How can I reconstruct a complex ceiling in the Metaroom Workspace? 

When you scan a room with a complex ceiling, the resulting 3D model is initially a simplified version of the space. It may not fully capture sloped surfaces, recessed features, exposed beams, or ceiling-mounted elements.

You can use the AI-assisted element creation tools in the Metaroom Workspace to extract auxiliary surfaces and boxes from Snapshots taken during scanning, adding the missing ceiling details to your model.

Please note: in the Metaroom Workspace, you are creating auxiliary surfaces and boxes that represent key ceiling features. These elements serve as reference geometry when continuing your project in a third-party CAD or lighting design tool — for example, Dialux, Relux, ArchiCAD, or Cascados. Full ceiling reconstruction, such as complex mesh editing or structural modeling, is completed in your target software, not inside the Metaroom Workspace.

Before you start: make sure you captured enough Snapshots of the ceiling elements during scanning. See How can I scan a complex ceiling with the Metaroom Scan App? for guidance.

Which geometry mode should I use?

When extracting a ceiling element, select the geometry mode that best matches its shape:

• Surface: use for flat or sloped ceiling sections, recessed areas, or angled planes.
• Box: use for beams, ceiling-mounted fixtures, or any element with clear 3D dimensions.

How can I organize Snapshots by element type?

If the ceiling has multiple element types — for example, both beams and sloped sections — color-tagging your Snapshots helps you work through them in an organized way. A common approach:

• Yellow — beams
• Red — ceiling sections and sloped surfaces
• Green — general reference Snapshots

In the Model Tree, use the Filter tool to display only Snapshots of a specific color, so you can reconstruct one category at a time.

How do I reconstruct ceiling elements from Snapshots?

Follow these steps to extract 3D elements from Snapshots in the Metaroom Workspace:

1. Open your scanned 3D model in the Metaroom Workspace.
2. Find the Snapshot of the ceiling element you want to reconstruct — either in the Model Tree or by clicking the Snapshot icon in the 3D model view.
3. Click on the Snapshot to open it in the Frame Interaction sidebar. Each Snapshot contains depth information captured during the scan, making it interactive.
4. Select the geometry mode: Surface for flat or sloped ceiling sections, Box for beams and volumetric elements.
5. Click on the ceiling element in the Snapshot. The AI-assisted segmentation system will outline the detected area.
6. Refine the selection if needed:
   • Hold SHIFT and click to add areas to the selection.
   • Hold ALT and click to remove areas from the selection.
   • You can place multiple points to guide the AI precisely.
7. Give the element a clear name in the Element Name field — for example, “Sloped Ceiling North” or “Ceiling Beam A”. This name will appear in the Model Tree.
8. Optionally, assign an IFC Type and a color tag.
9. Click Save 3D element.
10. Confirm the element’s position using the Transform Tool. Adjust if needed, then click ✔ to confirm. The element is added to your 3D model and included in supported export formats.
11. Repeat for all remaining ceiling elements.

Pro Tip: when you take a Snapshot of a ceiling element and scan around it, the app automatically captures additional frames of the same object from different angles. These appear alongside your Snapshot in the Frame Interaction sidebar, giving you multiple perspectives and improving reconstruction accuracy.

What if I didn’t capture enough Snapshots?

If you missed Snapshots of certain ceiling areas, you can still reconstruct them using Related Scan Frames — frames automatically captured throughout the scan. There are two ways to access them:

• Click on any ceiling element in the 3D model. The Frame Interaction sidebar will show the Related Scan Frames for that element. Click on a frame to open it and extract a 3D element using the same steps above.
• Enable the Scan Path by clicking the Scan Path icon in the top toolbar. Click on a dot near the ceiling area to open related frames in the Frame Interaction sidebar.

What happens after reconstruction?

Once you have created all the auxiliary surfaces and boxes, export your project from the Metaroom Workspace in your preferred format. Import it into your target CAD software, where you can use the auxiliary elements as reference geometry to model the final ceiling accurately.

Related resources

Read How can I scan a complex ceiling with the Metaroom Scan App? article for more scanning insights.

Watch our dedicated webinar “Scan & Reconstruct Complex Ceilings“.