LiDAR and 360° both create beautiful, photo-real 3D virtual tours
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) uses laser pulses to measure distance and create an accurate 3D model of a space. It records real geometry rather than just images. As it records both distance and light, the results are, however, subjectively ‘photographic’, immersive and rich in detail.
360 photography produces a visual sphere from a single point, producing a high-resolution panorama. Using specialist software, several such panoramas can be joined together to create a virtual 3D walkthrough/virtual 360 tour. {in LIDAR the images are wrapped around the scan data producing a true 3D model}.
Both approaches can produce extremely high-quality results, LiDAR can feel more ‘real’ whereas professionally produced 360 photography can offer higher resolution at time of capture. For many applications, once the virtual tour has been output for screen, the differences to the viewer are subjectively negligible.
The main advantages of LiDAR are its accuracy, sharable data and its support for .E57 and .OBJ file exports for architects, designers and contractors. It also offers the ability to measure spaces and objects precisely within the 3D model.
For these reasons LiDAR-based scanning is preferred for BIM (Building Information Modeling) applications and is widely used in AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction). It also, however, produces excellent results for marketing and promotional uses.
The files from both LiDAR and photographic panoramas can be edited after the event. This involves extracting portions of the virtual tour/model, making the necessary changes and re-inserting them, so it’s not quite as simple as editing, say, a jpeg in Photoshop. It can be time-consuming and therefore costly. Far better to tidy-away those cardboard boxes in the corner of the room at the time of shooting!
At EC2XR we use both LiDAR lasers (Matterport), One shot 360 cameras, DSLRs and robotic Gigapixel rigs, employing whichever technology is the best fit for a given assignment. Sometimes we combine them.
It’s fast-moving tech – but we always stay up-to-date!