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Scan a Floor Plan with LiDAR Auto-Scan (iOS)

Automatically scan multiple rooms and objects in real-time with magicplan's LiDAR Auto-Scan.

Do you have an iOS device with LiDAR? You can save time with magicplan's LiDAR Auto-Scan, which allows you to scan an entire floor plan at once! This scanning option makes use of Apple's RoomPlan API to not only capture room dimensions, but also detect objects in the room. Map out multiple rooms, furniture and structural objects without exiting out of a scanning session. 

How to Use LiDAR Auto-Scan 

ℹ️ Note: You must have an iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max, iPad Pro or newer device with iOS 17 to use this feature.

  1. Open or create a project.
  2. Tap "+ Add Floor" and select the floor type.
  3. Enter the floor level, then tap on "+ Insert" and "Room" and Select the room type (Living Room, Kitchen, Bedroom, etc).
  4. Select "Auto-Scan".
    1. The app will connect to your device camera, and present you with tips for achieving the best possible scan results before you begin:
      AutoScanTips
  5. Tap the red record button on the screen to start a room scan.
    1. You will see instructions on the screen to move device and point camera at top edge of wall. You can then begin scanning a room.
    2. Moving slowly to ensure proper scanning, point your device camera at one wall after another; white lines will show wall detection & scanning. Walls, windows, and doorways will be detected automatically. Additionally, you can point the camera around the room to detect & add objects. 
    3. You can choose to see the floor plan map on the screen in 2D (tap "2D" button) or 3D (tap "3D" button) while scanning. 
    4. Take photos of the space while scanning by tapping the white photo shutter button. These photos will be automatically attached to the correct location of the floor plan. 
  6. Once you have finished scanning a room, tap the red record button again. You will have the option to review your room scan and make sure that all walls have been properly scanned.
    1. Successfully scanned walls will be green, and you can proceed to the next step
    2. Even if all walls may not have been completely captured, Auto-Scan will try to close the room for you to ensure a successful scan.
    3. If Auto-Scan is unable to close the room and the scan was unsuccessful, you will see the following message:
      IncompleteScan
      An orange wall indicates that the wall was not properly scanned. If you proceed with the scanning process, leaving the wall orange, that room will not render in your 2D floor plan. 
  7. Tap "Confirm Scan" to move on to the next step, or "Discard & Rescan" to try again. 
  8. You can then scan another room. Follow steps 4-8. 
    1. You will see the additional room added to the floor plan map on the screen, so you can see the orientation of the entire floor plan before finishing the scan session. 
  9. Once you have scanned all of the rooms, tap "Done".

Post Scanning:

Once you complete your scan, you will see a final "Configure Floor Plan" window that will allow you to further customize your scanned floor plan before it is rendered.

  • Include Objects: Choose which Object categories you want to include in your project. You can include or remove Plumbing Fixtures, Appliances, and Furniture.
    • You can toggle the "Remember my choices" option on or off if you'd like to save your selections for future scans.
  • Session Replay: This feature allows you to save a Video Recording of your scan session for later review. If you choose to disable this feature, it will remain off for future scans. You can turn this back on at any time.
When you've finished configuring your selections, tap "Generate Floor Plan." You will then see your mapped out floor plan in 2D with objects placed in each room.
    1. The floor plan can be edited as normal. 
    2. If the automatically detected objects need to be edited, you can select windows and doors and select the "Swap" option, change the object dimensions, or delete and add objects as needed.

⚠️ Caution: If rooms are missing from the 2D sketch once you complete the Auto-Scan, this means that the room walls did not properly close during the scan. Here are tips we recommend to mitigate the issue:

  • Close room doors to make sure the scan is not capturing adjoining rooms at the same time. 
  • Scan only one room at a time, tapping the red record button when you begin a room and tapping it again to pause the scan once the room is completed.
  • Use Manual-Scan for open floor plans.
  • Add filler rooms for rooms that are missing from the 2D sketch. 

When to Use LiDAR Auto-Scan

The LiDAR Auto-Scan is quick and easy to use, eliminating the need to create each room individually, assemble them together, and add objects manually. Here are scenarios where using LiDAR Auto-Scan is highly recommended:

  • Property with a typical layout
  • Property being mapped out for Inspection
  • Property with little to no demolition currently taking place
  • Great for when you want to capture furniture

Rooms that may be challenging to capture with Auto-Scan, include: open floor plans, stairwells, glass walls, or heavy construction. In these cases, we recommend using one of our Manual-Scan options, detect corners or wall mode with LiDAR. 

For more Auto-Scan information and troubleshooting tips, check out our Auto-Scan FAQ article.