Understanding Standard and Large Spaces
Overview
Matterport subscriptions allocate a number of Active Spaces rather than simply limiting the number of models.
Most everyday projects are classed as Standard Spaces, but larger surveys containing higher numbers of scan points become Large Spaces, consuming additional Active Spaces within your subscription.
Understanding how this works is essential when planning large commercial, industrial and public-sector projects.
What is an Active Space?
An Active Space is a Matterport model that remains hosted and available online.
Each subscription includes a maximum number of Active Spaces that can be hosted at any one time.
Archived models do not count towards this limit and can be restored when required, subject to your subscription’s archive and unarchive allowances.
Standard Spaces
A Standard Space contains:
- Up to 200 scan points
It occupies:
- 1 Active Space
Most residential properties, retail units and small commercial premises fall within this category.
Large Spaces
Projects exceeding 200 scan points are automatically classified as Large Spaces.
The number of Active Spaces consumed depends upon the total scan count.
| Scan Points | Active Spaces Used |
| Up to 200 | 1 |
| 201–500 | 2 |
| 501–1,000 | 3 |
| Over 1,000 | 4 |
No action is required by the user—Matterport allocates the appropriate Active Space usage automatically during processing.
Why Large Spaces Exist
Large projects require significantly more processing power, cloud storage and server resources than smaller residential models.
Examples include:
- Hospitals
- Universities
- Manufacturing facilities
- Warehouses
- Airports
- Shopping centres
- Hotels
- Large office buildings
- Historic buildings
- Construction projects
The Large Space system reflects these additional resource requirements.
Which Subscriptions Support Large Spaces?
Large Spaces are available on:
- Professional
- Business
- Enterprise
Starter subscriptions are intended for smaller projects and are not suitable for hosting Large Spaces.
Planning Large Projects
Before beginning a large survey:
- Estimate the expected scan count.
- Check your available Active Spaces.
- Consider whether older models should be archived.
- Confirm that your subscription has sufficient capacity.
This avoids interruptions during processing.
Reducing Scan Counts
Although Large Spaces are designed for extensive surveys, careful capture planning can reduce unnecessary scans.
Good practice includes:
- Avoiding duplicate scans.
- Using larger scan spacing where appropriate.
- Eliminating failed alignments.
- Removing unnecessary exterior scans.
- Using 360 Captures where full 3D geometry is not required.
Efficient capture techniques reduce processing time as well as subscription usage.
Best Practice
- Estimate scan numbers before starting.
- Monitor scan totals during capture.
- Archive completed projects where appropriate.
- Use Large Spaces only when genuinely required.
- Capture efficiently rather than excessively.
Understanding Active Space consumption allows you to manage subscription capacity effectively and avoid unexpected hosting limitations.