How would you like to turn your 360 photos into a 3D virtual tour with a floorplan and dollhouse view? Benaco is a virtual tour system that allows you to take 360 photos from any 360 camera or DSLR panoramic rig, and uses computer vision and photogrammetry to automatically convert the photos into a 3D virtual tour. Find out how this can help you create virtual tours faster and more easily.
Advantages of 3D virtual tours
Almost all virtual tours consist of linked 360 photos, and they work pretty well. However, most of them require you to link the photos manually, and the amount of time needed to do so increases exponentially with the number of photos taken. Conventional virtual tours also require you to create a floor plan separately, which can be tedious to create accurately, and some do not even have an option to show a floor plan.
Benaco is a virtual tour system that uses conventional 360 photos and converts them into a 3D model. The process is completely automated and there’s no need for you to link the photos. There are many other benefits as well. A 3D model of your virtual tour enables you to automatically create a floorplan and a dollhouse view. A 3D model also enables a fly-through type transition between nodes, similar to Matterport. You can also take measurements and distances using the 3D model.
Here is a sample virtual tour:
How to create a virtual tour with Benaco
To create a virtual tour with Benaco, you need to take a photo every 5 feet or so (tight spaces such as doorways will need more photos). When you upload them to Benaco’s servers, the servers will convert the photos into a 3D model automatically, which will be embeddable on websites, and can be viewed on a browser or on a VR headset via WebVR.
Pricing
These features have previously been available on other services such as Cupix. However, one difference with Benaco is its pricing. The amount you pay for a tour is based on the number of photos you upload from it, and it is a one-time fee.
The cost is $2 for up to 20 photos, $10 for up to 100 photos, or $50 for up to 500 photos. There are also monthly plans that give you a service credit, starting with the Basic plan, which is $10/mo and includes $20 of service credit. There are also custom plans with white labeling.
The tour is free until you publish, which means you can upload and process for free, and you don’t have to pay for a tour until after it is processed and you review it and decide you want to use it.
A critical distinction in Benaco’s pricing is that after payment, the tour remains available permanently, unlike Matterport or Cupix, where you have to pay a monthly fee or else the virtual tour will no longer be visible. This gives virtual shooters far more flexibility and certainty, and has a lower long term cost.
Try it for free
Benaco has made a special offer for 360 Rumors readers: for a limited time, you can use the code 360RUMORS to unlock your virtual tour for free. You can create an account for free here. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below and I’ll invite the developers to respond.
Sounds promising, I’ll give it a try. Keen to see how they automate the links.
go for it buddy!
Thank you very much Rumors, I have a question specially for editting 360 photos to remove the tripod so that I have a large base tripod that appears clearly in 360 photos and I will make my first trial next Friday, I hope your offer is still working.
Hi Mohamed. Are you using a 360 camera? if so, try a lightstand instead. Or one of these: https://360rumors.com/2018/10/best-360-camera-tripods-360-camera-selfie-sticks-ultimate-buying-guide-comparison.html
Hello, I will give it a try but do you know a similar software that lets me process the tour from my computer and let me upload to my hosting? Currently I use Pano2vr.
Thanks
Hi Bruno. Sorry i don’t know of such a software. All the ones I know that do this are cloud based (including Matterport and Cupix). But if you want a 3d tour that doesn’t require cloud processing, try metareal. But you build the 3d model manually.
Hey Mic, nice find. Where do you apply the coupon code? Will this work for any 360º camera?
Hi Cam. The coupon code is 360rumors . Yes it will work with almost any 360 camera
Thanks Nick, but ‘where’ do I apply the coupon. Do I have to check out completely?
Hey Cam, yes, you need the coupon only at the very end when you’re happy with the result and want to unlock it for sharing (at the step where the payment would happen if there was no coupon).
Hope that helps!
thanks Benaco!
Sorry, Mic! Damn auto correct!
Hi, Francesco from Benaco here. You can create scans on Benaco for free — you only pay when wanting to make the scans visible to the public. That is when you will be able to apply the coupon.
Thanks Francesco!
Thanks for the finding, Ty.
Just my 2 cents: the mentioned prices are for personal use, not commercial.
Thanks Olivier. I don’t understand. For Free, Basic and Premium, the price is the same. The difference is the monthly cost and whether you get a service credit. Basic and Premium can be for commercial use.
Hi Mic,
As I understand it, the pricing is for personal use only.
As stated on the Benaco’s pricing page website:
For commercial users: We are still working on our commercial plans. If you want to use Benaco for your business, please contact us.
Need to be clarified…
Here is a print screen :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xnfv4ljbu2x02ao/IMG_1155.JPG?dl=0
Hi Olivier,
That is correct, our commercial plans will require a small, flat monthly fee to cover hosting costs. Note that we are still finalizing our offering, and we are happy to offer custom deals depending on your situation. Please contact us at support@benaco.com for more information!
Yo utilizo una plataforma llamada eyespy360, no se los precios pero tampoco son muy onerosos pero el resultado es mucho mas bonito y solo necesitas una foto por habitación, te pongo un ejemplo para que veas la diferencia, https://bricks-and-mortar.vr-360-tour.com/e/L8gBalEP-p8/e?autoe3plan=true
Mike, thanks for the review of another virtual tour builder platform, as there many other platforms such as matterport,Kuula,cupix, panoskin,viewmake, with each having unique features and compatible cameras. Which one would you recommend to use for clients and publishing virtual tours of premises such as commercial and industrial property with Google StreetView.
Mike , different virtual tours tools are more suited for Google Streetview and situation, which of these services are best for providing analytics to clients and with white labeling
Hi Saj! Will post a video about it this weekend
Hi, is there any software or tool where I can create 3D Dollhouse separately from any virtual tour tools. I use 3D Vista and would love to add 3D Dollhouse and floor plan.
Thx for your reply.
Hi Karel. Not afaik but there are services you can hire, such as Metareal.
Afternoon. I am a BIM Manager with an Engineering firm. Our intent is to produce 360 photos and have them transferred into a model that can be used in Revit or AutoCAD. Is this possible with your software?
What is the file export extension.
Hi Trevor. I recommend contacting Benaco to see whether they can export in the format you want.
Best regards,
Mic
Hi Trevor, do hit us up on the benaco.com chat or via email at sales@benaco.com, we’re eager look into your use case. Also happy to do a video call!
i cant see start button when i’m done upload panorama
Please check teliportme.com as an alternative if you are not happy with this software.