9.11 Virtual Tour Workflow

What a Virtual Tour Delivers

A virtual tour is a published 3DGS model with a curated set of viewpoints, an optional automated flythrough sequence, and clickable annotations. Viewers open it in a browser, walk through the space at their own pace, and read context attached to specific locations. No software install required on the viewer's side.

The same workflow serves three audiences:

• Property sales. Buyers walk a listing remotely. Annotations call out finishes, square footage, and feature upgrades. Avatar Mode produces an immersive walkthrough that feels closer to an in-person showing than a video tour or 360 photo set.
• Facility management. Owners and operators document the as-is condition of a building once and reference it for years. Annotations link equipment IDs, maintenance notes, and service URLs to specific locations. The Measurement tool gives field crews approximate distances and clearances without revisiting the site.
• Stakeholder presentations. Project teams brief executives, agencies, or boards on a site they have not visited. A Guided Tour plays an automated narrative flythrough. A Scene Report compiles floor plans and key viewpoints into a single PDF deliverable.

All three are built from the same capture and the same LCC project. The differences are in viewpoint selection, annotation content, color grading, and access control. Section 8 covers tuning for each audience.

Choosing the Capture Configuration

Two configurations cover the majority of tour projects. Both pair a ground capture path with a drone aerial pass. The decision turns on the size of the exterior, the structural detail required, and the kit you can bring to the site.

Quick selection guide

Pre-Capture Planning

The quality of a virtual tour is set in planning, not in editing. Two decisions need to be made before any device is unpacked: where the hero viewpoints will be, and where the aerial-ground fusion points will sit.

Identify hero viewpoints first

A hero viewpoint is a saved Navigation Viewpoint that the tour visitor lands on directly, and a Guided Tour Viewpoint that the automated flythrough stops at. Plan these in advance so the capture path covers each location from the angle the tour will use.

• Property sales hero viewpoints typically include the street view or driveway approach, the front entry, the primary living space, the kitchen, the primary bedroom and bath, any feature spaces such as a home office or finished basement, the rear yard or patio, and any view corridor that is part of the listing's value.
• Facility management hero viewpoints typically include each major equipment room, electrical and mechanical service points, roof access, fire suppression risers, communication closets, and common circulation paths that maintenance crews use.
• Stakeholder presentation hero viewpoints follow the project narrative. For a construction status briefing, that is the sequence of work in progress. For a heritage project, it is the elements that justify the scope. For an executive briefing, it is the before-and-after framing.

A typical residential listing has 8 to 12 hero viewpoints. A small commercial building has 10 to 16. A campus or facility may have 20 or more across multiple scenes.

Place fusion points for the aerial-ground link

Aerial-Ground Map Fusion in LCC Studio aligns drone imagery to the ground scan using fusion points: locations on the ground that the drone's takeoff and landing imagery clearly shares with the ground scan path. The full requirements for fusion-point placement, drone overlap percentages, and gimbal angle live on 6.4 Aerial-Ground Fusion and 9.4 Aerial-Ground Fusion Processing. The summary for tour planning:

• Plan 4 to 5 takeoff and landing pads distributed around the site so the drone has fusion anchors at the full extent of the model, not clustered at one corner.
• The ground scan path must pass through or directly past each pad so the same physical location appears in both the ground and aerial data.
• At each pad, capture the supplementary takeoff and landing photo set required by LCC Studio. Uploading only the aerial mapping photos without the takeoff and landing folder produces degraded results or reconstruction failure.

Plan the capture sequence

• Walk the site once before unpacking. Confirm hero viewpoints, fusion pad locations, lighting at the planned scan time, and any access constraints.
• Pick a scan time that minimizes occupants, vehicles, and direct sun across reflective surfaces. Moving objects degrade reconstruction and waste capture time on cleanup later.
• Confirm drone airspace clearance per FAA Part 107 for the site and time window. Verify weather. Verify battery counts for ground and aerial.

Capture Sequence

The order matters. Interior first, then ground exterior, then aerial. Doing it out of order is possible but adds reprocessing risk if a segment fails and the team has already left the site.

Interior capture (PortalCam, both configurations)

• Hold record for the static initialization period the LCC Scan app prompts for before walking.
• Walk at a consistent pace below the speed warning the app displays.
• Use a continuous primary path through the main spaces, with short branches into secondary rooms that return to the spine. Avoid isolated islands.
• Pause at each planned hero viewpoint long enough to capture it from multiple angles. Two or three seconds of stationary capture at each location produces materially better viewpoint quality than walking through.
• Cover corners and edges of every room first, then fill the center.
• For multi-floor projects, end one segment at the top of a staircase and start the next at the bottom. Avoid scanning stairs in the middle of a long segment where SLAM drift could compound.

Detailed PortalCam scanning technique lives on 7.2 Advanced PortalCam Scanning. Multi-segment interiors require Map Fusion planning per 7.4 PortalCam Map Fusion.

Ground exterior capture

Configuration A. Continue with PortalCam outside. Walk the exterior perimeter at the same pace, keep the device at consistent height, and ensure the path passes through each planned fusion pad. Cover any feature spaces, such as patios, decks, and outbuildings, as additional branches.

Configuration B. Switch to L2 Pro or K2 for the exterior sweep. Full L2 Pro field technique lives in Module 6. The exterior capture targets the building envelope, the site, and any structures the drone will not adequately resolve from above. K2 captures are limited to 90 minutes per Single Model. L2 Pro segments follow Map Fusion rules if the exterior requires more than one segment.

Aerial capture (drone, both configurations)

Drone flight planning is documented in 6.4 Aerial-Ground Fusion, which is the home page for overlap percentages, gimbal angle, and GSD targets. The summary for tour use:

• Fly the main grid mission first to cover the full site at flight height.
• Revisit each fusion pad and capture the supplementary photo set required for aerial-ground alignment. Photograph from the pad upward through multiple heights to flight altitude, from three directions around the pad, with consistent overlap.
• Verify the aerial photo set against LCC Studio's requirements before leaving the site: 100 to 10,000 JPG or JPEG images, consistent resolution at 1024 x 768 or greater. Mixed resolutions or formats cause processing failure.

Processing in LCC Studio

The reconstruction mode is dictated by the configuration.

Processing settings for tour-grade output

• Quality. Standard is the correct setting for first-attempt tour processing. Slow produces higher visual fidelity but extends processing time. Use Slow only when the project will be presented at large screen sizes or in detail-critical contexts.
• Portability. Set to On for tours. The published Web Viewer link runs across desktop, tablet, and phone. Portability optimizes the model for that range of devices. Off produces more realistic lighting effects but may stutter on mobile.
• Max Gaussian Points. Keep within VRAM capacity, typically 25M or below in Single Model mode. In fusion modes, the value applies per chunk and the system auto-adjusts.
• RTK Data. Auto is the default. Use Disabled only if RTK is causing reconstruction instability and you have confirmed the segment in Pre-Reconstruction Point Cloud Preview.
• HD Enhancement. Consider enabling for one or two key areas where close-range texture matters: signage, equipment labels, decorative facades, MEP nameplates. The supplementary photo set must come from a single consistent camera. See 9.5 HD Enhancement.

Quality check before authoring

Open the processed model in the LCC Studio viewer or LCC Editor and walk through before placing a single viewpoint.

• Coverage. Every planned hero viewpoint location must be present and well reconstructed. Gaps cannot be filled in editing.
• Boundaries. In Aerial-Ground Map Fusion output, inspect the building envelope where ground geometry meets aerial geometry. Discontinuities indicate fusion-point issues from capture.
• Reconstruction artifacts. Floating geometry, blurry surfaces, and inconsistent density typically indicate scan-time problems such as excessive speed or insufficient loop closure.
• Dimensional sanity. Use the Measurement tool on a known dimension. Significant deviation from the actual value indicates SLAM drift across the segment and may require a rescan for accuracy-critical work.

Authoring the Tour in LCC Editor

The LCC Editor is where a reconstructed 3DGS model becomes a navigable tour. Open the model from My Projects in LCC Studio, then build viewpoints, the Guided Tour sequence, annotations, and optionally a Scene Report. Save as a project, then publish.

Place Navigation Viewpoints

Navigation Viewpoints appear in View mode as clickable ground indicators that snap the camera to a preset angle. They are the primary way visitors jump to a hero location.

1. Click Viewpoint in the toolbar to enter viewpoint creation mode.
2. Click the floor location where the viewpoint should sit. Select Navigation Viewpoint.
3. Set the title (20 characters or fewer; the title displays in View mode).
4. Adjust height (0.1 m to 3 m, default 1.7 m). Standing eye level is the default. Lower the height for child or seated perspectives if the tour includes accessibility framing.
5. Use the real-time preview to confirm the view direction matches the hero shot you planned. Adjust until the framing is correct.
6. Click Confirm. The viewpoint appears in the Asset List and as a translucent ground indicator at the location.

Place one Navigation Viewpoint per hero location identified in planning. Visitors will click these in any order they choose.

Build the Guided Tour

The Guided Tour is an automated flythrough that plays the planned narrative without visitor input. It runs in View mode and in the published Web Viewer. Set Guided Tour Viewpoints in the order you want the camera to visit them.

1. Click Viewpoint, click the location, and select Guided Tour Viewpoint.
2. Set the title and an optional body caption (up to 100 characters). The caption displays as a text overlay during playback. Use it for room labels in sales tours, asset IDs in FM tours, or narrative beats in stakeholder briefings.
3. Set order. The system assigns sequence numbers as you place viewpoints. You can adjust the order from the Asset List.
4. Set transition mode. Jump cuts directly to the next viewpoint. Linear animates the camera between viewpoints. Linear is the default choice for tours; Jump is appropriate when consecutive viewpoints are far apart and a linear animation would be slow or visually noisy.
5. Set transition time and dwell time. Transition is the duration of the animated move (3 to 10 seconds). Dwell is the time the camera holds at the viewpoint (3 to 10 seconds). For a residential listing, 4 second transitions and 5 second dwells produce a comfortable pace.
6. Use the screenshot button in the preview window to capture a still of each Guided Tour Viewpoint into the Media Render list. These stills become marketing assets for property sales, slide images for stakeholder decks, and reference photos for FM.

A complete Guided Tour for a residential listing is typically 12 to 18 viewpoints. A facility management tour is often 20 to 30 viewpoints distributed across each major system.

Add annotations

Annotations are clickable markers in the scene. Each carries a title (20 characters or fewer), body text (up to 1,000 characters), up to 5 media files (JPEG, PNG, or MP4 at 500 MB or less each), and an optional URL. They are the most flexible way to layer context on the tour.

• Property sales annotations. Square footage at the entry to each room. Finish details on appliances and fixtures. Year of renovation on improved spaces. Optional URL to the listing page or scheduling link.
• Facility management annotations. Equipment ID and serial on each major asset. URL to the CMMS work-order entry. Maintenance schedule. Service contractor contact. Last inspection date.
• Stakeholder presentation annotations. Project milestone notes. Issue or change-order references. Before-and-after photos as attached media. Spec sheet PDFs as attached media. Links to the project intranet.

Annotation labels respond to prefixes that help collaborators scan the model. Use ISSUE: for problems, INFO: for context, and SPEC: for fixed-fact references. The convention pays off on any model with more than a handful of annotations.

Add a Scene Report if the deliverable includes a PDF

Scene Report compiles selected viewpoints, optional measurement data, and a 3D Layout floor plan if Spatial Recognition was enabled during reconstruction. It exports as JPEG or PDF.

• For property sales, a Scene Report PDF can serve as the listing handout or open-house leave-behind.
• For facility management, the Scene Report is a permanent record of the as-is condition at handoff, useful in dispute resolution or insurance claims.
• For stakeholder presentations, the Scene Report is the document version of the briefing for attendees who could not access the interactive tour.

Apply Color Grading and Skybox last

Color Grading adjusts brightness, contrast, and saturation in real time and syncs across the local viewer and the published Web Viewer. Skybox replaces the environment background with a preset matching time of day or weather.

• Sales tours benefit from slightly elevated brightness and warm saturation, which read as inviting on listing photos.
• FM tours stay closer to neutral so technicians see actual conditions rather than a marketing render.
• Stakeholder presentations match whichever framing the audience expects.

Delivery

The LCC Editor publishes the project to XGRIDS cloud hosting and returns a shareable Web Viewer link. Anyone with the link opens the tour in a desktop browser, tablet, or phone with no install.

Publish from the LCC Editor

1. From the Menu Bar, click File, then Publish. Or click the quick publish button on the project card from the LCC Editor homepage.
2. Choose access control. Unprotected sharing allows anyone with the link to view. Protected sharing requires a password.
3. Set a model description if the recipient benefits from context (listing address, project name, scan date, scope). The description displays alongside the model in the Web Viewer.
4. Click Create. The system generates a model link.
5. Click Share to copy the link and password (if protected) for delivery to the recipient.

Manage the published model

Open Publish Management from the project card. From there you can:

• Change the URL suffix for an easier-to-share link.
• Toggle password protection on or off.
• Update the description.
• Unpublish the model to revoke access without deleting the local file.
• Sync edits made in the Editor (annotations, color grading) to the published version through Update Publication. Geometry changes such as cropping require republishing.

Choose the right access control for the audience

Alternative delivery formats

The published Web Viewer link is the default delivery. Other options when the recipient cannot or will not use a hosted link:

• Export as LCC or LCC2. Send the model file. The recipient opens it in LCC Studio or the LCC Editor. Use when the recipient has data-sensitivity requirements that preclude cloud hosting.
• Export as PLY. Standard open 3DGS format. Use when the recipient operates outside the XGRIDS ecosystem.
• Render a Spatial Flythrough video. Capture the Guided Tour path as a video file. Use for non-interactive contexts such as MLS video listings, social media posts, or stakeholder briefings where the recipient will not interact with a model.
• Export the Scene Report as PDF. Use as a permanent handout, MLS attachment, or printed leave-behind.
• Self-hosted Web Viewer. XGRIDS offers a private-deployment package that runs the Web Viewer on the customer's own infrastructure. This option suits clients with strict data-residency or branding requirements and is licensed separately.

Export-format details, including USDZ and 3D Tiles requirements, live on 9.7 Export Formats.

Use Case Quick Reference

The same underlying tour can be tuned to each audience with adjustments in viewpoints, annotations, color grading, and access control. The defaults below produce a solid first deliverable for each audience.

Property sales tuning

Facility management tuning

Stakeholder presentation tuning

Quality Bar Before Delivery

Run this checklist before sharing the published link or sending the export. Each item is recoverable while you still have the project file open. Most are not recoverable after the recipient has the link.

• Every planned hero viewpoint has a Navigation Viewpoint placed and framed correctly.
• The Guided Tour plays end to end without geometric glitches, jarring transitions, or sequence errors.
• Coverage is complete in every space the tour visits. No floating geometry, holes, or missing surfaces in viewpoint framing.
• Moving objects (people, vehicles, pets, equipment in motion during the scan) are cleaned up using the Selector tools, or annotated as known artifacts if they cannot be removed cleanly.
• Color grading is set for the target audience and matches the framing of the tour.
• Annotations are accurate, free of typos, and use the prefix convention (ISSUE, INFO, SPEC) if more than 10 annotations exist.
• Access control matches the audience's sensitivity. Password set, written down, and shared securely if protected.
• Model description is filled in and reads like context the recipient needs, not a placeholder.
• The published link opens in a fresh browser session (no cached login) and loads to the correct landing viewpoint.
• If a Scene Report or Spatial Flythrough video is part of the deliverable, both have been generated, reviewed, and named with the project convention.
• Original raw scan data and the LCC project file are backed up to the project archive before delivery.