Scale and distance

To aid immersion and minimize distortion, choose an appropriate 360 image distance type in the image options dialog

Virtual reality allows for amazing immersion of your audience. More so, it allows for manipulating your users' sense of scale.

Staring in the vastness of space, being in a shop, or being an ant in a machine - it's all possible.

AIFE uses a number of tricks to convey the scale of a scene in a believable (or unbelievable) way.

AIFE even allows for limited 6-degrees of freedom movement. This allows your audience to appreciate the scene from different angles.

Believable 360 image projection becomes harder the closer objects are to the camera, as depth is not conveyed accurately. Distortions as a result of projecting the image on a sphere can become immersion-breaking if not managed properly.

Therefore, for best results, try using 360 photography that is as far away as possible from all significant objects in a scene.

To mitigate distortion and accomplish your intended sense of immersion and scale, you can specify 4 types of 360 images in the image options dialog.

2 metres

The 2 metre scale is most suitable for indoor scenes, such as shop interiors or real-estate imagery.

The 2 metre scale is most suitable for close quarters, such as shop interiors or rooms. It assumes that the closest object is at least 2 metres away from the camera.

The interface is modified to minimise visible distortion and to convey a scale that is consistent with close quarters and close objects.

4 metres

The 4 metre scale assumes the closest objects are at least 4 metres away. It suitable in most situations where the vantage point is 1.6m above ground level. 1.6m is the average eye height of an adult. Most landscape imagery suits this mode.

This setting is the default option that is set when uploading an equirectangular (2:1 ratio) image.

Moving around in the scene re-projects the 360 image in a way that conveys movement within the environment.

25 metres

Aerial drone photography or synthetic skylines like this one are mosted suited to the 25m mode

The 25 metre scale is suitable for vantage points that are elevated or otherwise far removed from the closest objects. It is very suitable for aerial drone photography.

Moving around in the scene will still show minor parallax effects, conveying a sense of "near-yet-far".

Infinity

The infinity option is most suitable to convey, for example, the vastness of space.

The infinity scale option is suitable for environments whose closest objects are "infinitely" far removed from the viewer. It is suitable to convey vast distances, such as environments set in space.

With the right image content, this option is very useful to create an intentional, awe-inspiring detachment.