A pre-plaster 3D scan records the position of every stud, pipe, cable and duct in measurable 3D. Photos only show what the camera happened to catch from where you stood. If you may need to find something behind a wall later, a scan is the safer record, and photos still have a place alongside it.
What photos do well
Photos are quick and free, and they tell the story of a job. They are good for showing finish quality, progress and the general state of a room, and for notes to the owner or the next trade.
Where photos fall short
You cannot measure from them. A photo shows a pipe, not how far it sits from the corner or the floor.
They show one angle. The view you need later is often the one nobody took.
They are hard to place. Hundreds of images in a phone gallery are difficult to link to a particular wall, and harder to search months later.
What a pre-plaster 3D scan gives you
A walkthrough you open on any device from one link, with no app or login.
Distances you can measure on screen, so a service can be located relative to the walls and floor.
A record that stays with the building after handover. Capture works around the trades, typically takes one to four hours on site, and standard delivery is 24–36 hours.
A real example
At a Belongil Beach build, about 960 m² of concealed services, structure and wall framing was captured before lining. Read the Belongil pre-plaster case study. The builder says in his review that his team still uses the scan to locate services after the project was finished.
Side by side
Measure a distance: photos no, scan yes.
Find a service after lining: photos are a guess, with a scan you open the record.
Share it: a folder of images, or one link.
Cost: photos cost your time. A scan starts from $395.
When photos are enough, and when to do both
For a small cosmetic job where nothing hidden matters, photos may be all you need. For anything with services, framing or set-out you might have to find again, scan before the plasterboard goes on. Take photos too: they show finish and context, and the scan holds the geometry.
Learn more about pre-plaster capture, see pricing, or request a quote.
