Matterport Captures the Future of Real Estate Marketing – In the Palm of Your Hand

 Matterport , the industry leader in immersive 3D virtual imaging of physical space, has just launched a new technology, a revolutionary tool, that lends you the power and flexibility to capture and share a digital twin of any property any time. With the reveal of Matterport for iPhone , Matterport has taken a large step into the future, and toward their vision of “a camera for every space.”

Matterport 3D Capture is an app for iPhone and iPad that allows you to use your own device to capture images of a home, office building, vacation rental, hotel, or any other property you want to showcase. Their innovative software transforms the 2D images captured by your phone into an “immersive 3D twin” that you can share with family, friends, colleagues, and clients.

What is Matterport?

Matterport has created a space at the forefront of 3D imaging by delivering breakthrough technologies to present virtual replications of physical spaces. Their mission is to “digitize the built world.” And their technology is particularly suited to the real estate market.

Far beyond even high-resolution photography or video , a Matterport 3D virtual showcase, the “digital twin” of a property, allows a client to embark on a self-guided tour through every doorway to every room on every floor of a building. This virtual open house lends a realistic sense of what a property looks like with 360 degree views. With a Matterport tour, you can add measurements to engage viewers and tag features you would like to highlight in the space. Once you upload the tour, you can add it to your website, embed it in an email, link to it with a QR code in a print advertisement , and more. 

Until now, these 3D showcases have been made possible through the use of Matterport’s flagship camera technology, the Pro2 , and through their support of third party capture devices. Now, with the launch of the Matterport 3D Capture app for iPhone, what you are able to offer your clients is limited only by your inspiration and imagination.

Why now?

Word is, Matterport for iPhone was launched several months ahead of schedule. Why? For one important reason, according to Matterport CEO, R.J. Pittman: “to help keep the real estate and property industry moving forward during these challenging times…” . The challenge he refers to, of course, is the worldwide spread of COVID-19 and the global response of social distancing. Many real estate agents have been working to adapt while the Coronavirus severely limits physical access to spaces and buildings.

Pittman goes on to say that Matterport has helped realtors keep moving, and that more than ever, buyers are turning to Matterport tours to help them in their purchase decisions “ without ever setting foot inside the property.”

More than mere sentiment, Pittman’s claim is backed by a recent study showing that most real estate buyers and sellers prefer listings with 3D tours . Not only are more buyers interested in the immersive experience, sellers and agents alike appreciate the power of virtual tours to sell homes faster and at a higher price . Matterport showcases even help with SEO strategy .

It is no wonder the technology is expanding rapidly. Agents are catching on that 3D virtual tours offer an excellent opportunity for their clients. And they are sensing that there has been no other time when that opportunity has been more relevant than now, as most people around the world – and in the local community – are sheltering in place. A Matterport 3D tour allows customers to visit a virtual open house from the comfort of their own homes and share it with friends. And now, Matterport for iPhone makes it easier to bring the tour to them.

How can Matterport work with an iPhone?

Because the beauty and wonder of a Matterport virtual tour has largely been a product of their software coupled with their innovative camera technology, the Pro1 and Pro2 (or that of 3rd party capture devices such as the Insta360 or Ricoh Theta), it seems unthinkable that they could come out with a comparable product using a cell phone camera.

That is where Matterport’s history of breakthrough technologies comes in. Matterport for iPhone is simply the latest in groundbreaking innovations.

Over the past several years, Matterport’s library of spatial data has been growing. Alongside the data, their ability to develop new artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for 3D capture has expanded. No longer are a special camera lens or depth sensors necessary to create true 3D images.

The AI behind the scene at Matterport is called Cortex , their deep-learning network that can accurately predict 3D building geometry and produce a hi-fi digital twin from 2D camera images. That is because Cortex has been trained on Matterport’s enormous spatial data library – the capture of more than seven billion square feet of every building imaginable across eighty countries. The Pro1 and Pro2 cameras ensured the data was available, and Cortex uses it to fill in the blanks and bring 2D images to life.

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