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Geo Week 2023Pro3

My observations of Matterport at GEO WEEK 202318310

ron0987 private msg quote post Address this user
Video: Matterport Presentation at #GeoWeek2023 in Denver | Matterport Pro3 Camera | #AEC | Video courtesy of WGAN-TV YouTube Channel | Recorded on Monday, 13 February 2023

My observations of Matterport at GEO WEEK 2023

While at the conference this was my observation of Matterport. The first day of the conference there was time allocated for vendors to present to body of conference attendees. Matterport was given 15 minutes to present.

Their presentation was short and showcased the Pro3. The presenter was Matterport sales executive. They attempted to show case the speed of capture of the Pro3, but they had a few technical difficulties and were unable to show this. Slightly underwhelming presentation, total time used was about 5-7 minutes.

After meeting with Dan and several others one question that we all talked about was the ability to adjust the lidar capturing abilities of the MP Pro3. When I approached the Matterport booth and asked to talk with a technical advisor I was told they did not have anyone at the show from the technical staff but only from sales. But was told they could answer my question even if it was focused on the technical side.

So, I asked if the capture capabilities of the lidar could be adjusted. The sales rep said he did not know and asked the sales manager that said they would be able to answer any questions.

The sales manager responded to my question with a question. He asked why would I even want to change any setting on the lidar. I explained that while scanning you maybe in a smaller room and there would not be a need to have the setting so high to capture as much data would increase the speed of that capture if set to a lower setting.

I also explained that depending on the room layout lower setting to increase the speed for multiple scans would be better than always using the highest setting. He said there are no capabilities to adjust the lidar capture capabilities.

I thought this would be a nice feature and when asked to run the Pro3 thru one scan they were unable to do it at that time, so I still do not know how fast it actually is other than what is posted.

I am still on the fence but if you are entering the real estate market I would still consider the Pro3 camera, but I would consider expanding my services to not just real estate but expand into the AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) documentation.

This camera has the capabilities to support both and is probably the least expensive scanner to do so. I still believe if you are only entering the field and stay with photography you will be disappointed with the Pro3.

The disappointment would only be you can accomplish the same thing with a smaller less costly purchase of other equipment to accomplish the same thing. But if your looking at expanding your business platform the Pro3 would be a good option to start with. I still think MP is migrating away from the average everyday tours and focused more on commercial aspects or extreme custom homes.

Matterport's overall focus at this conference was strictly sales with little effort on the technical aspects of the equipment.

Again, these are just my views.
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aerialpixels private msg quote post Address this user
Hi Ron

Thanks for the sharing.
I own a Pro3 and a a Trimble X7 laser scanner. my use case for both are very different.

Pro3 looks like it cant adjust lidar settings for different speeds of scanning.
but having used it, I now feel the bottleneck is the operator. The scans are very fast.
finding a place to hide and coming back to the scanner takes more time than the scan itself.


So compared with other 'serious' terrestrial laser scanners, Pro3 is very much faster.

The trimble X7, fastest setting (least dense) point cloud + photo 360 takes around 2 to 3 minutes.

I have not seen the e57 data from the pro3 (cos I dont want to spend the money unless there is a case to). but even comparing the BLK360 vs the X7 , the scan accuracy is quite obviously different in quality.

BLK360 gives a 'fuzzy' point cloud. ie, if you look in plan view of a wall's point cloud,
you might see not a clean line, but more a more fuzzy thicker line. meaning its accuracy isnt as accurate.

My guess then is if a leica BLK360 gives a fuzzy point cloud, the e57 of the pro 3 would be
comparable quality, and wont reach the quality of other 30k USD and upwards type of scanners.
i might be wrong, until i fork out the bucks to buy the e57 file.

I am sure trying to do lidar and getting a e57 file is matterports attempt to move into
the AEC space (rather than just real estate virtual tours). but they are sitting in a mid ground in that space. because their point cloud data is probably not as precise as what professional surveyors may get. but then again, the pro3 doesnt cost upwards of 30k
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ron0987 private msg quote post Address this user
@aerialpixels thank you for taking the time to read this and your feedback. You make valid points.

This is kind of my view on it which is a little off point but I think in the big picture you will see the correlation.

Twenty years ago you used film to take pictures. Over the years we migrated from film to digital. When you used film if your picture was out of focus there was nothing you could do about it. Once we moved to digital photos they evolved to pixels, which the reality is nothing but a point cloud that represents a picture. Over the years there have been several software's that analyze the pixels and take an out of focus image, manipulate the pixels to bring the photos into focus.

Back on the point you were talking about, one presenter talked about when is there too much data. When do you draw the line, now days you take an AEC data capture and use a BIM program to dissect it using what you want. Do you take the slice from the bottom, top or somewhere in between. So this manipulation of the point cloud may clean up the noise of that point cloud. I did see several presenters showcasing their software which does reduce the noise which is similar to the photo focus software. So that being said I see your point but I also agree that the cheaper lidars may not be best but could work in the long run.

For me I have a FARO S120 and I can run a low resolution scan in black and white in about 35-45 seconds. If I do not need photos and a basic outline of a room about 50x50 with few obstructions I can use that setting. But for me speed is not everything but in the same space I can turn the color on and crank up the resolution and it would take 45 minutes or longer. But I will have an in-depth point cloud. So if you use a Pro3 and run a few more scans you maybe able to tighten up your point cloud and reduce the noise.

I agree and would love to see a side by side comparison of a Pro3 and any other higher end scanner with the setting about the same as a Pro3, just to see data to compare them and see the noise.
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Gerhard private msg quote post Address this user
@ron0987 the Leica BLK is far superior to the PRO3, PRO3 is just for visuals. No professional AEC or FMC in their right mind will use a PRO3 for BIM etc.

They do not have technical knowledge of their products , just sell sell sell

Matteport is only useful for visuals nothing more. Use the right tool for the job, and stop trying to make it fit...
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