Matterport and Leica partnering in 20185503

Originally Posted by @DanSmigrod

Matterport Cloud to Support Other Cameras?

Hi All,

In a moment, more about the question, "Matterport Cloud to Support Other Cameras?"

First, some backstory ...

What the Matterport tech team has accomplished is amazing. When you think about it, they had to invent electricity and the light bulb simultaneously.

For clarification, that means:

1. Matterport Pro 3D Camera
2. Matterport Capture App
3. Matterport Cloud for processing Matterport Spaces
4. Matterport Cloud for hosting Matterport Spaces
5. Matterport Portal
6. Matterport 3D Showcase for viewing models
7. Content Delivery Network (CDN)

I could also imagine that the Matterport tech team is super-busy with creating SDKs/APIs and integration with Google Street View to launch in 4Q17 (and likely a thousand other things in a tug-of-war for the tech teams priorities).

Which leads me to the next generation of Matterport Cameras.

Based on Matterport job postings the last year, it is likely that Matterport has plans for the next generation of Matterport Cameras - perhaps exponential rather than incremental. Think LiDAR scanning tech becoming way more affordable which would allow Matterport to amp-up in game in the Architect-Engineering-Construction (AEC) Space where improved point clouds would justify a higher-end camera.

In lieu of developing Cameras internally – something that was necessary when Matterport created the eco-system, as described above - Matterport should open its platform to other Camera companies.

While I am not a hardware or software engineer - just geeky - I could imagine that the following Scanner-Cameras could publish to Matterport:

1. iGuide Camera System
2. Vuze
3. NCTech iris360 Pro
4. NCTech LASiris VR
5. Realvision
6. Insta 360 Pro
7. Leica Geosystems BLK
8. NavVis 3D Mapping Trolley
9. Other scanners-cameras

It's likely that we all wold agree that Matterport is a razor/razor blade business model. It makes recurring revenue on processing and hosting.

So, now that Matterport has a proven platform, it should embraced 3rd party scanner-camera companies to publish to the Matterport Platform.

For example, I could imagine a triple play with other Cameras:

1. publish to Matterport
2. publish to Google Street View
3. publish to NCTech platform

Plus, for Pros, we could (finally) get away from Matterport branding.

For Matterport, it means focusing its resources on the platform: not the hardware. Plus, enabling other scanners-cameras, means other companies marketing Matterport in verticals such as AEC that they already do business and have established sales channels.

Enabling other scanners-cameras to publish to Matterport would add huge value to the Matterport eco-system, including likely selling more Matterport Pro2 3D Cameras (which become the low-end camera in the eco-system).

As other scanner-camera companies succeed faster, Matterport will succeed faster with recurring revenue for processing, hosting and ancillary, derivative revenue.

Should - and will - Matterport support other cameras?

Best,

Dan