How to Use the Volume Measurement Tool
The Volume Measurement tool calculates the volume of a 3D capture. Use it for enclosed shapes such as mounds and stockpiles, and for open spaces such as swimming pools and excavations. In this article you will learn where to find the tool, how to run a calculation, and how accurate the results are.
Plan Availability
| Plan | iOS | Web | Android |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| Basic | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| ProLEGACY | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| Business | Available | Available | Available |
| Enterprise | Available | Available | Available |
Supported Capture Types
Volume Measurement works on mesh-based captures only.
| Capture mode | Supported | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Object Mode (mesh) | Supported | Fully supported |
| Object Mode (Gaussian Splat) | Not supported | Splats have no mesh to measure |
| Space Mode | Supported | Mesh layer only |
| Floorplan Mode | Not supported | Not supported |
| 360 Mode | Not supported | Not supported |
Try the Interactive Demo
Walk through a volume calculation in Polycam with the interactive demo below.
How to Measure Volume
1Open your capture
In your Library, open the capture you want to measure.
2Open Measure, then Volume
In the bottom toolbar, select , then choose Volume.
3Calculate
Select . Polycam processes the cropped capture and returns its volume.
4Review the result
A highlight appears over the measured geometry, and the volume is shown in cubic metres or cubic feet depending on your unit setting. The highlight is worth checking: it shows exactly what was included, so you can confirm the tool measured what you intended before relying on the number.
To start again, select Reset.
Two Kinds of Volume
The tool handles both hollow spaces and solid masses.
Internal volume
The empty space inside something: a swimming pool, a container, a trench.
Typical uses: pool volume, tank capacity, excavation depth.
Enclosed volume
The space taken up by a solid mass: a stockpile of aggregate, a mound of soil, an item of inventory.
Typical uses: material stockpiles, earthworks, inventory volume.
How Accurate Is It?
Under good conditions the tool measures to within about 1% of results from professional survey software. Polycam tested a range of object types and capture methods; the full results are below.
| Source | What was measured | Accuracy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object Mode | Small object | 100% | Optimal conditions |
| Object Mode | Large object | 99.23% | Closer to 99% with careful mesh trimming |
| Space Mode | Cropped to a small area | 99.50% | Accuracy drops sharply without accurate cropping |
| AI Capture | Closed mesh | 100% | Watertight meshes give the best results |
| Uploaded model | Closed surface | 99.90% | Basic surfaces |
| Uploaded model | Open surface | 99.67% | Basic surfaces |
| Uploaded model | Open surface, curved | 99.94% | Basic surfaces |
| Uploaded model | Closed polysurface | 99.78% | Polysurfaces |
| Uploaded model | Open polysurface, tube | 99.20% | Uncapped ends |
| Uploaded model | Closed polysurface, tube | 99.71% | Capped ends |
| Uploaded model | Open polysurface, no overlap | 99.62% | Polysurfaces |
| Uploaded model | Closed polysurface, curved | 99.41% | Polysurfaces |
| Uploaded model | Multiple objects | 99.94% | Complex geometry |
| Uploaded model | Curved objects | 99.99% | Complex geometry |
| Uploaded model | Large open polysurface | 99.20% | Large objects with curved surfaces |
| Uploaded model | Large closed polysurface | 99.26% | Large objects |
Mesh requirements
The tool works with both watertight and open meshes. A watertight mesh is fully closed with no gaps or holes; an open mesh has openings or incomplete surfaces. Watertight meshes give the best accuracy, but as the table shows, open meshes still measure well.
Cropping
Crop tightly around the target and remove any geometry you do not want counted. Well-cropped captures measure to around 99% accuracy, while an uncropped Space Mode scan can fall well below that.
What affects accuracy
- Cropping precision. Tight, accurate cropping around the target.
- Scan quality. Higher resolution and better coverage give better results.
- Mesh completeness. Meshes without holes or gaps are the most reliable.
- Object complexity. Simple, well-defined shapes measure more predictably than irregular ones.
- Lighting during capture. Consistent, adequate light improves scan quality, and so the measurement.
Before You Rely on a Measurement
Models with thickness
The tool is built for scan-style meshes, which are a single surface. If you import a model that has wall thickness or several stacked surfaces, it may count the space between those surfaces as part of the volume. Check the highlight before trusting the number.
Measuring on web
Avoid resizing the browser window while the volume tool is open, as this can cause it to crash. Finish the calculation first, then resize.