Set up a panoramic video as a skybox

Use your panoramic video as the backdrop of your Scene.

This information covers how to create a skybox material and assign it to your default skybox. For more information about how to work with skyboxes, refer to Create a skybox.

You can use a panoramic video as a skybox to enhance immersion in various ways. You can use it to create dynamic backgrounds, such as weather systems, day-night cycles, or other visual changes that add depth and realism to the experience.

In virtual reality (VR), panoramic video skyboxes provide a fully dynamic, 360° environment that users can explore. As the user moves their head, their view of the video’s content shifts, which can make their surroundings feel more realistic.

To use a panoramic video as a skybox, complete the following tasks:

Check the prerequisites before you continue.
Identify your video content type.
If your video has a equirectangular layout, Create a panoramic skybox material for your video.
If your video has a cubemap layout, you have 2 options:
- Create a panoramic skybox material for your video.
- Create a cubemap skybox material for your cubemap video.
Assign your skybox material to your skybox.

For more information about how to create a skybox, refer to Create a skybox.

Prerequisites

Before you continue to set up a panoramic video as a skybox, you need to set up a panoramic video. For more information, refer to Set up a panoramic video.

Identify your video content type

You need to correctly identify the type of content in the video (cubemap or equirectangular) for the panoramic video to display correctly. To check the type, you can either check the video’s resolution or view the video itself.

Check the video’s resolution

You can check the video resolution to confirm what content type the video has using the following steps:

Click on the video.
In the Inspector, click on the video’s name.
Select Source Info.
Check the Pixels value.
- Equirectangular videos have 2:1 or 1:1 ratios.
- Cubemap videos have 1:6, 3:4, 4:3, or 6:1 ratios.

View the video content

Click on the video to bring up a preview in the Inspector window. If the video looks like a flattened cube, it’s a cubemap. If the video looks more like a flattened sphere, it’s likely equirectangular.

Create a panoramic skybox material for your video

If you want your panoramic video with an equirectangular layout to be the backdrop of your Scene, you need to replace the default skybox with your video content. To do this:

Create a new Material (menu: Assets > Create > Material).
Select the new Material. This opens the Inspector window for the Material.
Set Shader to Skybox > Panoramic.
In the Texture slot, assign your render texture.
Set Mapping to:
- Latitude Longitude Layout for equirectangular videos.
- 6 Frames Layout for cubemap videos.
For Image Type:
- Choose 360 Degrees if the video covers a full 360° view.
- Choose 180 Degrees if the video only faces one way.

To check your content looks correct, view the Preview at the bottom of the Material Inspector.

For more information about the panoramic skybox shader, refer to Panoramic skybox.

Create a cubemap skybox material for your video

The cubemap layout (such as a cross and strip layout) is common for static skybox textures. To set up a skybox material for a cubemap video:

Create a new Material (menu: Assets > Create > Material).
Select the new Material. This opens the Inspector window for the Material.
Set Shader to Skybox > Cubemap.
In the Texture slot, assign your render texture.

For more information about the cubemap skybox shader, refer to Cubemap Skybox Shader Material Inspector Window reference.

Assign your skybox material to your skybox

After you create your skybox panoramic or cubemap material, you can assign it to your skybox.

From the main menu, select Window > Rendering > Lighting.
In the Lighting window, select the Environment tab.
Drag your skybox material to the Skybox Material property.