Matterport platform partner CAPTUR3D will enhance the viewer experience in 3D immersive home tours through the use of Sketchfab, software for the placement of virtual objects in digital twins, or the 3D, online version of a property.

Matterport issued the new partnership statement a month after releasing Axis, a new hands-free motorized smartphone mount, citing Sketchfab’s power to let users insert home furnishings, artwork, appliances and a host of other items for use in staging and virtual home upgrades.

Objects from Sketchfab can be still or animated, and like all other aspects of a Matterport tour, they can be “walked by” and considered from different angles. The company is known for working with a number of prominent consumer goods manufacturers in the creation and publishing of 3D renderings for marketing, sales and product configuration.

The most popular option for 3D content creation for real estate, Matterport’s network of cooperating technologies continues to grow, enabling the company to evolve from immersive home tours and into an enterprise-level virtual content authorship and facilitation.

“Since launching [our] Platform Partner program in 2021, Matterport has more than 150 partners in its ecosystem, each adding unique overlays and value digital twins,” the company said in a statement.

As part of this latest integration, users can choose to view a digital twin with or without Sketchfab’s staging, as well as pan around virtually staged spaces to view objects from multiple perspectives.

A Matterport iteration of a property is first imported to CAPTUR3D’s interface, where it links to the user’s Sketchfab account. Their object library consists of more than 750,000 downloadable assets, which includes digital avatars to decorative items for enhancing shelves and tables. Any sort of room can be made to look more lived in and stylish, from offices to playrooms and even garages.

Some items within the Sketchfab compendium are free and others are available for purchase.

“We built Sketchfab with a mission to make 3D content more accessible, and our integration with CAPTUR3D and its Matterport-based solutions will empower creators with a wider reach for their content,” said Alban Denoyel, co-founder of Sketchfab, in the statement. “As the adoption of real-time 3D technology continues to increase, our vast online library has the ability to enhance digital twins and accelerate their evolution.”

HomeJab, a digital content and marketing services clearinghouse for the real estate industry, found in a 300-agent study that virtual staging has surpassed actual staging in popularity. Video remains the most popular form of rich listing content.

Video, 3D tours, virtual staging and all forms of digital home-viewing content marketing blossomed from the initial drop in market activity in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the business world.

However, HomeJab also stated that 3D content isn’t everywhere yet, despite the pace of the market.

Nevertheless, Matterport’s Vice President of Business Development & Alliances Conway Chen believes more collaborations with vendors like CAPTUR3D and Sketchfab can make virtual listing content commonplace.

“Leveraging Matterport for their digital twins, CAPTUR3D can evolve its solutions and create new offerings, and deliver more value to our common target customers,” Chen said.

Email Craig Rowe