Turning your home into a navigable 3D model unlocks a host of benefits:
- Interior Design & Renovation: Visualize new layouts, furniture placement, or paint colors before committing.
- Real Estate & Virtual Tours: Share immersive walkthroughs with buyers or renters, boosting engagement and trust.
- Insurance & Documentation: Record the exact dimensions and condition of your property for claims or restoration.
- DIY & Home Improvement: Measure spaces accurately, generate floor plans, and plan projects with precision.
📲 What You’ll Need
- A Compatible Smartphone
- iPhone 12 Pro/13 Pro/14 Pro/15 Pro with LiDAR scanner
- Recent Android devices with ARCore support (e.g., Samsung S22+, Pixel 7)
- Good Lighting & Clear Space for accurate scans.
- Stable Grip or Tripod (optional) to reduce motion blur.
🛠️ Top Apps for 3D Home Capture
1. Polycam (iOS & Android)
Polycam uses both photogrammetry and LiDAR (on supported iPhones) to create high‑resolution 3D models and floor plans. Instantly shareable and editable, it’s ideal for architects, designers, and hobbyists alike poly.cam.
2. Matterport for Mobile
Matterport’s mobile app transforms any phone into a professional 3D scanner. Capture immersive digital twins of rooms or entire properties, then view and annotate them directly on your device matterport.com.
3. RoomScan Pro LiDAR (iOS)
Built on Apple’s RoomPlan framework, RoomScan Pro LiDAR offers brick‑mode scanning for lightning‑fast floor plans and accurate 3D meshes—even in dim light via “Touch Mode.” It also integrates with Bosch and Leica laser measures for precise results apps.apple.comapps.apple.com.
4. Live Home 3D (iOS & Android)
Live Home 3D focuses on home design and renovation tasks. Its LiDAR room scanner creates editable 3D copies of houses, rooms, or offices, complete with walls, windows, and furniture recognition livehome3d.com.
5. Other Notable Mentions
All3DP’s roundup highlights additional scanner apps like Canvas, 3D Scanner App, and Home Design 3D—each with unique strengths in photogrammetry or LiDAR capture all3dp.com.
🚀 Step‑by‑Step: Capturing Your Home in 3D
- Prepare the Space
- Clear clutter and open doors to adjacent rooms.
- Ensure even lighting—natural daylight is best.
- Calibrate Your App
- Open your chosen app (e.g., Polycam or Matterport).
- Follow on‑screen prompts to calibrate motion sensors or LiDAR.
- Perform the Scan
- Move slowly: sweep the camera around the room, keeping all surfaces in view.
- For multi‑room scans, finish one space before moving to the next.
- Generate the Model
- Let the app process your captures (this may take a few minutes).
- Preview the 3D mesh, adjust textures, or trim unwanted sections.
- View & Navigate
- Explore your model in full‑screen, zooming into corners or view from above.
- On iPhone, use AR mode to overlay your model on the physical space.
- Export & Share
- Export formats: USDZ, OBJ, PLY, GLTF for compatibility.
- Share via link, embed in websites, or import into CAD/design software.
đź§ Advanced Tips & Tricks
- Use Vision 25 Features in Polycam: New 2025 updates include automated scene segmentation and spatial reports for quicker collaboration blog.lidarnews.com.
- Generate 2D Floor Plans directly from your 3D capture for quick layout sketches.
- Combine with Drone Footage for expansive exterior models (Polycam’s aerial mode supports this).
- Collaborate in Real Time: Matterport and Polycam both allow teammates to comment or annotate shared models.
đź”’ Privacy & Best Practices
- Secure Your Data: Use password‑protected links or invite‑only shares.
- Respect Neighbors: Avoid capturing private adjoining properties.
- Backup Raw Scans: Store originals and exports in cloud storage for safekeeping.
đź”® The Future of Mobile 3D Scanning
As AI and ARCore/ARKit evolve, we’ll see:
- Instant mesh generation on‑device
- Smarter object recognition (furniture, décor tagging)
- Live collaborative editing in VR/AR
- Integration with smart‑home systems for virtual walkthroughs
In 2025, viewing your home in 3D is just a few taps away. Whether you’re a homeowner, designer, or real‑estate pro, these tools turn your pocket device into a powerful 3D studio.