How to take your first scans with iMapper 1 and 2

Welcome to a step-by-step guide on how to take your first horizontal and vertical scans

For iMapper Racer 1 & 2 only.

If you have an iMapper Racer 3, go to these articles:

iMapper Racer 3 Starter Guide: quick on-boarding protocol
How to take your first scans with iMapper Racer 3


Pro tip! Charge your iMapper completely before using it.

iMapper will give you an idea of its charge with acustic signals when you turn it on:
1 beep: 3/3 charged
2 beeps: 2/3 charged
3 beeps: 1/3 charged
4 beeps: it needs charging

Step 1: Set up for a horizontal scan

Open the tripod making sure you have unfolded all necessary parts to their full lenghts. Then, adjust if necessary.

Remove the small plastic plate and attach iMapper's base directly to the tripod.

Ensure the tripod is leveled.

If walls are vertical (it’s not the case if the walls are out of plumb), the error due to a not perfect horizontality is not that important (+3mm if you are above the horizon line of 10 cm at 3m distance). More on this topic here: Is it important that the iMapper is perfectly horizontal during a scan?

Step 2: Place the iMapper

Place iMapper in the first room you want to scan.

Make sure that for this first scan the iMapper is as much as possible in line with the doors that connect all adjacent rooms (where you will perform the next scans), you'll thank yourself later!

If there are curtains, make sure to close them and slide them in the middle of the window, away from window corners.

Step 3: Perform the scan

Use the round bubble level provided to level iMapper before the scan. Read more on this topic here: Leveling the iMapper with the bubble level

Turn on the iMapper.

When turned on, iMapper will start a preview round that allows you to see the trajectory of the laser during the scan.

This is the time to check for items that may obstruct room corners, people who may create shadow cones if standing in front of the laser or any other items you may need to remove to ensure a scan that is as clean as possible.

When you are satisfied of the laser trajectory, press the button again once and iMapper will start to scan the room.

After 2-3 minutes, the full scan will be finished and iMapper will stop automatically, letting you know it's finished with an acustic sound.

Repeat these steps for all rooms.

Step 4: Set up for a vertical scan

Rotate iMapper to 90 degrees on the tripod using the lever on the tripod.

Follow the same steps (2-4) as you did for the horizontal scan.

Pro tip! While the iMapper is scanning the first rooms, create a new account for the platform.
Read more on this topic here: How to create a new account for the platform

Step 5: Remove the SD card and upload scans on the platform

Remove the SD card from the iMapper

Insert it in your computer using the adapter provided

Drag and drop your scans into a new project and enjoy watching the pointclouds assembly automatically.

Good job, you performed your first scans successfully! 🎉

You are now ready to use the iMapper on your own.

To go further we recommend you to :
1. Scan an entire house or flat and make a complete assembly
2. For your first time using the iMapper on a customer visit or building site, launch scans with your iMapper while you take measures yourself the way you are used to.

For more of a visual tutorial, watch the video below

Updated on: 04/02/2025