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InsideMaps is an iPhone-based 3-D tour and visual media tool for marketing homes.
Platform(s): iOS for iPhone 6, 6s (available soon in the iTunes App Store)
Ideal for: Any size brokerage or team, or individual agents wanting a simple way to create high quality 3-D tours.
Top selling points
- No large camera or technical knowledge needed
- Exceptional image quality
- Included 3-D aerial views, automated tours and floorplans
Things to consider
InsideMaps is best used in conjunction with an electronic rotating camera mount, such as the Galileo by Mottr. It can be found for $149.00
Full review
Well, Matterport, it’s your move next.
Unless the Zillow of 3-D home imaging can shrink its camera to the size of an iPhone 6, it’s just met its realtor.com in InsideMaps. And the scale could be tipping in favor of the lightweight.
There’s also iGuide by Planitar, another such interior tour imaging service. It’s also very good at what it does.
However, neither of these companies are currently packaging high-res 3-D tours, frame-quality still imaging, floor plan creation, modeling and automated walk-throughs in software soon to be available on iTunes. The software is currently in the store’s submission process.
When combined with the super-nifty Galileo tripod mount by Mottr, which automatically spins and tilts your iPhone, InsideMaps creates stunning 360-degree views of rooms.
Following the command sequence after “Start Scan,” agents walk to each room in a house to repeat the process. Most homes can be done in an hour.
Room scans are processed quickly, almost finishing in unison with the Galileo’s rotation.
The software layout looks good and the UX is sound, clearly walking users through each tap required to build the visuals. All that is great.
But this category of property marketing tool is all about image quality and tour functionality.
One can’t help but be impressed by the InsideMaps magic that is collectively known as its computational photography algorithms.
In essence, this technology uses digital processing to ensure photographic realism instead of traditional means, like F-stops and white balance. It’s also what makes HDR (high dynamic range) imaging and light-field cameras work.
One can’t help but be impressed by the InsideMaps magic
The latter technology is how 3-D photography comes to life. All of this is found under the hood of InsideMaps.
The viewer can even push the tour through a window to have a look outside without having lighting discrepancies mar the quality.
A good deal of credit has to be given to Apple as well.
The imaging capabilities of the new iPhone’s camera are astounding when you consider the fact that they’re part of a phone.
(Don’t overlook how InsideMaps’s use of the world’s most common smartphone provides it with a tremendous market adoption advantage.)
In addition to the immersive 3-D tours, an InsideMaps’ home scan produces accurate floorplans and 3-D models for use in your marketing.
The software includes easy-to-publish slide shows as well, each image being pulled from a portion of the initial room scan. You can edit the labels on each picture, and everything can be embedded into websites and easily published.
I admit to initially being cynical toward the idea of 3-D home tours.
The uses go on. Home staging professionals, builders, and renovation-happy home buyers will find a hours of entertainment accessing the InsideMaps tools that enable wall color editing and furniture placement (like Rooomy).
I admit to initially being cynical toward the idea of 3-D home tours. A good photographer could communicate the look and feel of a home just as well, and the hardware limitations would limit 3-D imaging to luxury listings.
However, I told the folks behind InsideMaps that they just put a Matterport camera in the living room of every $220,000 listing in the country.
After seeing that much 3-D processing power and photo quality captured in mobile software, I see its value from a whole new perspective.
Have a technology product you would like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe.
