Matterport 3D MediaPlatform MC200 User manual

Model MC200
3D Camera &
Capture App User Guide
Quick and Easy 3D Models

1
Camera Kit Contents................................................................................................................................................2
Other Items Required .............................................................................................................................................2
How 3D Capturing Works .....................................................................................................................................2
The Six Steps to Create a 3D Model..............................................................................................................2
1. Set up the Camera ......................................................................................................................................2
2. Set up the iPad.............................................................................................................................................3
3. Connect the iPad to the Camera ...........................................................................................................3
4. Capture the Space ......................................................................................................................................4
5. Complete the Job.........................................................................................................................................4
6. Explore the Model Online .......................................................................................................................6
Tips and Tricks for High Quality Captures.....................................................................................................6
Tips and Tricks for Fast Captures......................................................................................................................7
Continuing to Capture.............................................................................................................................................8
Charging the Camera ..........................................................................................................................................8
Caring for the Camera ........................................................................................................................................8
Using or Removing the Tripod Ball Head...................................................................................................9
Connecting to the Camera ................................................................................................................................9
Managing a Job...................................................................................................................................................10
Managing Sweeps .............................................................................................................................................11
Troubleshooting.....................................................................................................................................................12
What to Do in Most Situations.....................................................................................................................12
Commonly Occurring Scenarios .................................................................................................................12
Contact Us.................................................................................................................................................................14
FCC Warning............................................................................................................................................................15
Industry Canada Compliance............................................................................................................................15

2
Camera Kit Contents
1 Matterport Camera MC200
1 Charger
1 Charger cord
1 Tripod
1 Bag
Other Items Required
iPad, provided by user. Must be 4th generation, model number A1458, A1459, or
A1460
Capture app. Not yet released in the App Store, contact Matterport to install.
How 3D Capturing Works
An iPad, tripod, and camera are the three items required to capture your space in 3D. Snap
the camera onto the tripod and press the power button. On the iPad, launch the Capture
app. Connect the camera to the iPad through a WiFi network, and tap the Capture button.
The camera rotates around once, gathering data about the room and objects around it, and
sends it to the iPad. This is called a sweep. Move the camera from point to point around a
room, typically performing 4-6 sweeps per furnished room. The Capture app stitches
together each sweep, and shows you a floor plan-style map of the space as you go. Each
sweep is also uploaded to the Cloud, and when the job is complete, our Cloud software turns
the sweeps into a 3D model. You’ll receive an email notification when your model is done.
Simply click the link to explore your model in a web browser.
The Six Steps to Create a 3D Model
1. Set up the camera
2. Set up the iPad
3. Connect the iPad to the camera
4. Capture the space
5. Complete the job
6. Explore the model online
1. Set up the Camera
Attach the Quick-Release Plate to the Camera
The tripod comes with a quick-release plate. Screw the plate into the base of the camera.
Set up your Tripod
Fully extend and separate the legs, and place the tripod on a stable surface.
Snap the Camera onto the tripod
Pull the lever on the quick-release plate so that it stays in the open position. Using a slight
rocking motion, firmly place the camera on the tripod. It will snap into place. Make sure it’s
properly attached by picking up the camera.

3
Roughly level the tripod
There is a ball head on top of the tripod that allows you to quickly level the camera in
cramped spaces, where you may not have room to fully separate the tripod legs. Make sure
it’s roughly level by eyeballing the square outline of the camera, or by using the bubble
levels on top of the ball head. Firmly lock the ball head in place when you are done.
Note: You may also remove the ball head and screw it directly into the camera base. You must first remove the
threaded insert in the camera base with a large flat-head screwdriver.
Power up your Camera
Press the power button. The button will light up and blink for a few seconds, then be solid
blue. At this time, the Bluetooth™ and WiFi symbols will also start to blink, indicating the
camera is ready for a connection.
2. Set up the iPad
New to iPads?
If you’ve never used an iPad before, they’re easy to learn. Apple has great information and
tutorials at: http://www.apple.com/support/ipad/
We recommend getting familiar with a few things before starting to Capture:
Basic touch gestures –pinch, spread, drag, tap, etc
Turning Bluetooth™ on and off using the iPad’s “Settings” app
Connecting the iPad to a WiFi network using the iPad’s “Settings” app
Using the Home button or gestures to switch between apps
Turn Bluetooth™ on
Go to the iPad’s Settings app. Tap “Bluetooth” (one of the top five choices in the left panel).
If Bluetooth™is set to “Off”, turn it on by tapping or lightly sliding the on/off slider. A small
Bluetooth™ icon will appear in the upper right status bar on the iPad.
Launch the Capture app
Tap the Capture icon on your iPad. If you do not already have the Capture app on your iPad,
please contact Matterport with your iPad’s UDID (see the Support section for instructions).
The Capture app is not yet available in the App Store.
3. Connect the iPad to the Camera
Verify your Camera is on and ready
The power button should be solid blue and the first time you connect, the blue Bluetooth™
and the orange WiFi indicators should be blinking.
Tap the Settings icon
This is the gear icon in the upper right corner. A menu will appear with a list of cameras
and settings.
Choose your Camera from the list
Select your camera. It will be Matterport XXXX where XXXX is the camera’s serial number.
This can be found on the sticker on the bottom of the camera.

4
Configure WiFi
If the iPad is already connected to a WiFi network, tap the button that says “WiFi Access”
and type in the network’s password.
Note: For best results when capturing with WiFi access, you should also log into the app at this time. Instructions
are found in the “Complete the Job” section below.
If your iPad does not have access to a WiFi network, tap the button that says “No WiFi
access” and follow the instructions.
You can tell you’re properly connected when the orange WiFi light on the camera is solid,
and the camera icon next to the Settings button has a checkmark. For a full description of
the two connection types, see the Continuing to Capture section.
4. Capture the Space
The first sweep
For the first position in a typical house, place the camera about 4 feet inside of a room and
away from the nearest wall. Take the iPad and walk into an adjacent room, or until you are
out of view of the camera. Tap the Capture button.
The camera will rotate 360 degrees. When the Capture progress on the iPad is past halfway,
and the status changes from “Capturing” to “Processing”, the camera is done collecting data.
You can now move it to the next position as the iPad continues to process. When processing
is complete, the sweep will appear on the iPad’s screen. The view is that of a floor plan,
from the top down. The camera’s position is denoted by the sweep number in the center.
Note that the camera cannot see directly under or above itself, you’ll have to move the
camera to another position to fill in that space.
Place the Camera in another position
Move the camera about 6 feet away from the previous position. The camera must be able to
see overlapping objects or walls so that this sweep can be aligned to the previous one. See
“Tips and Tricks for High Quality Captures” for more details on placement and specific
scenarios. Tap the Capture button. When the new sweep has finished processing, it will be
added to the previous one. They start to form a mini-map. In this way, you move through
and capture a whole house.
Skipping from one spot to another
At times, you’ll reach a dead end and will want to skip to another room. Look at the mini-
map and place the camera near an existing sweep. Tap the sweep’s number, then tap “Make
Active Sweep”. The next sweep you capture will align to the newly active sweep.
5. Complete the Job
Make sure you captured everything
Look through the mini-map to see if there are any remaining blank areas. You can zoom by
spreading your fingers and unzoom by pinching. You can also move the mini-map by
dragging it with your finger. If there are blank areas, make a nearby sweep active and
perform another sweep close to it.

5
Turn the Camera off
When you are done capturing, you may turn the camera off. Press the blue power button
once. It will blink as it goes through a power-down sequence. After about 10 seconds, the
camera will shut itself off and the light will go out. If the camera does not shut down after
10 seconds, or if the power light does not blink, press and hold the power button for 5
seconds. This will force a shutdown. Note that the camera will automatically shut itself off
after 30 minutes of no activity to conserve battery.
Enter information about your job
Tap the “Jobs” icon in the upper left corner. This brings up the Job Details menu. You can
change your Job Name by tapping it and entering a new one. You may also enter Notes
(optional). Options to enter more information will be available in future releases.
Complete the job
Tap the “Complete Job” button near the bottom of the Job Details page. This will tell the
iPad that you’re done capturing, no more sweeps are coming, and it can tell the Cloud to
begin processing them into a 3D model.
Connect to the Internet
All of the information needed to turn your job into a 3D model is stored on the iPad, and you
need an internet connection to upload and process it.
If you’ve been capturing with WiFi access, and if the iPad is still connected to a WiFi
network, you don’t have to take any further steps.
If you’ve been capturing without WiFi access (through the camera’s network), go to
a place that has internet access and connect your iPad to WiFi with the iPad’s
Settings app.
Log into the app
If you do not already have a Matterport account, contact us to be invited. To log in, tap the
Settings button in the upper right corner of the Capture app. Tap “Log in”. Enter your
username and password and tap “Log in” again. You will remain logged into the app even if
the app is in the background or shut down and restarted. You may log out at any time by
tapping “Log out” under Settings. If you try to log in when an internet connection is not
available, you may get an “invalid password” error message. Try again when you have
internet access
Verify your sweeps are uploading
Your sweeps will automatically upload when you both have an internet connection, and are
logged into the app. Though the job status will continue to say “Waiting to Upload”, you can
verify your sweeps are uploading successfully by going into the Sweep List. Do this by
tapping the “Jobs” button, then tapping the “Sweeps” button. The upload status for each
sweep will be shown, and a progress bar will be shown for the sweep that is currently
uploading.
Job status = Uploaded
The job status will change to “Uploaded” after all your sweeps have been uploaded, and
you’ve tapped the “Complete Job” button. Your capture is complete!

6
6. Explore the Model Online
When the Cloud has finished processing your model, you’ll receive an email notification that
it’s ready. Click the link to start exploring. You will need to download and install the Unity
plugin for your internet browser. Follow the links and directions on the screen.
System Recommendations
Desktop or full laptop computer (minis not recommended)
Mac OSX Snow Leopard 10.6 or later, Windows XP SP2 or later, up to date
Modern graphics card and computer hardware, 2 years old or less
Minimum of 2GB RAM
Chrome, latest version (Firefox and IE latest versions also supported)
Tips and Tricks for High Quality Captures
If high visual quality and capturing every object in the home is your goal, the following
guidelines will help you create beautiful models.
Prepare Your Space
•For best results, close all curtains/blinds/shades and turn on interior lights. The
camera does not function properly outdoors or when the lenses are exposed to
direct sunlight.
•Open the doors to all rooms to be captured. Place a doorjamb under each one to
ensure that it does not move during capture.
•Mirrors cause artifacts to appear in the model and may cause misalignments. It is
best to cover mirrors with presentation-sized Post-It notes (approx. 2 feet x 3 feet
each, the type that typically sit on an easel) or butcher paper.
•Shiny metal appliances can sometimes act like small mirrors and cause holes to
appear in their place. We recommend removing or covering small appliances.
•Clean glass surfaces tend to be invisible in your model and typically do not require
special preparation.
Ensure Good Alignment
•Doorways can be tricky areas because the camera can’t see many overlapping
features from one side of the door to the other. In order to avoid alignment errors,
take small steps. Perform one sweep on each side of the doorway, within about 1
foot of each other.
•Long hallways also require care. They often look the same in both directions and
can be difficult for the software to align properly. Check the mini-map often in these
situations, as it is possible for a sweep to misalign by flipping it 180 degrees.
•If you see a misaligned sweep, you can always delete it by tapping the sweep
number, and selecting “Delete”.
•When the camera does not have enough overlapping information between sweeps
to align properly, a dialog box will pop up indicating an alignment error. Move the
camera closer to the previous sweep location, or make a closer sweep active, and try
again.
•Quickly check that the camera is level after moving it.

7
No Moving Objects
•Make sure there are no people or pets in view of the camera while it performs a
sweep. It’s good practice to be completely out of view, in another room. Remember
–if you can see the camera, the camera can see you!
•If a person does walk into a sweep, you may cancel it immediately with the “Cancel”
button. No data will be saved, just tap the Capture button to try again.
•Take care to leave objects and furniture where they are, do not move them during
the course of a capture. Be careful of bumping furniture on wheels. We also
recommend propping doors open so they aren’t accidentally closed during capture.
See All Sides
•Think about what route you would walk to see all sides of every object and piece of
furniture in a house. Place the camera in positions 4-6 feet apart along that route.
Pay careful attention to seeing all sides of bookcases and couches.
•If there are objects that will be difficult for the camera to see behind, move them
closer to another object or a wall. This keeps shadowing to a minimum and results
in a higher quality model. For example, move curios on a shelf against the back wall.
Move trash cans next to cabinets and/or against walls.
•You may want to shorten and extend the tripod legs in order to capture at different
heights. Short heights can be especially handy for capturing objects at ground level,
like the legs of tables and chairs.
•Don't hesitate to position the camera on top of tables and other flat and stable
objects in order to capture the top of taller surfaces.
•The minimum capture distance is approximately 18 inches and maximum optimal
distance is approximately 15 feet. Objects within 18" will not appear in the model,
and objects outside of 15 feet will not have good detail unless captured at a shorter
distance in another sweep.
•Maximum ceiling height captured is approximately 20 feet, and the ceiling itself may
have lower quality of visual detail than objects near the floor.
Tips and Tricks for Fast Captures
The following guidelines will help you create very fast captures, suitable for empty houses
and basic floor plans of furnished homes, where holes and missing objects do not matter.
Capturing Floor Plans Only
When you can see all the walls of a room on the mini-map, and if there are no
aggregious holes in the floor, you’re done with the room.
Each room probably needs only 2-3 sweeps to capture it completely. Small rooms
may be captured in one.
Remember that as soon as the camera is done moving, and the Capture button is
filled in halfway, you can move the camera to its next position.
Doorways can still be tricky areas for alignment, and require one sweep on either
side within a foot of each other. It’s almost always faster to plan on this and take
small steps, than to try larger steps and deal with misalignments and redoing
sweeps.
Doors should still be held open or closed at the beginning of the capture process.

8
Mirrors will still create artifacts, though if you are not capturing a room or space
located behind the mirror, you can choose to keep it uncovered. You will see spray
in the space behind the mirror in your finished model.
If you don’t care about artifacts outside of windows, or windows appearing as large
holes, you don’t have to close blinds or curtains.
Continuing to Capture
Once you’ve completed your first job, here is more information to help you maintain a
smooth and efficient Capture process.
Charging the Camera
Plug the camera in using only the power supply and cord provided by Matterport. While
some precautions have been taken to protect the camera from misuse, Matterport is not
responsible for damage to the unit that occurs from using other power supplies and cables.
When the camera is charging, the power button will slowly blink once every few
seconds.
When the camera is fully charged, the power button will quickly double-blink every
few seconds.
You may check the exact charge of the battery by connecting to the camera with the
iPad.
To prevent damage to the camera or power supply, please note that the camera will
not perform a sweep while it is plugged in.
Battery capacity: approximately 8 hours of continuous use
Charge time: approximately 4.5 hours
Power supply voltage: 15V
Power supply current: 6A
Power supply polarity: +15V inner conductor, GND outer conductor
Caring for the Camera
Transporting & Shipping the Camera
The camera contains sensitive equipment. Treat it as you would a professional DSLR with
nice lenses. Always transport the camera in a padded bag, and refrain from bumping into
other objects, setting it down with force, or other rough handling. When transporting the
camera in a vehicle, make sure it is held in place and cannot slide around as the vehicle
moves. For airline travel, we recommend it be carried on with your personal items. If you
must check it with other baggage, we recommend packing it in a Pelican™ case with
customizable foam inserts. Always ship the camera in the original Matterport shipping
boxes and materials.

9
Cleaning the Camera Lens
We recommend using a small bulb-style hand air pump with a soft lens brush to remove
dust. Fingerprints may be removed with camera lens cleaner and a clean microfiber cloth.
Always dust the lens first, and apply the cleaner to the cloth (not directly to the lens). Be as
gentle as possible to avoid scratching the lens surface.
Using or Removing the Tripod Ball Head
The tripod provided has a swiveling ball head installed. This is useful for being able to
quickly level the camera in cramped spaces where the tripod legs cannot be even. However,
you may find that you need to adjust the camera head between each sweep to maintain a
rough degree of levelness throughout your job.
If you prefer capturing without a ball head, and manually adjusting each tripod leg to
maintain levelness when needed, you may remove it. Simply unscrew the ball head from
the tripod. Using a large flat head screwdriver, unscrew the threaded insert from the base
of the camera. Now you may screw the camera directly onto the tripod.
Connecting to the Camera
The camera and iPad need to be connected wirelessly in order to communicate. Choosing
which way to connect depends on your WiFi scenario.
WiFi Access
We recommend always connecting to the camera through an existing wireless network if
one is available. There are several benefits to this method of connection:
Your iPad will have an internet connection. Other apps (like Maps or Email)
which require internet access will continue to function normally.
Your sweeps will upload while you are capturing. Using a typical home or office
DSL-based WiFi network, sweeps will upload at about the same rate they are
created.
You won’t have to wait as long to see your model. After you have completed
your job, it will only take 1 or 2 more minutes for the entire job to finish uploading.
You’ll only have to wait for it to be processed before receiving an email with a link to
your model.
No WiFi Access
When no other WiFi network is available, the camera can create its own. While it can
communicate with the iPad and fully capture a space, it will not be connected to the
internet. There are a few implications:
Your iPad will not have an internet connection. Other apps which require
internet access will not have it and may not function.
Your sweeps will upload later. They will all be stored on the iPad. When the iPad
has internet access again, open the app and they will automatically start to upload.
They will continue to upload as long as the app is open, and in the foreground.
You will have to wait for uploading, then processing. Most internet plans have
very slow upload rates. It can take 30-60 seconds for each sweep to upload. For a
typical 40-50 sweep house, this can mean waiting 30-60 minutes for a job to upload.
You will also have to wait for it to be processed before receiving an email with a link
to your model.