What is a virtual tour? Types, uses and how one is made

A virtual tour is a sequence of 360° panoramic images linked together so a viewer can explore a real place from a desktop, tablet or phone: look around each scene, zoom in, and move to the next room through a hotspot. Unlike a video, the viewer decides where to look and where to go. This article explains what a virtual tour is, how it differs from related formats, where it is used, and how one is made.

Virtual tour vs video tour vs 3D scan

• Video tour. A recorded walk-through. The viewer sees only what the camera operator chose to show, in the order it was filmed. Good for atmosphere, poor for detail.
• 360° virtual tour. A set of spherical panoramas, one per position, connected by hotspots. The viewer looks in any direction and picks the route. Image quality is as high as the camera allows, up to gigapixel scale. This is the format TrueVirtualTours hosts.
• 3D scan (dollhouse). A depth-scanned model such as Matterport. Adds a 3D overview and measurements but requires special hardware, and the panoramic image quality is lower than a stitched photo or a render.
• Rendered virtual tour. The same 360° format, but the panoramas are rendered from a 3D model (3ds Max, Blender, Unreal) before the building exists. Used by architects and developers.

What a virtual tour is made of

1. Spherical panoramas. Equirectangular images with a 2:1 ratio covering 360 x 180 degrees. See what is a 360° panorama.
2. Hotspots (tunnels). Clickable points that move the viewer to another panorama while keeping the viewing direction. Read hotspots and tunnels between panoramas.
3. Info points. Markers with an image, text, a plate or a polygon that explain an object in the scene.
4. A plan or a map. A floor plan with the camera positions, or a map for outdoor tours, so the viewer can jump anywhere.
5. Sound and video. Ambient audio or narration, and 360° video scenes for moving subjects.
6. The player. The software that turns the flat images into an interactive sphere in the browser, with VR mode, gyroscope control and fullscreen. TrueVirtualTours uses the krpano engine.

Where virtual tours are used

• Real estate. Flats, houses and offices for listings; buyers shortlist without visiting. Portals accept a tour link next to the photos.
• Hotels, restaurants and venues. Rooms, halls and views shown before the booking.
• Museums and galleries. Exhibition halls with an info point on every object; permanent access to temporary exhibitions.
• Cities and tourism. Squares, parks and landmarks arranged on a map.
• Architecture and development. Rendered tours of unbuilt projects for presentations and sales offices.
• Education. Campus tours for applicants and virtual field trips.
• Industry and construction. Documentation of sites and plants, remote inspections.
• Cars, yachts, showrooms. Interiors that photos cannot show properly.

How a virtual tour is made

The process has three parts: shooting, assembling and publishing.

1. Shooting. A 360° camera (Insta360, Ricoh Theta, GoPro Max) captures a panorama in one shot. A DSLR on a panoramic head gives higher quality but needs stitching in software such as PTGui or Hugin. For unbuilt spaces, the panoramas are rendered. One position per room, two for large rooms, tripod at eye level. Camera advice: best 360 cameras.
2. Assembling. Upload the panoramas, add them to a tour, order the scenes, choose the start scene, place hotspots, add a plan, info points and audio. On TrueVirtualTours this happens in the browser with no software to install: how to create a virtual 3D tour.
3. Publishing. The finished tour gets a page and a link, and can be embedded on any website with one iframe or added to a listing as a link. See how to embed a panorama or tour on your website.

What a good virtual tour looks like

• A constant camera height and level horizon in every scene.
• Transitions that keep the viewing direction, so walking through a door feels natural.
• A start view facing the most interesting part of each room.
• Few, well-placed info points instead of many.
• Fast loading on phones: the player should stream tiles rather than download whole images.
• A plan or map for anything larger than a few rooms.

How much does a virtual tour cost?

Two separate costs: production and hosting. Production is either your own time with a 360° camera or a photographer's fee, typically priced per room or per panorama. Hosting on TrueVirtualTours is free for up to 15 panoramas per 30 days, with paid plans at $10 and $20 a month for professional features; details at panorama hosting prices and on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Do visitors need an app or a plugin?

No. A virtual tour opens in any modern browser on any device; VR mode works with a headset or a phone.

How many panoramas does a virtual tour need?

One per room is the rule of thumb. A two-bedroom flat is usually 6 to 8 panoramas; a hotel with public areas 15 to 30.

Can a virtual tour be updated?

Yes. Panoramas, hotspots and descriptions can be changed at any time, and every embed shows the current version.

Is a virtual tour good for SEO?

It keeps visitors on the page longer and gives you an image-rich page with structured data. Host it on a page with a real description and a plain link to the tour, not only an iframe.

Ready to make one? Upload a panorama and follow the virtual tour software overview.