Scan with a 360 Camera

Best practices for capturing 360 camera footage to generate high-quality Gaussian Splat 3D models.

Overview

A 360 camera captures the entire environment at once using two lenses that each record slightly more than 180°. The camera stitches these feeds together so you can view the full surroundings in every direction simultaneously.

Efficient

Capturing an environment with a 360 camera is roughly three times faster than using a mobile phone.

Immersive

The camera captures the entire environment—floor to ceiling—at once, producing splats that feel complete and immersive.

Easy to use

The camera sees in all directions simultaneously, which significantly reduces the chance of leaving holes or blind spots in your scan.

Ideal for large areas

The combination of speed and full-environment capture makes 360 cameras especially well suited for digitizing large spaces such as marinas, parks, and large indoor facilities.

Requirements

  • A supported 360 camera
  • An invisible selfie stick
  • A desktop computer for file transfer

Supported Cameras and Formats

Insta360 X5 (recommended) and X4 — Native .insv support

Raw .insv files from the Insta360 X5 and X4 are supported directly — no stitching or conversion required. The Insta360 X5 is the recommended camera for the best overall quality and reliability.

All other 360 cameras — .mp4 workflow

All other cameras require a stitched, equirectangular .mp4 file. Results vary depending on the camera's resolution, stitching software quality, and gyroscope metadata accuracy.

Commonly used cameras

Insta360 X3 Insta360 One RS 1-inch 360 Ricoh Theta X Ricoh Theta Z1 GoPro Max 2 DJI Osmo 360 360 Drones (Antigravity A1, DJI Avata 360)

Capture a Scan

Focus on stable movement, complete coverage, and consistent camera setup. Walk smoothly, start with a perimeter loop, fill the area with a grid pattern, and close your loop at the end. Keep subjects at least 30 cm away.

Camera and Equipment Setup

Configure your camera before capturing. The following settings are based on the Insta360 X5 but also apply generally to other 360 cameras.

Camera Settings

Resolution

8K

Framerate

30 fps

Adaptive Tone

Off

Video Encoding

H.265

Color

Standard

Sharpness

Low

Exposure

Indoor

Set shutter speed to 1/500 and ISO to Auto to reduce motion blur.

Outdoor

Set both shutter speed and ISO to Auto. Let the camera adapt to the conditions.

Equipment Setup

  • Use an invisible selfie stick

  • Indoor spaces — extend to roughly ⅔ of full length

    Maintains consistent coverage while minimizing your presence in the scan.

  • Outdoor spaces — extend to full length

    Maximum coverage for open environments.

  • Keep the camera upright and perpendicular to the ground

Capture Technique

Capture quality depends on consistent movement and complete coverage.

Movement

  • Walk at a slow and steady pace
  • Avoid jerks, bouncing, or rapid turns

Distance

  • Stay about 1 meter from key surfaces
  • Do not get closer than 30 cm
  • Avoid placing objects across the stitch line between the two lenses — this can cause warping, blind spots, or artifacts in the final splat

Coverage

  1. 1 Start with a perimeter loop pattern — walk the outer boundary of the entire area
  2. 2 Fill the interior using a lattice grid pattern — overlapping passes across the space
  3. 3 End near your starting point to close the loop

Calibration and Environment

Environmental conditions and optional calibration affect scan quality.

Environment

  • Use well-lit, evenly lit spaces
  • Avoid strong shadows or direct sunlight
  • Capture when the area is empty

Metric Scale Calibration (optional)

To enable real-world 1:1 scale in your splat:

  1. 1. Print a calibration board at 100% scale
  2. 2. Place it flat on the floor
  3. 3. At the start of the scan, circle the camera around the board so it is clearly visible
  4. 4. Continue scanning as usual

Prepare Your Files

After capturing, transfer your 360 files to a desktop computer. Preparation depends on your camera type.

Insta360 X5 / X4

No additional preparation required. Copy the raw .insv files directly from the SD card — no stitching or conversion needed.

All other cameras — Pre-processing steps

You must first convert your footage into a stitched, equirectangular .mp4 file. Use the manufacturer's official desktop software for best results.

  1. 1

    Trim

    Remove unnecessary portions of the video to reduce file size and processing time.

  2. 2

    Enable direction lock

    When exporting to .mp4, enable direction lock to preserve spatial consistency and gyroscope orientation. This is critical — missing direction lock causes drifting or warped results.

  3. 3

    Export as .mp4

    Export the stitched file using H.264 or H.265 encoding.

A raw 360 camera image consists of two 180+ degree camera images — one from each lens. Stitching combines them into a single equirectangular image covering the full sphere.

Troubleshooting & FAQ

Blurry splats
Use a shutter speed of 1/500 for indoor environments to reduce motion blur.
Drifting or warped environments
If you used the .mp4 workflow, verify that direction lock was enabled during export. Missing direction lock breaks spatial consistency and gyroscope orientation.
Warping or blind spots near objects
Avoid placing objects across the stitch line between the two lenses. Keep at least 30 cm distance from surfaces and about 1 meter from key subjects.
Can I use a 360 drone?
Yes. You can use 360 videos from drones such as the Antigravity A1 and DJI Avata 360. Export as stitched .mp4 with direction lock enabled.
Do I need desktop software to prepare my files?
No, if you have an Insta360 X5 or X4 — raw .insv files are supported directly, no additional software needed.
Yes, if you use any other camera — use the manufacturer's desktop software to stitch your footage into an .mp4 with direction lock enabled.
How do I get real-world scale in my splat?
Print a calibration board (US Letter or A4) at 100% scale, place it flat on the floor, and circle the camera around it at the start of your scan. The calibration board is detected automatically and 1:1 metric scaling is applied during processing.