We Get Around Founder, CEO and Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod
The following Matterport Showcase 2.0 analysis is by Atlanta-based We Get Around Founder, CEO and Chief Photographer Dan Smigrod whom is also the Founder of the Matterport User Group Forum; and the Founder of the Referral Network of Matterport Pro 3D Camera Photographers and Real Estate Agents.
Dan was among the first professional photographers to buy the Matterport Pro 3D Camera when Matterport Showcase was first introduced in July 2014.
Dan's commentary is based on a one-hour 1:1 demo by the Matterport team of the soon-to-released Matterport Showcase 2.0.
WOW! WOW! WOW!
The coming soon release of Matterport Showcase 2.0 will be a seminal moment for 3D Pro Photographers and Real Estate Agents to help get more business from their respective clients. I am blown away with what's coming from Matterport this Fall.
For Matterport Pro 3D Camera Photographers, Showcase 2.0 will make it easier and faster to:
- get new clients
- offer more solutions
- make more money
For Real Estate Agents, the additional feature set will make it easier and faster to:
- win more listings
- get more buyer leads
- get more seller leads
The Top six new Matterport features I am most excited about are:
Highlights Reel – thumbnail images – created by the Pro photographer – that enable the viewer to click and automatically 'walk' to that location. Then click on the next thumbnail image to 'walk' from the first location to the second location; and see the highlighted walking path in both dollhouse and floor plan views. In addition to seeing spatial relationships – where is the kitchen in relationship to the family room and dinning room – auto-pilot 'walking' from the kitchen to the dinning room to the family room. Until you see it first-hand, just think of the viewing experience as magical. "According to the Matterport website, "Highlights are the views you want to show off most in your Matterport model. By clicking on a Highlight, your viewer will be guided to that part of the model. These Highlights can be strung together to create a Highlight Reel, which becomes a curated tour of the property. ... This add a totally new dimensional to the Showcase experience that you have to see to believe."
Mattertags spatial markers are a new feature in Matterport Showcase 2.0. Any object can be labeled within a three-dimensional view.| Gif courtesy of Matterport
Schematic Floor Plans – While the existing Matterport Floor Plan view is good, easy and fast; affordable schematic floor plans have been high on the "wish lists" of many of the members of the Matterport User Group Forum. From your my.matterport.com account, you will be able to order black and white schematic floor plans – within 48 hours. It's another solution that Pros can offer their clients; and real estate agents will be able to include in their listings without breaking the bank (starting at $49 per model). It's likely the Matterport schematic floor plan solution will save Pros hours measuring and creating schematic floor plans. Again, another solution that will enable more house listings to have floor plans for MLS listings. (Beta testing of this new feature is scheduled to begin this Saturday, 15 August 2015)
Branding – with Showcase 2.0, Matterport will enable Pro Photographer and their Real Estate Agent clients to including branding opportunities on the loading screen and the new About Pane, discussed below (as well as non-branding for MLS).
Matterport Showcase 2.0 Facebook Integration Example | Gif Courtesy of Matterport
Social Sharing – With the integration of social sharing within Showcase 2.0, it will be easy and fast for Pro Photographers, Real Estate agents and viewers of the Showcases to share: including via Facebook, Twitter and email. The deep integration with Facebook is extra exciting because the Matterport 3D Showcase will launch from within a user's timeline: much as videos automatically play today within a Facebook newsfeed. (Let's hope Twitter lets Matterport leverage its Twitter Card solution for the same experience that does not require leaving Twitter to view the tour.)
About Pane – this new panel in the top left-hand corner of 3D Showcase will enable additional storytelling about the property and includes an opportunity to link the listing to a map.
Mattertags™ – these spatial markers enables annotation of the Showcase with multimedia tags that initially support text and images, and eventually will launch video, audio and other rich media – without leaving the Showcase. This is another "wish list" feature requested by many members of the Matterport User Group Forum community. The experience is a bit trippy "because Mattertags will be attached to objects in the 3D mesh. These objects will appear labelled from any vantage point," according to the Matterport website. This is particularly exciting for agents that want to tell a story about spaces and objects such as the appliances in the kitchen; or indicate a hidden, walk-in pantry.
Wish List: Highlights Reel Meets Video (Please)
While I love-love-love the Highlights Reel feature, I wish I could touch a button to generate a video from the beginning to the end of the Highlights Reel. Then, Matterport Pro photographers would be able to easily and quickly provide a Steadicam-like video at an affordable price; and real estate agents would be able to include video in their listing presentations without (hopefully) breaking the bank. While a Matterport Highlights Reel video would not replace a Steadicam Pro solution for high-end properties, my "wish list" solution would enable more house listings to have a showcase video.
Personal Note
On a personal note about all these new Matterport features, it was gratifying to receive this email from Matterport Founder Matt Bell Wednesday (12 August 2015): "Your forum members' feedback was very helpful in helping us choose and prioritize features for Showcase 2.0. It's great to have a passionate group of users who are eager to help shape the product."
The Future is Now (Please)
At Inman Connect San Francisco real estate meets tech conference 4-7 August 2015 – Matterport announced and demonstrated Showcase 2.0 publicly for the first time. Matterport announced that Showcase 2.0 will be available in the Fall of 2015. For Matterport Pro 3D Camera Photographers and Real Estate Agents, the future can not arrive soon enough.
And, One More Thing
Coming Soon: All Matterport Content in Virtual Reality (VR).