Scanning a Building Correctly — mkm|Scan App Guide

Caution: stairs and other changes in height are always scanned from the bottom to the top. Looking backwards at the display while walking increases the risk of tripping!

Why the scan itself determines the outcome

For a self-scan, the floor plan and living space calculation are generated directly from the mkm|Scan app's data. How precise and complete that data is depends almost entirely on the capture itself — not on the evaluation afterwards. Good preparation, calm movements and the correct way of splitting up the individual scans are therefore essential for a complete, usable result.

Before you start: prepare the building

Create conditions in every room that let the sensor work undisturbed:

The core rule: splitting scans correctly

How scans are split up is mandatory for the mkm|Scan app and required for processing the data afterwards. Several floors or apartments must never be combined into a single scan.

Not a property type of its own, but its own scan: the stairwell in an apartment building belongs to no single apartment. It is not combined with an apartment, but captured afterwards, separately and continuously from the bottom to the top.

Name every scan unambiguously

Name each scan clearly right before you start it. For a single-family house, the floor itself is enough, for example ground floor or attic. For an apartment building, add the apartment's location as well, for example ground floor left or first floor right. Capture the stairwell simply as stairwell. An unambiguous name is required so that every scan can be matched correctly later on.

How to hold and move the iPhone

• Start at the entrance: Begin at the apartment or floor entrance and work your way through every room systematically from there — ideally in a clear order, for example clockwise.
• Slow and steady: Move the device calmly from bottom to top and back. Avoid jerky sweeps, quick changes of direction and abrupt movements.
• Keep the sensor clear: Make sure neither the camera nor the LiDAR sensor is covered by your hand, clothing or an unsuitable case.
• Five-metre limit: The mkm|Scan app captures building elements up to a maximum of five metres away. All relevant walls, corners and elements need to stay within that range — there is no need to walk right up to the wall.
• Keep some distance: Try not to walk directly along the walls. With a bit of distance, the iPhone captures a larger part of the room's geometry at once.

Capture walls, floors and ceilings completely

In every room, capture all the important elements completely: every wall, corner, window, door, recess, projection and fixed built-in element. Change your position where needed to reduce scan shadows behind furniture or other objects — whatever you cannot see, the iPhone cannot capture either.

For floors and ceilings, on the other hand, you can afford to leave gaps: if both are continuously level with no changes in height or special elements, it is enough to capture sufficiently large sections so their position can be reliably determined. If there are steps, landings, changes in height, sloping ceilings, ceiling beams or suspended sections, however, these must be captured completely and carefully.

Room transitions, balconies and doors

The transitions between individual rooms matter most. Before walking through, point the iPhone at the floor behind the doorway first, then guide it slowly upward, and walk calmly through the door into the next room. That is how the connection between the rooms is reliably captured.

Balconies and terraces are also part of the apartment's or floor's scan and must not be forgotten — capture the doorway, the transition and the visible boundaries of the outdoor area, provided it is safely accessible.

While a scan is running, try not to move doors or larger objects. If a door changes position, it can affect the capture of the adjoining wall and floor areas — if one is moved by accident, check the affected area on the display and capture it again if needed. If other people are present, ask them to keep clear of the scan path or stay behind you so no scan shadows are created.

Capture the stairwell separately

Once every apartment has been scanned individually, the stairwell is captured separately. Start on the lowest floor and scan the entire stairwell in one continuous pass up to the top floor — always from the bottom to the top. Capture the flights of stairs, landings, walls, corners and apartment entrance doors. Pause at a safe spot or on a landing if needed; do not turn around while walking on the stairs, since looking backwards at the display while descending increases the risk of a fall.

Common mistakes at a glance

• Moving too fast or jerky movements
• More than five metres from relevant elements
• A covered LiDAR sensor
• Missing rooms, storage spaces or transitions
• Forgotten balconies or terraces
• Several apartments or floors combined into a single scan
• Unclear or missing scan names

After scanning: check, complete, finish

Check the result as soon as a scan is finished. Verify that every room, wall, corner, door, window and transition is shown plausibly — pay particular attention to small rooms, storage spaces, recesses, balconies, terraces and hidden wall sections, and to whether any changes in height at the floor or ceiling were captured completely.

Check the name, floor, and for apartments also the location, once more before moving on. If you notice afterwards that a section is missing, add it with an additional, clearly named scan, for example supplement ground floor – storage room.

Four points matter most for a reliable scan: move the iPhone calmly and steadily, keep all relevant elements within the five-metre scan range, proceed systematically and check every scan for completeness — and capture every floor and every apartment individually with a clear name. That is how the data foundation for a precise floor plan and a robust living space calculation is created.

Frequently asked questions