Lidar vs. Disto - any thoughts?

[cashcatz]

I think it's $25 0r $30 per sketch. Go to the web site it will tell you. And time wise isn't instant either.

Are you talking about CubiCasa?

 

[CCAAMO]

Yeah, that thing is a dumpster fire. And it's not free (unless TOTAL now is).

Its free if your provider is Alamode. I am going to disagree with you, its pretty accurate. They claim 1-3% and my experience its within 2%. Its comes in handy with properties which lots of vegetation, sheds, junk around the exterior.

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

How does Lidar handle sloped ceilings?

 

[Tom D]

The basic drawing program in wintotal is free, i dislike it. But you can pay for an upgraded version. Wintotal will have a new scheme for that lidar to get more. Unless they just go with a high monthly fee. Or basic and upgraded. I can feel the dollars flowing out of my pocket.

Its free if your provider is Alamode. I am going to disagree with you, its pretty accurate. They claim 1-3% and my experience its within 2%. Its comes in handy with properties which lots of vegetation, sheds, junk around the exterior.

Are you saying you have already used it. Or just your imagination it will work based on their ad.

 

[cashcatz]

How does Lidar handle sloped ceilings?

Not great.

 

[Digger88]

it doesn't appear ceiling heights are required for each room as has been much feared. I'd encourage an AI of your choice make you an inspection cheat sheet for your first 3.6 report. I'm not going mobile until it slows down if ever personally. after I do a few of these this too will be just fine once I get the hang of it. and ftr no chance I'm going LiDAR it's too slow and costly gimme a green laser, my cell for pics and a manilla folder for notes and I'm good.

**Yes — repeating it clearly and directly (based on the official UAD 3.6 specs and sample reports still in use as of March 2026):**

In the **Unit Interior** section of the new dynamic URAR, there is **one single field** called:

**Ceiling Height(s) / Ceiling Style**
**(Field ID 10.045)**

- It is **plural** — “Height(s)” — on purpose.
- You pick from these dropdown options (you can select multiple if needed):
- Less than 7'
- 7'
- 8'
- 9'
- 10 or more feet
- 2 or more stories

Then you also pick the **Ceiling Style** (Flat, Vaulted, Cathedral, Coffered, Beamed, etc.).

### If the ceilings are typical for the house…
…you do **NOT** have to measure every single room, door, or window separately.

Official sample reports (from Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac) show exactly this:

- Typical ranch house → “**8 Ft. | Flat**” + short comment if wanted
- House with some variation → “**8 Ft. | 9 Ft. | 10 or more feet | Flat | Cathedral | Coffered**”
+ one-line note like: “Cathedral ceiling in bedroom, 2-story family room, coffered in media room — typical for this Colonial style”

That’s it. One entry for the whole unit (or per ADU if there is one). No laser measurements for every ceiling variation required when they’re standard/predominant for the property type.

This is **still** the rule in the final form (no changes in the March 2026 documentation updates). The GSEs designed this field to be a quick predominant summary, not a room-by-room inventory.

(The only time you dig deeper is if the height variation actually affects GLA under ANSI rules — e.g., sloped ceilings where part of a room is under 5' — but even then you just explain it in the comment box; you don’t list every measurement.)

So yes — if it’s typical, you mark the main heights/styles once and move on. No “measuring every damn thing.”

 

[jpowers]

Surf Cat — yes, that's exactly the end goal. And the way the hardware and APIs have been advancing, it's not that far
off. Each device generation has brought real accuracy gains. The bigger obstacle right now is probably the economics —
per-sketch pricing doesn't pencil out at typical AMC fee levels, which is likely why adoption has stayed niche
despite the technology being genuinely useful.

cashcatz — curious how your RoomPlan pipeline handles complex rooflines and multi-level homes. That seems to be where
the manual cleanup tends to end up regardless of capture method.

 

[CCAAMO]

The basic drawing program in wintotal is free, i dislike it. But you can pay for an upgraded version. Wintotal will have a new scheme for that lidar to get more. Unless they just go with a high monthly fee. Or basic and upgraded. I can feel the dollars flowing out of my pocket.


Are you saying you have already used it. Or just your imagination it will work based on their ad.

I've been using it for a couple of months

 

[Tom D]

Where have you been king lidar sketch. We need more of your output.

 

[cashcatz]

LiDAR it's too slow and costly gimme a green laser, my cell for pics and a manilla folder for notes and I'm good.

That is literally 5x more time consuming. The problem is all the inspection apps to date are just not built around the right process (ie., way appraiser actually works).