Guides to phone-shot 3D tours
Plain explanations, written to be useful whether or not you ever use VOLUME. Each page opens with the short answer and then shows its work. Nothing here cites customer data, because there is none to cite yet.
Start here
The three long-form pieces: what a splat is, how to shoot for one, and how to get it onto an MLS.
- LearnWhat is a Gaussian splat?
The plain-english explainer: a cloud of light that behaves like the room.
- LearnShooting for reconstruction
Pathing, light, glass, dark fabric, hallways: the failure modes and how to avoid them.
- LearnEmbed a tour on any MLS
Field-by-field guide for the common North American boards, branded vs unbranded.
How it works, what it costs, where it goes
- Learn4 min readVirtual tour from an iPhone video: how it works
How a plain iPhone walkthrough video becomes a walkable 3D tour: frames, camera solve, Gaussian-splat training, and what you get back.
- Learn3 min readHow long should a walkthrough video be for a 3D tour
The right walkthrough length for a 3D reconstruction, by home size. Why 60 seconds is the floor, 5 minutes the ceiling, and what to cut.
- Learn3 min readiPhone vs Android for 3D tour capture
Does the phone matter for a Gaussian-splat tour? What iPhone and Android each do well, which settings to change, and what actually makes the difference.
- Learn3 min readHow to embed a 3D tour in an MLS listing
Where a 3D tour goes in an MLS listing, branded vs unbranded links, why most boards want a URL not an iframe, and how to stay compliant on IDX.
- Learn3 min read3D tour for an Airbnb or short-term rental listing
Where a 3D walkthrough fits in a short-term rental listing, what the platforms allow, how to film a furnished rental, and what to leave out of the frame.
- Learn4 min read3D tours for property managers: vacant unit showings
How property managers use a walkable 3D tour to pre-qualify renters, cut wasted showings, and keep a dated record of every vacant unit.
- Learn4 min readGaussian splats vs 360 photos vs video tours
The three ways to show a property online compared: what each one captures, what the viewer can do, what it costs to make, and where each one breaks.
- Learn4 min readHow much does a 3D virtual tour cost in 2026
What a 3D virtual tour costs across the main options: a scan operator, a camera plus subscription, or a phone-video splat service. No hidden hosting.
- Learn4 min readDo 3D tours help listings? What the evidence says
An honest look at whether 3D tours help a listing: what vendors claim, what buyer surveys suggest, what nobody has measured, and what VOLUME does not know.
- Learn3 min readWhat file do you get from a 3D tour (.ply, .spz)
What a Gaussian-splat tour file actually is, the difference between .ply and .spz, which viewers open them, and what you can and cannot do with it.
- Learn4 min readPrivacy and 3D tours: what gets captured, what to blur
What a 3D walkthrough records that photos do not, what to remove before filming, what VOLUME stores about visitors, and how to limit who can see a tour.
- Learn3 min readTurnaround: what "under an hour" means and when it's longer
What happens between upload and a live tour, why the target is under an hour and not a guarantee, what makes a job slower, and what to do when it is.
When it goes wrong
Diagnose the result, change one thing, reshoot.
- Learn · fix it3 min readWhy your 3D tour came out blurry (and how to reshoot)
The five causes of a soft or smeared Gaussian-splat tour, how to tell which one you hit, and exactly what to change on the reshoot.
- Learn · fix it4 min readShooting a walkthrough in low light for a 3D tour
How to film a walkthrough in a dim room, basement, or at night so it still reconstructs: light sources, exposure lock, pace, and what to skip.
Also
Try it on your next listing.
Your first tour is free, no card at signup. After that a single tour is $79. If a usable walkthrough can't be reconstructed, you're never charged.