Matterport – Virtual spaces so real, it’s like being there

Matterport virtual tours

We’ve used, researched and developed solutions for all sorts of immersive experiences including AR, VR, MR and 360° filming. So when a highly versatile 360° technology called Matterport came to our attention our curiosity was quickly piqued.

What is it?
Matterport is a camera and platform solution that enables people to experience and interact with locations like nothing before. As an example, if you were selling a house you could engage someone to turn up with a Matterport camera, spend 1-2 hours capturing all the different rooms and 24hrs later have an online experience to help advertise your house.

Prospective buyers using an online property search engine can walk through the house, looking in any direction and choose the route they take. You can also place tags throughout, advertising particular points of interest and these tags can be plain text, images or videos. For example you could highlight that induction hob you’ve had recently installed.

How can people experience it?
The key to good technology is ease of use and accessibility so Matterport have ensured their solution can be used through a standard internet browser on desktops, laptops, mobiles and even VR goggles.

How does it work?
The camera is mounted on a professional tripod and using 9 lenses, performs a 360° scan of its surroundings in 4k quality and with 99% accuracy. During this scan the camera creates a 360° visual image and uses infrared to make a 99% accurate model of its environment. After the scan the camera is moved to another location roughly 3 metres apart and the process starts again. When the whole area has been scanned the files are uploaded to the Matterport platform for processing and in 24 hours we have an interactive 360° experience. After that we can add text, images and video as tags in the experience and publish it to the internet.

How long does it take?That all depends on the size and complexity of your space, but to give you a ballpark figure, a 3 bedroom house could be scanned in a couple of hours whilst a department store (up to 50,000 sq ft) might take around a day. After that allow 24hrs to upload the files and that leaves tagging which can vary widely depending on what you want to include.

How much does it cost?
If you’re thinking this all sounds really cool but must come with a hefty price tag, you’re not alone. However, it’s surprisingly affordable. Again it all depends on size and what you want to do with it but prices start as little as £250* for houses upto 2,500 sq ft, and a department store upto 50,000 sq ft could be as little £1,200*. That’s a lot of tech for your money and a great way to encourage people to visit your house, shop, museum or wherever else you decide. *plus monthly hosting fees typically around £10 p/mth.

Who is using it?We’ve used Matterport on some diverse projects, from our own studios to construction sites, underground caves to motorway services. In America it’s huge in real estate for selling individual houses and we’ve even seen it used to showcase the interior of a car in a showroom, its really engaging, informative and easy to use.

Want to see some examples?
Of course, you do :p Have a look around the examples our studio at the top of the story or some of our clients below:

Got a space you’d like a quote for? We’d love to help
To talk about your requirements and pricing please contact us:
studio@ar-media.co.uk or 07707 396090