PhotoSpheres

Photospheres are a way of displaying 360 photos in Altspace.

All the skyboxes are 360 (or spherical) images.

You can take your own 360 images and replace the skybox, or display as a photosphere.

A Photosphere in front of a Model in front of a Skybox

Cameras

Usually two fisheye lenses, shots stitched to one 360 image

Cunning Cameras

Combination 3d or 360 camera.

No, I don't know how to get 3d into Unity/Altspace.

Step inside

An Altspace Avatar can 'step inside' a photosphere to view from where the camera was; and see the photo surrounding oneself.

 

This is a simple way of giving multiple realistic views, rather than building large scale photogrammetry models.

Step inside

Remember how the surface of a model can only be seen from one direction?

                    If we just applied a photo texture to a sphere,

                        we would see the photo only from the OUTSIDE

              (like a Christmas bauble).

 

                                         To see a photo from the INSIDE, we need an                                       'inverted sphere', where the triangles are

                                   reversed. Not available directly in Unity -

fri                                     a friendly Altspacer (ProxCyde) created me an '                                  'inverted sphere' package. I can pass on.

 

Unity steps

1) Import 'inverted sphere' package

                   

2) Import 360 photo as a texture asset

 

3) Place sphere in scene

 

4) Apply texture to sphere

 

5) Upload to Altspace in template or kit (switch OFF collider)

 

 

 

 See examples in worlds

 

   Space Museum                                    (of Mars!)

   Archaeology World                             (Chaco Canyon)

 

   By Mark:
   

   Colchester Roman Walls

   St Botolphs Priory (Colchester)

   Colchester Water Tower (Jumbo)

   Colchester Sensory Garden (coming soon)

   

   - did you spot a theme?