A virtual tour starts with an equirectangular 360° panorama — a full spherical image that wraps around the viewer and becomes the core element of an immersive experience.
If you’re working in 3ds Max, rendering a clean and accurate 360 panorama is fast and straightforward.
Here’s how to create a 360 render in 3ds Max and prepare it for upload to Space Tour.
1. Prepare the Scene
Make sure your lighting, materials, and geometry are set.
Add a Corona Camera (or V-Ray Physical Camera if you’re using V-Ray).
Place the camera at a realistic eye level — typically 54–63 inches (approx. 4.5–5.2 ft) from the ground.
This height provides a natural perspective for interior and exterior 360 renders.
💡 Tip: Select the camera → check the Z Position → enter a value like 60” (1520 mm).
2. Set Up the Camera for a 360° Spherical Render
Select the camera → open the Modify panel.
For Corona Renderer:
- Disable Targeted
- Scroll down to Projection & VR
- Set Type → Spherical
For V-Ray Renderer:
- Use V-Ray Physical Camera
- Under VR section → choose Spherical
- Set Horizontal FOV = 360°, Vertical FOV = 180°
This converts the camera into a full spherical projection suited for virtual tours.
💡 Keep the camera away from walls or furniture to avoid distortion.
3. Check Camera Placement
Switch to Top View and ensure the camera is placed where a real viewer could stand.
Rotate the camera slightly to preview all directions and confirm there are no blocked areas.
4. Render Setup: Image Size and Ratio
Open Render Setup (F10) → Common tab.
Set the resolution manually (there’s no “aspect ratio” toggle):
- Width / Height = 2:1
- 8000×4000 px for production
- 16000×8000 px for high-end visualization
- 4000×2000 px for preview or for Space Tour Free Plan
💡 The viewport preview will look narrow — but the final output will be a correct spherical panorama.
5. Render and Save the 360° Panorama
Render the scene as usual.
Save the result as JPG (recommended for tours) or TIFF (maximum quality).
Space Tour supports both formats.
6. Upload to Space Tour
- Log into Space Tour
- Create a new project
- Upload your 360° equirectangular image
- Add hotspots, labels, a mini-map, or navigation arrows
- Publish the tour or export it
💡 Multiple camera positions can be uploaded as separate panoramas and linked together — creating a full interactive walkthrough.
Conclusion
Rendering a 360 panorama in 3ds Max is a key step in creating a high-quality virtual tour.
With the correct camera setup and render resolution, you can produce a clean, distortion-free spherical image and turn it into an interactive experience using Space Tour — no coding or plugins required.
👉 Try it now: https://app.space-tour.pro
