Can I use Canvas with an iPad or iPhone without LiDAR?

You can use Canvas Lite for Homeowners on an iPhone 8 or higher. However, you will face some limitations, primarily related to accuracy. For all professional use cases, we strongly recommend Canvas: LiDAR 3D Measurements on a LiDAR-enable iOS PRO device. Canvas is only compatible with iOS devices. If you would like to be notified if support for other devices becomes available, please sign up for our newsletter. 

Some of our customers who don't already have a compatible device, will buy one just to use Canvas for measuring and digitizing a space. The iPad retails for $799, and using Canvas as a business tool usually pays for the iPad in one or two jobs. The resulting CAD files from our Scan to CAD service can be imported into your design programs which can be running on Windows. 

You can learn more about compatible devices here, or download Canvas Lite for Homeowners.

Canvas Lite for Homeowners

Accuracy

Where using Canvas with LiDAR will typically yield measurements within 1-2% of what's verified manually, using Canvas Lite on a non-LiDAR device will generally provide accuracy around 5-6%. You can learn more about accuracy here.

Mesh Quality

Without a LiDAR sensor measuring depth directly, the mesh quality may be rougher, including more distortion or doubling. This can make it more challenging for you to measure the scan on your own, but, assuming you followed the scanning tips in-app, should not block our ability to create a CAD model (outside of the aforementioned accuracy limitations).    

Range

The maximum range of a non-LiDAR iPhone is ~10 feet, so for best results, you'll want to keep all walls and architectural features within 3-10 feet. Additionally, when using a non-LiDAR device, you are limited to the 360 Spin scanning mode. All LiDAR-enabled devices are capable of Walkthrough mode, which allows you to move around the space as you scan, increasing the area that can be covered in a single scan. 

Area Estimation 

As our in-app square-footage estimation algorithms are optimized for scans captured with LiDAR devices, you may find that the final square footage processed may be outside the in-app estimated range.