Igloo Core Engine
Igloo Core Engine
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Desktop UI - Handling 360-Degree Content

360-degree content captures the view in all directions simultaneously. Igloo Core Engine supports multiple 360 formats and uses True Perspective to display them correctly within an immersive space.

360 content can be used with any Layer type (not just Images and Videos) and can be combined freely with other content.

Supported formats include:

  • Equirectangular (full 360)

  • Cubemap (full 360)

  • Panoramic (partial 360)

Equirectangular Content

Equirectangular content represents a full 360 view as a single 2:1 aspect ratio and is the native format for True Perspective.

Common resolutions include:

  • 3840 × 1920

  • 4096 × 2048

  • 5760 × 2880

  • 7680 × 3840

You can think of Equirectangular content as a globe “unwrapped” into a flat map.

When added to a layer, Equirectangular content is initially displayed flat and centered on the Canvas.

Applying True Perspective

To display Equirectangular content correctly within an immersive space:

  1. Select the Layer containing the Equirectangular content.

  2. Open the Effects tab.

  3. Choose Add Effect > True Perspective.

True Perspective extracts the correct perspective view based on the Igloo geometry and configured Head Position.

For Equirectangular sources, True Perspective is the only effect required.

See the True Perspective reference guide for more detailed information True Perspective

Cubemap Content

Cubemap content represents a full 360 view using six cubemap faces:

  • Left, Front, Right, Back, Top, Bottom

Faces are typically arranged in a strip (6:1) or cross layout.

Cubemap content must be converted to Equirectangular format before True Perspective can be applied.

Converting Cubemap to Equirectangular

  1. Open the Effects panel.

  2. Select Add Effect > Cubemap to Equirectangular.

  3. Then apply True Perspective.

This conversion is performed in real time using a shader. No offline processing is required.

Panoramic Content

Panoramic images or videos are wide field-of-view assets, but do not contain full 360 data vertically

In recent versions of Igloo Core Engine, panoramic content is still handled using True Perspective, with the Stretch option enabled.

Why True Perspective is Used for Panoramic Content

Applying True Perspective allows the content to:

  • Be spatially aligned to the Igloo geometry

  • Respond correctly to Head Position

  • Behave consistently with other immersive content in the workspace

Because the source does not cover a full vertical field of view, the extracted image may not naturally fill the Canvas.

Using Stretch with Panoramic Content

To address this, enable Stretch in the True Perspective effect:

  • Stretch Vertical scales the extracted view vertically

  • Offset allows minor vertical alignment adjustments

This allows panoramic content to “fit” the physical display surface.

Adjusting the View

When using True Perspective (for Equirectangular, Cubemap, or Panoramic content), the following controls adjust which region of the source is extracted:

  • Heading – rotates the view left and right

  • Pitch – rotates the view up and down

  • Direction – controls the axis along which pitch is applied

These controls affect the view extraction, not the source content itself.

For full configuration details see the True Perspective documentation:

True Perspective

Summary

  • Equirectangular is the recommended native 360 format.

  • Cubemap contains full 360 data and is converted to Equirectangular.

  • Panoramic content is partial 360 but can still use True Perspective with Stretch.

  • True Perspective provides a consistent, real-time way to extract immersive views.

  • Stretch is a tool for fitting incomplete source data to the space.

Next Section: Desktop UI - Working with WebViews