You can compare two 3D tours side by side in the Review Tab or in the Web Player.  This is a powerful feature that easily enables you to track changes over the life of a construction project or view the chronological record of a site.

The Comparison GUI - How it Works

The comparison GUI allows the user to view two 3D tours simultaneously in the Review Tab or the in the Cupix Web Player. When two tours are set to be compared to each other, the viewing window is split into two panels that display both tours.  The tours are synched together, which means that when the user changes their location or view in one window, the tour in the other window will be adjusted to match as closely as possible. For instance, if you pan the camera to the left in the left viewing panel, the right viewing panel will automatically pan to the left as well.  If you are doing a virtual walk-through and move to a different pano in one tour, the closest pano to the corresponding location in the other tour is located and displayed in the other window.

Because the software is able to determine which pano is closest to the selected image, both tours do not need to have 360 photos taken in the exact same locations in order to use the comparison feature.  Having two tours with a comparable number of photos with similar spacings in the capture area is enough. However, aligning both tours accurately is necessary for comparing them side by side.

How to Align 3D Tours

In order to compare two 3D tours to each other, they must use matching coordinate systems.  This means that the origin points and scaling of both tours must be aligned in the same way on their respective floor plan grids in the Layout Tab.  We recommend uploading the same floor plan drawing or image to both tours to use as reference for accurate aligning and scaling. Refer to "Adding a Floorplan" on how to align sections of a 3D tour with a floor plan image.  Repeat the steps outlined for each 3D tour to align them with each other.

Note: When saving a 3D tour that has an inserted floor plan, the transformation parameters (X and Y translation, the scale value, and rotation angle) of the floor plan are also saved to the Asset Library.  If you select the same image file to use as a floor plan in a different 3D tour, it will automatically be scaled and positioned using the previously saved values, and the transformation will be locked by default.  If you need to use the same floor plan in but do not want to use the saved transformation parameters, upload a second copy of the floor plan to the Asset Library.


Keep in mind: You do not need to use the absolute scale when setting up tours for comparison, it is only necessary to use the same scale. You can position and scale both tours by using the same floor plan image file as explained above.  However, if accurate measurements need to be made in either tour, you have to set up the absolute scale for each 3D tour first.  In this case, use the floor plan to aid in positioning the tours so that their locations on the Layout grids match as closely as possible.  Refer to “Measure dimensions" to determine the absolute scale. 

Setting Up the 3D Tour Comparison Window

In the Publisher tab, use the Compare List feature to set up a list of 3D tours available for comparison that you want to make accessible to your stakeholders.

To set up the list of 3D tours that can be compared to each other:

  1. Under Compare List, click the plus button to open the 3D tour selection window.
  2. Choose the second tour that will be displayed in the 3D tour comparison view. Please note that matching sections should have the same names in each 3D tour.  For instance, 3D tours of a two story house were created with images taken in 2015 and 2019.  If the floors were named ‘Floor 1’ and ‘Floor 2’ in the 2015 tour, make sure both floors in the 2019 tour are named to match the 2015 tour.
  3. For tours with more than one section, use the Section Selector to specify which sections are available for comparison. When someone who is viewing a tour in the Cupix Web Player selects a section from the section pulldown list, the corresponding section in the other 3D tour will be automatically displayed.  For instance, if ‘Floor 2’ of a two story house is selected in the tour on the left side of the screen, ‘Floor 2’ of the other tour will be automatically displayed on the right side of the screen.

Sharing Comparison Tours Internally or Publicly

To securely share the tour Comparison List with designated collaborators, use the Workspace Share feature as explained in "Collaborate Securely". Collaborators with access to the workspace can view the 3D tour comparison from the Review Tab of the Tour Editor, which functions the same as the Cupix Web Player. To share a 3D tour Comparison List publicly, publish the 3D tours.  Anyone with the Web Player link can access the 3D comparison view.

Collaborators or viewers who want to use the tour comparison feature in the Web Player or Review Tab can do so by following the steps below:

  1. Click the Compare icon in the toolbar.  This will split the viewing window in two and add a pulldown list at the bottom of the screen where tours can be selected from the Comparison List.
  2. Choose two 3D tours from the Reference and Target pulldown lists.
  3. Choose a section from the Section Selector pulldown list. When both 3D tours have more than one section available to view such as the 13th floor, 14th floor, etc., users can navigate to different sections by using the Section Selector.

Tip: The Cupix Web Player can automatically display the 3D tour comparison view as soon as it is finished loading.  To set this up, turn on Auto Start Comparison from the Customize Player option list in the Publisher Tab.