After weeks of rumors, the time finally came yesterday: Matterport officially announced the new Pro3 camera and - to my surprise - also the launch of the new Matterport Cloud platform!
First a look back
All cameras developed by Matterport were milestones in reality capturing , so it is worth taking a quick look back at the two predecessor models.
The Matterport Pro1
The Pro1 was released in June 2014 and caused a wow moment worldwide by being the first system to combine 360° photography with 3D scan data to create a unique immersive presentation - the so-called Matterport Showcase. This showcase still inspires today with the "often copied but never equaled" 3D Dollhouse view and the fantastic Virtual Tour that feels so real, it's as if you were actually there.
This is how Matterport was advertised back then (please click the image for the clip):
I imported the Matterport Pro1 in October 2015 and was probably one of the first providers in Germany at that time.
What convinced me about Matterport was the unique package offer. For a relatively low monthly fee of $49, you could record three models with up to 100 positions every month and host 100 models. And you also had access to all the data recorded - photos, 4K panoramas and the 3D file of the room in OBJ format.
Additional credits were available for 19 USD and for a small model you needed 1 credit and for a large model with more than 100 scan points you needed 2 credits. In my opinion, the disadvantages were the connection of the 3D tour (and camera) to the Matterport Cloud, the hefty price of 3,995 USD net for the Pro1 camera and the fact that you could basically only record interiors with the camera.
The Matterport Pro2
Three years later, on June 15, 2017, the Pro2 was released. Although largely unchanged in appearance, this camera brought some innovations, particularly in terms of recording quality.
The resolution was multiplied from 32 MP to around 134 MP (megapixels) per panorama . Now you could also zoom in on the tour (cool!) and you could also take high-resolution snapshots of these panoramas , especially for real estate customers. Pure 360° photo recordings were also possible, the so-called 360Views , which were particularly interesting for outdoor shots.
In addition, fast scanning was implemented shortly after the release of the Pro2 , which halved the recording speed per scan position from around 60 seconds to around 30 seconds. A blessing for the photographer and for any clients present.
Let us remember (please click for the clip):
Looking back, with the Pro2, Matterport laid the foundation for the technical development of the platform over the last 5 years.
Although the scanner has remained unchanged from the Pro1, the resolution of 134 MP in the panorama was used to ultimately develop Cortex AI , i.e. the ability to incorporate image information into the creation of the 3D model.
With Cortex AI, the Matterport Cloud was also opened up to recording devices from other manufacturers - for smaller 360° cameras, but also for mobile phones and for a laser scanner - the Leica BLK360. It should also be mentioned that a GPS sensor was only built into the camera as standard with the Pro2. With the Pro1, incognito scans were still possible, where Matterport had no chance of finding out where the object being recorded was located.
Unfortunately, with the introduction of Pro2, some contract conditions were also worsened.
First, the free 3D file was withdrawn in favor of the admittedly great Matterpak . Then the processing credits were limited to small models with up to 100 positions. And finally, a new contract model was introduced for all new customers, which offered free processing for all images, but in return increased the ongoing hosting costs per model by at least five times.
For the old customers who did not want or could not switch to the expensive new hosting contracts with their many models, the old contracts were kindly continued as so-called " grandfathered Classic Plans ". In return, however, fairly high fees were introduced for the Matterport grandpas for every new platform innovation that had something to do with processing. And let's not forget the 49 USD for the Matterpak, which was previously at least partially included in the contract.
So it’s high time to look ahead: What does the new Matterport Pro3 bring us?
The Matterport Pro3
So yesterday, August 30, 2022, the Matterport Pro3 camera was announced. Available from September 22 in the US and from October 22 in Europe and other parts of the world. And to shorten the technical route a bit, I refer to the following overview for the individual technical specifications:
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What’s new about the Pro3?
In short - basically everything.
The design is slimmer and the camera is significantly smaller and lighter. This was achieved mainly by switching from a large battery for 8 hours of recording time to small, replaceable batteries that each last for a maximum of 2-3 hours of recording time. For a large job you will need 3-4 batteries, but this means you no longer have to plug the camera in late at night to be able to continue the project the next day or start a new project. Additional batteries are available here, for example.
The old 3-lens concept of the Pro1 and Pro2 has been replaced by a fantastic new lens with a 1-inch sensor (20 MP) for 134 MP panoramas, which are now created with just 4 shots (in 5x HDR) . The camera only rotates 4 times and as a photographer I have to move quickly behind the camera if I don't want to appear in the shots. The Pro3 comes with an even faster recording process - under 20 seconds per scan point. And the new optics with a 1-inch sensor promise significantly improved colors and details. And even more importantly: the design with just one lens should finally solve the problems with the "burnt-out edges" in the shots.
And then the most important innovation - the laser . This solves so many problems of the Pro1 and Pro2 in one fell swoop. Ceiling heights of up to 25 meters should be possible without any problems. 3D outdoor shots are also no longer a problem because the real LiDAR is not light-sensitive, unlike the old scanners. The 3D scan data promises significantly better detailed information and usability in professional 3D software. And the laser has a greater range, which means that greater distances between the scan positions are possible. You get to your destination faster.
So everything is great?
Unfortunately not yet, although the emphasis is on "yet". In the Matterport 3D tour shown with the release, you can clearly see that the Matterport Cloud is not yet (!) set up for the new Pro3 camera. There is still a lot of room for improvement: transitions, 3D view/dollhouse and there is still a lot of room for improvement in the colors and details.
My interim conclusion on Pro3
This will be a great camera for professionals who have mastered the use of Matterport and know exactly how to move. Because the mistakes that could be made in a Matterport recording with the Pro1/Pro2 cannot be corrected by the Pro3. This means that the quality of a model will continue to be determined by the qualifications and experience of the photographer.
And the extent to which the Pro3 can keep up with Leica lasers in the construction sector will only become clear when the first feedback from architectural draftsmen on the Pro3 scan data arrives. And here - in the AEC area - it will also be decided, in my opinion, whether the Matterport Pro3 can be a success or not.
For all other use cases, I can easily keep up with the combination of a Pro2 with the BLK360 and possibly a few handheld images from a professional camera.
But wait, there was another release yesterday?
The new Matterport Cloud Platform
The music plays in the cloud - especially with Matterport!
Let's start with the three new features : Guided Tours, Guided Tags and Matterport Views.
Guided Tours
The Guided Tours are getting a great upgrade for better storytelling. Here in the gif you can already see what you can expect: headlines and explanatory texts for each position.
Guided Tags
The Mattertags have a search function and a function to jump from day to day through the showcase. It's quite successful, but on the phone there isn't much left of the showcase with the Matterport tag navigation. In my opinion, the showcases of some overlay providers are the better solution for such functions (eg Openhaus or MPskin).
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Matterport Views
The Matterport Views are again aimed more at large business customers and the use of Matterport for management, training and planning in companies. Matterport Views enable the definition of user groups to whom individual tour content (especially tags) can then be displayed. This is what it looks like:
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But the biggest innovation for me was actually only mentioned in a subordinate clause.
Showcase Streaming
The new Matterport Cloud relies on streaming technology. Previously, the showcase and the 3D dollhouse were downloaded as a package. The level of detail of the dollhouse was limited to 50,000 polygons. That is now a thing of the past, because the new Matterport Cloud streams the showcase and thus removes all previous limitations. The new Matterport showcases can theoretically be as large as you want!
Cortex AI
Matterport also writes that Cortex AI rendering will have a 5x greater range in the new Matterport Cloud, meaning that ceiling heights can be fully captured even with 360° cameras.
Of course, this goes against the Pro3 in some ways if I can capture the full ceiling height with a 360 view.
Enterprise Features (June 2022 release)
Additional features have been announced for enterprise customers, such as an account API designed for use in large organizations. User rights are managed here. But we can already do that with our showcase player from MPskin.
My conclusion on the Pro3 and the new Cloud
As you can see, everything is getting bigger, wider and higher at Matterport.
The Pro3 will be a fantastic 3D camera with outstanding image quality and incomparably fast scanning processes. If scanning processes have a future, then the Matterport Pro3 camera also has a future. In the short term, the Pro3 will definitely open up new possibilities and opportunities in the market. And the prospect of even larger Matterport model worlds, which the new cloud with streaming technology will open up to us, brings the metaverse a whole lot closer.
The only downside that somewhat dampens my enthusiasm is the information that my "grandfathered classic account", which I have had since 2015, will no longer be compatible with the Pro3. This means that things will soon become tight for my grandfather's contract and for a large part of the 3D models stored in it. I really hope that we won't hear "Oops, model not available" more often soon .
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