360 panorama resolution for VR headset

[fernando_pinheiro]

Hey guys,

Been doing some 360 panoramas for pc and mobile, hosting them on online free services like Round Me and Orbix 360.

For these plataforms, the 4000 x 2000 px resolution works well enough:

https://roundme.com/tour/783861/view/2480873

...but when using the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset, that resolution does not give the image quality we were expecting.

As an example i found online, this 8000 x 4000 px works amazingly well with the VR headset:

http://www.360cities.net/image/panor...5.16,3.18,70.0

Is someone out there also finding it difficult to find a good final resolution that does not take 10 hours to render, and also does not freezes the VFB when finished?

What resolution do you usually use?

Cheers

[Morne]

I did one 32000 X 16000 a while back, as we needed the ability to adjust the FOV and zoom pretty close into bits....

[fernando_pinheiro]

I did one 32000 X 16000 a while back, as we needed the ability to adjust the FOV and zoom pretty close into bits....

That is quite INSANE

How long for that panorama to render?

[Morne]

That is quite INSANE

How long for that panorama to render?

I can't remember the exact times, this was few years ago when I was still using Redshift. Rendered this one with Backburner strip rendering over about 10 workstations

[dreidesign]

A few years ago in when the first oculus rift was released the maximum resolution for stereo 6x1 cubic renders has been 18432 x 1536. So 9216px x 1536px per eye. This is the maximum resolution we render when doing stereo panoramas. I dont know if this is still the maximum for vr headsets today, but latest projects look quite good and sharp in oculus quest and quest 2.

[fernando_pinheiro]

A few years ago in when the first oculus rift was released the maximum resolution for stereo 6x1 cubic renders has been 18432 x 1536. So 9216px x 1536px per eye. This is the maximum resolution we render when doing stereo panoramas. I dont know if this is still the maximum for vr headsets today, but latest projects look quite good and sharp in oculus quest and quest 2.

Thanks for the feedback!

That is interesting to read. I have been using the 6000 x 3000 for latlong images, and still have not tried the cubemaps.

Even though i believe this resolution is a reasonable resolution to use in the Quest 2, objects that are near me look too close, and objects that are far look too far.

I will try cubic map to see if this effect/issue looks better. Have you used both solutions?

[dreidesign]

No problem. Yes we used and still using both spherical and cubemaps. This depends a bit on what exactly we are working and if we need to post the renderings. Because posting sphericals panoramas is much easier, especially when you need to replace the sky/background. Its not really that there is that much of a difference between spherical and cubemaps. My tests just showed that you get with a slightly higher/near the same quality with cubic compared to spherical, but the filesize for cubic was lower.

[fernando_pinheiro]

My tests just showed that you get with a slightly higher/near the same quality with cubic compared to spherical

YES!

I have just come to the same conclusion.

As an example, if you navigate here to the bedroom, and look to your right to the bedside table:

https://orbix360.com/KVrOkRT6z

...it does not look to bad here on the pc, but in the headset it looks strange. The bedroom and the outdoor patio lookei okei, but the bedside table looks to near.

Also, for comparisson this one here was a cubemap, and it looks far better on the headset:

http://vrto.me/?k=bn8n&c=1

...and the whole sofa and table look better here with cubemap, then with spherical in Orbix360.

The problem is that there are a lot of online free tours like Orbix360 for posting and sharing the spherical panoramas, but i'm having troubles to find services for posting the cubemaps.

Any suggestions?

[Morne]

If you want free, then try marzipano and host it on your own site
https://www.marzipano.net/

[dreidesign]

Cant recommend you any online services. Because we arent using them.

[fernando_pinheiro]

If you want free, then try marzipano and host it on your own site
https://www.marzipano.net/

Thanks for the feedback but i have tried Marzipano on the VR headset and it does not work...

[fernando_pinheiro]

Cant recommend you any online services. Because we arent using them.

Can i ask what are you using for publishing and sharing your panoramas / 360 tours?

[Morne]

Thanks for the feedback but i have tried Marzipano on the VR headset and it does not work...

Well if you want to do it properly, then get yourself KRPano or Pano2VR and host yourself

[fernando_pinheiro]

Well if you want to do it properly, then get yourself KRPano or Pano2VR and host yourself

Indeed.

Do both of them support spherical as well as stereo cubemaps?

Because i have just tested both solutions, and the cubemap, because its 6 images for each eye (12:1), it gives you an amazing 3D feeling in the VR headset, that the spherical panoramas just can't do, because its a "flat" 360 image.

[Morne]

Indeed.

Do both of them support spherical as well as stereo cubemaps?

Because i have just tested both solutions, and the cubemap, because its 6 images for each eye (12:1), it gives you an amazing 3D feeling in the VR headset, that the spherical panoramas just can't do, because its a "flat" 360 image.

KRPano supports it. Not sure about Pano2VR