Creating detailed 3D scans of vehicles is becoming increasingly important in the automotive industry. Whether for showcasing inventory online, documenting vehicle condition for insurance, or creating virtual tours for potential buyers, Matterport offers a powerful solution. This guide, drawing upon expert experience with the Matterport Pro2 camera, addresses key challenges and provides best practices for achieving professional-quality Matterport Car Scans.
Understanding Rooftop Scanning with Matterport
One common question arises when scanning cars with Matterport: how to handle the vehicle’s roof. Users often inquire if it’s necessary to physically connect each level of a scan, for example, using stairs to link the ground level and the rooftop scan. The answer is no. Matterport’s system allows for scanning different areas, like a car’s interior and its rooftop, independently. The designation of “Floor 2” or similar levels within the Matterport interface is primarily for organizational convenience during the scanning process and does not dictate the final 3D model’s structure.
To effectively scan a car roof, especially on taller vehicles like campers or SUVs, you can utilize tools like ladders to access the rooftop. Position the Matterport camera on the roof, ensuring stability, and initiate the scan. Crucially, a direct physical path like stairs is not needed between the ground and rooftop scans. As long as the Matterport camera captures sufficient data points that overlap and connect the surrounding environment, the software can seamlessly integrate these separate scans into a cohesive 3D model. For initial scans around the vehicle’s exterior, employing a tall tripod can also be beneficial in capturing comprehensive data from various angles.
Navigating the Interior and Exterior Scan Challenge
A frequent challenge encountered when scanning car interiors with Matterport is the software’s tendency to “escape” the interior space and jump to the exterior scan area, particularly when clicking near windows. This is because car windows are transparent and allow the Matterport camera to capture points outside the vehicle, effectively linking the interior and exterior environments.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a feature to designate car panels or windows as impenetrable barriers within Matterport to prevent this “bleed-through” effect in standard car scanning scenarios. However, careful point placement and strategic scanning techniques can mitigate this issue to some extent. In confined spaces, similar to the camper van example, meticulous placement of scan points, keeping in mind the proximity to windows, can sometimes yield favorable results. It’s important to understand that in typical car scanning, where windows provide a clear view to the outside, complete isolation of interior and exterior scans as distinct, non-overlapping spaces is technically limited by the nature of how Matterport captures and processes spatial data.
Optimizing Lighting for Matterport Car Scans: Addressing Reflections
Reflective surfaces, common in vehicles due to glass and polished paint, can pose challenges for Matterport scans. Strong light sources and glare can be misinterpreted by the Matterport Pro2 camera as physical objects, leading to artifacts or distortions in the final “dollhouse” view. To minimize these issues, a two-step approach to lighting can be effective, particularly for indoor car scans.
Firstly, conduct a scan of the vehicle in dimmer lighting conditions. This initial “dark scan” prioritizes capturing the vehicle’s overall geometry and structure, minimizing interference from reflections for the dollhouse model creation. Subsequently, perform a second scan focusing on key viewpoints and walkthrough paths, this time with optimized, brighter lighting that enhances visual detail and appeal. This two-stage process leverages the “dark scan” for accurate spatial mapping and the “light scan” for superior visual quality in the walkthrough experience. During post-processing and editing, it’s advisable to conceal or minimize the darker scan points to ensure a consistent and visually pleasing user experience, avoiding jarring transitions between differently lit environments.
Understanding Matterport Pro2 and Camera Radius Limitations
Users of Matterport Pro2 and LEICA BLK cameras should be aware of a crucial technical specification: these cameras have an inaccurate reading radius of approximately 1.5 meters. Within this zone, data captured by both the camera and LiDAR (or infrared sensors) is unreliable and effectively disregarded by Matterport’s processing system. This results in “black” or missing data points in the point cloud within this radius.
This limitation has direct implications for car scanning. Positioning the camera directly on top of a car, for instance, will likely fall within this inaccurate radius relative to the car’s surface. Consequently, attempting to capture point cloud data directly from a camera placed very close to the vehicle surface will be ineffective. To obtain accurate scans, ensure the Matterport camera is positioned at a distance greater than 1.5 meters from the surfaces you intend to capture in detail. Understanding and respecting this radius limitation is essential for successful matterport car scans, particularly when planning camera placements for rooftop or close-proximity shots.
By understanding these nuances and applying these expert tips, you can significantly enhance the quality and accuracy of your matterport car scans, creating immersive and valuable 3D experiences for your audience.
