Capturing the Unseen: How We Use 360° Photos and Matterport to Document the Toughest Spaces
Embark on a journey of discovery with our transformative 360 Photography. Immerse yourself in a world that transcends boundaries, allowing you to explore sites as if you were there in person. At Field Services Unlimited, we’re always looking for better ways to bring clarity to complex environments. Whether we’re surveying an office building, a retail space, or above-ceiling infrastructure in an active facility, our 360° photography and Matterport scanning have completely changed the way our clients look at their space.
These tools let us give clients not just photos, but context. Instead of trying to piece together a space from a handful of static images, our clients can virtually walk through an entire site, zoom in on key details, and see exactly what we saw during the field visit. Sometimes even more clearly than we did in person thanks to this technology. One of the biggest advantages of this technology is how well it handles difficult conditions. We often work in areas that don’t have ideal lighting; like ceiling plenums, mechanical chases, basements, or unfinished spaces. Traditional photography tends to struggle in these situations, but with HDR and long exposure capabilities built into our 360 cameras, we’re able to capture sharp, detailed images in even the darkest environments. When you need to see what’s above the ceiling grid (ductwork, conduit, sprinkler lines) we can get that shot cleanly, even in the dimmest of conditions.
We’ve developed a workflow that’s fast, accurate, and repeatable. Our field team uses high-quality 360 cameras to quickly document every corner of a space. The result is a series of fully immersive images that can be viewed online, shared with a team, or referenced during design and construction. This is especially helpful for teams working remotely or across multiple offices.
For larger projects or when clients need a deeper level of interaction, we also utilize Matterport, but not for laser scanning. Instead, we utilize Matterport’s photogrammetry technology to create virtual models that act as a lightweight, cost-effective alternative to traditional laser scans. This method uses overlapping photographs to calculate depth and geometry, resulting in a virtual walkthrough with an accuracy typically within about 2 inches of real-world conditions. While it’s not designed to replace high-precision laser scans for engineering-grade documentation, it’s more than accurate enough for coordination, visual reference, and early-stage design—and it comes at a fraction of the cost and time investment.
