Matterport Scan in 2D and Virtual Reality
In preparation to a move to Tacoma, Washington, I approached Rain City 3D to scan my new home. We had never set foot in the apartment. Other than a brief tour on a business trip to look at the demo apartment and a few photographs we hadn't set eyes on the unit! Rainy City 3D sent me the files and I was able to recreate the space using JanusVR. What an experience! It was the closest thing to being there! I walked through as if it were "move in" day--inspecting outlets, sizing up spaces, etc. This page will evolve as I add more furniture to the home. Open this page in JanusVR to see that Virtual Reality environment. Click to download JanusVR! A special thanks to the management of Proctor Station Apartments for indulging me in this request while I'm a continent away. Click here for more information about Matterport.
A screenshot from JanusVR of the apartment soon after receiving the 3D files.
Before receiving the Matterport files, I tried to get a head start by modeling the apartment via SketchUp. I placed the blue print given to me by Proctor Station Apartments, and quickly traced out the dimensions of the apartment. It was rough though--a few inches short here, maybe too long there, and no information on height available. However, I was able to model out most of the furniture to the inch and my wife and I began placing it. Once I received the Matterport files, it was very easy to place the furniture in JanusVR. Since Matterport is very precise, I had full confidence in the placement of the furniture.
My wife wanted to place some shelving underneath the overhang of the kitchen counter. She wondered if they would fit. This was a job for JanusVR! I used a yard stick to measure the height as well as the depth. It will do, and with a few inches to spare. Doing this allowed my wife the option to order the shelving online, and receive it when we arrived in Tacoma, all without ever seeing the space in person to ensure the fit! Above you can see we checked the measurements. They were accurate.
A photograph of the empty apartment. Courtesy: Proctor Station Apartments. This, and a few other photos, plus the blue prints were all we had prior the Matterport scan.
Soon after getting internet service established during our first visit to the apartment, I decided to hop into JanusVR via my travel laptop. Soon after positioning myself to coincide with the virtual apartment, someone followed me in! You can see the implications of this for Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality on the horizon.
I soon realized that since this was online, I would leverage the JanusVR community to help. My wife and I were at an empasse on how to deal with the cat litter. We got some really good suggestions which we tried on for size in JanusVR. One person sent the apartment modified via html--much more interactive than a mere screenshot!
Apartment shrunk down to size. Screenshot taken by Techn0Shaman