If you’re exploring the Matterport platform to see if it suits your business needs, this is a great place to start. These FAQs are designed to be accessible to a broad range of readers.
We’ve divided the answers into basic and advanced categories to ensure clarity and ease of understanding. If you’re an agency or an experienced user, please visit the Matterport FAQ – Advanced page.
What is Matterport?
Matterport is an innovative American company that provides Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions to create and share immersive 3D virtual tours. They offer a range of high-quality cameras, including the Matterport Pro 2 and Pro 3, designed to capture detailed and lifelike 3D images of properties.
By utilizing Matterport’s technology, businesses can create virtual tours that allow potential customers to explore properties in a highly interactive and engaging way. These tours provide an exact representation of the space, enabling viewers to navigate through rooms, measure distances, and access additional information through interactive tags.
Matterport’s 3D virtual tours are especially popular in the real estate industry, but they are also used by other businesses such as hotels, event venues, museums, and retail stores. The virtual tours can be easily shared via a simple URL, making it convenient to showcase properties to clients worldwide.
Watch the video below to learn more about Matterport and how it can benefit your business.
What is a virtual tour?
A virtual tour allows you to view a property or location from a remote location using a desktop or smartphone. It’s similar to viewing photos or videos, but with enhanced data such as 3D dimensions that assist with measurements and provide a more immersive experience.
Matterport virtual tours consist of panoramic (360-degree) images that are seamlessly stitched together to create a video-like effect. This allows you to pan and drag around to see your surroundings in every direction—left, right, and even behind you. Additionally, you can move to another scan point a few meters away and repeat the process, creating a comprehensive and engaging tour experience.
How is this different from photos and videos?
Matterport virtual tours offer a unique experience by allowing you to explore and navigate different sections of a property at your own pace. Each virtual tour has its own unique URL, making it easy to store and share.
From a single Matterport scan, you can extract multiple photos from different angles. You can also create a video by playing a slideshow of the entire tour. These 2D images and 4K videos are perfect for sharing on social media platforms.
Can the tours be viewed on a VR headset?
Yes, all Matterport virtual tours are VR compatible. Simply look for the VR icon on the bottom right corner.
Businesses can enhance customer experiences by using VR headsets such as the Meta (formerly Oculus) Quest Pro in their showrooms. With a VR headset, you can pan around and navigate different areas of the Matterport tour using hand controllers, just like any other internet-enabled device.
What does 3D mean in a Matterport virtual tour?
Matterport professional scanners like the Pro 2 and Pro 3 capture both images and spatial data, which assists with accurate measurements. This feature sets them apart from tours captured with smartphones or consumer 360-degree cameras like the Ricoh Theta Z1. With Matterport, you can measure the dimensions of a room or furniture in all three axes—length, breadth, and height.
When a Matterport virtual tour loads, you’ll see a 3D model of the property. For example, you might see a dollhouse view of a hotel that can be rotated in all directions. From this 3D dollhouse, you can click to walkthrough and visit a specific section, like the reception. You can then click the dollhouse again to visit another area, such as the restaurant.
What’s the benefit of a 3D virtual tour?
A 3D virtual tour offers your customers an innovative way to explore your property, allowing them to view every section at their own pace.
Creating a Matterport 3D virtual tour for your property is a cost-effective solution compared to traditional professional photography and videography services. At just ₹10 per square foot, you can cover up to 30,000 square feet a day.
Why Choose a Matterport Tour Over Professional Videography?
While a professional videographer can create a polished and engaging video, a Matterport virtual tour offers an interactive experience that allows viewers to explore the property at their own pace. This level of transparency helps build trust with potential clients.
Matterport’s 135 MP resolution imagery provides an exact representation of the property, without any editing. Unlike traditional videography, Matterport devices do not require adjustments for aperture, exposure, ISO, or perspective, ensuring a true-to-life virtual tour.
How long can I use the virtual tour for?
Once your model is processed, you can keep the space active for as long as you wish. As a SaaS company, Matterport charges for hosting, but we cover these fees for the first 12 months, so you don’t have to worry about monthly payments.
If you’ve received a free tour from us, the space will remain active for one month. After that, there will be a cost to keep it active longer, depending on the size of the model, the duration, and other factors.
What are the payment terms?
We’ve made our payment terms straightforward for all scanning projects across India. The flat rate is ₹10 per square foot, which includes one year of hosting and other expenses.
After the consultation, the payment must be made upfront and in advance. Scans can be scheduled within a week anywhere in India. If you have any urgent requirements, please let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate them within our existing schedules.
What happens after payment?
Once payment is received, you’ll get an invoice from Zoho Books along with specific instructions on preparing the property. We’ll provide details about our technician and help you sort out any gate passes or other requirements.
On the scheduled date and time, our technician will arrive, inspect the place, and proceed with the scanning. After the scan is completed, your virtual tour will be available to you the very next day.
Why does it take so long for the output?
After the scan is completed, the data is uploaded to Matterport servers for processing. Small spaces are typically processed in just a few hours.
Once we receive the URL, we need to add highlight reels, labels, and other edits. This process requires considerable time and effort, which is why it typically takes an additional day or two to provide you with the final URL.
What about future edits?
If you want to change Mattertags (informational tags within the tour), highlights, or any other elements, just let us know. We offer editing services to all our clients at no extra charge for a lifetime.
If you need a rescan of your property, regular charges will apply. This is common for businesses that update their stock, replace stalls, renovate, or change interiors.
How would I know what edits are necessary?
We’ll guide you and provide placeholders to give you an idea of the necessary edits. These will be refined to help you create an excellent presentation for your stakeholders and audience.
You can also use the extracted images and videos for your own editing needs with your in-house designers. We’ll send these separately in a shared drive folder.
What about embedding the tour in the website?
You’ll receive the HTML code along with the tour. If you don’t have a developer to add it to your site, we can handle it for you.
What other services do you offer, apart from the virtual tour?
For businesses, we also set up and manage Google Ads accounts to help promote products and services effectively when optimized correctly.
For nonprofit organizations, both Matterport and Google Ads services are offered for free. Our proactive suggestions extend to Search Console, Analytics, social media, and general marketing.
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