The questions customers ask us on the phone before they decide — here in writing. If yours is not among them, call us or send us an email.
Both versions use the same algorithms and produce the same result. The difference is in the workflow.
Choose iOS if you want to see the result while still on site: no transfer of photographs, verification within minutes, plus the LiDAR scan of the surroundings. In return you need mobile coverage on site, because the 3D calculation runs online, and editing options are limited.
Choose Windows if you work without a network connection, measure with your own camera, or want to analyse and edit the result in depth — for that, the images have to be transferred to the computer first. The details are listed in the comparison on the overview page.
What matters with a staircase is not the deviation of a single point, but the error that accumulates over the height of one floor. That is what decides whether a prefabricated handrail still fits at the top.
| iPhone and iPad | 10–15 mm |
|---|---|
| StairsMeasure Pro | 3–5 mm |
These figures apply to a carefully executed measurement. Visibility of the targets, lighting and the number of images all play a part.
Straight, curved, spiral and across several floors — independent of the stairlift manufacturer. The method is accurate for objects up to ten metres and beyond, and works in cramped stairwells just as well as in bright sunlight or in the dark. More than 10,000 staircases have been measured with it.
No. The system is simple enough to operate that formal training is not worth the effort. We recommend measuring a test staircase three times to prepare for your first customer visit. If any questions come up along the way, simply contact our support team.
Yes, with the Demo Kit: professional targets, two reference boards and a dongle for the Windows app, enabled for 30 days. We charge a fee that is refunded as soon as the kit is returned. For iOS you can also print the targets straight from the app and start without a kit.
For the iOS app, the camera built into the device. For Windows, most cameras are suitable; we recommend a wide-angle lens with a fixed focal length, between 24 and 35 mm in full-frame terms. Changing focal lengths — that is, zoom lenses used in the field — are the most common source of error.
iPhone 12 and newer, as well as the iPad Pro. Pay attention to the flash: in dark stairwells it determines whether the targets are detected cleanly. If you mostly measure in poorly lit stairwells, a device with a flash is the safe choice.
No. The range of cameras built into Android devices is so wide that we cannot guarantee sufficiently accurate results. With iOS devices we have had very good experience over many years.
Windows 10 or 11, at least 8 GB of RAM and 500 MB of free disk space.
An iPhone or iPad with the app, or a Windows computer with a camera and a dongle — plus targets and two reference boards. Nothing else.
You can print the targets and reference boards straight from the app and start right away. Getting the size right is your responsibility: print at original size, without scaling — not “fit to page” — and measure the printout afterwards. Incorrectly scaled targets distort the scale of the entire measurement, and they do so without being noticed.
If you measure regularly, the professional marker sets are the better choice: the Basic Kit with 100 targets and two reference boards is sufficient for at least 30 steps and two platforms — two targets per step, plus targets around the two reference boards. The boards are precision printed and quality checked, the targets made from heavy material. For staircases spanning several floors, add the Extended Kit; for railings, obstacles and parking positions there is a kit with 25 obstacle targets.
Not for Windows. For iOS only for the 3D calculation, not for taking the photographs — so you can capture without coverage and run the calculation later.
Capturing the images on site takes about fifteen minutes, even for complex flights of stairs.
No. No holding of measuring rods, no second pair of hands — one person and one camera or iPhone.
The method works in the dark just as it does in bright sunlight. In difficult lighting it comes down to the flash; StairsMeasure Pro brings a more powerful one.
No, they are simply laid out and collected again after the measurement. The professional targets are made from heavy material and stay in place reliably.
A 3D model of the staircase as IGES, DXF 2D or DXF 3D — ready to import into your CAD system. The Windows app additionally writes STL, the iOS app additionally OBJ, CSV and the lin3d2 project format for the free Viewer.
Under sample files you can download the result of a measured staircase in advance and check it in your own program.
Usually because of too few images, insufficient overlap, images showing only one side of the stairs, blurred images or duplicate targets. Check the photography guidelines and re-photograph the staircase if necessary.
Add more photographs of reference board A and restart the calculation.
This happens when the platforms are not parallel to one another — the vertical cannot then be calculated precisely, and the projection into the drawing plane may be faulty. Use the 3D export in that case, or contact support.
Write to support@linearis3d.de, call +49 531 47220360 or use the contact form. Further symptoms are described under troubleshooting.
We will advise you on the equipment that suits your projects — and send you a demo kit on request.
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