As the concept of virtual tours become more accepted among businesses, we’re likely to see more companies using them throughout 2024.
360 virtual tours provide two great benefits to businesses and prospective buyers. For businesses, virtual tours allow them to showcase their locations, highlighting every intricate detail, whilst immersing prospective clients with life-like imitations of locations.
For prospective clients, being able to experience an immersive and interactive tour of a property space, venue or work environment from the comfort of their own home or office offers a convenient and time-saving way to explore the premises.
This not only enhances the overall customer experience but also provides a comprehensive understanding of the space, aiding informed decision-making. As this trend continues to gain traction, businesses embracing virtual tours are likely to enjoy increased engagement, trust, and satisfaction from their clientele.
In this article, we’re going to look at seven of the best 360 virtual software platforms that suit a variety of needs.
Before we dive in, let’s first identify what virtual tour software is.
What is Virtual Tour Software?
Virtual tour software allows you to explore places in 360 degrees without being physically present.
It uses images taken from all angles, creating an immersive experience that feels like you’re really there. Whether checking out a house, museum, or city, the software lets you move around, zoom in, and examine details as if you’re on-site.
All virtual tour software will use a type of 360-degree camera to capture images from pretty much every angle to get a complete view of the area. These cameras can range from simple setups to more advanced devices designed for professional use. Some smartphones even have 360 built-in!
After capturing images with a 360-degree camera, virtual tour creators will use image-stitching software to produce a seamless panoramic view.
Whether you’re working on a sales property, a hotel or a restaurant, 360 tours are great for showcasing a variety of properties to give online visitors a sense of their environment.
In essence, virtual tour software allows people to virtually visit a location, making it easier to make decisions or explore without leaving your computer or phone.
The below virtual tour platforms have been selected based on their virtual tour quality, interface layouts, stand-out features and compatibility.
1. 3DVista Tour Standard
3DVista remains our top choice when it comes to the best 360 virtual tour tools.
With a tonne of unique features, such as their user-friendly 3D tour editor and live guided tours, 3DVista allows you to create custom tours swiftly and easily. You can also take complete control over camera angles, lighting, shadows, animations, textures and more to create truly unique and immersive experiences.
These tours can be included in any website too, so you won’t need to worry about any custom coding or import issues.
2. Lapentor
Yes, one of Lapentor’s biggest benefits is that it’s free.
However, additionally, Lapentor’s strengths lie in its easy-to-use interface and photo-editing software. Lapentor allows you to hide or remove flaws or unnecessary elements in your 360 images and tours. It’s also cloud-based so you can access it pretty much anywhere.
Whether you’re a photographer, editor or writer, Lapentor’s main quality lies in its accessibility and easy-to-use interface.
3. Marzipano
Marzipano is another free web-based virtual tour software (but requires Firefox or Chrome). It works by generating a virtual tour from a set of panoramas of any size.
Using the Marzipano Tool, you can quickly get started on processing your panoramas on your browser. Once processing is complete, you’ll be able to export your virtual tour application to Chrome or Firefox.
4. GoThru
GoThru’s tour creator helps you build a layer of information on top of your panoramic images. This allows you to point and click on a selected spot to uncover more information about that location. For example, if the tour focused on a museum, not only could you inspect each exhibition, but also the specifics of each piece of artwork or historical artefact.
GoThru, as well as being one of the most trusted 360 virtual tour tools, is recognised for its integration with Google Maps. Once approved by a GoThru Moderator, Gothru allows Google-trusted photographers to embed their 360-degree virtual tours directly into Google Maps.
This unique feature enhances the discoverability and accessibility of virtual tours, making them readily available to a broader audience.
5. RTV Fusion
RTV Fusion is one of the more feature-rich 360 tour platforms on the market. Fusion is their 5th release and their most powerful. They have a bunch of stunning virtual tour templates and layouts as well as a fully responsive HTML 5 virtual tour tech.
They also have a monthly newsletter to provide you with updates about their new features. In just a few clicks, RTV allows you to upload, connect, and publish your own fully 360 immersive experience.
6. Matterport
Matterport offers more of a specific 360 tour solution, in that it provides agents with schematic floor plans. The platform provides potential buyers with an incredibly accurate representation of floor plans, helping them make an informed decision when buying a property.
It also comes with a measurement mode to help measure pretty much anything in your space.
So, for estate agents, this could be room sizes, hallways, doorways, or anything else. Matterport saves agents a lot of time visiting properties and taking measurements and has become an essential tool for estate professionals seeking a comprehensive and efficient approach to property showcasing.
7. CloudPano
When it comes to live 360 video chat, CloudPano takes the top spot. At the click of a button, CloudPano allows you to jump into a 360-degree sales environment instantly.
Users don’t need to download an app to use CloudPano and it’s simple to set up. Plus, up to four people can join from any device and your tours made through it can be integrated with networks like Realtor and Zillow.
Although there is no free trial, CloudPano is certainly worth the investment.
Conclusion
Choosing the right 360 virtual tour platform for you comes down to your unique needs and requirements. Professionals in the estate agency industry may find platforms like Matterport incredibly useful, whereas CloudPano is better suited for those looking for the best live video chat tours.
Regardless of whether you’re in property, hospitality or something else, 360 virtual tour software platforms offer the most immersive depiction of your offering.
Hopefully our list above will help you make the right decision for your business!
Summary: What 360 virtual tour platform is ideal for your business?
Explore top 360 virtual tour platforms, including 3DVista, Lapentor, and Marzipano, for immersive business presentations and experiences.
Benefit from easy-to-use interfaces, live guided tours, and unique features, enhancing control over custom tours and visuals.
Discover free options like Lapentor and cloud-based solutions such as GoThru, ensuring accessibility and flawless panoramic image processing.
Matterport stands out for estate professionals, providing schematic floor plans and precise measurements for informed property decision-making.
CloudPano excels in live 360 video chat, offering instant access to immersive sales environments without requiring app downloads.
FAQs
How long does it take to 3D scan a house?
It takes around 90 minutes to a couple of hours before your digital Matterport 3D scan will be ready for use. The amount of time spent on a 3D home scan will depend on the size and complexity of your property, so contact us for a more precise estimate.
What is a 3D scan of a house?
A 3D scan digitalises a house setting which allows someone to manipulate the objects, colours and other properties of the rooms and then store them in digital format. This allows creatives and sellers to showcase their houses online to a remote audience or even use it for animated videos or games.
What is Matterport for real estate?
Matterport allows real estate companies to produce a 3D property scan of their buildings so they can be viewed by prospective buyers from the comfort of their screens. This can retain the atmosphere of the estate, capturing its luxurious design which you have worked hard to produce.
How much does a Matterport 3D tour cost?
Our Matterport 3D virtual tours start at $350. That’s for a small space and the prices go up from there based on the total area, the complexity of the space and the exact location. To get an instant quote get in touch with our team today.
What is better than Matterport?
Matterport prides itself on being the best 3D software on the market. It works alongside hundreds of professionals who have made its software simple to use and accessible to any skill level, so making a virtual tour cannot be much easier. Its graphics are highly rendered and look almost real.
Is Matterport good for rental properties?
Rental properties can benefit from Matterport’s VR tours just as much as any other type of property. Future tenants might be unable to visit the house, such as if they are a student on a placement year abroad, so you can provide them will a fully guided 360 virtual tour online.
Is Matterport worth it for real estate?
Matterport is fantastic when it comes to creating virtual tours for real estate. Not only can it create a virtual twin of the space you plan on having the property built, but it can also place a 3D model of the creation onto the land which is almost tangible.
