How to Use AI Chat (Beta)
AI Chat lets you ask questions about a scanned space in plain language, and answers using measurements taken directly from your capture. From the same conversation, you can price out work as a cost estimate, generate a full spatial takeoff, and pull up the photos taken during your scan. In this article you will learn how to open AI Chat, ask about measurements, create cost estimates and spatial takeoffs, and view your scan photos.
Plan Availability
| iOS | Web | Android | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Basic | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| ProLEGACY | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Business | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Enterprise | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Capture Requirements
- Capture types: AI Chat works with all capture types. Reports and floor plan features aren't available for Object, 360, or AI Upload captures.
- Processing: Your capture must finish processing before you can open AI Chat.
Open AI Chat
1Open a Capture
Open a capture from your library on Web, iOS, or Android.
2Open AI Chat
On Web, click in the left toolbar. The chat panel opens on the right side of the viewer.
On iOS and Android, tap in the toolbar at the bottom of the capture viewer, alongside Measure, Floorplan, and Reports.
3Ask a Question
Click or tap one of the suggested questions, or type your own in the Ask Polycam about your space box and press Enter.
Ask About Measurements
Type a question about a room the way you'd ask a coworker. AI Chat answers with measurements from your scan and marks the measurement on the model, so you can see what it counted.
| Example question | What AI Chat returns |
|---|---|
| "How big is the bathroom?" | Overall dimensions and floor area, such as 6 ft 11 in × 5 ft 6 in with 38 sq ft of floor |
| "How much paint do I need for the bathroom walls?" | Net wall area and how much paint to buy for two coats, such as about 160 sq ft of wall and about 1 gallon of paint |
| "What's the perimeter of the living room?" | The room's perimeter, such as about 68 ft |
Generate a Cost Estimate
1Ask About the Work
Ask about work you want to price, such as "How much paint do I need for the bathroom walls?"
2Start the Estimate
Under the answer, click .
3Describe the Work
Describe the work you need done, such as "Paint the bathroom walls, two coats." Your scan's details are already included. Click .
4Review and Adjust Pricing
Review the line items. Each one lists the work, the rooms, the measured area, the materials, and the labor. To change pricing, edit unit costs, quantities, labor hours, and rates in the sidebar.
5Download the Estimate
Review the final report and the full cost breakdown, then click to save the estimate as a PDF.
What's in the Cost Estimate PDF
| Page | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Summary | Estimated total, property, scope, estimate number, and the date it's valid through |
| Floorplan and scope | Your floor plan with in-scope rooms highlighted, plus what the estimate includes |
| Not included | Work outside the estimate and what the scan can't show |
| Cost breakdown | Each line item with its quantity, unit cost, labor hours, and rate |
| Project total | The base scope plus your standard percentages |
| Acceptance | Signature, name, and date lines for the homeowner and the contractor |
A bathroom wall paint estimate priced 161 sq ft of paint at about $0.61 per sq ft ($99) and 4 hours of labor at $85 per hour ($340), for a total of $439.
Create a Spatial Takeoff
1Request the Takeoff
In AI Chat, click the suggestion, or ask for a spatial takeoff of the whole home.
2Generate It
Under the answer, click .
3Download the Files
Download the takeoff. You get a ZIP file containing a PDF report and four CSV files.
What's in the Takeoff PDF
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Summary | Total area in scope, with counts of rooms, openings, and objects |
| Floorplan and scope | Your floor plan, with door and window tags that match the schedules |
| Per-room measurements | Floor, wall, and ceiling area for each room, plus perimeter, height, and volume |
| Schedules | Every door and window with its tag, size, casing length, and location |
| Object inventory | Fixtures and furniture by room, marked built-in or loose, with dimensions |
What's in the CSV Files
| File | What each row holds |
|---|---|
| rooms.csv | One room: floor area, gross and net wall area, ceiling area and type, perimeter, ceiling height, volume, and door, window, and object counts |
| doors.csv | One door: tag, type, area, casing length, location, and floor |
| windows.csv | One window: tag, area, sill height, casing length, location, and floor |
| objects.csv | One object: type, room, built-in or loose, dimensions, floor area, and floor |
View Photos From Your Scan
1Ask for Photos
Ask AI Chat to show photos of a room, such as "Can you bring up the bathroom walkthrough images?"
2Open a Photo
Click a photo in the chat. The 3D walkthrough opens at the exact spot where the photo was taken.
Troubleshooting
AI Chat isn't in the toolbar
- Ensure that your Polycam app is up to date
- Check that you're on a Business or Enterprise plan
Report or floor plan options are missing
Cost estimates, spatial takeoffs, and floor plan answers aren't available for Object, 360, or AI Upload captures. AI Chat still answers other questions about those captures.
An answer or estimate looks wrong
AI Chat can make mistakes. Check important measurements with the Measure tool before you use them. In a cost estimate, correct quantities, unit costs, or labor in the sidebar before you download the PDF.
Rooms, doors, or windows are missing
Make sure your scan covered every area, with clear room boundaries and all doors and windows captured. Modify the floor plan in the Floor plan editor to make additional changes.
Something behind a wall isn't in the estimate
A scan records finished surfaces only. Concealed conditions, such as rot, a failed subfloor, or corroded supply lines, don't appear in estimates or takeoffs.