Preparing the Property
Before capturing, prepare the property to ensure consistent results:
Open all doors fully, including exterior doors, and keep pathways unobstructed where possible
Open curtains and turn on the lights throughout the property
Keep furniture, doors and other objects in the same positions throughout the capture
Keep people, pets and moving objects out of view, including moving ceiling fans
Make sure the camera's side lenses are clean and unobstructed
Tip: When capturing outdoors, keep the lights on inside the property and complete the outdoor area in one session. Avoid capturing the same outdoor area at different times of day, as lighting conditions may change.
Planning Your Capture
Follow a consistent capture sequence to ensure complete coverage of the property.
You can start capturing indoors or outdoors, in any building
Complete one room at a time before moving to the next
Capture still photos and panoramas in any order. You can switch between them as you finish each room
Complete one floor before moving to another
Keep scans assigned to the correct area class, building and floor
When moving between indoor and outdoor spaces, select the appropriate area class and building tag
Important: During the first capture, the Gen5 camera performs automatic self-calibration, which can take up to 30 seconds. Do not touch or move the camera until calibration is complete. The camera may also recalibrate during the project.
Positioning the Camera and Scan Spacing
Correct camera placement and sufficient scan coverage help produce accurate floor plans, virtual tours and 3D content.
For all capture modes:
Place the tripod on a stable surface and keep the camera vertically upright
Capture every room whenever possible
Include scans in doorways to help connect adjoining spaces
Keep room corners, doors, staircases and other important features visible and unobstructed
Capture overlapping views between connecting rooms and areas
Check ScanView and add scans wherever intended areas are missing or appear grey
Scan Placement Recommendations
Scan placement depends on whether you are using Standard Capture (Single scans) or 3D Capture (Double scans).
Recommendations | Standard Capture (single scans) | 3D Capture (Double scans) |
Indoor positioning | Mainly central positions with clear views of the room | Zigzag pattern, alternating between near and far positions |
Small rooms | Approximately 1 scan | Cover corners, windows and important features from multiple angles |
Medium rooms | Approximately 2-3 scans | Add positions around furniture and detailed surfaces |
Large rooms | Additional scans until the entire intended area is covered | Cover corners, add central positions where needed and capture detailed areas |
Walls and objects
| Add scans where views are obstructed or coverage is missing | Position scans closer together around detailed surfaces and objects |
Outdoor areas | Clear views of all intended areas; scan along the middle of terraces | Zigzag around buildings, fences and objects, and cover surrounding open ground |
Note: For 3D Capture, scan density depends on the amount of detail. Objects and detailed surfaces require more viewpoints than plain, open areas.
For detailed 3D scan placement and spacing, see:
3D indoors article
3D outdoors article
Capturing Special Areas
Staircases
Capture scans at the bottom and top of staircases
Add scans at turns on winding staircases
You can capture scans on stair steps if the tripod is securely positioned and the camera remains vertically upright
Use stairs rather than lifts when moving between floors to help maintain camera tracking
Built-in closes and Closed-off areas
If you need to capture a built-in closet or another enclosed space without showing it open in the virtual tour or 3D content:
Capture the area in its preferred state, for example, with the closet doors closed
Without moving the tripod, opened the closet doors and capture a secodn scan from exactly the same position
The second scan provides additional information for the floor plan and is automatically hidden during processing.
Important: Do not move the tripod between the two scans.
Multiple floors and buildings
Complete one floor before moving to another
Keep half-levels and sunken rooms on the same floor layer as the surrounding rooms
Use a separate building tag for each building, such as the main house and detached garage
Assign all outdoor scans, including terraces, gardens and paths, to the Outdoor area class
Check the suggested floor assignment when the camera detects a floor change
For detailed instructions, see Managing Floors and Buildings on the Gen5 Camera
Moving the camera and maintaining tracking
The Gen5 camera uses its side lenses to track movement and automatically align scans.
When moving scan positions:
Keep the camera upright and at a consistent height
Carry the camera away from your body, with the display facing you
Keep the side lenses clear of your hands, clothing and other obstructions
Avoid sudden or rapid movements
Follow a continuous capture route, minimising unnecessary backtracking and long pauses between scans
Keep the environment unchanged throughout capture
Tracking may be affected by dirty or obstructed side lenses, identical-looking rooms, dust or smoke, and sudden lighting changes.
Note: Consecutive scans do not need to be within direct line of sight for Gen5 tracking. However, overlapping views help improve floor plans and 3D reconstruction.
Important: Gen5 aligns scans automatically. Only realign scans manually if tracking has clearly failed and the camera prompts you to do so.
For more information, see Managing and Aligning Scans on the Gen5 Camera.
Reviewing Your Capture
Before leaving a room or moving to another area:
Check ScanView for missing areas or gaps in coverage
Add scans wherever intended areas remain grey
Make sure connecting spaces have overlapping views
Check that scans are assigned to the correct area class, building and floor
Follow any camera prompts to resolve tracking or alignment issues
Tip: You can access capture tutorials for the selected mode under Settings > Help on your Gen5 camera