Scan a raw space with your phone: LiDAR to floor plan to 3D
You can scan a raw retail space with a phone that has LiDAR and get an accurate floor plan and 3D model from it. SpaceZap takes that scan and turns it into a layout your team can design on. You do not need to wait for a surveyor or for an old drawing to turn up.
Why is the starting drawing such a problem?
Every store project begins with the same question: what exactly is the space? In practice the answer is often unclear. The landlord's drawing may be old. A previous tenant may have moved walls. Columns, level changes and bulkheads may not appear on paper at all.
If the design starts from a wrong outline, the error travels. A fixture that does not fit is found on site, after the design has been approved and ordered. At that point fixing it costs money and days.
The usual remedy is a manual survey. Someone visits with a tape and a laser meter, notes down dimensions and sends them back. It works, but it is slow, and it depends on one person noticing everything. For a chain opening many stores, it becomes a queue.
How does a phone scan work?
Many current phones have a LiDAR sensor. It measures distance to the surfaces around it. As you walk through an empty shell, the phone builds up a picture of the walls, the floor, the columns and the openings.
SpaceZap then takes that scan and converts it into a clean floor plan and a 3D model. You do not need to redraw anything by hand. The plan comes out with dimensions your design team can work from.
If you already have a drawing, you can skip the scan. SpaceZap also accepts a DXF or DWG site outline. Many teams use both: the drawing to start, and a scan to confirm what is really on site.
What can your team do once the scan is a plan?
Once the space is in SpaceZap, the rest of the workflow follows from it. The platform applies your brand rules to the outline and produces a layout. It also builds a 3D view, so you can walk through the store before any work begins.
From the approved layout you can generate the construction set. That includes the drawings contractors build from, which we explain in GFC and MEP dockets explained for retail project teams. It also includes the bill of quantities for procurement.
The advantage is speed at the very start of the project. A site visit of an hour or two can replace days of waiting for survey drawings. A project head can look at a raw space on Monday and review a layout soon after.
- Design teams get a base they can trust and start on sooner.
- Projects teams can check a site quickly before committing to it.
- Expansion heads can compare candidate spaces by looking at how the layout fits each one.
Tips for a clean scan
A good scan starts with a good walk-through. A few habits help.
- Clear the space of loose material where you can.
- Switch on the lights. Daylight and working lights help the phone read surfaces.
- Walk slowly and steadily, and cover every wall and corner.
- Pay attention to columns, steps and any recess. These are the details that cause trouble later.
- Check the main dimensions against one or two tape measurements on site.
That last check is worth doing every time. It takes a couple of minutes and gives your team confidence in the file.
Once the plan is ready, the next question is usually how your standards apply to it. We cover that in brand standards applied to every store. For the full picture of what SpaceZap produces, see the SpaceZap section.
How to get started
- Choose a space. Pick a store that is empty or close to it, ideally one with an upcoming design deadline.
- Scan it. Walk the space with a LiDAR-equipped phone, covering every wall, column and opening.
- Upload the scan. Or upload a DXF or DWG outline if you already have one.
- Check the dimensions. Compare a few key measurements on the generated plan with the real space.
- Move to layout. Review the floor plan and 3D model, then take it into design with your brand rules applied.