PortalCam
A spatial capture camera built for visual realism. It turns real spaces into navigable, photorealistic 3D environments you can share with anyone, on any device.
What the PortalCam Is
The PortalCam is a spatial capture device designed for visual realism first. It uses a high-performance LiDAR unit paired with a four-camera array and onboard AI processing to capture space as you walk through it. The result is a richly textured, fully navigable 3D environment that looks like the real place, not a point cloud or a geometric model.
If you have ever delivered a point cloud to a client and watched them struggle to understand what they were looking at, PortalCam solves a different version of that problem. The output is a walkthrough experience that anyone can explore on a browser or mobile device without specialized software or training.
Who Uses It
The PortalCam's primary users are professionals who need to communicate spaces visually, not measure them. Real estate teams creating virtual property tours, architects presenting design contexts to stakeholders, construction teams creating visual progress records for owners who are not on site, facilities managers building navigable records of their buildings, and any professional who regularly explains physical spaces to people who cannot visit them in person.
The PortalCam works exclusively with LCC Studio. It does not produce LAS, E57, or any point cloud format used in CAD or BIM workflows. If your projects require measured point cloud deliverables, the K1 or L2 Pro are the right tools, and they can be paired with LCC Studio for visual deliverables from the same data.
Common Use Cases
How 3D Gaussian Splatting Works
The output from a PortalCam is not a point cloud and not a mesh. It is a Gaussian Splat model, which is a fundamentally different way of representing a captured space.
Traditional point clouds represent space as millions of individual dots. Meshes connect those dots into polygonal surfaces. Both approaches have visible limitations: point clouds look sparse at normal viewing distances, and meshes develop a distinctly artificial polygonal look on curved and organic surfaces. Neither approach handles difficult geometry (foliage, glass, thin structures) particularly well.
Gaussian Splatting represents the scene as millions of overlapping, soft-edged, volumetric ellipsoids instead of discrete points or flat polygons. These ellipsoids blend together to create surfaces that look continuous and photographic. Lighting and reflections are captured as part of the splatting process, so they change dynamically as you navigate through the scene. The result is a model that does not look like a scan. It looks like the real space.
What This Means for Files and Sharing
Gaussian Splat models are highly compressed. LCC format files are 70 to 90% smaller than equivalent PLY files. A model that would be hundreds of gigabytes as a raw point cloud can stream from a URL and load on a smartphone. This is what makes the PortalCam's sharing workflow practical: you process the model in LCC Studio, publish it with one click, and share a link. The recipient clicks it, and the environment loads in their browser.
The PortalCam captures at 856,000 points per second, which provides the dense geometric foundation that produces the highest-quality Gaussian Splat results. More underlying data means smoother surfaces, better handling of complex geometry, and more accurate spatial structure in the final model.
PortalCam vs. LiDAR Scanners (K1 and L2 Pro)
The PortalCam and the Lixel LiDAR scanners are not competing products. They are designed for different primary outputs. The clearest way to understand which tool fits your work is to start with the question: what does your client, stakeholder, or workflow receive at the end?
PortalCam delivers:
- Immersive, photorealistic 3D walkthroughs
- Shareable via URL on any browser or mobile device
- Visual spatial understanding for non-technical audiences
- Fast capture and simple workflow; low learning curve
- Approximately 2 cm relative accuracy for spatial reference
K1 / L2 Pro deliver:
- Measured point clouds for CAD, BIM, and GIS workflows
- Survey-grade georeferencing with RTK
- Industry-standard file formats (LAS, E57, RCP)
- Integration with AutoCAD, Revit, Navisworks
- ±1 to 1.2 cm relative accuracy for dimensional documentation
Many professional workflows use both. The K1 or L2 Pro captures the measured data that goes into BIM and engineering deliverables. The same raw data can also be processed through LCC Studio to produce a visual walkthrough for client communication. If your work includes both measurement-critical deliverables and client-facing visualization, the LiDAR scanners give you both outputs from one capture session. The PortalCam is a dedicated visualization tool that is faster and simpler to deploy when measurement is not required.
PortalCam Accuracy
The PortalCam provides approximately 2 cm relative accuracy. This is sufficient for spatial understanding, visual scale and proportion, and navigable environment experiences. It is not intended for engineering measurement, construction documentation requiring certified tolerances, or CAD-based dimensional work.
The PortalCam is not a survey instrument. Do not use it for projects requiring dimensional accuracy, engineering tolerances, or certified measurement outputs. For those workflows, the K1 (indoor) or L2 Pro (indoor and outdoor) are the appropriate tools.
Hardware Specifications
Software: LCC Scan and LCC Studio
The PortalCam requires 2 apps. LCC Scan is the mobile app used during scanning to control the device, monitor progress, and manage capture sessions. LCC Studio (Lixel CyberColor Studio) is the desktop software used after scanning to process raw data into Gaussian Splat models, review quality, edit, and publish. A LCC Studio subscription is included with every PortalCam package.
The PortalCam Basic package includes a Basic license. The PortalCam Premium package includes a Premium license. The two tiers differ in project scale and the advanced features they unlock. If you purchase the PortalCam Basic and later need Premium capabilities, XGRIDS offers a PortalCam upgrade LCC option that upgrades your current Basic period to Premium. Time is not added to your subscription. Software activation codes are non-refundable.
The Basic License is appropriate for single-property captures, straightforward interior documentation, and projects where each scan session produces one self-contained deliverable. The Premium License is required when capture sessions span multiple battery changes (Map Fusion), when the project exceeds a single segment, or when you need the Revit plugin, SDKs, or advanced visual processing tools.
Package Options
Both packages include the PortalCam camera and a one-year warranty. The difference is the included LCC Studio license tier and battery count.
PortalCam Basic
Single-session capture; Basic LCC Studio included
The complete starting system for straightforward visual capture workflows.
- PortalCam camera
- 2 batteries
- Charger
- Tripod
- Protective cover
- Backpack with Protective Insert
- 1-year subscription to LCC Studio Basic
Best for: Single-property real estate, interior documentation, and capture sessions that fit within a single session.
PortalCam Premium
Multi-segment capture; Premium LCC Studio included
Everything in PortalCam Basic plus the Premium LCC Studio license. Unlocks Map Fusion for multi-session projects, large dataset handling, and the full set of advanced features.
- Everything in PortalCam Basic
- 2 batteries
- 1-year subscription to LCC Studio Premium
Best for: Multi-floor buildings, large commercial properties, clients requiring advanced deliverables, and any workflow where the Basic license limits would be reached regularly.
If you regularly capture spaces larger than a single battery session can cover, or if your deliverables include multi-segment Map Fusion models, the PortalCam Premium is the right choice. The Premium license upgrade is a meaningful capability difference, not just a higher tier label.