PortalCam transforms Greybox Geospatial reality capture workflows

Learn how Greybox Geospatial is using the XGRIDS PortalCam to move beyond traditional 360° tours and create immersive, photorealistic 3DGS environments. This article explores how PortalCam is helping Greybox Geospatial and its clients.

Key takeaways

• Greybox Geospatial adopted the XGRIDS PortalCam to create more immersive and freely navigable digital environments.

• Greybox Geospatial has used PortalCam on numerous projects, including commercial headquarters buildings and plant rooms.

• Jac Parry, director at Greybox, described PortalCam as a game changer, praising its high-quality outputs; fast and reliable capture-to-delivery workflow; and enhanced client delivery.

• Ongoing expert support from heliguy™ helped Greybox successfully deploy the technology across a range of real-world projects.

Expert insight

“The overall speed of the pipeline, from capturing on site at walking pace to publishing a complete, immersive 360° tour, has been a massive game changer for our services and for how we surface and visualise data for our clients.”

- Jac Parry, Director at Greybox Geospatial

PortalCam has been a 'game changer'

Faster project delivery, higher-quality output, and more immersive client experiences than traditional virtual tours made by 360° panoramic cameras.

These are some of the benefits Greybox Geospatial has unlocked since adding the XGRIDS PortalCam to its reality capture toolkit.

The company describes PortalCam as a massive game changer for its reality capture pipeline, helping transform how project data is captured, visualised, and shared with clients.

An example is this high-res 3DGS model of a plant room, captured by Greybox Geospatial to help its client, RJS Ventol, visualise new commercial space and share the digitisation with stakeholders.

If the model doesn't natively play in HD, click the Settings cog to select the highest resolution.

Having worked with heliguy™ throughout the selection and implementation process, Greybox has deployed the PortalCam across a wide range of projects, from large commercial headquarters to single plant room applications.

This blog explores the benefits PortalCam has brought to Greybox's reality capture workflows, its deployment across real-world projects, and the support provided by heliguy™.

Expanding reality capture capabilities

Greybox Geospatial is a UK-based reality capture and digital solutions company supporting clients across defence, housing, infrastructure, and commercial property.

With extensive experience delivering 360° virtual tours using panoramic cameras, Greybox wanted to move beyond traditional node-based navigation and provide clients with more immersive, freely navigable digital environments.

To support this, Greybox invested in the XGRIDS PortalCam through heliguy™: a handheld 3DGS capture device combining LiDAR with a multi-camera array to create photorealistic, navigable 3D environments.

Why Greybox chose PortalCam

Following extensive trials with XGRIDS hardware and software, Greybox selected PortalCam for the following reasons:

• Fast reality capture: PortalCam enables fast, photorealistic 3DGS capture of interior and close-range environments through its combination of handheld LiDAR and multi-camera sensing.

• Flexible multi-scanner workflows: PortalCam datasets can be combined with outputs from other XGRIDS scanners, enabling each device to be deployed where its sensor configuration performs best.

• Seamless software integration: Open-format exports allow PortalCam data to integrate seamlessly with existing geospatial, BIM, visualisation, and information management platforms, rather than being restricted to a single viewing environment.

Deployment across real projects

Greybox Geospatial has used the PortalCam on numerous projects, including large commercial headquarters buildings and smaller plant room surveys - covering a broad range of capture conditions, lighting environments, and spatial complexity.

Greybox has made extensive use of advanced Lixel CyberColor (LCC) Studio processing features, including:

• Map Fusion: Enables multiple capture sessions to be merged into a single coherent model using control points.

• HD Enhancement: Supplements scan data with high-resolution phone or camera imagery to improve reconstruction quality in targeted areas. Greybox used HD Enhancement for the RJS Ventol plant room scan.

PortalCam results and benefits

PortalCam has brought numerous benefits to Greybox Geospatial, including high-quality outputs; a fast and reliable capture-to-delivery workflow; and enhanced client delivery.

High-quality outputs

Jac Parry, Director of Greybox Geospatial, said the PortalCam delivers 'very good' results, in terms of reconstructed geometry and the radiometric quality of the splat.

He told heliguy™:

• Colours and colour balance are consistent across most environments and need minimal adjustment in post-processing.

• Exposure handling is neutral and rarely clips highlights. High dynamic range scenes with significant glazing are handled well, provided the areas concerned are scanned in sufficient depth during capture.

• HD Enhancement has proven particularly effective in challenging areas, such as larger glazed openings within stairwells, where importing high-resolution supplementary imagery helps manage exposure and improves reconstruction detail.

Fast, reliable capture-to-delivery workflow

Jac said the workflow from capture to delivery has proven to be one of the PortalCam's 'biggest strengths' for Greybox.

He explained:

• Exporting project data locally from the PortalCam and importing it into LCC for processing is simple and reliable.

• LCC takes raw scan data through to publication-ready 3DGS models with minimal manual intervention, creating a streamlined workflow from site capture through to final delivery.

• The ability to capture environments at walking pace and rapidly publish complete immersive digital environments significantly reduces turnaround times and accelerates project delivery.

Enhanced client delivery

Jac said the PortalCam provides a more immersive way to present project information, creating 'a complete picture of structured data that clients find extremely useful'.

He said:

• Unlike traditional 360° virtual tours that rely on fixed panoramic nodes, Gaussian Splatting environments allow users complete freedom to navigate buildings and sites, moving directly to assets, defects, rooms, and areas of interest.

• Immersive environments provide richer context around project data, helping clients better understand sites, assets, and the information being presented.

• Outputs can be shared through standard web browsers and secured with controlled access when required, making them suitable for both public-facing projects and sensitive environments.

• Combining structured project data with immersive visualisation creates a more complete and accessible experience than traditional documents alone.

How heliguy™ supported Greybox’s PortalCam adoption

Before purchasing the PortalCam, heliguy's reality capture specialists worked closely with Greybox to assess project requirements, capture environments, and workflow objectives.

Through extensive technical discussions and product comparisons, heliguy™ helped identify the solution best suited to their needs.

After purchase, heliguy™ provided ongoing support with capture workflows, processing techniques, and project-specific challenges, helping Greybox maximise the value of the PortalCam.

"The standout of the procurement process was the quality of the discussions with heliguy's reality capture and technical teams. Delivery was straightforward, with regular updates on progress from order through to arrival. Some applications can be tricky or niche for the PortalCam, where particular outputs or specific capture and scanning paths are needed. Being able to lean on heliguy's experience in these situations has been extremely useful for us, and we cannot thank the heliguy™ team enough."

- Jac Parry, Director at Greybox Geospatial

To find out how heliguy™ can support your reality capture workflows with XGRIDS solutions, contact us.

Summary

As reality capture technology continues to evolve, organisations are looking for faster, more immersive ways to capture, visualise, and share project information.

For Greybox Geospatial, the XGRIDS PortalCam has become a valuable addition to its reality capture toolkit, helping bridge the gap between traditional virtual tours and fully navigable digital environments.