Heights and clearances
Use Height Measurement for vertical distances, such as a clearance or a wall height.
360° photos and point clouds
Can You Measure From a 360° Photo?
You can, if there is a scan behind it. A 360° photo shows what is there, but it has no depth of its own. In SpatialSense the walk sits inside the point cloud, so you look at the photo and take the measurement on the scan, in a browser.
- Measure free in the Lite Viewer
- No account or install
- Any scanner, any format
The short answer
A 360° photo is a flat picture wrapped into a sphere. It records light, not distance, so any tool that measures from the photo alone has to estimate the depth, and the result is only as good as that estimate. A point cloud has a measured position for every point. SpatialSense puts the 360° walk inside the scan: you look at the photo to see what is there, and you take the measurement on the scan.
How measuring works in SpatialSense
- The photo for contextStep through the 360° walk inside the point cloud to see finishes, colour and what was there on the day.
- The scan for numbersDistance, height and area are measured on the point cloud, where every point has a position.
- Sections in a few clicksHeight and width profiles cut a 2D section you can measure on and export as PNG, PDF, CSV or LAS.
- Scan against modelWith a BIM model loaded, measure between the scan and the model.
- Any scannerPoint clouds in E57, LAS, LAZ, PCD and PLY, from any maker, or from a drone flight.
From photo to measurement
The photo gives you context. The scan gives you the number.
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Step into the photo
Upload the 360° walk and a point cloud to the same survey, then click a capture point to open the photo in place.
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Measure on the point cloud
Pick Distance, Height or Area and click on the scan. Keep clicking to follow an edge.
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Cut a section for more
Draw a height profile across the area and measure on the 2D section, then export it.
Why do measurements from 360° photos drift?
Teams reach for photo measurements because the walk is already there. The trouble is what a photo does not contain.
No depth in the photo
A 360° camera records light, not distance. Any distance taken from the photo alone has to be worked out some other way.
Some scenes are harder
Bare walls, glass, low light and long distances make depth harder to judge, and those are often the places you need to measure.
Nothing to check against
Without a scan there is no second source to tell you whether a number is close.
For a quick look, a photo is enough. For a number that goes into a claim, an order or a design check, take it on a scan.
Measuring tools in SpatialSense
A section through the scan
A height profile shows the ground, structures and clearances along any line you draw.
Big scans, in the browser
Open the whole scan and measure anywhere on it, with nothing to install.
Measuring on the scan and on the photo alone
Where the number comes from makes the difference.
| On the scan in SpatialSense | On the photo alone | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the number comes from | Points with a measured position. | An estimate of depth. |
| What you can measure | Distance, height and area, plus sections from height and width profiles. | Depends on the tool. |
| Checking a result | Take it again, or cut a section and measure on that. | Hard to check without a second source. |
| Context | The 360° photo opens in place over the scan. | The photo itself. |
| Export | Profiles export as PNG, PDF, CSV or LAS. | Depends on the tool. |
Take your first measurement
All you need is a 360° walk and a scan of the same area.
- Start a free trial30 days of the full platform, no card details.
- Upload the walk and the scanAdd both to the same survey. The scan can be E57, LAS, LAZ, PCD or PLY.
- Step into the photoOpen the 3D viewer and click a capture point to see the spot.
- Measure on the scanZoom in before you click, so each point lands on the surface you mean.
- Save or exportMeasurements stay under Measurements in the Scene panel; profiles export as PNG, PDF, CSV or LAS.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate are measurements from 360° photos?
It depends on how the depth is worked out, because a 360° photo has none of its own. We do not publish an accuracy figure for photo-only measurement. In SpatialSense you measure on the point cloud instead, and a measurement there can only be as fine as the scan’s point spacing.
Do I need a laser scanner?
You need a point cloud of the area. It can come from a laser scanner of any make or from a drone flight, as E57, LAS, LAZ, PCD or PLY.
Can I measure between the scan and the BIM model?
Yes. With a BIM model loaded, points on the model show in blue and points on the scan in red, and the label shows which pair you measured.
Can I export a section?
Yes. Height and width profiles export as an image (PNG), a PDF, a 2D CSV or a 3D LAS file.
Can I try it on my own data?
Yes. Start a 30-day free trial with no card details and upload your own walk and scan. To open a single LAS, LAZ or PLY file, the Lite Viewer is free.
See SpatialSense on your project
Put your 360° walk inside your scan, and take the measurements you can stand behind.