---
title: "Calibrating the NavVis M6 IMU"
slug: "calibrating"
description: "NavVis M6 IMU calibration is required after power-up: tap Start Mapping, then run accelerometer and magnetometer calibration. The accelerometer step is mandatory; the magnetometer only once a day."
updated: 2025-06-27T11:00:26Z
published: 2025-06-27T11:00:26Z
canonical: "knowledge.navvis.com/calibrating"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.navvis.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Calibrating the NavVis M6 IMU

After you have powered up your device, you must calibrate the IMU before you start scanning.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** Before starting calibration, make sure that the device is located at the desired start location and that no people are in the area.

## Procedure

1. Tap **Start Mapping** to open the calibration wizard.
2. Specify a name for your Dataset.
3. Enter your geographic location.
4. Perform accelerometer calibration.
5. Perform magnetometer calibration.
6. Start scanning.

### Geographic Location

You must select the geographic location of the Site to be scanned to compensate for the magnetic field of the Earth. A rough approximation is enough.

Select the country where you are located from the drop-down list and the city closest to your location.

### Calibrating the Accelerometer

Accelerometer calibration is a mandatory step. If you cancel it, you cannot scan.

Users may be prompted to repeat accelerometer calibration if required for high data quality. However, if recalibration continues to fail, skip this step if necessary. This will result in slightly less accurate data.

Do not move the device during this procedure. If the device is moved during this step, Point cloud quality may be significantly reduced.

1. Position the device on level ground. Do not move the device during this procedure.
2. Tap **Start Calibration**.
3. Wait for the progress bar to reach 100%. This should take about 20 seconds.

### Calibrating the Magnetometer

Calibrating the magnetometer ensures precise magnetic field readings.

> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** The magnetometer calibration only needs to be performed once a day. It is especially recommended if the device has not been used for a while or has been transported. If you do not need precise magnetic field readings for your site, you can skip this procedure without affecting the quality of the dataset.

1. Before you begin, prevent interference by ensuring that the device is not located near electromagnetic fields or metallic objects.
2. Tap **Start Calibration**.
3. Rotate the mobile mapping system slowly around its axis until both circles are outlined in blue. Keep the center of rotation close to the body of the device.

Magnetometer calibration can fail if rotation is not smooth enough, if it is performed too quickly, or if the rotational axis is too far from the body of the device. If it fails, you can retry until it is successful (recommended), or skip the procedure.

## Recalibrating

If you have switched off your device, you will be automatically prompted to perform calibration once you power it up again. If you need to recalibrate your device during a project and have not switched it off since initial calibration, proceed as follows.

1. Tap **Start Mapping** on the main screen.
2. Enter a name for your dataset and tap **Next**.
3. Tap **Recalibrate** to open the calibration wizard.

A dataset is a piece of a site, the result of a continuous recording with a NavVis mapping device or the result of an imported point cloud. Datasets can contain panoramic images and point clouds.

Site refers to a complex of one or more buildings displayed in a NavVis IVION instance. For example, the Munich Airport would be one site. An instance can contain multiple sites. Each site consists of one or more datasets.

A Point Cloud is as a collection of data points in space that typically represent the external surface of an object or environment. Point clouds are used in various applications, including 3D scanning and mapping, and can be visualized and manipulated using Navvis IVION. You can perform actions such as panning, orbiting, cleaning up noise, cropping, and downloading data in formats like .e57 or .ply. The resolution of point clouds processed with NavVis Software achieves a minimum detail of 5mm, indicating the precision of the spatial data points.