The ArcGIS 360 VR Experience (3VR) is a file format to publish and consume panoramic images of CityEngine scenes. These panoramic images are consumable in browsers (users look around with mouse), mobiles (users look around with gyro/touch), and virtual reality (VR) headsets (users look around by turning their head). At its core, the CityEngine 3VR exporter is basically an automated way to take a series of viewport snapshots based on camera bookmarks. These snapshots are combined into panoramic images (one for each bookmark). Afterwards, the resulting 3VR file is ready to be consumed locally or via the cloud after uploading.
To experience CityEngine 3VR exports on the desktop, mobile devices, and VR, see ArcGIS 360 VR Web Application.
For your Oculus Go or Samsung Gear VR, you will need the ArcGIS 360 VR companion app, available for free from the Oculus app store, see ArcGIS 360 VR Quick Start Guide.
Basic 3VR Export
The main tool to create a 3VR experience is the 3VR exporter which is accessible through File > Export 360 VR Experience.... It converts CityEngine scene layer compositions or scenarios into 3VR alternatives and writes everything into a single 3VR file.
Camera bookmarks are turned into VR viewpoints.
To create a 3VR file, do the following:
- Open the CityEngine scene to export to VR .
- Setup bookmarks and give them names:
- Optionally enable the camera Bookmark gizmos view option in View settings > Bookmark gizmos to visualize the position of your camera viewpoints.
- Open the 3VR export wizard in File > Export 360 VR Experience....
- Adjust the export settings.
Ouput Path
Specify where to save the 3VR file. If you plan to upload it to to ArcGIS Online, a subdirectory of the current CityEngine project is recommended.
Experience Name
The title of the panoramic image.
Alternatives
- None: Offer no alternatives. The 3VR exporter will use the current layer and object visibility and bake a panoramic image for each view.
- Layer Compositions: Specify the composition of scene layers, i.e. which scene layers to include in an alternative. The default state is initialized with the layer visibility. Use the Layer Composition Operations for modification.
- Scenarios:
Set the scene scenarios as alternatives.
Bookmarked Views
Choose which camera bookmarks to include. This will decide the number of unique points-of-view available in the panoramic image.
- Click Finish.
The resulting 3VR file can now be viewed locally, transferred onto a device, or uploaded to the cloud, e.g. an ArcGIS Enterprise or ArcGIS Online.
Uploading a 3VR to ArcGIS Enterprise or ArcGIS Online
- Export the 3VR into e.g. the model subfolder of your current CityEngine project.
- Sign in to ArcGIS Enterprise of ArcGIS Online.
- In the Navigator, right-click on the 3VR file and choose Share as....
- Choose option Upload package to my ArcGIS Online or Portal account and enter a name of the experience.
- Fill in the required fields for the Item Description.
- Choose the access permission of the Item in the Sharing tab.
360 VR Experience viewers might only work with public items.
- Click Analyze to validate your 3VR Item for any errors or issues.
You must validate and resolve all errors before you can save it to disk or share it to ArcGIS Online or Portal. If any issues are discovered, an error will be reported. You have to fix the error before you can continue.
- Click Share to upload your Web Scene package to ArcGIS Online.
- Use My Content to find your uploaded 3VR.
You can use the Navigator to browse your ArcGIS Online or Portal account.