Best buy to 3D scan an interior for accurate measurements?

[surveyur]

I'm looking to capture a full interior space in 3D so I can pull precise measurements later, the walls, windows, built-ins, and maybe some awkward corners that tape measures love to lie about. Ideally, I want something I can bring into CAD or a modeling program and actually trust for dimensions. Problem now is, I'm seeing everything from $50 phone apps to multi thousand dollar LiDAR rigs lol, and I still have no idea what is best, do I need a handheld scanner or something or can a phone with LiDAR actually give me accurate measurements, or is that just advertising noise
Need insights, if you've done interior scans for measurement purposes, what did you use, and what would you do differently next time?
TIA

 

[WholePersonality53]

I've done some interior scans, and phones with LiDAR (like newer iPhones or iPads) can work well for simple measurements. Apps like Polycam or RoomScan help a lot too. If you need very accurate results for CAD, handheld scanners like Matterport Pro or Leica BLK are better, but they cost a lot. If it's just for one project, try using your phone first and see if the scan looks good in your modeling program.

 

[jeanclaude25]

Hi !

Polycam is good, and you should try it if the building you want to scan is small.
I assembled a scanner with a Lidar L2 unitree, and the results are acceptable if you're not doing architecture.
The price is also reasonable, around $600 for the scanner and mini PC.
I also created a program to visualize the points directly so that they are readable and fluid.
To measure, I separate the scans by floor because otherwise it accumulates too many errors.

 

[Alan]

Before anything, start with @WholePersonality53’s approach. Phone LiDAR with a fantastic app like Polycam is surprisingly decent for most interiors. Plus it’s cheap to test.

 

[Festim Duka]

I work in technical sales in the geospatial industry, and personally I’m not a big fan of phone LiDAR apps for accurate measurements. They’re okay for rough visualization, but not for dimensions you can fully trust.

If you need mm-level accuracy, I’d recommend a tripod-based laser scanner instead.( I am specialized on Trimble )Their scanners can deliver very reliable results, although they usually cost between €35k–70k.

If you want something simpler, you can still get a decent scanning setup SLAM Version + processing software for under €10k depending on the accuracy you need.

 

[AdrienScanLab]

If this is more of a hobby project or just a one-time thing, I’d honestly start with Artec Studio before buying any scanner

You can use photos or video of the space/object and build a 3D model from that. From what I’ve seen, the results are usually much better than free or cheap phone apps like Polycam, especially if you take the photos properly

You’ll need a decent computer, but the subscription itself isn’t that expensive, so it’s a good way to test the workflow without jumping straight into expensive hardware

Of course, if you’re doing this professionally and accuracy, speed, and repeatability really matter, then proper scanners make a lot more sense. They’re expensive upfront, but they save a ton of time on scanning and cleanup, and can pay for themselves pretty quickly if you use them regularly