top of page

3D Tours & Digital Documentation for Museums, Ministries, Historic Sites & Significant Spaces

Aug 21
22 min read

Updated: Oct 17

Promotional graphic for 3D tours and digital documentation showing a museum gallery Matterport-style tour, aerial 360° imagery, historic and religious sites, photography, video, and hosting options.

Some spaces are worth documenting more thoroughly than ordinary photos or video can accomplish.


That can be especially true when a space:

  • contains a temporary exhibit that will eventually disappear;

  • has unusual historic, religious, educational, architectural, or community significance;

  • is difficult for some people to visit in person;

  • is about to be renovated, relocated, substantially changed, or demolished;

  • contains multiple rooms, exhibits, floors, or features that are better understood spatially; or

  • would benefit from allowing people to virtually explore it before or after visiting.


I selectively work with museums, ministries, historic sites, educational organizations, churches, temporary exhibits, and other significant spaces on Matterport 3D tours, photography, video, 360° imagery, and related media.


These projects are evaluated individually and should not be assumed to be complimentary unless otherwise stated explicitly. Depending on the project, arrangements can include regular project pricing, reduced pricing, cost-sharing, sponsorship, coverage of direct expenses or hosting, or another customized structure.


On This Page


  1. Matterport Work Examples

  2. Museum, Historic-Site & Cultural Media Experience

  3. What Could a Project Include?

  4. Google Maps 360° Publication

  5. Aerial Photography & Aerial 360° Views

  6. Video & Interpretive Storytelling

  7. Large & Complex 3D Projects

  8. Project Planning, Permissions, Review & Hosting

  9. Project Pricing, Sponsorships & In-Kind Arrangements

  10. Discussing a Project



Saint Luke's Historic Church - perhaps the oldest surviving English-origin church in the Western Hemisphere - image by author Adam Garrett
Saint Luke's Historic Church - perhaps the oldest surviving English-origin church in the Western Hemisphere - image by author Adam Garrett


  1. See Examples of My Matterport Work: Yorktown Beach Hotel & James River Country Club

Some examples of my public-facing 3D work are the James River Country Club & Yorktown Beach Hotel, where I created 2 interactive Matterport tours that let viewers explore the properties remotely rather than relying only on still photos & video.


A hotel & country club differ from a museum, ministry, historic site, or temporary exhibition. Still, the projects demonstrate several relevant capabilities, including navigation through a substantial public-facing property, privacy considerations, connecting multiple spaces into an understandable tour, & (in the hotel's case) embedding a 3D experience directly into a webpage. In JRCC's case, it also demonstrates embedding aerial 360s, photos, & video into a 3D tour. Each of the 2 3D tours below are on the Matterport Pro 3.


This tour integrates a 3rd-party layer for enhanced navigation & options, MPSkin:


  1. Previous Museum, Historic-Site & Cultural Media Experience

I have experience creating Matterport, photography, video, aerial imagery, 360° imagery, and related media at museums, historic sites, and cultural attractions. This includes Matterport capture of the golf museum at James River Country Club, although that museum was documented as part of a broader club tour rather than as a standalone museum-focused project with the more deliberate artifact, interpretation, and educational emphasis I would typically recommend for a museum.


James River Country Club Golf Museum — Matterport Example

The James River Country Club project includes Matterport documentation of its golf museum as part of a much larger club-wide 3D tour. The museum portion demonstrates experience capturing an interior museum environment, although the project was not designed around the more intensive exhibit-level documentation, interpretive media, and artifact-focused approach I would use for a dedicated museum project.

Much of my other museum and historic-site photography and video was created independently during visits rather than as commissioned work for, or in partnership with, the organizations shown.

Battleship Wisconsin in Norfolk: Major Conflict Service Included World War II, the Korean War, & Operation Desert Storm. Image by Adam
Battleship Wisconsin in Norfolk: Major Conflict Service Included World War II, the Korean War, & Operation Desert Storm. Image by Adam

2023 example of a single 360 photo on my Ricoh Theta Z1 (prior to my purchase of the Matterport Pro 3):

My previous photography, video, aerial, 360°, or related media work has included locations such as:

Virginia Living Museum - Image by Adam
Virginia Living Museum - Image by Adam
  • Virginia Living Museum

  • Virginia Air & Space Center

  • Virginia War Museum

  • 1750 Isle of Wight Courthouse

  • Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum

  • Battleship Wisconsin

  • Chrysler Museum of Art

  • Glass Light Hotel & Gallery

Glass Light Hotel & Gallery - Image by Adam
Glass Light Hotel & Gallery - Image by Adam
  • Historic Cavalier Hotel

  • Historic Yorktown

  • Lee Hall Mansion

  • Lee Hall Depot

  • Historic Endview

  • Jamestown Settlement

  • Colonial Williamsburg

  • other historic and cultural destinations.


This experience has ranged from exterior and aerial documentation to interior photography, video, 360° imagery, historic architecture, and interpretive environments.


These examples demonstrate prior media experience at museums, historic sites, and cultural attractions. They should not be interpreted as completed full-interior Matterport museum projects unless specifically identified as such.


Virginia Air & Space Center – 3D/360° Example

I have also created an interactive 3D/360° representation of the courtyard immediately outside the Virginia Air & Space Center in Downtown Hampton. While this is not a full-interior museum Matterport project, it demonstrates how a museum or cultural destination can be incorporated into a larger interactive environment.


  1. What Could a Project Include?

Depending on the property, purpose, permissions, and agreement, a project may include some combination of:

  • Matterport Pro3 3D capture

  • Ricoh Theta Z1 Matterport capture

  • Professional still photography

  • Ground-level video

  • Elevated photography or 360° imagery

  • Aerial photography or video where appropriate and authorized

  • Aerial 360° imagery

  • Google Maps 360° publication

  • Matterport informational tags and links

  • Integration into an educational or informational webpage

  • Images or video for an organization's own website or social media

  • Long-term or temporary hosting

  • Documentation before renovation, relocation, exhibit removal, or another significant change

The appropriate combination varies substantially by project.


A temporary exhibition may exist for only a few months even though the material assembled for it required years of research, borrowing, transportation, design, construction, and installation.


A Matterport tour can document more than individual artifacts. It can preserve a viewer's ability to understand:

  • how the exhibition was organized;

  • which artifacts and displays appeared near one another;

  • the scale and design of the galleries;

  • exhibit sequencing;

  • relationships between rooms or floors;

  • interpretive materials where publication is permitted; and

  • the physical experience of moving through the exhibition.


That can be especially valuable when an exhibition cannot readily be recreated after its objects return to multiple lenders.


A 3D tour does not mean every temporary exhibition should remain publicly available indefinitely.


Museums, lenders, artists, copyright holders, archaeological authorities, or other partners may impose restrictions on photography, reproduction, artifact presentation, or the length of time certain material may remain online.


Depending on those restrictions, a completed tour could be:

  • publicly available;

  • available only for an agreed period;

  • edited to exclude certain areas or artifacts;

  • partially restricted;

  • kept private for internal documentation; or

  • archived when public permission expires.

Matterport can have uses beyond attracting visitors.

Depending on the project and the organization's permissions, possible uses include:

  • remote education;

  • pre-visit orientation;

  • post-visit review;

  • accessibility for people who cannot physically visit;

  • documentation of exhibit design;

  • documentation before renovation or relocation;

  • internal institutional records;

  • donor or stakeholder presentations;

  • historic interpretation;

  • classroom use; and

  • links to additional scholarship, videos, articles, or artifact information.


Matterport describes its models as digital twins. The Pro3 uses LiDAR and is designed for fast indoor and outdoor capture of large spaces. Matterport currently specifies a capture speed of less than 20 seconds per sweep. [1]


However, a Matterport tour should not be confused with conservation-grade artifact scanning or high-resolution archival photography of an individual manuscript, painting, inscription, mosaic, or archaeological object.


One of its greatest strengths is documenting the space itself and the viewer's spatial relationship to what is inside it.


For an important artifact, Matterport may therefore complement rather than replace detailed conventional photography or specialized digitization.

I am particularly interested in projects involving biblical history, archaeology, Judaism, Christianity, church history, ancient manuscripts, inscriptions, and the historical settings connected with the Bible.


These projects can serve multiple audiences. A museum or archaeological organization may use immersive documentation for education, preservation, interpretation, research support, or remote access.


Christian or Jewish organizations and individual viewers may also find some of the same material relevant to apologetics, biblical studies, religious education, or historical interpretation.


Potential subjects could include biblical archaeology exhibits, Dead Sea Scrolls and other manuscript displays, Second Temple-period material, early Jewish and Christian history, ancient inscriptions, archaeological reconstructions, historic synagogues and churches, and exhibits that have significance for religious claims or debates.


When a subject involves disputed historical, archaeological, or theological interpretations, I prefer the tour and any accompanying material to distinguish the underlying evidence from later interpretation rather than presenting contested conclusions as established fact.


Creating or hosting a tour also should not be understood as my personal endorsement of every interpretation advanced by the organization, exhibit, or people who later use the material.

I have been creating Matterport tours since 2020.


My primary Matterport camera is the Matterport Pro3, Matterport’s professional LiDAR camera.


Matterport describes the Pro3 as a high-resolution LiDAR system designed for indoor and outdoor reality capture. Its current specifications include capture in less than 20 seconds per sweep and support for large spaces and longer scanning distances. [1]


Those capabilities can be particularly useful for:

  • museums;

  • galleries;

  • large churches;

  • historic buildings;

  • multistory spaces;

  • staircases;

  • long corridors;

  • large rooms;

  • indoor/outdoor projects; and

  • locations where available capture time is limited.


For large or complicated projects, I generally prefer the Pro3 over a conventional 360° camera. While I have a Ricoh Theta Z1 as well, I typically use the Z1 on homes for Zillow 3D tours, which I often include along with a Matterport tour for the same property.

I also own a Ricoh Theta Z1, a high-quality 360° camera supported by Matterport. [2]

That provides an important alternative.


For a large or complicated space, I would normally still prefer the Pro3 when practical because of its LiDAR, capture speed, and ability to handle larger spaces efficiently.

The Theta Z1 can also be particularly useful for:

  • Tall spaces: - certain supplemental 360° viewpoints because it is much smaller and lighter.

  • Isolated views not connected to other views - the stitching on the Z-1 is less pronounced than it is on the Pro-3. It's also easier to extract a Z-1 image and use it outside of Matterport

  • Tight spaces - it's significantly smaller than the Pro 3

Most of a Matterport tour should normally be captured near a natural human viewing height.


However, some subjects can benefit from supplemental elevated imagery.


I own a Manfrotto stand capable of reaching approximately 24 feet, although full extension indoors would be unusual.


Potential applications include:

  • large floor mosaics;

  • archaeological layouts;

  • ruins;

  • exhibit overviews;

  • large rooms;

  • courtyards;

  • architectural details;

  • gardens;

  • outdoor historic sites; and

  • subjects whose overall form is difficult to understand from eye level.


For museum interiors, safety and artifact protection take priority over obtaining an unusual viewpoint.


Any elevated capture would require site-specific approval and consideration of ceiling height, sprinklers, lighting, projectors, security equipment, visitors, artifact barriers, fragile objects, stability, and whether the elevated view actually improves the educational result.


My lightweight Ricoh Theta Z1 may sometimes be preferable to placing the substantially heavier Pro3 at an unusual height.

I have held an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate since 2020.


Where appropriate, aerial photography, video, or 360° imagery can help document:

  • historic campuses;

  • churches;

  • museums;

  • archaeological sites;

  • waterfront locations;

  • large properties;

  • gardens and grounds;

  • groups of related structures; and

  • the relationship between a significant building and the surrounding area.


Aerial capture is not appropriate or legal everywhere.


Airspace, crowds, temporary flight restrictions, site security, property rules, weather, and the nature of the location can all affect whether aerial work is practical.


I request permission for aerial photography whenever it is a potentially useful component rather than assuming that permission to photograph from the ground also covers drone operations.

Different media formats answer different questions.


Matterport

Matterport is particularly strong when viewers benefit from choosing where to go and understanding how rooms, exhibits, floors, and other spaces relate to one another.


Still photography

Photography is often the fastest way to communicate a particularly important artifact, architectural feature, or attractive view.


Video

Video is especially useful for storytelling, narration, movement, interviews, and intentionally guiding the viewer through selected material.


Aerial imagery

Aerial photography and 360° panoramas can reveal the relationship between a location and its surroundings in ways that ground-level imagery cannot.


Google Maps 360°

Google Maps can place immersive imagery where people may already be researching or navigating to a public-facing destination. Google Maps 360° content can also be incorporated into webpages, as it has been on this page.


For a significant project, the strongest result may combine several formats rather than expecting one technology to accomplish everything.

Air & Space Center in the Spring w/ Cherry Blossoms- Image by Adam
Air & Space Center in the Spring w/ Cherry Blossoms- Image by Adam


  1. Examples of 360° Tours I Have Published to Google Maps


Matterport is not the only way I can display an immersive experience.


I have also created 360° tours published through Google Maps. For museums, historic sites, churches, visitor destinations, and other public-facing organizations, Google Maps can sometimes provide an additional way for people to explore a location through Google's ecosystem. These are created via Matterport, but even if the Matterport tour is archived, they may remain visible on Google Maps.


Google Maps 360° content can also be embedded into an organization's own webpage or into an article featuring the location.

Google Maps publication is separate from Matterport and would only be incorporated when it is appropriate for the project and approved by the organization.


  1. I Can Also Create Immersive Aerial 360° Views

Some projects benefit from showing not only what is inside a property, but also how the site relates to its surroundings.


The aerial 360° below was created at a yacht club. Unlike a conventional aerial photograph that shows one selected direction, an aerial 360 allows the viewer to look around from the elevated viewpoint and better understand the surrounding landscape, waterfront, neighboring features, and overall setting. You can see how these look when directly embedded into an existing Matterport tour in the James River Country Club example above.


This can be particularly useful for:

  • historic campuses;

  • churches and ministry properties;

  • museums;

  • archaeological or historic sites;

  • waterfront properties;

  • large outdoor exhibits;

  • gardens and grounds; and

  • locations where the surrounding environment is an important part of the story.

360 Aerial Image Above by Adam Garrett at Warwick Yacht Club


I have held an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate since 2020. Aerial photography or video is only incorporated where it is appropriate, legally permissible, and authorized by the organization or property.


  1. Video Can Add Storytelling to a 3D Project

Matterport lets viewers choose where to explore, while video can guide them through a story, highlight important details, add narration or interviews, and show movement that a 3D tour alone cannot.


Historic-Site Ground Video Example:

The video below is an example of ground-level video I created in historic Downtown Gloucester using a DJI Osmo stabilizer. Moving video can help viewers understand how buildings, streets, landmarks, and other features relate to one another while maintaining a smoother and more watchable perspective than ordinary handheld walking footage.


Longer-Form Video Production Example:

The video below is one example of my longer-form production work. Although it was

created for residential real estate with the assistance of a photographer/videographer, the lines and structure were mostly my own, I did most of the aerial video, I have equipment for my own videos, & the same concept can be adapted for museums, historic sites, ministries, exhibits, and other significant spaces.


The earlier film below was produced by me and one other student for a Christopher Newport University Documentary Studies course. Although it predates most of my current camera, drone, audio, and stabilization equipment, it demonstrates experience with documentary structure, interviews, editing, sequencing, and developing a story through video.

Video and Matterport do not have to function as separate experiences.


Matterport Tags, often called Mattertags, can add multimedia and links at specific points inside a 3D tour. I use this capability in the Matterport tours of the James River Country Club & the Courtyard at the Virginia Air & Space Center above, where viewers can encounter video while exploring the space.


For museums, historic sites, archaeological exhibits, ministries, and educational projects, this could allow a visitor to virtually approach a particular location and then watch:


  • a curator or expert explanation;


  • an interview;


  • an archaeological reconstruction or animation;


  • historical footage;


  • additional footage of an artifact or location;


  • or other educational material related specifically to that point in the tour.


This can create two complementary layers: Matterport provides the spatial experience, while video provides deeper explanation and storytelling where it is most useful.


Matterport Tags can also link viewers to articles, images, documents, scholarship, and other online resources where appropriate.


  1. I Have Created Large 3D Neighborhood and Amenity Projects

As the approximately 500-scan James River Country Club example above demonstrates, some of my Matterport work extends well beyond a single building.


Both that & my neighborhood projects can include community amenities and other geographically separated spaces, demonstrating experience with projects that are substantially different in scale and organization from a typical residential Matterport tour.


8. Project Planning, Permissions, Review & Hosting


Permission to enter a property does not automatically mean permission to photograph or scan everything inside it.


For significant projects, the organization should identify any restrictions involving:

  • rooms or areas that may not be photographed;

  • artifacts subject to special limitations;

  • temporary loan agreements;

  • artwork or copyrighted material;

  • security-sensitive areas;

  • staff-only spaces;

  • photography around visitors;

  • tripods or other equipment;

  • exterior photography;

  • aerial photography;

  • elevated cameras;

  • publication on Google Maps;

  • publication on my websites;

  • publication on the organization’s website; and

  • whether the finished project requires review before it becomes public.


Museums may also need approval from lenders, copyright holders, archaeological authorities, exhibit partners, or other third parties.


I am comfortable structuring a project around those limitations rather than treating unrestricted public publication as a requirement.

Matterport capture generally works best when people are not repeatedly walking through the camera’s field of view.


Crowds can:

  • block important displays;

  • slow the capture process;

  • interfere with scan alignment;

  • require additional rescanning;

  • increase privacy concerns;

  • produce inconsistent imagery; and

  • make equipment placement more difficult.


Depending on the location, good capture periods may include before opening, after closing, during a normal closed day, during installation before public opening when authorized, or another unusually low-traffic period.


That does not necessarily require shutting down a facility specifically for photography.


The best approach depends on the site.

I generally try to minimize identifiable visitors and staff during capture rather than relying entirely on later editing.


Matterport’s current Professional plan also includes automatic face blurring. [3]


Depending on the project, additional safeguards can include:

  • low-traffic capture;

  • additional blurring;

  • hiding individual scan points;

  • excluding private rooms or restricted areas;

  • recapturing or excluding locations where people obstruct important features;

  • limiting the distribution of the model; and

  • allowing the organization to review relevant material before public publication.


For a sensitive or historically important location, public publication does not have to be the default.D. Corrections, hiding, or removal can be addressed before and/or after publication.

The organization can review relevant portions of a project before public release when that is part of the agreement. Reasonable corrections, hiding, blurring, or removal of material can be addressed before publication.


Depending on the project and agreement, a tour may also be:

  • time-limited;

  • partially restricted or kept private;

  • edited or have individual areas hidden later; or

  • archived or removed when publication permission expires.


For museums, exhibits, historic sites, and similar organizations, it may also be appropriate to establish a process for later requests involving sensitive material, lender restrictions, copyright concerns, conservation issues, security, privacy, or material that should no longer remain publicly available.

Ownership and control can vary depending on the scope of the project, who is paying for it, the intended uses, the rights requested, Matterport hosting arrangements, and any restrictions imposed by the property owner, exhibit owner, lender, or other rights holders.


For projects that I capture and host through my Matterport account, I would normally retain control of the Matterport model while granting the organization agreed rights to view, embed, link to, and otherwise use the tour. Payment for a project does not automatically transfer ownership, copyright, or Matterport account control unless that is specifically included in our agreement.


If an organization would prefer to own or directly control its Matterport model, a different arrangement may be possible. Depending on the project and Matterport account compatibility, this could involve transferring a model to the organization’s account or creating a separate organization-specific model. Matterport account control and hosting are separate issues from copyright and other media rights.

For photography, video, aerial imagery, 360° imagery, and other original media I create, I would generally retain copyright unless otherwise agreed while granting the organization the usage rights established for that project. Requests for exclusive rights, copyright transfer, work-made-for-hire treatment, or substantially greater control can affect the overall terms and pricing.


The project’s financial structure can also vary. Work may be performed at standard pricing, reduced cost, through cost-sharing or sponsorship, or sometimes on a complimentary basis. Neither payment nor complimentary work automatically determines ownership; those rights should be agreed upon separately. See section 9 for more details.


Any pre-existing photographs, videos, audio, 3D models, graphics, text, or other materials supplied by the organization or another participant remain the property of their existing rights holders. Permission to incorporate those materials into a Matterport tour or other deliverable does not transfer ownership to me.


Likewise, nothing in an agreement with me transfers or diminishes underlying rights in artifacts, exhibits, artwork, trademarks, music, interpretive materials, archaeological material, lender-controlled content, or other property belonging to the organization or third parties.

Usage rights should be established for the individual project rather than assumed. Depending on the agreement, those rights may range from limited use to broad nonexclusive publication rights.


They may apply to:

  • the Matterport tour on the organization’s own website;

  • still photographs;

  • video;

  • aerial imagery;

  • Google Maps content;

  • links to the finished project;

  • social-media material; and

  • embedded media.


Attribution requirements can vary based on the project and organization.


Third-party rights can override anything either the organization or I would otherwise like to do. Artwork, artifacts, copyrighted exhibit materials, trademarks, music, loan agreements, or other restrictions can limit publication and redistribution.

Publication to Google Maps/Street View is separate from publishing or embedding a Matterport tour. It would only be included when appropriate and when the organization has authorized it.


Because Google controls its own platform, display, availability, navigation, and long-term retention of published imagery cannot be guaranteed by me. An organization may also choose to approve a Matterport tour without approving Google Maps publication.

Matterport hosting and account arrangements can vary by project.


A project can potentially remain hosted through my Matterport account, or the Space may be transferred to an organization’s compatible Matterport account when the applicable account structure allows it.


Hosting through my account may be simpler, while transfer can give the organization more direct long-term control. A transferred model would require the organization to maintain its own compatible Matterport account and subscription.


Matterport hosting is an ongoing service rather than a permanent file-hosting guarantee, so any promised hosting duration or ongoing hosting cost should be established explicitly for the individual project rather than assumed.



  1. Project Pricing, Sponsorships & In-Kind Arrangements

Project pricing depends on scope, access, travel, intended use, hosting, and project complexity. In some cases, especially when Adam reaches out to an organization or business rather than the other way around, in kind arrangements, sponsorships, & otherwise may be available. Expand the calculator or the topics below for details.

Use the interactive calculator to estimate Matterport Pro3 capture, optional media, and ongoing hosting. It also identifies circumstances where part of a project may require an additional quote or scope adjustment.


The calculator provides an estimate rather than overriding individually agreed project terms.

Standard Matterport 3D capture is performed with a Matterport Pro3 camera.

Pricing considers the approximate interior and exterior square footage actually captured. Exterior square footage does not automatically mean the entire parcel. It can include building perimeters, courtyards, gardens, pathways, recreation areas, amenities, larger open spaces, or routes connecting a property with surrounding areas.


Standard pricing begins with a $225 minimum, with volume pricing for larger projects.

Outdoor conditions can also affect the number of scans required. Dense brush, closely spaced trees, branches, or similar obstructions may require substantially more scan positions when the Pro3 must repeatedly operate within approximately five feet of them. When this materially increases scan count or capture time, an additional charge may apply.


Public or adjoining spaces can also be incorporated where appropriate, provided any required permissions or permits are obtained.

The following are pricing of add-ons assuming an existing Matterport Pro 3 tour:


  1. Ground-level tripod media using the Ricoh Theta Z1 and/or video equipment begins at $30.

  2. Elevated media from approximately 6–24 feet begins at $50. One elevated-media unit equals:

  • 1 Ricoh Theta Z1 360° image; or

  • 1 minute of raw video.

  1. Aerial media also begins at $50. One aerial-media credit equals:

  • 2 photographs;

  • 1 aerial 360° image; or

  • 2 minutes of raw video.


The pricing calculator automatically selects the lowest-priced package that accommodates the requested quantities, unless a larger package is manually selected.

Aerial work generally uses a DJI Air 3S. A DJI Flip can be useful for selected close-range, automated, interior, hand-controlled, audio-assisted, or on-camera applications.


Adam Garrett has held an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate since 2020.


Elevated and aerial work are subject to weather, wind, site conditions, airspace, permissions, and safe operating conditions.

Video quantities in the calculator generally refer to raw footage actually recorded, not merely the length of a finished video.


For interviews or projects involving multiple takes, all recorded footage counts toward the raw-video quantity. For example, if 18 minutes are recorded to obtain six usable minutes, the raw-video quantity is 18 minutes.


Edited video requires an additional custom quote. The known raw-video capture price remains visible rather than changing the entire project to “custom quote.”

The same principle applies when Adam appears on camera using prepared or memorized lines. Raw recording remains priced normally, while preparation and scripted on-camera production—including teleprompter-style material requiring advance review or practice—receive an additional custom quote.

Matterport hosting is separate from the original capture price. Costs below are for Matterport hosting only (without a 3rd party add on like MPSkin, which is $5/mo extra per Matterport tour regardless of the number of scan positions)

Scan positions

Annual

Monthly

1–200

$100/year

$10/month

201–500

$200/year

$20/month

501–1,000

$300/year

$30/month

1,001+

$400/year

$40/month

For perspective, see this approximately 500-scan Matterport tour of James River Country Club:

View the James River Country Club Matterport tour


If Matterport hosting is later discontinued, the Matterport Space may be archived. A separately published Google Maps version may continue independently, subject to Google's platform policies.

$5/month or $50/yr per tour

There is no separate travel charge when Adam initiates and proposes a project.

For projects initiated by another person or organization, there is also no travel charge when the project is within approximately one hour's drive each way of Governor's Pointe in northern Suffolk.


For client- or organization-initiated projects beyond that range, any applicable travel charge is disclosed before the project is accepted.


Travel is separate from unusual on-site equipment access.


For 6–24-foot elevated-media packages:

  • under $100, an additional access charge may apply when equipment must be carried more than 0.25 mile each way;

  • at $100 or more, the normal threshold is more than 0.5 mile each way.


Difficult terrain, stairs, lack of cart access, repeated equipment moves, or comparable circumstances can also affect access pricing at shorter distances.

Not every project needs to use a conventional cash-pricing structure, especially when Adam is reaching out directly to a company or organization rather than them approaching Adam.


Depending on the project, an arrangement may include:

  • standard pricing;

  • reduced pricing;

  • cost-sharing;

  • sponsorship;

  • coverage of direct expenses;

  • coverage of ongoing hosting;

  • contributed services;

  • in-kind consideration; or

  • another mutually agreed structure.


In some sponsorship, cost-sharing, or contributed-service arrangements, Adam Garrett and/or Garrett Realty Partners may receive appropriate attribution or recognition associated with the project.


The form and prominence of that recognition are determined for the individual project.

Some projects may involve non-cash consideration instead of, or in addition to, cash payment.


Examples can include memberships, admission privileges, limited complimentary experiences, hotel discounts, parking, breakfast or other hotel benefits, preferred pricing, recreational activities, or benefits that can be extended to clients.


These arrangements can be especially useful where the project helps introduce new customers or visitors to the organization.


For complimentary client experiences, reasonable restrictions may apply. For example, recipients may need to be first-time visitors, or at least part of the group may need to consist of people who have not previously visited the establishment.


An individual may also be limited to receiving one complimentary package through Adam for that establishment.

Factors can include property size, interior and exterior area actually captured, scan count, number of buildings or floors, vegetation, accessibility, terrain, equipment-carrying requirements, elevated capture, aerial work, raw-video requirements, editing, scripted production, privacy considerations, Google Maps publication, integrations, hosting, travel, intended use, and the broader significance of the project.


Educational, historic, cultural, tourism, charitable, or community value can sometimes make reduced-cost or contributed work more appropriate.


That does not mean such projects should automatically be assumed to be complimentary.

Reduced pricing, sponsorships, contributed services, and in-kind arrangements are project-specific. No particular organization should assume either that a project will be complimentary or that any particular benefit or form of consideration is expected.


  1. Interested in Discussing a Project?

If you represent a museum, ministry, historic site, church, educational organization, temporary exhibition, archaeological organization, or another unusually significant space, it is helpful to provide:


  1. The organization and location

  2. What makes the space or exhibit significant

  3. Whether it is permanent or temporary

  4. Any known closing, renovation, relocation, or removal date

  5. Approximate size and number of floors

  6. Whether the public normally has access

  7. Any known photography, lender, copyright, or security restrictions

  8. Whether the organization already has a Matterport account

  9. How the organization would ideally use the finished media

  10. Who handles photography, communications, exhibit, or property permissions


From there, I can evaluate the project for feasibility, equipment, timing, scope, and pricing.


I am a third-generation REALTOR® with Garrett Realty Partners in Virginia and have been creating Matterport tours since 2020.


My current equipment includes:

  • 3D Cameras:

  • Tripods & Monopods that can be used for video or 3D:

    • An approximately 24-foot Manfrotto stand w/ 3rd party sandbags

    • 30' DocaPole Monopod

      • Can be used for:

        • Ricoh Theta Z1

        • Samsung Ultra

        • With attachments for cleaning high places with cleaning attachments I have before scans if a significant space borrows it prior to me scanning an area.

    • Tripod included in Pro 3 Performance Kit

    • Additional tripod & monopod

  • Drone equipment including but not limited to:

    • DJI Air3S Fly More Combo

    • DJI Air 2 Fly More Combo

    • DJI Flip Fly More Combo

    • RC2 controller & other controllers

    • lights visible from 3 statute miles away at night for each drone

    • large filter sets for DJI Air 3S & Flip

  • Video Equipment:

  • Pole chainsaw, hardhat, safety goggles, ladder & similar equipment for places to borrow (w/ liability release waiver signed) prior to me scanning a space if their own maintenance options are more limited & certain spaces are overgrown

  • Oru Inlet Kayak, life preserver, & small anchor for:

    • water shots from the kayak

    • Shots with a drone while I'm in the anchored kayak that otherwise wouldn't be permitted (whether legally or due to other restrictions). Some sites ban drone use or have a ban imposed on them and make no exceptions or have a long process for exceptions. If a site wanted aerial photography while not making an exception using adjacent waters outside of its control, this method can sometimes be a great option.


I have held an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate & Matterport subscription since 2020.


My 3D work has included homes, neighborhoods, community amenities, hospitality properties, and other substantial spaces.


I used AI to help research, organize, expand and edit portions of this article. The article also draws substantially from my own experience using Matterport and other imaging technology, my original photography and 3D documentation work, and ideas and practices I developed independently of AI. I reviewed and revised the final content. For more information about how I use AI in my real estate work and website, see How I Use AI in Real Estate.

[1] Matterport — Pro3 3D Camera: Technical Specifications.Matterport describes the Pro3 as a LiDAR-based indoor/outdoor reality-capture camera with capture speeds under 20 seconds per scan and a maximum LiDAR range of up to 100 meters for applicable outputs. Matterport Pro3 specifications

[2] Matterport — Supported 360° Cameras / Ricoh Theta Z1.Matterport identifies the Ricoh Theta Z1 as a supported 360° camera for creating Matterport spaces. Matterport 360° camera information

[3] Matterport — Subscription Plans and Camera Compatibility.Matterport’s current plan comparison supports 360° cameras across its plans while Pro2/Pro3 capture requires Professional, Business, or Enterprise. Matterport also notes that certain Pro3 models can subsequently be transferred to a compatible Starter account. Matterport plans and compatibility

[4] Matterport — Google Street View Publication.Matterport supports publishing compatible Matterport imagery to Google Street View. Google, rather than Matterport or the photographer, ultimately controls how imagery is displayed within Google’s platform. Matterport Google Street View information

[5] National Park Service — Historic St. Luke’s / Newport Parish Church.National Park Service documentation describes St. Luke’s as “the oldest remaining church of English foundation in the United States” while also acknowledging historical uncertainty surrounding its precise construction date. National Park Service historic documentation


 
 
 

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating
bottom of page