Indoor Capture Guide

Rev. 1 · Handheld / phone

Photogrammetry → 3D Gaussian splat

Scan a room with
our TalonView App

A photo-realistic 3D model of an indoor room doesn't need expensive equipment. With a smartphone and the right technique, you can capture a high-quality scan on the go. This guide walks you through how to capture a room for a clean 3D reconstruction.

  • Time in the room8–12 min
  • AppTalonView
  • Loops to walk3 main loops + corners + close-ups
  • Distance from walls & objectsMaintain 1.5–2 m
800 × 600

Drop the finished-splat animation at
media/splat.59aacd92c6.mp4 to fill this frame.

Result A good capture turns into a room that you can fly a camera through.

Capturing Order:

  1. Lights on, blinds shut, room cleared, furniture set.
  2. Plan a route and walk the loop once for trip hazards. Then press record.
  3. Lap 1 (main loop): chest height, camera level, 1.5–2 m off the walls and objects.
  4. Lap 2 (main loop): same loop, camera above your head, tilted down.
  5. Lap 3 (main loop): same loop, camera at knee height, tilted up.
  6. Lap 4 (corner loop): walk in, sweep across it, step back out.
  7. Lap 5 (close-ups): half-circle on important objects, from 1.5–2 m back.

Indoor capture guide

Handheld phone capture → 3D Gaussian splat

00 Before you press record

Set up the room

Five minutes of prep saves you a re-shoot.

0 of 5 done

01 Technique

How to move while you film

The software works best when seeing the same thing from different viewpoints and the only way to achieve this is by moving around the room.

Do

Walk the room. Every step gives the software a new vantage point and a real sense of distance.

Don't

Stand in one spot and spin. The software will not be able to tell near from far, and walls will come out warped or blurry.

Fig. 01 Walking versus spinning. Same room, same seconds of footage — only one of them tells the software how far away the objects are.
  • You
  • Camera sees
  • Path already walked
  • Furniture
  • 1.5 m boundary

Tips&Tricks:

  • Keep 1.5–2 m off the walls & objects. With your camera aimed inward towards the room, and keeping your distance away from walls and objects. Save close-up work for the final pass.
  • Glide, don't stutter. Roll your feet heel to toe to keep the camera steady. A constant, smooth movement gives far better data than a series of frozen poses.
  • Turn with your whole body, not your wrists. To the software, a flick of the wrist is the same as spinning on the spot.
  • Overshoot the start. Carry on a few seconds past where you began so the loop overlaps itself and closes cleanly.
  • Phone Stabilizer. A phone stabilizer is optional but highly recommended for a smooth capture.

Distances to hold

1.5–2 m
From the walls, on every lap of the main loop.
≥ 1.5 m
From any object you are orbiting for a close-up.

02 Start capture

The main loops, three times

Walk your planned route three times and change the height of the camera after each loop. Seeing the room from three different heights is what lets the software see more viewpoints of the room.

  • 1

    Pass 1 · Chest

    Camera level, straight ahead. Your baseline lap.

  • 2

    Pass 2 · Above head

    Arms up, tilted down. Picks up floors and seat tops.

  • 3

    Pass 3 · Knee

    Low and tilted up. Catches undersides and the ceiling.

Fig. 02 Each loop requires a different height to build a clean reconstruction. Each loop tells the model how the room looks like, from floor tiles to ceiling panels.
Fig. 03 Straight runs parallel to each wall, camera facing inward, waling around furniture. Same loop, three heights.
  • You
  • Camera sees
  • Path already walked
  • Furniture
  • 1.5 m boundary

03 Corner loop

Go back for the corners

Corners are notorious for failing in 3D scans and always need special attention. The three main loops won't be enough to capture corners because your camera only ever sees a corner from a sharp side-angle. The software struggles to work out exactly where the two walls meet.

After the main loops, focus on the corners. While following your planned route, take a quick detour at each corner. Walk directly toward the corner, slowly sweep the camera side to side, and step back out to resume the loop. The sweeps will give the software the exact data it needs to lock the corner into place.

Fig. 04 Four corners, one at a time. Approach, sweep across, step back, carry on.
  • You
  • Camera sees
  • Corners
  • Path already walked
  • Furniture
  • 1.5 m boundary

04 Close-ups

Orbit the objects that matter

Capture important objects that others will want to look at in the finished model. Walk slowly around each one in a half-circle, aiming your camera at it from low, eye-level and high angles.

Stay at least 1.5 m back while you do this. Getting closer feels like it should add detail, but it narrows what the camera sees so much that the software loses track of where you are in the room.

Fig. 05 Step off the lap, arc around the one item people will lean in on, then rejoin.
  • You
  • Camera sees
  • Path already walked
  • Furniture
  • 1.5 m boundary

05 Reference

What breaks a capture

Below is a list of the things that reliably ruin an otherwise good scan. Scan the room for these before you start, and know what to expect when you cannot avoid them.

  • Mirrors, screens and windows

    The reflection changes as you move, so the software cannot decide where in 3D space it belongs. Expect glitches around them.

    DO THIS: Capture the room normally, don't linger on them, and don't expect them to come out perfectly.

  • Glossy and polished surfaces

    Chrome, glass tables and shiny floors are a milder version of Mirrors.

    DO THIS:Keep moving past these objects rather than stopping on them.

  • Large blank walls

    A featureless wall gives the software no detail or texture to lock onto, so it loses track of where the camera is.

    DO THIS:Walk along the wall instead of standing still and staring at it.

  • Light that changes mid-capture

    The sun coming out from a cloud or inconsistent lighting will change the appearance of surfaces.

    DO THIS: Fix the lighting before you record and don't adjust the lighting while capturing a scene.

  • Anything that moves

    A curtain moving because of a draft, a pet wandering through, a fan blade spinning are example of moving objects that appear in a different place in every frame.

    DO THIS: Close windows, take out any pets from the room, and turn off any fans.

  • Your own shadow & shoes

    Easy to forget: your shadow stretches across the very wall you are about to film, and it moves with you. Your shoes might also appear in overhead shots.

    DO THIS: A well light room solves for shadows. Be aware of where your shadow and shoes are relative to the shot.