A 360 virtual tour lets people explore a real place from their screen. They look around each scene, move from one location to the next, and click hotspots for more detail. For organisations with sites that are hard to visit, such as research stations, farms, depots, labs and regional facilities, a virtual tour opens the doors to anyone, at any time. This guide explains how 360 virtual tours work, where they’re most useful, and what to plan before you commission one.
What is a 360 virtual tour?
A 360 virtual tour is a set of panoramic scenes captured with a 360-degree camera and linked into an interactive walk-through. Viewers drag the image, or turn their phone, to look in any direction, move between locations with arrows or a map, and open hotspots that add text, photos, short videos or links. Tours run in a web browser on desktop and mobile without an app, can be embedded on your website, and can also be viewed in a VR headset.
Where virtual tours work best
Research facilities and demonstration sites. Show the work happening at sites the public can’t easily visit. We’ve produced 360 virtual tours for the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to showcase its research sites, and the format suits sustainability and low-emissions projects for the same reason. See our agriculture and primary industries video production for more.
Site familiarisation and inductions. New staff, contractors and seasonal workers can learn a site’s layout, entry points and safety zones before they arrive. It pairs well with training and induction videos.
Campuses and open days. Universities, TAFEs and schools can let prospective students look around from anywhere. See our education video production.
Programs and infrastructure. Agencies and councils can show communities what a new facility, upgrade or program site looks like before or after it opens. See how we work with government teams.
Farms and agribusiness. Producers can show where food and fibre come from and how it’s grown and handled, from the paddock to the plate.
How a virtual tour is produced
1. Plan the route. Agree which locations the tour covers, the order people move through them, and what each hotspot needs to say.
2. Capture on site. A 360 camera records each location. Filming is planned around site operations, lighting and anyone who will appear in shot.
3. Build the tour. The scenes are linked, hotspots are added with text, photos and video, and a map or menu is included so people can jump between areas. Your branding goes on throughout.
4. Review and publish. You review the tour, request changes, and receive a link and embed code for your website, intranet or event screens.
Virtual tour or video?
They do different jobs. A video tells a story in a set order and works well for explaining why a site or program matters. A virtual tour lets people explore at their own pace and is better for showing what a place looks like and how it’s laid out. Many projects use both: a short video to introduce the site, and a tour for people who want to look around. The video can sit inside a hotspot, so the two work together.
What to decide before you brief a tour
Five answers set the scope and the price: who the tour is for, how many locations it needs to cover, what information each hotspot should carry, where the tour will live (website, intranet, kiosk or event screen), and whether any areas are off limits for security or privacy. Put those in the brief and quotes will be easy to compare.
Greater Visuals produces 360 virtual tours and video for government, agriculture, research and education organisations across Sydney and regional NSW, on a fixed price agreed before capture. Contact us with your site and audience, and we’ll scope the tour.
Frequently asked questions
1. What devices can people view a 360 virtual tour on?
Any modern web browser on a desktop, tablet or phone, with no app to install. On a phone, viewers can move the device to look around. Tours can also be viewed in a VR headset.
2. Can a virtual tour include video and text?
Yes. Hotspots can open text, photos, short videos, documents or links, so a tour can explain what each part of a site does, not just show it.
3. How long does a virtual tour take to produce?
It depends mainly on the number of locations and site access. Capture is planned around the site’s operations, then the tour is built and reviewed. You get a timeline with the fixed quote once the route is agreed.
4. Can a virtual tour be updated later?
Yes. Individual scenes can be recaptured and swapped in when a site changes, without rebuilding the whole tour.
