Hello everyone.
I am new here. received my iGuide here in Belgium Europe last week. I’m actually a Matterport user and wanted to try another system where I can also take panoramic images outside for a virtual tour. Are there things I should be aware of with the iGuide system? Because when I read the threads here, there seems to be a lot of problems with it. Is the iGuide a bad buy?
Thank you for your feedback.
Dimitri
Welcome Dimitri. There are many operators worldwide, and those who have no problems have no need for the forum. I quite enjoy working with iGUIDE, and I do several hundred Tours per year with very few issues. Learning from the forum should help you avoid some of our mistakes. I wish you every success.
Hi Dimitri,
I know of dozens of iGuide operators who are contentedly making a living using the iGuide system and spend no time at all in these forums. In my case, I’ve been using the iGuide system for about five years and, like Todd, have had very few issues and am happy with it.
The Planix is the newest generation of iGuide system. Some operators ran into issues early on but it sounds like those issues were addressed by ongoing firmware upgrades.
Welcome to the forum community.
Hey Dimitri! For the record, I have tried a lot of systems, both for 360 tours and just for floor plans: Matterport (bought it, sold it & tried it with iPhone & other 360 cameras), Cubicasa, Magicplan, Floorplanner, Pivotour, and a lot of different apps. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. For me and my business, iGuide is the one and only system I will use. Reasons: FAST, Accurate, intuitive once you spend just a little time with it.
Looks like the big issue with you is going to be Matterport vs. iGuide. I’ll tell you the reasons I abandoned Matterport (MP): SLOOOOWWWW. Scanning stairs. Misalignment errors. Forgetting to note mirrors/windows. Can’t shoot (aligned!) outside when sunny. Having to pay extra (and wait for) a floor plan? From a floor plan company? MP plans - I had the Pro50 or something, and when I hit 50, I was having to track down clients to ask if properties were sold so I could free up space, that administrative burden was the main reason I left MP. Hmm… Dollhouse looks like a bomb went off, IMO. MP is actively competing against you. Customer support sucks. Did I mention it’s slow?
IG is a value add for my business (photos & video are my primary offering). I suppose if I was “a 360 tour provider” first and foremost, I might swallow my pride and patience and shoot Matterport. But I would hate it, with every “MMMMgrrrrrrr” x3 then wait for a misalignemt then move a few feet forward and do it again. And again. And again.
20 minutes on site with IG + five minutes when I get back to the office = 360 tour + floor plans. Clients happy. Cash cheque. YMMV.
First off WELCOME to the forum 
As others have said, there are MANY very happy users around the world using iGUIDE with zero issues what so ever. Keep in mind that most people only come to a forum looking for a tip or trying to solve a problem. The vast majority of users don’t come here except to read other people’s issues and look for Hints & Tips.
@schmal did an excellent break-down why many of us went away from MP. To be honest, he NAILED IT in my regards. I got tired of managing tours trying to free up spaces so I could scan another one.
The time savings is HUGE when you go to iGUIDE compared to MP.
Good luck and enjoy saving time and $$ with your new iGUIDE system.
Allen
Hi Dimitri,
Welcome abord!
I’ve been using iGuide now for a little over 2 years.
It’s been a joy to use.
If you take your time going through all the training, you will be very competent in a short time.
The biggest property I did was a 10,000 sq feet Church and that only took me a little over an hour.
The Church was relatively easy because its such an open space.
Older homes with lots of little rooms take me the longest, but what I tell anyone when I’m training is, picture it like a jigsaw. Look for corners or shapes in the neighboring room that the camera will catch in the current scan.
Then when you move to that next room, it makes life very simple to match that same corner or shape to that next capture.
Keep putting the jigsaw together and you will have almost no work to do in Stitch.
I looked at adding a cheap floor-plan option but this made no sense when I can do an iGuide as quickly and offer a lot more than a floor plan.
My feeling about the negative feedback is, people won’t take the time to watch the educational videos.
I hope that helps!
Best wishes,
Peter
Welcome aboard Dimitri. I have been shooting iGUIDEs for just over a year now - in a new business - with no other experience with 360 tours. I can’t offer comparisons then. But I did start out with the IMS5 system and like you, saw some negative comments about it in the beginning. Reluctantly I bought the PLANIX system to have a back-up system. And after two months of use, I wish I had done it months before that. It’s a joy to use, far less work, little to no work to do in stitch (if shot right). I think you will be very happy.
And these operators that responded before me. . Peter, Todd, Leroy, Al - are all very experienced and good at what they do, and contribute a lot to this forum with a selfless view to help beginners like you and me. And after a successful first year - I owe a lot to them for the advice and guidance they probably didn’t even know they gave me.
Thank you gents - and best of success to you Dimitri. God-speed to you and everyone in western Europe - I pray that peace comes soon.
Ive operated it for over 2 years shooting 400+ properties, never had a problem with the software or any of the hardware. One of the best investments you’ll make for your business.
I actively run both i guide and matter port and i can say the i guide is 100x more simplified and it doesn’t limit you
And after a successful first year - I owe a lot to them for the advice and guidance they probably didn’t even know they gave me.
Happy to hear that Tom. I guess that means you owe a first round of 
whenever someone organizes an iGuide conference. 
Absafrigginlutely! Maybe we should just plan one on our own.
Maybe we should. Where are you based? I’m in Alberta, Canada.
Hi and welcome!!
I’m also new here.
I’m in Ontario. Has iGUIDE ever done anything like a trade show or real estate photographer’s convention? Certainly you could put together a great program of sessions - latest gear demos - software - business development - how to sessions.
Has iGUIDE ever done anything like a trade show or real estate photographer’s convention?
I know Planitar has attended conventions like PFRE, but I don’t know about a conference specifically for operators. That would be useful and great way for operators to connect.
@Michael @Chris @Kelly, are there any plans for something like this?
This seems like a fun time. Get all them operators together
Demitri-
I am relatively new as well. I’ve had my iGUIDE for several months and have only done only 3 tours to date. I find the system very easy to use and have had only a couple of issues I was able to troubleshoot with common sense. I researched many 3D tour options and am really excited to have the iGUIDE vs. other system available.
The tech support is very good; I often hear back on a ticket within an hour or two. I suggest reviewing the documentation and attending the bi-weekly Q&A sessions to learn more.
~Jarid
Welcome to the group!
Yep, all good points.
I’ve become a fan of Planitar over the years because they have shown themselves to be customer-centric. No company will make everyone happy all of the time, but they do a pretty good job at keeping most of us happy most of the time. Among the many things I appreciate things are the responsive tech support, quick drafting, no hosting fees, and a thorough knowledgebase.
Do you have any examples of tours you made with iGuide? Better experience and quality compared to the Matterport tours?
You can find thousands of examples at iGUIDE | Search for Real Estate Property Information.
I’d expect you can find comparisons online, but maybe someone knowledgeable about Matterport can compare the two systems here.