Tips for any business taking full advantage of the digital twin toolbox

The digital twin toolbox is found within the Matterport workshop

Like never before, technology is evolving to offer a more transparent look inside what a business has to offer and those businesses greater insight into the audiences they aim to reach. There are a number of technologies and platforms designed to enhance this new age of client connections, how do you best take advantage of all the technology that’s available?

In what’s the most immersive customer experience, information from all these elements can be brought together in the form of 3D reality capture. But how does it work? What tools will allow this completely immersive, information experience? 

Aside from creating the ‘digital twin’ of your business or project, there are a number of tools available to take the virtual customer experience to the next level. Below are steps and insights into how put the tools of this technology to use for the benefit of any business.

It all starts with a free account

Nobody knows your business or project better than you. So, it stands to reason that ultimately choosing how to best implement the features of reality capture will come from some familiarity with the technology. Before bringing an immersive view of your business to the fingertips of customers or collaborators experiment with the tools of reality capture yourself with a free Matterport account.

How is 3D reality capture possible and what makes it work?

For a growing number of industries, 3D reality capture technology is proving to be an influential asset for various purposes. It has many applications as a result of the precision, efficiency, and pure differentiation it establishes from the competition. But it’s worth asking; what makes all this possible?

Long story short, this cutting-edge technology combines the imagery of a compatible camera with the powerful, AI-enabled software designed to turn dimensional data into a digital twin of that space. Now, what is a compatible camera? There are a number of options, with some more capable and precise than others, and Matterport offers is flagship Pro2 for the best possible results. The choice can vary by project and each individual should choose the camera that best suits their needs.

Choose from a variety of capture device options

As a space is being shot, the Matterport Cloud 3.0 software is where you’ll see exactly what’s being captured, watching the space itself take shape. After reaching full coverage of the space, it’ simple matter of uploading and a quick wait for it to be returned in true 3D form.

Once that digital twin is in-hand, this is where the Matterport Workshop 3.0 application comes into play along with the tools designed to customize the experience to your needs. When ready, the links and images are all set for sharing.

What are the common tools that enable a business’ custom 3D digital twin?

As mentioned, the Workshop 3.0 application is where the tools for embedding extra information are found and a custom look into your business’ digital twin experience begins to take shape. Discover the main tools at your disposal:

The Mattertag tool

With the Mattertag tool, various forms of media can be placed in the precise spot where viewers will find its context most relevant. Adding text, images, videos and more provides perhaps the most versatile tool in the digital twin toolbox. How is it done? Simply go to your Matterport, choose edit mode, add the media and click where you want to add the Mattertag. Feel free to move the Mattertag to wherever is most appropriate before adding a title, a description, and all the desired supporting information before publishing.

Embedding media within the digital twin is simple

A Mattertag comes in handy for adding important information or extra detail right where one would expect to find it. This might include a description of a room’s features, pricing of what’s on display or essential details and data that needs to be shared between members of a given project. It’s really open to anything you aim to share, educate or collaborate with others on while completing a project or driving engagement with your business. 

Include relevant information for ultimate collaboration

The measurement tool

Extremely useful and somewhat self-explanatory, the measurement tool allows for items, distances and features to be accurately measured right within your digital twin. You can find it again in the Workshop area of ​​the software. To use it, you will simply have to click on the "measures" icon which represents a rule on your interface. Then select the starting point for your measure and drag the second cursor to the point that marks the end of the distance you want to measure.

Measure and share anything within the digital twin

In addition to being able to measure a simple ‘point A’ to ‘point B,’ you can also measure an object in its entirety. By changing your view and choosing which measurements to have remain in place, calculations for any object or area are made easy. Determining scale, site details and answering questions such as whether an item will fit in a space, can all be answered in the digital twin.

The snapshot tool

Sometimes there’s no replacement for the quick view provided by high-quality 2D photography. For situations where this is ideal, those images can also be obtained, in 4K definition, from inside the digital twin using the snapshot tool. After finding the perfect vantage point while navigating your digital twin use the snapshot tool to collect that very view. These photos can then be used on your website, shared on social media or wherever you see fit. This option gives you complete control over what to feature in your space and the ability to do it at your leisure as opposed to choosing during the shoot itself.

Other tools

The tools found in the Matterport digital twin are just an extra layer of customization available on top of the already immersive experience of the space you aim to showcase. In addition to what’s been covered here, there are also assets that are automatically generated, such as short videos or GIFs otherwise known as ‘Mattershorts’ that give a quick glance at the inside and outside of your digital twin. These items offer just another way to grab the attention of those you aim to engage.

Again, to see the full digital twin tool box and determine how to best use it for your own purposes, a free account will let your experiment to increased engagement and efficiency begin.