The floor plan is an add-on service that many photographers offer to their customers alongside photos and 3D tours of the property. CubiCasa is an app that allows you to create a floor plan by scanning the house with your smartphone. It is available on iOS and Android devices in the App Store and Google Play Store. Compared to other floor plan scanning apps, CubiCasa is one of the quickest and easiest to use. It does not require any drawing, sketching, or expensive hardware to operate. However, if you are still not sure how to scan in order to get a great floor plan – you are on the right page. Our Customer Support managers Anna Hyvärinen and May Masson want to share with you 5 most useful scanning tips to make the perfect scan in order to receive the best floor plan possible.
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Avoid scan interruptions
Sometimes something unexpected happens and you have to start scanning again. We cannot eliminate every risk but we want to give you some simple advice to avoid annoying interruptions and save your time. First of all, turn Airplane Mode to avoid phone calls while recording. Also, charge your phone before the scan because if you run out of battery, you need to start scanning again. We recommend having at least 50% of battery, however, you should not need more than 5%. And last but not least: do not put your fingers in front of the camera lens!
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Prepare the space before scanning
Switch on all the lights and open window blinds in order to illuminate every corner and improve your video quality. In case this trick does not help to light the room properly, you should consider bringing an external light such as a flashlight cube with you. Open all the doors but in case this means blocking an area, open the door while recording and scan inside the room.
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Tilt your phone downwards
How you orient your phone is fundamental to a successful scan. Turn your phone or tablet to landscape mode making sure the button is on the right-hand side. Always keep the device at chest height and tilt the phone slightly downwards in order to show where the floor meets the wall. Remember to frame the floor and about 3 feet of the wall. This is the ideal position while scanning and you should keep it whenever possible.
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Pay attention to your movements
The best suggestion we can give you is to plan your path before scanning. It is recommended to avoid turning around and revisiting areas while recording, this is the reason why planning a logical route beforehand allows you to get a good video and save time. For example, start scanning from the lowest floor and then go up so you do not have to go back while recording. Walk at a normal walking pace while recording because rapid movements could affect the quality of the video and thus the floor plan. Some small details might not get interpreted if the movements are too rapid.
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Mind the distance
First of all: walls are not as important as their joint with the floor instead. However, remember that while walking parallel to the wall, you have to keep a certain distance from it and turn when you are about 6 feet from another wall. Do not forget to pay attention to the distance from objects: avoid scanning farther than 8’ and closer than 3’ from objects. In case there is a kitchen with an island, walk straight and focus only on the middle of the floor and keep both sides in view.
Check out this video to learn the best practices while scanning:
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