Create Stunning 360-Degree Videos in Unity: A Step-by-Step Guide

Unlocking the Power of 360-Degree Video in Unity

Are you ready to take your Unity projects to the next level? In this article, we’ll show you how to create stunning 360-degree videos using Unity and Google’s Spatial Media Metadata Injector tool. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or just starting out, this guide will walk you through every step of the process.

Setting Up Your Project

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s set up our project. Create a new Unity 3D project and name it “VR 360 Apartment.” Make sure to select the 3D template and update the project name accordingly.

Next, head over to the Unity Asset Store and download the Apartment Kit asset. This asset is perfect for demonstrating the power of 360-degree video in Unity.

Recording a 360-Degree Video

Now that we have our project set up, it’s time to record a 360-degree video. To do this, we’ll use Unity’s Recorder package.

1. Go to Window > Package Manager and switch to the Unity Registry.
2. Install the Recorder package by Unity Technologies.
3. Go to Window > General > Recorder > Recorder Window.
4. Add a new recorder by selecting “Movie” from the drop-down menu.
5. Configure the movie settings as follows:
   • Source: 360 View
   • Camera: MainCamera
   • Output Dimensions: 4096 x 2048
   • Cube Map Size: 2048
   • Deselect Record In Stereo
   • Include or exclude audio (optional)
   • Set the output file path and name
6. Click the play button in the Unity Editor to start recording.
7. While in Play Mode, click Start Recording in the Recorder Panel.
8. After 30 seconds (or longer, depending on your needs), stop recording.

Adding 360-Degree Capability to Your Video

The recorded video will appear distorted because it lacks metadata about its 360-degree capabilities. To fix this, we’ll use Google’s Spatial Media Metadata Injector tool.

1. Download the Spatial Media Metadata Injector tool from the official repository.
2. Extract the zipped folder and run the Spatial Media Metadata Injector.exe file.
3. Open the recorded video file and click Open.
4. Click Inject Metadata to add the necessary metadata to the video.

Uploading Your 360-Degree Video

Once you’ve added the metadata, your video is ready to be uploaded to YouTube or played in a compatible video player. You can pan around the 360-degree video by holding the left mouse button and moving around.

Conclusion

That’s it! With these simple steps, you can create stunning 360-degree videos in Unity using the Recorder package and Google’s Spatial Media Metadata Injector tool. Experiment with different assets and environments to unlock the full potential of 360-degree video in your Unity projects.