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You're back at the office. You need one measurement. And you're not driving back to site for it.
If you've been in this situation more than once, you're not alone. It's one of the most common time-wasters in construction — the return trip for a dimension you forgot, or a measurement your client asked for after the fact. Here's how to solve it for good.
Yes — if you've already captured it correctly. The key is capturing a video walkthrough of the space the first time you're on site, uploading it, and then having every dimension available to you remotely forever.
That's exactly what Manifold's Orbit Measure feature does. You walk a room for 60 seconds with your phone recording, upload the video, and Manifold's servers turn it into a fully measurable 3D model. After that, you can pull any dimension from your desk, your car, or your kitchen table — without going back.
Any iOS or Android phone. Orbit Measure is a video-based system — it doesn't use LiDAR or depth sensors. You just need a phone that can record video, which is every smartphone made in the last 10 years.
This is different from apps like MagicPlan or Apple's Measure app, which require a LiDAR-enabled iPhone Pro to do anything useful.
Orbit Measure is accurate to within half an inch under normal conditions. For renovation estimates, client handovers, insurance documentation, and remote measurements, that's more than precise enough. For survey-grade structural engineering work, you'd still need a licensed surveyor — but for the day-to-day measurements contractors need, half an inch is the real world.
Open Manifold on any iPhone or Android phone. Start an Orbit Measure scan. Walk the perimeter of the room slowly and steadily for 60 seconds, keeping the camera angled toward the walls and floor. You don't need to be precise — just make sure you cover all four walls and the corners.
When you're done walking, upload the video directly from the app. Manifold's servers process it automatically. You don't need to do anything else on site.
Within a short processing window, your 3D model is ready. Open it on your phone, tablet, or desktop. Click any two points in the model to get the distance between them. Wall length, ceiling height, diagonal, window width — anything you can see in the model, you can measure from anywhere.
Every model generates a shareable link. Send it to your estimator, your architect, your client, or your supplier. They can view the model in a browser with no account required and take their own measurements.
If you haven't captured the space with Orbit Measure yet, you do need to go back once. The whole point of the workflow is to capture the space on your first visit so you never need to go back for measurements again. Going forward, every new job site gets an Orbit Measure walkthrough on the first visit — that's the habit change that eliminates return trips permanently.
Both are features in Manifold, but they work differently:
Most contractors use both: Orbit Measure for measurements and 3D documentation, Floor Plan Scan for deliverables to architects or owners.
Manifold's Photo+Scan plan, which includes Orbit Measure, starts at $24/user/month with no seat minimums. A solo contractor pays $24. There's a free trial with no credit card required.
Start your free trial and scan your next job site today or book a 15-minute demo to see Orbit Measure in action.
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