Measurement Scanning

[BRDBRemodeling]

I heard something at KBIS that Chief Architect was in the process of creating a system to scan a home for measurements. (Similar to Twindo)  Had there been any updates of release timeframe for that product?

[DerekPedersen]

Hello @BRDBRemodeling.  Thank you for the question.  Yes, we are currently working on an app that runs on LiDAR-enabled Apple devices (iPad Pro or iPhone Pro models) for capturing as-built floor plans.  This is currently in beta form.  If you are interested in looking at the beta version, you can send an email to beta@chiefarchitect.com.  This is the proper channel for beta access requests.  The current plan is for the As-Built app to officially release with X18.  Of course, this isn't guaranteed, but this is the current plan.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Kind regards,

 

Derek

Chief Architect Software

[BryceEngstrom]

Any plans to accept LIDAR other than iPhones?  It's kind of ironic that that it seemed like it took a long time for Chief to even offer a Mac OS version, and now this is the only Lidar file you will support?

[Paul454]

23 hours ago, BryceEngstrom said:

Any plans to accept LIDAR other than iPhones?  It's kind of ironic that that it seemed like it took a long time for Chief to even offer a Mac OS version, and now this is the only Lidar file you will support?

Hi Bryce, I did a google search for LIDAR software for android phones and it recommended an app called KIRI Engine for android devices that uses the 3D capabilities of the phone.  They claim it's free.  I just downloaded it, so I'm not sure yet how well it works. 

[Renerabbitt]

On 6/17/2026 at 2:24 PM, BryceEngstrom said:

Any plans to accept LIDAR other than iPhones?  It's kind of ironic that that it seemed like it took a long time for Chief to even offer a Mac OS version, and now this is the only Lidar file you will support?

Not really a Chief-specific issue on either of those fronts, at least not from a software development standpoint.

On the rendering side, Chief’s path tracer and other GPU-dependent features rely heavily on the graphics API and driver support available from the operating system and hardware vendor. On Windows, that generally means working through DirectX / GPU driver support from NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel. On macOS, that means working through Apple’s Metal API. If Apple’s Metal implementation or developer support is lacking(WHICH IT WAS), delayed, or not responsive to support tickets, there is only so much Chief can do from their end. They can optimize within the tools Apple provides, but they cannot rewrite Apple’s graphics stack or force Apple to prioritize bugs that affect a relatively small professional CAD/rendering market.

Same general idea with LiDAR. Apple has a very mature and well-documented development ecosystem around their LiDAR hardware, including ARKit, RoomPlan, depth APIs, and device-level support. Developers building scan-based workflows have a relatively clear path on iPhones and iPads because Apple controls the hardware, operating system, camera stack, sensor calibration, and API access.

Competing platforms are much more fragmented. Even if another phone technically has depth sensing, LiDAR, time-of-flight, or some other spatial scanning capability, the development tools may not be as standardized, consistent, or commercially viable. Android devices vary widely by manufacturer, sensor package, camera pipeline, OS version, and API support. That makes it much harder for a company like Chief to build and maintain a reliable scan-to-plan workflow across a broad range of non-Apple devices.

I wouldnt point the finger at Chief is all