How to 3D Scan Your Home

A complete guide to capturing your space. No experience needed — just your phone, a free app, and 10–15 minutes per room.

Average scan time: 10–15 minutes per room

What You'll Need

Three things to get started — you probably already have two of them.

A Compatible Smartphone or Tablet

iPhone 12 Pro or newer (with LiDAR) gives the best results. iPhone 8+ and ARCore-compatible Android devices (most 2019+ phones) work in photo/photogrammetry mode. Check the app links below for specific device compatibility.

The REMODPOD Scanning App

Our own one-tap scanning app is free on the App Store — it scans, builds your model, and delivers everything to our team automatically. No LiDAR iPhone? The free Polycam app works too. Details below.

10–15 Minutes Per Room

Walk slowly through each room you want renovated. The app guides you in real time. Most people nail it on their first try.

Scanning Apps

The REMODPOD app is live and free on the App Store — and if your iPhone doesn't have LiDAR, one free alternative gets the job done.

REMODPOD Scanning App →

Free on the App Store

Built by our team for exactly one job: getting a design-ready scan of your home to our designers. One guided walkthrough captures your rooms; the app builds the 3D model and floor plan and delivers it to us automatically. No exports, no file formats, no upload step.

iPhone / iPad Pro with LiDAR
Automatic delivery — no upload needed
3D model + 2D floor plan, CAD-ready
Scan processing included free ($149 value)

Polycam →

If You Don't Have LiDAR

Our recommended alternative when your phone can't run the REMODPOD app. Photo mode works on most iPhones and Androids, easy export in the formats we accept — you upload the file to us and third-party scan processing is $149.

iPhone 8+ / Android 8.0+
LiDAR on iPhone Pro / iPad Pro
Exports .ply, .obj, .glb
Some exports require paid plan

Not sure if your device is compatible? Check the LiDAR-equipped iPhones & iPads list or the ARCore-supported Android devices list.

Step-by-Step Scanning Guide

Follow these steps for a scan our designers can work with.

1

Get Your Scanning App

Download the free REMODPOD app and this step is just "open and tap scan" — it handles the model, the floor plan, and delivery to our team in one guided flow. If your iPhone doesn't have LiDAR, install the free Polycam app instead and create an account if prompted. Either way, do a quick test scan of a small area like a desk or countertop to get a feel for it.

2

Prepare the Space

Turn on all the lights in the rooms you want to scan. Open blinds and curtains for extra natural light. Clear any major clutter from floors and surfaces — the scan captures everything it sees, so a tidy room means cleaner data for our designers.

Pro Tip: You don't need to empty the room. Furniture and fixtures help our designers understand the space. Just remove things like laundry baskets, pet toys, and shoes.
3

Start Scanning

Open the app and select "Room Scan" or "LiDAR Scan" mode. Hold your device at chest height and slowly walk through the room, sweeping your phone side to side in smooth, overlapping passes. Move at a steady walking pace — like you're giving someone a video tour.

Pro Tip: Walk in a slow loop around the room's perimeter first, then make a pass through the center. Overlap your coverage by at least 30% for the best results.
4

Capture Key Details

Pause at windows, doors, outlets, and built-in features to let the scanner capture them clearly. Get close to countertops, cabinets, and any areas you specifically want renovated. For kitchens and bathrooms, make sure to scan inside corners and behind fixtures where possible.

Pro Tip: If you're planning a structural change (wall removal, addition), scan the rooms on both sides of the wall, plus the exterior if accessible.
5

Review Your Scan

When you're done, the app will process your scan into a 3D model. Rotate it around and check for any missing walls, large holes, or areas that look warped or incomplete. If you spot gaps, you can usually re-scan just that area and the app will merge the data.

6

Export & Upload

Export your scan in this priority order:

  • REMODPOD app users (at launch): skip this step entirely — your scan delivers to us automatically the moment you finish
  • Best: .dwg or .dxf — CAD floor plan exports drop directly into our design tools (Polycam Pro offers this)
  • Also excellent: point cloud as .e57 or .las — the most accurate for measurements
  • Great: .obj with textures — zip the .obj, .mtl, and any texture image files together into one .zip — or .glb (single file, no zipping)
  • iPhone native: .usdz — what most iPhone scans produce directly

Sending a .dwg/.dxf? Include your 3D scan file too — the floor plan gives us dimensions, the scan shows us the space.

Can't find these options? Send whatever your app exports — we accept .gltf, .ply, .fbx, .dae, .stl, .pts, .xyz, .ifc, .dwg, and .zip too.

Head to our upload page and drop in your file (or paste the link).

Pro Tip: If your file is larger than 100 MB, our OneDrive upload handles it cleanly — up to 250 GB per file. Don't worry about file size.

Scanning Tips

Quick do's and don'ts for a great scan.

Turn on all the lights

Bright, even lighting produces the best scans. Open blinds and turn on overhead lights.

Don't rush

Moving too fast causes blur and gaps. Walk slowly and steadily — think "museum pace."

Overlap your passes

Cover each area from multiple angles. 30% overlap between passes eliminates blind spots.

Don't scan mirrors or glass

Reflective surfaces confuse LiDAR. Cover large mirrors with a towel if they're in the scan area.

Scan adjacent rooms

Walk through doorways into connecting rooms so our designers understand the full layout.

Don't point at the ceiling the whole time

Keep the phone at chest height angled slightly down. The sensor captures above and below your aim point.

Take reference photos

Snap a few regular photos of details you care about — finishes, fixtures, problem areas.

Don't scan with pets or people moving

Movement creates ghost artifacts. Keep pets and family out of the scanning zone.

File Formats — What to Export

Our top pick is a .dwg or .dxf export — it drops directly into our CAD tools with zero conversion. Pair it with your 3D scan file (point cloud or textured mesh): the plan gives us dimensions, the scan shows us the space.

Format
Description
Status
.dwg / .dxf
CAD floor plan exports — drop straight into our design tools. Send alongside your 3D scan.
Best
.e57 / .las / .laz
Point cloud — the most accurate for measurements. Exported by pro scanners (Leica, FARO) and the paid tiers of most scanning apps.
Preferred
.obj + .mtl (zipped)
Textured mesh — preserves color and materials. Zip the .obj, .mtl, and texture files together.
Preferred
.glb
Modern single-file format with embedded textures. Great fallback if your app doesn't offer OBJ.
Preferred
.usdz
Apple's native format. Most iPhone/iPad scanning apps export this directly.
Preferred
.gltf
Same as .glb but split into multiple files. Zip them together before upload.
Accepted
.ply / .pts / .xyz
Raw point formats — work fine; we convert them on our end.
Accepted
.fbx / .dae / .stl / .ifc
Interchange formats. All accepted — send what your app gives you.
Accepted
.zip
Always use ZIP if your export has multiple files (OBJ + MTL + textures).
Required for OBJ
Matterport link
Already have a Matterport tour of your home? Just paste the share link, no file needed.
Preferred

Quick reference:

  • REMODPOD app (free on the App Store): No exports, ever — your scan delivers to our team automatically, and processing is included free.
  • Polycam (no LiDAR iPhone): Export → OBJ (zip) with textures. (Pro tier required for OBJ; free tier can export GLB.)
  • Other scanning apps: Export whatever mesh format your app offers — USDZ, OBJ (zipped), or GLB all work.
  • Already have a Matterport tour? Just share the link — no export needed.

Files from third-party apps include our Third-Party Scan Processing service (+$149) — we convert and clean the mesh so it's design-ready. Scans from the REMODPOD app skip this fee entirely.

Troubleshooting

Having issues? Here are the most common fixes.

This usually means you moved too fast or didn't cover that area from enough angles. Re-scan the missing section slowly, holding your phone steady. Most apps let you merge additional scans with your existing model. Make sure you overlap with areas that were already captured so the app can stitch them together.
Warping happens when the scanner loses tracking — usually due to fast movement, low light, or featureless surfaces (plain white walls). Try rescanning with better lighting and move more slowly. If your room has very plain walls, placing a few objects on the floor can give the scanner reference points to track.
No problem! Polycam has a photogrammetry (photo-based) mode that works on iPhone 8 and newer and most Android phones from 2019 onward (anything with ARCore support). You'll take a series of overlapping photos instead of a continuous scan. The results are slightly less precise than LiDAR but still very usable for renovation design. (The REMODPOD app uses LiDAR, so at launch it will support LiDAR-equipped iPhones and iPads — if your device doesn't have LiDAR, contact us and we'll help you find the best option.)
Compress your scan file into a .zip archive before uploading. We accept files up to 500MB. If your scan is still larger than that, try exporting at a lower resolution setting in your scanning app — medium resolution is usually more than enough for renovation design purposes. You can also email us at hello@remodpod.com and we'll set up an alternative transfer.
Upload it anyway! We review every scan before starting work. If it needs improvement, we'll tell you exactly what to rescan and give you tips specific to your space — no charge. You won't be billed until we confirm we have usable data to work with.

Ready to Scan & Upload?

You've got the guide. Now grab your phone, scan your space, and let us handle the design.