Gregory Youngblood, senior director, Product Marketing at Matterport, spoke with AECCafe Voice regarding the new cloud software, Matterport Cloud 3.0.
Chapelcross Processing Plant
What industries are Matterport’s primary customers?
Matterport is a platform for professionals to easily capture, edit and share 3D models of physical spaces. To date, Matterport has revolutionized the real estate and AEC industries, and is seeing rapid adoption in the travel and hospitality and insurance and restoration industries as well.
BLK360
What does the new cloud software enable you to do?
Matterport Cloud 3.0 enables the creation of truly immersive 3D models through which users can navigate and experience a built space as if they were actually there.
An exciting part of Matterport’s platform is that they’ve recently launched support for 360-degree cameras, which do not have a 3D sensor. Using the power of its proprietary AI engine called “Cortex,” Matterport’s software can derive fully immersive 3D models from the imagery captured by these 2D cameras. This capability is a major step forward in computer vision technology, made possible by Matterport training its machine learning algorithms on the 1.5 million Matterport 3D models created to date. Cortex is also used to understand objects, rooms and the detailed characteristics of a space, as well as automatically choose well-composed photos and label specific rooms on a floor plan.
Matterport’s software currently supports 360 cameras including the Ricoh Theta V and Insta 360 ONE X, and will continue to introduce new integrations over time.
What’s a common sample workflow for users of the Matterport products?
An individual uses a Matterport supported camera (Matterport’s proprietary Pro2 3D camera, Leica Geosystem’s BLK360, or a supported 360 camera) to perform a 3D scan of a real-world space. The new cloud software then automatically builds a complete, immersive 3D model of the space using the imagery.
For AEC professionals, Matterport can provide everything they need for as-built creation and milestone documentation with just a few quick scans. Matterport technology is the best way to keep track of key project milestones and immediately assess project status.
One of the added values of Matterport’s technology is that it is extremely easy to use, meaning it doesn’t require a dedicated, highly-trained operator with a LiDAR camera to operate it. Anyone can create a complete scan in minutes, which expedites the documentation process and keeps costs low.
Once the scan is complete and uploaded to the Matterport Cloud, professionals can use “Mattertags,” which are essentially virtual sticky notes embedded into the scan, to label specific areas with more information. These could include text, photos, videos or external links. The annotated model can then be shared via a link for remote stakeholders to explore the 3D space from a web browser, mobile device or virtual reality headset.
Finally, these assets (point cloud, reflected ceiling and floor plan images, 3D mesh file, 2D photos and more) can be exported to other software platforms, including Autodesk® ReCap® or Revit®.
Pro2 Camera
Do you foresee this technology being used widely for digital cities’ conceptual planning and if so, how?
Our 3D models document spaces for engineers, subcontractors, and other stakeholders to reference during any stage of the building process. These models can also serve as a reference for future renovations. For example, we’ve seen situations where building systems (wiring, piping, etc.) is documented before the walls are closed for quick reference and minimal destruction when making future updates or upgrades. Given these capabilities, we think implementing 3D capture technologies such as Matterport could efficiently streamline the process for digital cities’ conceptual planning.
When you refer to “new users,” who is this type of technology available to? What skills must people have to use it?
Matterport is built for professionals across many industries. The Pro2 remains the camera of choice for most professionals capturing spaces for as-built creation and milestone documentation. It provides professional-grade accuracy and image resolution and can also generate necessary technical files (floor plan, OBJ, point cloud), which is necessary for these use cases. Given the amount of money saved by using our 3D technology, the Pro2 is a very affordable solution for the AEC industry.
That said, there are certain use cases – such as daily documentation – that have a greater need for portability while not requiring as high a level of accuracy and image resolution. Our support of 360 cameras, which start at under $400, is the first low-cost, entry-level solution that can create fully immersive 3D experiences in these cases.
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