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360AutosCar

Best Camera to do an internal 360 of a car6494

jfantin private msg quote post Address this user
@leonvanzweel that's a beauty. The Pixplorer and the car

It is a nice piece of hardware. I didn´t know it. Thank you for sharing.
Post 26 IP   flag post
Standard
Member
Windsor, UK
leonvanzweel private msg quote post Address this user
Another possible way is to place a motorized slider (with a fixed focal point and take a series of video shots whilst completing the circle. A circle with an 8m diameter will take about 33 by 780mm slide videos to complete. Then edit it all together and you'll have a rotating vehicle
Post 27 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
I did this one https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=xRChBcwrhu1

I also did one with my Ricoh Theta V https://goo.gl/WkT3zk
Post 28 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
Garden Gnome Software object2vr is a good software. https://ggnome.com/object2vr
Post 29 IP   flag post
eggardner private msg quote post Address this user
Garden Gnome does look good - thanks, Leon! I'll check it out!
Post 30 IP   flag post


eggardner private msg quote post Address this user
Did you find there is a good market for this with car dealerships, Leon?
Post 31 IP   flag post
jfantin private msg quote post Address this user
@leonherbert I see that the car interior in your Matterport model doesn´t show any stitching problem.

This is great because I was under the impression that when the distance between the camera and the walls was less than 40 centimeters there would be problems.

Did you do anything special or just "click on the iPad" ?

Also, can you elaborate on the tripod arrangement for working inside the car?
Post 32 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
@eggardner it is a work in progress. I have only approached one so far. Still negotiating, the matterport option would be used for the new models as they come out of course. The 360 with the theta is a possibility, I just do not want to get ripped off. Car dealers can be a shifty lot

@jfantin it was quite difficult because of the size of the camera when it rotates of course. I just used the standard tripod as low as possible and wedged the feet. I have some canvas sandbags that i use for the wedging. Yes I just clicked on the ipad, but I was sweating because i was worried it would fall over .

Lighting is something that can be tricky inside. I found some https://litra.com/ They are awesome because you can place them under the seat and light up the floorboards.
Post 33 IP   flag post
jfantin private msg quote post Address this user
@leonherbert and @eggardner I have been working during the last couple of months in a consulting project related to the construction of short/medium/long term scenarios for different industries and one of them was the car dealership business.

After researching a lot about how people search, choose, purchase and use a car around the world, and what are the main trends, one of the conlusions was that the percentage of people that approaches the full process from mobile applications or the web is going to grow exponentially in the next years.

The older managers were convinced that the actual way of doing business will never change, saying that they believe that people will always purchase their cars by walking in to the dealership and engage in a face to face interaction with the sales staff. But we know that this is a mental model attached to the past.

According to a survey made in Germany, one third of the total car purchases in that country will be conducted entirely on-line by 2020. In a car dealership in a province in Argentina, 1,300 Km away from Buenos Aires, the sales manager told me that they were receiving more inquires than ever through email, which means that their prospective customers were on-line when they were researching for their next car. Things are changing.

So, car dearlerships and the brands will have to start showing their products in a very different way and implement interactive means of communication on the web if they want to keep their relevance within the new generations. This has started, of course, and the car manufactures know this very well.

Unfortunately the car dealerships are a little behind, but they will be forced by the brands themselves. It is a matter of time.

From this perspective, I believe that car dealerships are, in principle, a very good market. The only problem is that, as Leon implied, they are a difficult group.

I will do a couple of projects in the next months, with multimedia tags, etc, to use as a concept to show others. Maybe I will not get paid for the first one, but sometimes this is necessary when you want to open a new market segment.

In the US things are probably different and you don´t have to do anything for free as a promotional tool because you already have examples there. In here, the "me too" effect still works, so if you show the owner of a car dealership that his neighbour alraedy has a 3D model, he probably will want one too. I hope...
Post 34 IP   flag post
eggardner private msg quote post Address this user
@jfantin - great info! I don't mind doing a first one for free for a proof of concept in my area - especially if I can do it with a dealership that has multiple locations.
Post 35 IP   flag post
jfantin private msg quote post Address this user
Absolutely!. There is nothing bad with doing a proof of concept for free as long as it is a part of a long term strategy.

Sometimes you have to break old mental models and for those involved the easiest way to reject your proposal is to say "I am sorry but we have not enough money to pay for it".

Nobody can beat "free"! But you have to be sure that everybody understands the conditions:

- Maybe free for a six months term? (later on you can extend this period, but in principle you have to be clear)
- It is an exception and you have chosen that particular car dealership because X,Y or Z so they can feel that this is a unique offer (you don´t want them to tell others that you are offering free models).
- I would issue an invoice showing the real value of your service and at the same time a Credit Note (not sure if this is the name in English) so the customer owes you zero but he knows the real value of what you have done.

But go ahead. Maybe you find an interesting niche to work with and forget all this Real Estate-TOS nightmare
Post 36 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
@jfantin I agree with you 100 % At this point I am looking at providing/creating a standard enclosure for photographing their cars. Much like https://360booth.com/
I want to find a may cost effective way to produce an enclosure than this though. The idea is that there is a standard background, it could be covered in the dealership logo etc. Most of the time the background is distracting at dealerships etc. You want the clients to focus on the car. Another point is distractions from salesman and their clients. Nothing makes photography (and videography) of a car more difficult. This way there are less distractions. The upside of this is that their standard photographer can take better photographs as well. When we are not using the enclosure it could either be put out of the way or they can leave their premium car in there.

The 360 video is something that should be considered. I have done some using a slider.
This example shows you what is capable. It does demonstrate problems you have when you cannot control the lighting, the highlights are blown out and there are people walking everywhere but I do believe this 360 video is where we are going. https://youtu.be/yar7a3TAL4U
Post 37 IP   flag post
FlightMedia private msg quote post Address this user
Don't know if this helps.
I have been playing around with the XIAOMI MI SPHERE.
Great little camera here is a link to Ben from Life In 360.

Well worth subscribing to Ben as he has been using these for quite some time and does loads of reviews.
The camera is quite a nice addition to keep in your case.

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Post 38 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
@flightmedia thanks, I have been thinking about that camera, have you personally compared it with the theta v. I have the garmin virb 360 a theta c & V. I am not impressed with the garmin for photographs. I follow Ben, he does some good stuff.
Post 39 IP   flag post
jfantin private msg quote post Address this user
@leonherbert, I was thinking more in creating a Matterport model of the car dealership, as it is, so we can recreate a personal visit (then you don´t have to use additional lights or backgrounds), and inserting multimedia tags with factory provided videos or photos (high quality material).

So, you enter the place, walk around without a salesman bothering you, and if you are interested in a particular car you just go to the inside (if the Matterport camera was able to capture it according to your expectations) or make a click in the Mattertag and access a wonderful photo or video.

By clicking on mattertags you could book a driving test, send an email to a salesman or chat with him (I am not sure if a chat can be inserted in a mattertag, but maybe a link to a chat, I don´t know...)

My idea would be to recreate an environment that the visitors are familiar with, rather than trying to create a new one (at least for now). By doing this you can even convince the old fashioned car dealers that you are just puting their beloved place in the internet as it is and not creating a different one.

But this is just an idea that I have to explore.

Video 360 is an option, but I wonder if the 360 video experience really adds something when you are looking at a stationary car. What I mean is that when you are looking at a car you would like to stay as long as you want looking at something that is of your interest. With a video it is the video director who decides what so see, in which order, and for how long.

I don´t know. I am not so sure that video is where we are going, although I am sure that video will be a part of the whole package. I do believe in any interactive way of establishing a contact between the person and the object.

But what I do know that the way of selling cars is changing and with it it should also change the way of reaching the potential customers.
Post 40 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
Definitely a model, and easy to add value with mattertags.
https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=PmgDGCiQ6eE
Post 41 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
This model is also on GSV, adding value @jfantin
Post 42 IP   flag post
jfantin private msg quote post Address this user
@leonherbert can I borrow your Toyota model to show it to my customer? It is also a Toyota car dealership here in Argentina and maybe if they see another shop with the same brand using the technology they will feel more confident.
Post 43 IP   flag post
FlightMedia private msg quote post Address this user
@leonherbert this is the only one I have but Ben done a comparison and I think the Xaomi mi Sphere came out tops just, I know Ben rates the camera only downside is it took a little while to get here by slow boat from china but it turned up.
The are a couple of people on the Facebook group 360 panoramic photgogphers using it for estate agents tours and put together on panotour pro and the results I think are very good.

Ben is great, love his tiny planets and he always has time to give advise, he also has a friend but cannot think of his name. Mi Sphere also has a group with is good, a lot of info about bracketing and settings and software as don't think there is a mac version yet.
clickable text
Post 44 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
@jfantin I hereby give you a limited license to show the model to your client.
Go ahead and don't forget to show them the google SV integration. https://goo.gl/maps/PkK3Z1hezFC2
Post 45 IP   flag post
jfantin private msg quote post Address this user
Ha ha ha. Thank you for the limited license!

Let me tell you something. If they accept my proposal, I will buy you a
Post 46 IP   flag post
WGAN Basic
Member
New Brighton, PA
frstbubble private msg quote post Address this user
This is a great thread. I just recently found the need to buy a new vehicle. Thinking about having a car payment again got me thinking about pitching GSV and Interactive Tours to the dealership. Win WIn I get a new vehicle and money to put on it and the dealership gets new Immersive marking. I'll let you all know how it goes.

@leonherbert Could I use your model and street view to pitch this for my new vehicle? "In a limited non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable licenses" ok just to show management at some dealerships. LOL

BTW I hate ICE! It was either the pole or the car in front of me.




It wouldn't have been so bad if the top 10 feet of the pole didn't break off and come down on top of the drivers side of the truck.
Post 47 IP   flag post
Cincinnati, OH
leonherbert private msg quote post Address this user
@frstbubble as long as you are buying a Toyota But be quick, my TOS may change quickly and w/o warning.

)

Sorry about the truck, damn ice monsters.
Post 48 IP   flag post
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