Scanning Tips

Tips for getting good scan results on site.

On-screen messages

The app shows messages to guide you during scanning:

Message	What it means	What to do
”Ready to scan…”	Ready to begin	Tap the red button to start
Scanning …	Recording the room	Keep moving slowly
”Relocalizing”	Camera lost its position	Move back to a previously scanned area
”Move a bit slower”	Moving too fast	Slow down
Does it look correct?	Scan complete	Review the scan and tap the checkmark if it looks correct

Note

If “Relocalizing” appears, move back to a previously scanned area and point at furniture the camera has already seen. If “Move a bit slower” appears, stop moving and hold your device steady until the message clears.

Device position

• Portrait orientation - Hold device upright
• Both hands - For stability
• Chest to eye level - When scanning walls
• Tilt up 45-60 degrees - When scanning ceiling
• Tilt down 30-45 degrees - When scanning floor

Capturing orientation

The app will prompt you to capture the building orientation through the notes interface in the background:

1. The orientation capture screen appears
2. Hold your device vertically in portrait mode
3. Point toward any wall and hold steady
4. The top corner shows orientation status
5. When successful, Orientation captured appears
6. Return to the room flow and continue scanning

Note

Orientation (azimuth) aligns room scans to the same directional reference. If orientation is missing during upload review, the app shows Orientation not captured. You can still Proceed without orientation, and Plans creates a note for each story that is missing orientation.

Following edges for accuracy

During scanning, white lines appear on-screen showing detected surfaces:

• Lines should follow edges - Wall-Ceiling intersections, corners, Window frames
• Closer = more accurate - Lines hugging edges means better measurements
• Vary your distance - Move both far (3m) and close (1.5m) from surfaces
• Angle toward openings - Scan at angles toward Doors and Windows
• Open curtains - Let the scanner see Window edges clearly

The more precisely lines follow edges and corners, the more accurate the room measurements.

Scanning rooms with stairs

When a room contains a staircase:

1. Scan the room first - Capture the surrounding room before the stairs
2. Focus on horizontal surfaces - The Floor area around the stairs
3. Then address stairs - After the main room is captured

If the scan doesn’t capture stairs correctly, retake the room scan before saving it.

Lighting

Tracking requires adequate lighting:

• Turn on all ceiling lights
• Open curtains and blinds
• Avoid flickering lights
• Avoid direct harsh sunlight creating strong shadows

Poor lighting can cause tracking to fail.

Surfaces

Tracking works best with textured surfaces:

• Walls with features (Doors, Windows, trim, pictures)
• Furniture
• Wall corners and edges

Blank white walls, mirrors, and uniform surfaces can cause tracking issues. If tracking struggles, point your device at furniture, wall features, or textured areas.

Coverage

Walk around the room perimeter to capture all Walls. Tilt your device up to capture the Ceiling, and down to capture the Floor.

Battery

Scanning uses 10-20% battery per room depending on:

• Room size
• Scan duration
• Device model
• Screen brightness

Review

When scan completes, the app displays:

• Door and Window detection summary
• Checkmark button - Accept scan
• Retake scan action - Rescan a completed scan
• Try again button - Start over after a failed scan

Tap the checkmark to save a completed scan. To scan again from the completed-scan review, use the X button and choose Retake scan. If the scan fails, tap Try again.