Can you stay in the building during a Matterport scan?

Yes. The scan does not require the property to be empty. We move through the space systematically and can work around staff or occupiers. That said, keeping people out of the area being scanned as we move through it produces a cleaner tour. Matterport automatically blurs faces in post-processing, so privacy is not the concern. User experience is.

How much notice do you need to book a Matterport scan?

We typically ask for at least a week's notice to confirm availability and arrange access. For large or complex properties, more lead time helps if the space needs preparation beforehand.

When will the tour be ready after the scan?

Finished tours are usually live within 48 hours of the scan. The raw data is uploaded and processed after we leave, with no further involvement needed from the property.

Does a larger property always take longer to scan?

Not always. A 5,000 sq ft open-plan floor can be quicker to scan than a 2,000 sq ft property with many separate rooms, corridors, and stairwells. Room count and layout complexity matter more than total square footage.

How Long Does a Matterport Scan Take?

A Matterport scan on a commercial property takes between 1.5 and 3 hours for most spaces up to around 5,000 sq ft. The actual time depends on three things: how many rooms are in the property, how complex the layout is, and how accessible the space is when we arrive.

Open plan vs cellular offices

The biggest variable in scan time is the number of positions we need to set up. An open-plan floor plate is captured from fewer positions because each scan covers a larger visible area. A cellular office with ten separate rooms, two sets of corridors, and a stairwell needs considerably more positions to produce a complete model.

A 3,000 sq ft open-plan space might take just over an hour. The same square footage split across a reception, twelve private offices, a server room, two kitchens, and three bathrooms will take considerably longer. Room count matters more than floor area.

Corridors and stairwells

Corridors and stairwells add time out of proportion to their floor area. Each requires multiple scan positions close together to produce a usable walkthrough, and stairwells in particular need careful positioning at each landing to capture the transition between floors properly.

If your property connects multiple floors by stairs rather than a single lift lobby, factor in additional time. A ground-floor reception leading to a stairwell and then a first-floor open-plan office will take longer than the square footage alone suggests.

The scan and the processing are different timelines

The time on site is just the scan. After we leave, the raw captures are uploaded and processed into the navigable 3D model. That step takes additional time and happens without any involvement from the property. Finished tours for most commercial properties are ready within 48 hours of the scan.

The two timelines matter because they affect when you can publish. If you need the tour live on a specific date, work backwards from that date rather than from the scan date. A scan on Monday typically means a live tour by Wednesday.

How to plan your booking

Block out a half-day for the scan. Access needs to be confirmed before the day, not arranged on the morning. If the property has a building manager, brief them in advance so we are not waiting at reception for someone to track down a key.

We work through the property in a single continuous pass. Disruptions mid-scan, such as doors being closed or people moving through rooms that have already been captured, can affect the continuity of the finished model. Once the scan has started, keeping the floor clear until we have finished is worth the inconvenience.

For preparation advice on what to sort before we arrive, see our guide to preparing a commercial property for a Matterport scan. If you are still weighing Matterport against a video tour, see how the two formats compare for commercial property.