s definitely one of the most common errors you can get. Matterport cameras use infrared light to capture depth data which is used for alignment. When there is too much ambient infrared light Matterport camera basically gets confused and can’t get enough depth data. 

Not enough overlapping data between scans. If you got this error message, chances are you’re scanning too far apart. If you want to prevent this, don’t get too far apart from your last scan. Matterport app has to find similarities between scans, and by keeping the distance between scans 5-8 feet, you’ll be good to go.

Pro tip: Mark mirrors ASAP because Matterport can confuse mirrors for another room.

Low overlap error message Matterport. This is due to either excessive ambient light or a great distance between scans. The same advice from above applies to resolve this error as well. 

When it comes to misalignments, they are harder to catch because you don’t get an error message which can be irritating. It’s important to remember that misalignments usually appear in empty spaces and hallways with repetitive architecture. 

To avoid further problems, check every scan after it’s processed and fix them early to avoid the rest of the model to misalign. You can do it directly from the capture app by making sure there are no misalignments or if there are, delete the scan and capture a new one.

What’re some of the most important things to know to avoid  Matterport misalignments?

• Each blue circle is a scan location. When the model is uploaded to Matterport to create the virtual tour the data and position of these scans are used to create the model. 
• When a misalignment occurs, the camera places this blue circle in the wrong place causing errors in the creation of the model. 
• Misalignments are most likely to occur in areas without many standout features – e.g. corridors or empty offices.
• Because of this, the scan you’ve just captured will position itself in the wrong place on the app causing issues with navigation when the model is uploaded.
• Use different perspectives/planes such as side view and top-down to identify misalignments. You’ll also have a perspective on how the finalized model will look. 

At the end of the day, it would be great for the Matterport app to add the feature to manually move misaligned scans into the right position. Once again, the technology for this already exists (Cyclone 360 app is a great example) so it’s a no-brainer for Matterport to include this in the next update.

Automatic Mirror and Window Recognition

Currently, we have to manually mark windows and mirrors as the Matterport app is still not recognizing them. This eats up a lot of our time, and it would be more than awesome to include automatic mirror and window recognition in the next update. 

Some of the most common problems we experience in the field are that by adding trim lines in the capture app manually, we aren’t only wasting time, but also there’s more room for errors.

If we accidentally miss a window or a mirror, this can cause issues with navigation as the user can be transported through the window or mirror to a random location in the tour. If technology could take care of this, it would help solve human error which naturally occurs from time to time.

Note Taking or Annotation Feature

Last but not least, directly adding notes to the Matterport app instead of using other apps would tremendously help us to do 3d property scanning more efficiently. 

We could do it by taking down information for data tags in specific locations while we’re on site. In that case, we’d easily add information such as underfloor heating in a specific room without having to record that in a different app.

This would make the Matterport app in combination with the Matterport camera an unbeatable system when it comes to 3d property scanning.

Sum Up of the Matterport App Features

All of these improvements and new features we’ve mentioned would make the work of every professional who does 3d property scanning more efficient. This includes our team at Scene3d who uses the Matterport system daily to produce virtual tours for different sectors such as commercial real estate, gyms, restaurants, museums and galleries, the educational sector, and residential properties. 

With upgrades in terms of processing time, scan limit, alignment, automatic mirror and window recognition, and note-taking, the Matterport app would dominate the 3d property scanning for the years to come. And we’re not saying Matterport isn’t doing it already, but rather admire their efforts and motivate them to keep doing the great work!

The post 5 Features of Matterport App We’d Love to See appeared first on Scene3D.

But with the release date slowly closing in, all that’s left is for us to see what Matterport has prepared. Heck, we don’t even have a confirmed release date for the Pro3 camera yet, but some rumours seem more legit than others. So what do we hope to get when it finally drops? Which features are most likely to be included in the Matterport Pro3 camera?

Matterport Pro3 Camera Rumoured Release Date

One of the first rumoured release dates for the matterport pro3 camera goes back to the fourth quarter of 2020. As we all know, 2020 was a year with many not-so-great events, so it’s completely understandable why CMO at Matterport Chris Bell was hesitant to say the exact date, even though he confirmed the Pro3 is in development. 

The next guess was that the new Pro3 camera would be released at the same time as Matterport went public, which was in the summer of 2021. However, although Matterport did go public, the release date of the new camera was nowhere to be found.

There hasn’t been any credible information coming from Matterport themselves, except that it will be coming out later this year. So our best advice is to be patient and wait for the official statement regarding the Matterport Pro3 camera’s exact release date. 

Until then, let’s dive deeper into some of the great features we’d like to have that would improve the quality and efficiency of everyone providing real estate virtual tour services.

Matterport Pro3 Camera Features We’d Love to See

Some features would definitely be priceless and create a bigger gap in quality when it comes to Matterport and their competitors. Matterport is already doing a great job, and they’ve positioned themselves as the leading manufacturer of 360 / 3D cameras. 

We’ve been advocates and longtime users of the Matterport hardware since our inception in 2018. As every camera user knows with technology rapidly advancing every day, we’re always on the lookout to upgrade our gear and do a better job. Currently, we’re using the Matterport Pro2 camera, which is definitely a great tool helping us to create a high-quality end product for our clients. 

However, there’s always room for improvement and that’s why we’ve come up with the list of features we’d like to see in the Matterport Pro3 camera!

Outdoor Scanning 

Previous models of the Matterport camera have been most effective at creating virtual tours of interior spaces. This is due to interference from sunlight when 3D scanning outdoors.

Currently it is possible to 3D scan outdoors using a combination of Matterport & Leica hardware but switching between two cameras is time consuming and prone to crashes. The capability to 3D scan external spaces using one camera  would definitely be priceless and would avoid many problems we encounter daily. Outdoor scanning can be extremely important in our line of work and creating exterior and outdoor 3d virtual tours using only the Matterport Pro3 camera would save us a lot of trouble!

Users of Pro1 and 2 know that the hardware has in the past been mostly limited to internal scanning with the 360 photograph option for exteriors, due to the capabilities of the Matterport  lidar sensors and interference from direct sunlight. We can’t wait to see how Matterport will handle this issue with Pro3!

The Matterport Pro2 capturing external 360 images

The technology to 3D scan outdoors exists. Other 3D scanners, such as the BLK360, can  capture 3D scans outdoors and we can’t wait for Matterport to implement this technology into their hardware. Seamlessly 3D scanning with one camera from inside to outside would be awesome!

Increased scan range 

Each Matterport camera captures 3D data as well as images with each 360 rotation. To effectively capture a space you will often place the camera and do a scan every 6-10 feet to gather as much 3D data as possible.

The Matterport Pro2 which we’re currently using has a maximum scan range of around 15 feet. But as the saying goes, the more the merrier so we really hope Matterport will increase the scan range in the Matterport Pro3 camera.

When capturing larger spaces, such as rooms with vaulted/double-height ceilings, some issues often emerge. This usually means we have to bring specialist equipment like the Leica BLK 360 to capture these spaces. This is especially true if the project is used for surveying purposes where accurately capturing ceiling heights and features is essential.

Increased range on the Pro3 would help solve all of the issues above while also allowing the Matterport solution to become more appealing to surveyors.

The Leica BLK260 can scan up to 60m

Increase in maximum project size 

As an extra point, while maybe more of a software upgrade as opposed to hardware, a larger cap on the scan limit would be great for the product. Currently, Matterport has a recommended scan limit of 200 scans maximum. It is possible to go beyond this but with the risk of crashes and glitches. 

We’ve experienced an increase in demand for matterport tours in sectors such as education, healthcare & commercial real estate but these tend to be larger buildings so often exceed the recommended scan limit. So an increase in maximum project size would be a logical step forward for the Matterport Pro3 camera. 

Increased Battery Life

The Current battery life on a Matterport Pro2 is around 8 – 10 hours, which is enough for most projects. However, when a bigger project presents itself or if multiple days of scanning are required with no good access to charging, a longer battery life would be an improvement. 

A removable battery would make scanning larger commercial projects easier

Other 3D scanners on the market, such as the Leica hardware, have removable batteries which allow you to swap them out without having to stop working to charge the camera. This allows higher flexibility when scanning on site. 

Higher Density Point Clouds

Matterport cameras capture something called point cloud data which can be used by architects, engineers, property developers and more to gain accurate measurements of a space. This data can be a great starting point when designing  any modifications of an existing structure.

The Matterport Pro2 currently captures 4 million points of point cloud data per scan, while their competitor the BLK 360 is closer to 16 Million points per scan. Of course, these two 3D scanners are designed to fulfill very different roles. But if the Pro3 could come closer in density, Matterport will be the even better choice for commercial projects. Higher point cloud density would give Matterport users more diversity in the outputs they could produce. 

Higher image quality

Currently, the imagery captured by the Matterport Pro 2 camera is equivalent to 4K resolution but many monitors, tablets & smartphones now offer 8K quality screens.

Technology is advancing rapidly, and it would be great if matterport could keep up with current tech standards. So offering an 8k version of Pro3 would be a great addition to the already great product matterport offers. This level of image detail would also allow more flexibility in how images captured using Matterport can be utilized. Higher detail images are more malleable and can be cropped, edited & amended to suit a client’s needs.

How Much Will The Matterport Pro3 Cost?

Matterport has a wide range of options to choose from, which naturally raises the question of the price of the Matterport Pro3 camera. The previous version, the Matterport Pro2 camera sold for approximately $4000 when it first came out but other high spec 3D scanners on the market can retail for much more. We only hope that with all of the new features and improvements in the Matterport Pro3 camera, the price won’t be pushed too much higher. 

Scene3D’s Final Word on Matterport Pro3 Camera

Matterport has stated that the Pro3 should be coming out later in the year and we can’t wait to hear more about what it will include. Matterport definitely have a lot on their plate, including releasing the iPhone hardware – The Axis, and developing mobile software (products that exactly 0 people have been asking for). Because of that their radio silence regarding the Pro3 is somewhat understandable, but with lots of chatter online it’s safe to say that the Matterport Pro3 camera is coming out soon. With the current buzz, we have decided to take a look at some of the features that would be well-received and most likely to be featured in Pro3. 

If you want to find out if we were right, and get the info as soon as it drops, sign up for our mailing list!

To learn more about virtual tours click here to visit our Learning Hub. 

The post Matterport Pro3 Camera – Will It Be Worth the Wait? appeared first on Scene3D.

A real estate agent can be a fantastic teammate throughout the process of selling your home, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience while giving you peace of mind.. But we all know how expensive working with an estate agent can be. And while it’s great if you can afford it, are there any other options available? We decided to take a look at 5 ways you could try and do it yourself to save on estate agency fees. 

Can You Sell a House Without An Estate Agent?

The development of technology and the internet is putting the power in the hands of the individual to do things that wouldn’t be possible in the past. If you know how to do it right, you can save both time and money. Earlier, many of these things were either expensive or consumed too much of your time, but things have changed. 

Real estate agent fees can be one of the most costly parts of selling your home. Can these costs be entirely avoided and can you sell a house without an estate agent?

While selling a house without an estate agent was too much work before, technology and the internet are working to change that, and it’s becoming easier than ever. 

This article has 5 great ideas that could make selling a house without an estate agent a reality. And if you’re here now, chances are you’ve thought about it already. We’re just here to make things easy for you!

So what are these 5 great ideas to sell a house without an estate agent?

Getting The Right Paperwork To Sell a House Without An Estate Agent

Do you get a headache when thinking about all that paperwork? We do, too! Finding all the right paperwork for selling a house without an estate agent can be a struggle. Luckily, thanks to the good ol’ Internet, you can now choose whether to use legal document templates or a pay per document expert. 

Earlier, a real estate agent would provide legal document templates for you. Now, you can do it yourself by choosing some of the vetted options below.

○    Lawdepot

○    Property Road

○    Government UK

○    Legalo

A Solicitor for the Conveyancing stage often isn’t included in the agent’s fees, so it’s possible to hire them yourself. They’ll make sure all your legal documents are good to go, so you don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to paperwork for selling a house without an estate agent.

The Gov.UK website has a helpful guide for selling a home

Researching House Prices in Your Area

You don’t want to sell yourself short, but you also don’t want to overprice your house and lose potential buyers. Roll up your sleeves and dive deeper into the housing market to determine the right price for your property. Use these tools and tricks to be one step ahead:

• Portals such as Zoopla, Right Move, Entwistlegreen, will provide you with all the insights regarding the value and price of your house. Even UK Government provides you with this information.
• It’s rumored that Google will release a new tool that will have information about all the house prices in the area you choose. 
• Free valuations. Real estate agents will value your home for free in the hope of you hiring them. However, you can always change your mind and just get the valuation and do the work yourself. 

After determining the value and price of your house, it’s time to promote it. What are the most efficient ways to do it?

How to Promote the House You’re Selling

With new technologies emerging rapidly, social media has become a crucial part of marketing literally everything. Why couldn’t you promote the property you’re selling there?

Social media is a great free tool to help you reach a wider audience. You can even use paid ads to create more interest – depending on your budget options are basically unlimited. It’s one of the most important steps to selling a house without an estate agent if you fully take advantage of it!

We’d strongly recommend joining local Facebook groups that will allow you to share you’re selling your house and investor groups where you’ll surely reach potential buyers.

Property portals are also a great way for selling without an estate agent. List your house on these portals, because they are designed to help you sell it. There are free portals, as well as paid ones. You can list your property on multiple portals ensuring more people will see it. And one of them will hopefully buy it! 

Be aware however, property portals can be very costly. Many estate agents have negotiated cheaper rates with property portals as they have a larger volume of properties. So if you’re looking into listing your property on some of the most popular property portals an estate agent may be a smart choice.

Presenting Your Home To Take A Buyers Breath Away

The way you present your house is one of the most important parts of making more people interested in buying your home. Details matter and they sell. If you can make people fall in love with your house and imagine the life they could have there – it’s only left for you to close the deal. 

Pintrest is full of amazing interior design inspiration

These 3 tips will inspire you to create a mesmerizing presentation of your house and attract potential buyers: :

• Popular videos on Youtube will teach you tips & tricks to upgrade your house at a low cost.
• Check out popular trends on Pinterest 
• Catch up on current trends by reading interior design magazines or blogs for inspiration

Don’t forget about virtual tours that will definitely catch the attention of everyone. You can go the extra mile and include floorplans, a room-to-room guide, and an overall immersive experience for potential buyers.

Sell Your House With A Virtual Tour

While before you had to spend hours and hours showing property in person, with 3D virtual tours, potential buyers will be able to see your house without limitations. The best part is that dozens of people can see it simultaneously and share it with one click. This increases both the number of people and your chances to sell your house for the asking price faster. You’ll also pre-qualify people, and save time because only the most qualified potential buyers will come and see it. 

What are the main advantages of real estate virtual tour services?

•     Virtual tours take a lot of hassle out of selling your home by eliminating time wasters by sharing the tour before arranging an in-person viewing.
•   You get the full bank of high-resolution, wide-angle images generated from the tour.
•     Allow potential buyers to get a real feeling for the size and shape of the space, let them feel the atmosphere, and imagine themselves living there.
•   Create an immersive viewing experience. Focus on selling the experience, their future in the house, rather than plain pictures. With 3d virtual tours, they can easily imagine how it would be to live there and create new memories with those closest to their heart. 
• The best part of 3d virtual tours is that potential buyers can view them 24/7!

At the end of the day many agents use real estate virtual tour services to sell properties, why wouldn’t you?

And how much will a 3d virtual tour cost you? Approximately £300 depending on the size of your property, but for detailed cost check out How Much Is My Virtual Tour Really Going To Cost?

Bonus Tip: Organize Your Time With Scheduling Apps

Nowadays, there’s an app for almost everything, right? Selling a house without an estate agent (or even with one) can be really stressful. But with scheduling apps, you’ll take control of your time and easily organize potential viewings.

Calendars and scheduling apps are extremely easy to use. You’ll often only need to add the email of the potential buyer to the event. But that’s not everything! 

Include the address that’s linked directly to the maps app and don’t waste time on directions and explanations!

What Can’t You Do Without a Real Estate Agent?

Is there anything that can’t be done? Of course, real estate agents bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. At the end of the day, it’s their job, and selling your house is in their best interest. What are the advantages of hiring a real estate agent?

• They have deep knowledge about the market, prices, what works and what doesn’t. 
• Realtors sell houses for a living, so they know the ins and outs of every process, including legal. 
• In their career, they’ve networked with many people so they have the access to the wider market such as overseas investors. 
• Hiring a real estate agent will save you a lot of time and stress. You can be sure they’ll do all the heavy lifting. 
• You can always ask your realtor for advice and tell them about any issues that emerge along the way. 

Selling your own home is a great way to save some money but you can’t deny the great benefits of using a trusted estate agent to help handle the workload and make sure everything runs smoothly. 

We hope you’ve found this article about selling a house without an estate agent useful.

Whether you’re an estate agent or a private seller, a virtual tour would be the perfect tool to help market your property. Save money on marketing costs with an all-in-one package including real estate virtual tour services, floorplans, promotional videos, and high-resolution images.

Get in touch with our team today for more info.

The post Is It Possible To Sell A House Without An Estate Agent? appeared first on Scene3D.

So you’ve done the research, found a supplier and booked a date to have your property or business turned into a virtual tour. But how do you best prepare for a virtual tour? What key things do you need to look out for and what are some common mistakes people make? 

In this article we’re going to outline how best to prepare for a virtual tour, including some top tips for both residential properties and commercial businesses. 

Let’s take a look… 

Residential Properties

When booking your virtual tour: 

When arranging a virtual tour of a residential property we always recommend providing your supplier with floor plans of your property (if you have them) or some quick photos of each room. Doing this before their arrival means your virtual tour professional has a general idea of the layout of your property before they’re onsite. Having a preview of the layout means your virtual tour professional can identify any potential problem areas in advance and quickly capture the property with minimal disruption to the homeowner.

Before your virtual tour professional arrives: 

When it comes to preparing your property for a virtual tour it’s important to make sure that all areas of the home are as you would like them to be presented. Most virtual tour providers use high resolution 360 or 3D cameras to capture all the data necessary to create a virtual tour. This means the final user experience will be extremely high quality. Unfortunately this also means the camera will pick up any untidy areas in just as high quality so it’s important to make sure the property is thoroughly tidied before your virtual tour professional arrives. 

It’s also important to ensure you put away any data sensitive pieces of information such as letters, legal documents or personal photographs you may have around your property that you don’t want to be included. Don’t panic if you forget anything though, it’s possible to blur sensitive information in the virtual tour during post production. 

Remember: the better your property looks in person, the better it will look once your virtual tour is complete.  

A clean and clutter free space will result in a high quality virtual tour

While your virtual tour professional is at your property:

When capturing your property, your virtual tour professional will work through the property one room at a time, usually starting from the lowest floor and working their way up. This means it’s entirely possible to move clutter or unsightly items from one room to another to keep them out of the way of the virtual tour. This can be especially handy for things like children’s toys or pet beds which can be tough to find a home for in a decluttered space.  

To help make it easy, here is a handy checklist of best practices when it comes to preparing your home for a virtual tour: 

• Are all rooms clean and free of clutter?
• Are all doors open to rooms that you’d like as part of the virtual tour? (close doors to rooms that you don’t want to be accessed.)
• Are ALL inside lights on, including lamps, under counter lights and stove lights?
• Are all drapes and blinds on windows with a good view open?
• Are all personal photos, artwork, jewellery or any sensitive items that you don’t want seen hidden?
• Are any plug cables visible? Unplug them from the wall if needed (except lights).
• Are all televisions off or on a single image screen?

Commercial Properties

When it comes to preparing your office, commercial space or business for a virtual tour, many of the same principles as preparing a residential property still ring true. It’s important to share as much information about your space as possible with your virtual tour provider prior to their visit. It’s important to ensure the space is clean, tidy and free of clutter.  And it’s important to consider if any sensitive information could be on show. There are some key differences when it comes to commercial properties however, as commercial spaces are often quite unique.  

Virtual tour cameras are designed to capture a highly accurate ‘snapshot’ of a space and so can be affected by any inconsistencies such as a person walking through the shot. To get the very best visuals out of a virtual tour we recommend arranging your virtual tour provider to visit when the site is either closed to the public or footfall is at a minimum. For hard-to-control spaces, it’s beneficial for you to arrange for an on-site staff member to assist your virtual tour provider and keep people out of the area during the scanning process.

It’s also important to consider which areas of your commercial space you would like included in your virtual tour. For some businesses, such as a wedding venue, it may be unlikely you want to show the kitchen or food preparation areas. So ensuring you plan your virtual tour ahead of time can help make the process run smoothly. 

Exterior Areas

Another thing to note is most virtual tour cameras are primarily designed for indoor use. Outdoor 3D scanning can be affected by conditions such as direct sunlight & adverse weather due to the infrared and UltraViolet light interference, which can cause errors. 

Scanning your space at dawn, dusk or in overcast weather are options when it comes to exterior scanning but it can, of course, be temperamental. We recommend that if 3D scanning an exterior area is not essential, creating a 360° panoramic image of the area can still give users a great view of the exterior without the 3D data. If it is a necessity to complete a 3D scan of the exterior then utilising some higher spec equipment that’s designed for larger outdoor scanning is alway an option. However, using this sort of equipment has its own associated costs so it’s important to discuss this with your virtual tour provider before they arrive at your property or business.

For external spaces a 360 panoramic image can sometimes be a better option

Here are a few helpful things to consider when preparing an outside area for a virtual tour:

• Doorways that lead between areas of interest must remain open, all other doorways should be closed.
• Move any staff or owner vehicles from the driveway and park away from the property to be captured.
• Place garbage bins and anything that is not attached in the garage/lockup, or out of sight.
• Straighten outdoor furniture.
• Cut grass and remove all weeds from cracks in concrete.
• Ensure that all signage is up-to-date and appropriate.
• Remove any unwanted items.
• If your virtual tour professional is capturing a space during business hours, make sure that customers are informed – signs around your commercial space can help. 

So there you have it, a full guide on how to prepare for a virtual tour. We hope you’ve found this helpful and if you would like to learn more about virtual tours check our learning hub that has a range of articles covering everything from virtual tour pricing to virtual tour myth busting. 

Alternatively you can click here speak to one of our friendly virtual tour experts who’ll be happy to help answer any questions you may have. 

The post How To Prepare For A Virtual Tour appeared first on Scene3D.

Are you looking for a way to make your commercial space stand out in the decision-making process? A virtual tour of your commercial property can help it stand out to new prospective clients.

In this article, we’ll explain:

• Why use a virtual tour to market your commercial property?
• What commercial properties benefit from a virtual tour?
• Virtual tours Vs video tours
• How to create a virtual tour

Why Use A Virtual Tour To Market Your Commercial Property?

Virtual Tours Get Your Commercial Property Noticed

When potential tenants are searching for a new space the process tends to go something like this: the agent will conduct a market survey to show their client what options are available, the client will narrow down a “shortlist” of properties, the agent and the client then go out and view the shortlist in person.

No one wants to waste time viewing a property that isn’t fit for purpose, so in the current climate tenants are very selective about which few properties they go and view (COVID has further exaggerated this). When selecting which properties to shortlist, clients will quickly disregard properties with poor imagery or incomplete information. 

Virtual tours give the client the opportunity to explore your commercial property remotely, giving a comprehensive and detailed view of your space. Potential tenants will be far more likely to shortlist your property if they are confident about what is on offer. 

Virtual Tours Make Your Commercial Property Memorable

When searching for the right home for their business, a client will often view a wide range of properties. This can sometimes lead to ‘property fatigue’, where every building starts to blend into one.   

A virtual tour gives a client the chance to experience your commercial property at their leisure. By spending time exploring your space in a similar manner to an in person viewing, clients have the opportunity to form an emotional impression of your property. This makes your commercial property vastly more memorable than competitive properties using pictures alone. 

This means it will be firmly in their mind during the decision making processes and can easily be referenced when deciding between properties. 

Easily Connect With Potential Clients From Further Afield

When marketing a commercial property it can be important to consider potential tenants from other cities or even overseas. Often businesses are looking to expand into new territories, new markets and to take advantage of new talent pools. However, the geographical distance to these new areas can cause some logistical headaches.  

A virtual tour makes it easier for potential clients to view a property from wherever in the world they are, helping them decide if an in person viewing is worth the travel. Once the client has had the opportunity to view the property in person they can use the virtual tour as a reference to answer any questions they have and save on further unnecessary visits. 

A virtual tour can also be helpful if a client is a larger organisation where approval comes from out-of-town or overseas executives. 

Virtual Tour Of Summit House – Created On Behalf Of The Office Group.

What Commercial Properties Benefit From A Virtual Tour?

As we’ve covered already, one of the great aspects of a virtual tour is the comprehensive & detailed view it offers of a property. This can have its drawbacks however, as a virtual tour will not just show the good but the bad and the ugly as well. 

This means it’s important to consider if a virtual tour is the right tool for your commercial property. For example, older or run down spaces in need of updating can often not present as well as newer, more modern properties. Generally (although not exclusively), virtual tours work best for commercial spaces that are ready to go with fresh decoration or a refitted interior. This remains true for both furnished and unfurnished offices, whole buildings or specific floors / areas of a building.

Size is another important factor to consider when planning for a virtual tour. Virtual tours are great for featuring a particular suite or office but trying to showcase a very large space can sometimes be confusing for an end user if not labeled & linked correctly. Some virtual tour software will now offer users a navigation menu, making exploring a larger property a more streamlined and user friendly experience. 

Your virtual tour will look better if the space is clean and tidy.

Virtual Tours Vs Video Tours

At a glance, a video tour and a virtual tour seem like a very similar product. They are both designed to market a commercial property online, they both can deliver great results when used correctly and they both are growing in popularity. The reality is that video tours and virtual tours are vastly different types of media, each with its own uses and advantages. A well rounded marketing plan has room for both. 

A video tour often works best as a tool to catch a potential tenant’s eye, using clever editing, shot selection and framing to quickly highlight some of the best features of a space. Video tours are generally used early in the sales process to gain interest in a property and should tell a story about the space while showing off the highlights. It’s a good idea to include captions, a voice over, or both, to give context about the property and guide the viewer’s experience.  

A virtual tour, while also great to gain initial interest, really comes into play later in the sales cycle and the decision-making process. A virtual tour can be hosted directly on your website or property listing to aid in lead generation, it can be sent directly to a client or agent prior to the shortlist selection, and it can be used as a reference after an in person viewing. 

Virtual tours and video tours are often thought of as interchangeable but when utilised correctly they can be a powerful 1, 2 punch to the competition.  

How Create A Virtual Tour

Doing It Yourself

Advances in camera technology and virtual tour software mean producing a virtual tour without professional help is now a reality for many businesses. It can still be a time consuming and tricky process if you’re not ready, so before you create a virtual tour it’s important to make sure you’ve done the necessary preparation. 

Firstly, consider what kind of virtual tour you’d like to create, will it be a 3D virtual tour or a 360 tour? (we have a great blog post outlining the difference that you can read here).Then consider what equipment you’ll need. It’s now possible to create a virtual tour using only a smartphone and a virtual tour application so that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll need to spend thousands of pounds on fancy camera equipment. It is important to ensure the virtual tour does the property justice however, so spending some time researching the best tools will pay dividends in the long run. 

Finally have a plan for how you want to capture the property including a tour route through the property and any points of interest you may wish to highlight. To help you construct a plan here are a few best practices to follow: 

• Make sure you schedule a time to photograph the space when no one is in the building and the property is tidy.
• On the day of the shoot, always first walk the space and clear clutter. Make sure to open all blinds and doors, turn on all lights, and make the space look presentable.
• Determine where you want to start and end the tour before you begin.
•  It’s also important to make sure each photo transitions smoothly to the next. You need to make sure a door or entry point is open in the shot to make the transitions flow.

There are a range of hardware options to create your own virtual tour.

Hiring A Professional

Shooting a virtual tour in-house, while often more cost effective, can have its own risks. If not produced correctly it could lead to a subpar end product that doesn’t do justice to your commercial property. If you want to ensure a high quality virtual tour that showcases your space in the best possible way, then working with a professional is often the best way to go. 

A professional virtual tour provider will be able to advise you on aspects such as the best time of day to shoot, the best process to produce the tour, what kind of key pieces of info to include, to name a few. A professional will also often have the latest equipment and the experience to make the most effective virtual tour possible. This service is usually priced on a per square foot basis while some charge a base fee up to a certain size, then per square foot after that (we have a great article that explains what your virtual tour is likely to cost – you can read that here). 

The reality is that while it can initially seem more costly, entrusting a professional virtual tour provider is often more cost and time effective while leaving you with a far superior, bespoke end product. 

We hope that has been a helpful overview of how best to implement a virtual tour into your commercial property marketing strategy. If you want to learn more about virtual tours we have a great learning hub full of a range of useful articles. Alternatively if you’d like to speak to one of our experts they’ll be able to answer any questions you may have. Click here to visit our contact page.

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Virtual Tour Myths

Words are a powerful thing. Whether they’re written down or spoken and heard – they can heavily influence our views. We think that there’s a few common virtual tours myths that we’d like to iron out. We’re going to set the record straight. 

When marketing a property or business online, it’s important you think to yourself: ‘what’s the best medium for me?’ There are a few different options. It could be that it’s traditional photography, a promotional video, or a virtual tour. 

However, thanks to the ever-growing influence of social media and the internet, many people are confident in their understanding of the pros and cons of photos and video, but, virtual tours are a comparatively new innovation. And, as with a lot of new technologies, there are still common misconceptions and, consequently, doubts. 

In this article, we’re going to do our best to shed some light on some virtual tour myths. We’ll discuss where we think these virtual tour myths came from, all whilst helping you to feel more confident when considering them as an option for your business or property. 

Virtual Tour Myth #1: Virtual Tours Are Crazy Expensive

Where did this myth come from:

We’ve already established just how young virtual tours are as a tool, but it’s often thought that they are always expensive. But, like many marketing tools, there are various factors that can dictate how much a virtual tour costs. 

Virtual tours are visually very impressive and are created with high-spec cameras – this is why we think people assume a high price tag. 

In the current market, there’s also no standardised cost as it stands. You’ll generally find that quotes from virtual tour providers will vary fairly drastically.  

What’s the truth?

Although virtual tours do generally cost more than a standard photography package, they can often be cheaper than just a video. Surprising, right?

Advances in technology mean that large parts of the virtual tour production process are automated, meaning they’re quicker to produce. 

And if that wasn’t enough, virtual tours are proven to provide a better return on investment when compared to traditional photography. Virtual tours create an in-depth viewing experience, helping you to capitalise on genuine enquiries. 

We’ve written a blog that covers virtual tour pricing in more detail. Click here to read it.

To help add even more value, Scene3D provide a pack of photographs taken from the virtual tour as part of our deliverables package.

Virtual Tour Myth #2: Virtual Tours are not interactive.

Where did this myth come from?

This ones straightforward. When virtual tour experiences first became commercialised, a lot of people got the wrong end of the stick. 

Virtual tours are different to a video tour (so different we’ve actually written another article on the subject, click here to read it). This is what people were unclear about. A video tour is a simple and passive experience where viewers are taken on a set route through a property or business. 

What’s the truth?

Well, the truth is pretty black and white – virtual tours are completely interactive, and video tours aren’t.

3D virtual tours give users total control. They can explore whichever area of the space they want, whenever they want – that’s the beauty of them. 

Users won’t have to deal with clever camera angles or overcomplicated transitions – they’ll have total freedom. This will give the viewer total confidence and belief that what is being marketed is genuine and accurate. 

And it doesn’t end there. Aside from being able to freely navigate a space, virtual tours can feature other beneficial interactive elements. Things like music, data tags, text or embedded videos will provide another layer of detail. 

You can have fun with it too. Why not create an interactive scavenger hunt as part of your virtual tour and offer prizes for the winners? At Scene3D, we’ll work with you to develop innovative ways of using your virtual tour. 

Explore this virtual tour of an events venue we created

Virtual Tour Myth #3: Virtual Tours Are A Risk To Privacy.

Where did this myth come from? 

We all value our privacy, but are virtual tours a threat to that? Well, in truth, it can happen. 

To prevent any breach of privacy, we suggest working with a well-established, professional and experienced virtual tour provider. Any company that fits these criteria will be aware of this potential issue and will be committed to ensuring it doesn’t come back to bite you.

What’s the truth? 

First things first. With any virtual tour, it’s crucial that no private information is on display when scanning a property. Whether you simply remove any personal details on show, or ask us to blur it out during the editing phase – breaches of data protection are entirely avoidable. 

For example, you’ll want to check whether there are any personal letters, legal documents or family pictures present that could potentially cause a problem if captured. 

But what if I accidentally miss something that contains personal data and it appears in the final virtual tour? Great question. As we mentioned before, there is a blur tool on some virtual tour software that can be used to obscure and hide anything on the virtual tour. 

Finally, and most importantly, it is vital that the final tour is reviewed by the client prior to it being released. This ensures they are happy with the tour and lets them confirm there’s no private information on show. 

The blur tool can obscure any private or personal information left on display

Summary:

Research, research, research. That’s what we want you to take away from this article. 

You can never underestimate the importance of conducting your own research on a virtual tour provider before putting in an inquiry.

If you do enough reading, you’ll soon realise that many of the virtual tour myths are, in fact, untrue. Let yourself see the wood for the trees and we’re confident you’ll see the benefits of a virtual tour. 

Looking to learn more information about virtual tours, or still have questions about them?

Click here to read our article explaining virtual tour pricing

Click here to contact our team

We will help to answer any questions you may have about virtual tours, and do all we can to help you feel confident in choosing the right option for you.

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