How Matterport 3D photography creates virtual experiences

Matterport 3D: Unlocking a virtual world of possibility

If you’re in real estate or a fellow photographer, you might know a thing or two about Matterport 3. In the mass market, digital twin technology isn’t exactly a household term. However, if you have ever taken a virtual tour of a house on Zillow you may be more familiar with this technology than you realize. 

Yahoo Finance reports Matterport’s 2022 Q1 earnings exceeded $28 million. Even more tellingly, subscriptions increased 70% year-over-year. This is no surprise to our team as Matterport technology has been integral to providing our clients with cutting-edge experiences. From real estate agents highlighting available spaces and architects in search of streamlined documentation to virtual tourism, talent recruitment, and insurance inventories, the use cases for Matterport 3D truly run the gamut. 

So, what is Matterport and why are subscriptions on such a precipitous rise? Let’s explore. 

What is Matterport?

As defined by the company itself, “Matterport is the leading spatial data company focused on digitizing and indexing the built world. Our all-in-one 3D data platform enables anyone to turn a space into an accurate and immersive digital twin which can be used to design, build, operate, promote, and understand any space.” 

In layman’s terms, the Matterport platform allows users to generate a complete, interactive visualization of a space. The so-called “digital twin” resulting from a 360 Matterport scan is completely three-dimensional, hyper-realistic, and precisely scaled to allow for accurate measurements. 

How does Matterport work?

Matterport’s Cortex AI-powered platform transforms scans taken on a 3D camera, 360 spherical camera, or even a smartphone, into an interactive model. Beyond seamlessly stitching the various scans together to create an accurate 3D digital twin, Matterport’s AI can also recognize objects or people within the space, and create compelling virtual tours. 

Key features 

To customize and optimize the utility of the resulting digital twin, Matterport has developed some additional features, including: 

• Mattertags

  — These custom pop-ups can be anchored anywhere in the digital twin and can include anything from notations and comments to interesting information and relevant links. Mattertags can even contain additional photo/video content and e-commerce integrations! 

• Matterport Blur Brush

  — If you’re scanning a public space but don’t have photo permission from the people in the scan, Matterport’s AI-powered Blur Brush can identify human faces and automatically anonymize them for you. 

• Dollhouse view

  — An essential part of the Matterport experience, the dollhouse view is a photorealistic, interactive 3D floorplan. “More than 2D photos, which present a single view,” explains Matterport, “Dollhouse Views provide a 3D perspective to help people visualize room flow and the spatial relationship between spaces — and provide a way to navigate quickly to any space of interest.”

• Measurement tool

  — Since Matterport digital twins are completely to scale, the Matterport measurement mode can be used to accurately measure anything captured within the 3D model. 

• Guided tours

  — Matterport doesn’t just provide accurate 3D renderings, the platform also comes equipped with a tool to turn digital twins into custom virtual tours. As Matterport puts it, “Whether you want to guide contractors through repairs on a construction site, or promote key features of a property for sale or rent, you can create a great tour in minutes.”

For more on the features included in the Matterport suite, visit the website. 

Examples of Matterport 3D in action 

Now that we have an idea of how Matterport 3D works and what it can do, let’s take a closer look at three of the most prevalent industries Capture Visual Marketing (CVM) has leveraged this cutting-edge technology for:

• Architecture and design

  — One of the best things about the Matterport platform is the resulting digital twin can be used to generate a litany of additional 4K-quality content types, including photos/videos, JPGs, PDFs, GIFs, CAD files, and more. The precision accuracy and 3D granularity provided by Matterport-generated CAD (computer-aided design) files have proven particularly useful for architects tasked with evaluating or renovating a space, or interior designers planning to redecorate.

• Historic properties and museums

  — For operations reliant on an in-person experience, like historic properties and museums, the outbreak of the pandemic was a watershed moment. But thanks to the Matterport platform, CVM has been able to help several high-profile historic venues produce immersive virtual tours of their spaces — including a virtual tour of the Mark Twain House and Museum that was viewed over 130,000 times during the pandemic. To learn more about how CVM used Matterport 3D to bring the Mark Twain House to virtual life, read the case study. 

• Hospitals and medical facilities

  — Going to the doctor’s office can be anxiety-inducing, especially if you have an appointment at a big, labyrinthine hospital or are visiting an office for the first time. CVM has helped several hospitals and medical institutions combat patient anxiety with guided 3D tours designed to familiarize people with the facility before they show up for an appointment. Virtual 3D tours have also been a great recruitment tool for hospitals and pharmaceuticals looking to attract new talent. 

Of course, these are just three industry-specific examples of Matterport in action. CVM clients have used Matterport 3D in myriad different ways, including to bolster insurance and property claims, improve ADA compliance, showcase new products, and even facilitate virtual employee trainings. Check out our Matterport Portfolio for even more examples of how we’ve utilized digital twins for clients. 

The future is virtual

Blurring the line between the physical and digital, Matterport 3D technology has the potential to transform the way organizations across industries understand and utilize space. Given CVM’s tried-and-tested success with Matterport — and the 70% increase in subscriptions YOY — we’re confident digital twin technology will continue to expand and evolve in innovative and exciting ways. 

We’re also committed to continue exploring and advancing new technology whenever possible. CVM is thrilled to share we have recently partnered with augmented reality (AR) platform, ViewAR. With this capability in place, we can augment virtual tours to provide new context for in-person visitors — adding to the list of use cases for Matterport 3D.