9.12 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 Path, 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 install on the viewer's side.

The same build serves property sales (buyers walk a listing remotely), facility management (owners document as-is conditions once and reference them for years), and stakeholder presentations (teams brief people on a site they have not visited). The differences are in viewpoint selection, annotation content, color grading, and access control, all covered in the tutorials below and tuned per audience in Section 13.

This page is a build sequence. Follow the sections in order: plan and capture, process, then author in the LCC Scene Editor one tool at a time until the tour is published. Each tutorial explains what the tool does, when to use it, the exact steps, and the problems that catch first-time builders.

Plan and Capture for the Tour

Tour quality is set in planning and capture, not in editing. Gaps in coverage cannot be filled in the Scene Editor, and a viewpoint can only be placed where the scan actually went. Two decisions set up the capture: which scanner you use, and whether you add a drone.

Which scanner

Pick one scanner for the whole job based on the site. Full hardware specs live in the device modules.

Plan hero viewpoints before unpacking

A hero viewpoint is a location the tour must present well: a Guided Tour point the visitor jumps to, a Flythrough Path stop, or both. Walk the site once and list them. A typical residential listing has 8 to 12; a small commercial building 10 to 16; a facility 20 or more. The audience-specific lists are in the Section 13 tuning tables. Plan them now because the capture path must cover each location from the angle the tour will use.

• Pause at each planned hero viewpoint during capture. Two or three seconds of stationary capture from the intended angle produces materially better viewpoint quality than walking through.
• Pick a scan time that minimizes occupants, vehicles, and direct sun across reflective surfaces. Moving objects degrade reconstruction and cost cleanup time later.
• Capture inside first, then continue outside with the same scanner. Use a continuous primary path with short branches that return to the spine. Device-specific technique lives on 7.2 Advanced PortalCam Scanning and Module 6. A capture that runs past one continuous scene becomes a multi-segment Map Fusion; see 9.3 Map Fusion.

Configuration B only: fusion pads and the drone pass

Aerial-Ground Map Fusion aligns drone imagery to the ground scan using fusion points: ground locations that the drone's takeoff and landing imagery clearly shares with the ground scan path. Plan 4 to 5 takeoff and landing pads distributed around the site, walk the ground scan path through or directly past each pad, then fly the main grid mission and capture the supplementary photo set at each pad. Verify the aerial set before leaving the site: 100 to 10,000 JPG or JPEG images, one consistent resolution above 1024 x 768. Full flight planning, overlap percentages, and gimbal angle live on 6.4 Aerial-Ground Fusion and 9.4 Aerial-Ground Fusion.

Process and Quality Check

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, and Portability optimizes the model for that range. Off produces more realistic lighting but may stutter on mobile.
• Maximum Gaussian Points. Keep within VRAM capacity, typically 25M or below in Single Model mode. In fusion modes the value applies per block and the system auto-adjusts.
• Coordinate System Conversion. Leave on None for indoor-only work. For outdoor RTK capture that must align to GIS or BIM data, pick a target system. With valid RTK the conversion runs automatically; without RTK the model still builds. This replaces the older manual RTK Data toggle.
• 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 and walk through before placing a single viewpoint. Authoring time spent on a model that needs a re-scan is wasted twice.

• 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 Measure 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.

Set Up in the LCC Scene Editor

The LCC Scene Editor is where the reconstructed model becomes a tour. Everything from here to publish happens in it. Open the model from My Projects in LCC Studio, or open the LCC Scene Editor directly and open the project from its home page.

Orient yourself in the interface

• Left toolbar holds the authoring tools this page uses: Viewpoint, Skybox, Annotate, Measure, Flythrough, and Scene Report.
• Editor Mode switch (right of the menu bar) toggles between the editing view and Preview, which shows the final result end users see after publishing. It also opens the Model Editor for point-level work such as color grading and cleanup.
• Asset list (right side) collects every viewpoint, annotation, measurement, and report you create. Click an entry to select it, double-click to jump the 3D view to it, and use the eye icon to show or hide it.
• Properties panel (lower right) is where you edit the selected item's parameters. Every tutorial below ends in this panel.

Learn the camera before authoring

Every viewpoint and path point is saved from the current camera position, so comfortable camera control is the actual authoring skill. Two modes are available while editing:

Camera speed adjusts from 1 to 100 with the slider or Ctrl + scroll wheel, and the setting persists across projects. Turn it up to cross a large scene, down for fine framing. Origin Point jumps the camera back to the scene start position if you get lost.

Know how your work is saved

• Save with Ctrl + S (or File, then Save). Save regularly during an authoring session.
• Auto-save covers projects only. It triggers after 3 minutes of inactivity, then every 10 minutes, and keeps one latest backup in the project's autosave folder for one month. A model opened as a temporary file is not auto-saved; save it as a project before investing authoring time.

The build order

Author in this sequence. Each step builds on the one before it, and the order avoids rework:

1. Guided Tour viewpoints (Section 5). Place the hero locations first; they define the tour.
2. Flythrough Path (Section 6). Build the automated playback along the hero locations.
3. Area Views (Section 7) if the deliverable includes a Scene Report that needs defined-area captures.
4. Annotations (Section 8). Attach the information layer to the finished navigation.
5. Skybox and color grading (Section 9). Set the look after content is in place, so grading decisions see the real tour.
6. Scene Report (Section 10) if the deliverable includes a PDF handout.
7. Preview and test (Section 11), then publish (Section 12).

Tutorial 1: Guided Tour Viewpoints

What it does. A Guided Tour is a set of preset observation points. In the published tour they appear as markers in space: the visitor hovers to see the title and clicks to jump the camera to that exact view. They are the primary way a visitor reaches a hero location, in any order they choose.

When to use it. On every tour, for every hero location. Guided Tour points are the free-exploration layer; the Flythrough Path (next tutorial) is the hands-off playback layer. Most tours use both.

Place a Guided Tour viewpoint

1. Click Viewpoint in the left toolbar. The Viewpoint sidebar opens with tabs for Guided Tour, Flythrough Path, and Area View. Switch to the Guided Tour tab.
2. Move the camera to the hero view you planned, framing the exact position and angle you want the visitor to land on. What you see is what they get.
3. Click Add Point. The current view is saved as a viewpoint.
4. Set the parameters in the properties panel (table below). At minimum, give the point a clear name; the title is what displays to the visitor.
5. Repeat for each hero location from your Section 2 plan.

Guided Tour point properties

Batch apply. Click "Apply this point's settings to all tour points" to push the current point's settings to every unlocked point. Set your standard camera motion once, apply it to all, then lock and customize the exceptions. This is the fast path to a consistent feel across 10 or more points.

Best practices and common problems

• Frame at human eye height for interior points. A viewpoint saved from a camera floating near the ceiling reads as a surveillance angle, not a showing. Walk to the spot in First-Person mode and frame from where a person would stand.
• One point per hero location, not per room corner. A cluttered marker field makes the tour feel like work. If a space needs two angles, it is usually one Guided Tour point plus a Flythrough Path stop.
• Blurry or thin reconstruction at the framed view is a capture problem, not an authoring problem. Reframe from a better-reconstructed angle, or accept the re-scan. No viewpoint setting improves the underlying model.
• Batch apply overwrote a hand-tuned point? That point was not locked. Undo (Ctrl + Z), lock it, and re-run the batch.

Tutorial 2: Flythrough Path

What it does. A Flythrough Path is a continuous route of saved views that plays as an automatic animation: the camera flies from point to point, holds at each one, and displays your captions. In the published tour it plays automatically when the scene opens, loops after the last point, and the visitor can pause and resume. You can also render the same route as a standalone video file.

When to use it. Whenever the tour needs a narrative: a listing walkthrough, a briefing playback, a first impression that guides the visitor before they explore on their own. Skip it only for reference deliverables (many FM users prefer to click Guided Tour points themselves).

Build the route

1. Open Viewpoint and switch to the Flythrough Path tab. Click New Route and name it (up to 50 characters). A project holds up to 10 routes, so you can build one route per audience from the same model.
2. Move the camera to the first view of your narrative and click Add Point. A thumbnail is captured automatically and appears in the point list at the bottom of the sidebar.
3. Repeat along the hero sequence. New points join the end of the route with a smooth connection to the previous point.
4. Reorder by pressing and dragging thumbnails in the point list. Click a thumbnail to fly the camera to that point's view; hover one to reveal its delete button.
5. Select each point and set its properties (table below): dwell, transition, caption, and camera motion.
6. Use the timeline at the bottom of the editor to review the result. Play, pause, and stop are on the timeline, with the route's total duration displayed. Watch the full run and fix pacing before moving on.

Flythrough point properties

Render the route as a video (optional)

With a route selected, use its render option to export the playback as a video file: 1080p, 2K, or 4K, at 30 or 60 FPS, MP4 with H.264 or H.265, saved to a local folder or added to the render queue, in Gaussian or point cloud display. Use the video for MLS listings, social posts, and briefings where the recipient will not interact with a model. The render button is disabled while the route has no points.

Best practices and common problems

• Follow a walkable route. The camera flies point to point in a straight line, so consecutive points separated by a wall produce a fly-through-the-wall moment. Order points along the path a person would walk, and use Jump for the unavoidable long hops.
• Playback feels rushed? The fix is transition time, not dwell time. Lengthen the transitions between points before touching the dwells.
• Preview playback starts on its own. That is the design: the path plays automatically on entering preview if one exists, and loops after the last point. Pausing and pressing Play resumes from the nearest point.
• Build the client route last. Rough in the point sequence, watch it end to end on the timeline, then polish captions and timing. Caption edits on a sequence you later reorder are wasted work.

Tutorial 3: Area View

What it does. An Area View records a positioned view with a sightline range over a defined footprint. Unlike a Guided Tour point, it carries an area: you set a length and width, and the covered area value calculates automatically. Its documented role is as a screenshot source for Scene Reports.

When to use it. When the deliverable includes a Scene Report (Section 10) and the report needs defined-area captures: an overview of a floor, a yard, a work zone, or any region where the report should show the extent, not just a camera angle. If the deliverable is the published tour alone, you can skip Area Views entirely; visitors navigate with Guided Tour points.

Create and configure

Open Viewpoint in the left toolbar and switch to the Area View tab. Create the view over the region you want captured, then set its properties in the properties panel:

When you assemble the Scene Report in Section 10, the report can pull from the viewpoint data you created here. Create Area Views for each region the report should document, then move on.

Tutorial 4: Annotations

What it does. Annotations are clickable markers attached to points on the model surface. A Display Annotation opens a card with a title, body text, media, and a link. A Transition Annotation moves the visitor to another scene, which is how a multi-scene project connects into one navigable experience.

When to use it. Display Annotations carry the information layer: square footage and finishes on a listing, equipment IDs and CMMS links on an FM model, milestone notes on a briefing. Transition Annotations only appear on genuine multi-scene projects, such as a campus of separate building models or a separate interior and exterior.

Add a Display Annotation

1. Click Annotate in the left toolbar to enter annotation mode.
2. Click the point on the model surface where the marker belongs: the front door, the equipment nameplate, the feature you are calling out. You can drag the point in the 3D view later to fine-tune placement.
3. Choose Display Annotation.
4. Fill in the content in the properties panel: pick the icon style and color, write the title (required, up to 50 characters) and body (up to 1,000 characters), attach media, and paste a URL in the Link field if the card should link out.
5. Repeat for each marker, then click Annotate again to exit annotation mode.

Two ways to attach media, up to 5 items per annotation. Snapshot captures views of the model itself: click Snapshot, adjust the view, and capture. File attaches external JPEG, PNG, or MP4 files at 500 MB or less each: spec sheets saved as images, before photos, equipment videos. Snapshots are the fast path for "look at this from the other side" context; files bring in everything the scan cannot show.

Prefix annotation titles so collaborators can scan the model: ISSUE: for problems, INFO: for context, SPEC: for fixed-fact references. The convention pays off on any model with more than a handful of annotations.

Edit, hide, and remove

• Edit by clicking the annotation in the asset list or the 3D scene; its content opens directly in the properties panel. Drag the point in the 3D view to reposition it.
• Hide or show an individual annotation with the eye icon on its asset-list entry. The Annotate toolbar button only creates annotations; it does not control visibility.
• Delete by selecting the annotation and pressing Delete, or right-click and choose Delete.

Link separate models as a multi-scene tour

Use this only when the interior and exterior exist as two finished models that cannot be combined into one. Reconstruction builds a model from raw scan data, not from finished models, so two models that are already processed cannot be re-fused the way Map Fusion stitches raw segments. One continuous capture walked inside to outside (Configuration A) always makes the better tour, because the visitor walks through the door instead of jumping. Reach for linked scenes only when the separate models already exist and merging is not an option.

1. Open the exterior model and build its Guided Tour and annotations, the same way as a single-scene tour.
2. Click Annotate, click the entry surface such as the front door, and choose Transition Annotation. Set the title, then set the transition target to a new scene added from local storage, and select the interior model.
3. Switch to the interior scene from the Scene dropdown in the Global Settings Area at the top left, then build its Guided Tour and annotations.
4. In the interior scene, add a return Transition Annotation with its target set to the existing exterior scene.
5. Publish once. The visitor clicks the entry marker to move inside and the return marker to come back out, with no separate files to open.

Full Transition Annotation and multi-scene steps are on 9.9 Scene Editor Tools.

Best practices and common problems

• Annotation density is an audience decision. A listing wants a handful of clean callouts; an FM model wants one per asset. Over-annotating a sales tour makes it read like an inspection report.
• Write body text for the click, not the hover. The visitor hovers for brief info and clicks for the full card. Put the essential fact in the title, detail in the body.
• An annotation "missing" in playback is not missing. Annotations turn off while a Flythrough Path plays. Stop playback and the markers return.

Tutorial 5: Skybox and Color Grading

What they do. Skybox replaces the scene background with a preset matching a time of day or weather. Color grading adjusts the model's brightness, contrast, saturation, and color balance. Together they set the look. Do this after the content is in place, so grading decisions are made against the real tour.

Apply a Skybox

1. Click Skybox in the left toolbar to open the settings panel.
2. Preview the preset templates and apply the one that matches the framing you want.

Color grade in the Model Editor

Color grading is a Model Editor function. From the Scene Editor, switch Editor Mode to Model Editor, select the model, then open Color grading from the left toolbar, the Edit menu, or the Properties panel. Drag the sliders; the view updates in real time, adjustments save automatically, and every slider resets to default. When you return to the main editor, the changes sync back automatically and publish directly, with no export-and-reimport step.

Whole model or local region. With the model selected, grading applies to the entire model. With a selector region active, grading applies only to the selection: brighten one dark room, or correct an exposure mismatch between capture segments. Whole-model and local grading stack. Selector technique lives on 9.10 Model Editor Tools.

Grade for the audience

• Sales tours benefit from slightly elevated brightness and warm saturation, which read as inviting. Verify rooms still look like the in-person space rather than oversaturated.
• FM tours stay neutral so technicians see actual conditions rather than a marketing render.
• Stakeholder presentations match whichever framing the audience expects: neutral for construction status, warmer for heritage and design intent.

Tutorial 6: Scene Report

What it does. A Scene Report organizes the project's 3D Layout and Guided Tour content into a template and generates a viewable, publishable report, exported locally as JPEG or PDF. It can optionally include viewpoint and measurement data.

When to use it. When the deliverable includes a document alongside the link: a listing handout or open-house leave-behind, a permanent as-is record at FM handoff (useful in dispute resolution or insurance claims), or the briefing document for attendees who could not access the interactive tour. The 3D Layout floor plan is available only if Spatial Recognition was enabled during reconstruction; see 9.11 Floor Plans.

Create and export

1. Click Scene Report in the left toolbar to open the report editing panel.
2. Enter the title (required, up to 50 characters) and details (up to 1,000 characters). Write both for the recipient: project name, address, scan date, scope.
3. Check 3D Layout if the project has one, and select the viewpoint or measurement data to include. This is where the Area Views from Section 7 and any exported measurements earn their place.
4. Click Confirm to create the report.
5. Select the report in the asset list to preview and edit it in the properties panel, then export it as JPEG or PDF from the same panel.

After publishing, reports need a sync. If you edit a report on a project that is already published, use Update to push the latest report through. An edited report does not propagate on its own.

Preview and Test

Switch Editor Mode to Preview. Preview shows the final result end users see after publishing, so this is the dress rehearsal: test everything here, as the client will experience it, before the link goes out.

Run the visitor's experience

1. Let the Flythrough Path play end to end. It starts automatically on entering preview. Watch for geometric glitches, jarring transitions, caption typos, and sequence errors. Confirm it loops cleanly.
2. Click every Guided Tour marker. Confirm each lands on the framed view, the hover title reads correctly, and no marker is orphaned in a badly reconstructed area.
3. Open every annotation. Check titles, body text, media, and links. Broken links and typos survive to the published tour.
4. Walk the scene in Avatar mode with the Collider on. Avatar mode browses as a virtual character (W A S D, Space to jump, click a target to auto-walk), and the Collider makes walls and floors block movement like real space. This is the closest match to how a buyer or facility crew will experience the tour. Note that measurement and annotation are unavailable in Avatar mode; that is expected, not a defect.
5. Spot-check the professional toolbar. Viewpoint list, annotation list, temporary measurement, and the Scene Report (the report button is hidden when no report exists).

Publish and Deliver

You do not export a file to share a tour. Publishing pushes the project to XGRIDS cloud hosting and returns a shareable Web Viewer link. Anyone with the link opens the tour in a browser, tablet, or phone with no install. That link is the deliverable.

Publish the tour

1. From the Menu Bar, click File, then Publish, or use the quick-publish button on the project card from the LCC Scene Editor homepage.
2. Choose access. Password-Free sharing lets anyone with the link view. Encrypted sharing requires a password, which you can set yourself or have the system generate.
3. Set a model description if the recipient benefits from context, such as listing address, project name, scan date, and scope. The description displays alongside the model in the Web Viewer.
4. Click Create to generate the model link.
5. Click Share to copy the link and the password, if any, for delivery.

Choose the access control for the audience

Manage the published tour

Open Publish Management from the project card. From there you can change the URL suffix for an easier-to-share link, switch between Password-Free and Encrypted or change the password, update the description, and control whether the link is publicly accessible. After editing a published project, use Update on the project card to sync the latest content to the Web Viewer; edits do not propagate on their own. Use View online to open the live link yourself.

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 Scene Editor. Use when data-sensitivity requirements preclude cloud hosting.
• Export as PLY. Standard open 3DGS format. Use when the recipient operates outside the XGRIDS ecosystem.
• Render a Flythrough Path video (Section 6). Use for non-interactive contexts such as MLS video listings and social posts.
• Export the Scene Report as PDF (Section 10). 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 suits clients with strict data-residency or branding requirements and is licensed separately.

Export-format details and selection 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 Guided Tour viewpoint placed and framed correctly.
• The Flythrough Path plays end to end without geometric glitches, jarring transitions, or sequence errors, and loops cleanly.
• Coverage is complete in every space the tour visits. No floating geometry, holes, or missing surfaces in viewpoint framing.
• Moving objects, such as people, vehicles, pets, or equipment in motion during the scan, are cleaned up with the Model Editor 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 if more than 10 annotations exist.
• Access control matches the audience's sensitivity. Password set, recorded, and shared securely if Encrypted.
• Model description is filled in and reads like context the recipient needs, not a placeholder.
• The published link opens in a fresh browser session, with no cached login, and loads to the correct landing view.
• If a Scene Report or Flythrough Path 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.