Panoramic Images

Panoramic images are 360° equirectangular images you can look around in — useful for environment previews, spatial context, and scene mood exploration before committing to full 3D.

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Generating Panoramas

From Text

Describe the environment you want and ask for a panoramic image:

Create a panoramic image of a foggy medieval village at dawn, cobblestone streets, warm lanterns glowing through the mist

Create a panoramic image of an underwater coral reef with sunlight streaming through the surface

Create a panoramic image of a futuristic space station interior with curved glass walls overlooking Earth

From an Existing Image

Use a reference image to generate a 360° panorama that extends and wraps the scene:

Create a panoramic image from @generated/images/forest_clearing.png

Create a panoramic image from @reference.png, make it feel like a cozy modern office at sunset

Create a panoramic image from @concept_art.png with dramatic storm clouds and heavy rain

Tips for Better Results

• Wide shots with clear depth produce the best panoramas — close-up portraits or flat textures won't wrap well
• Describe the atmosphere, not just objects — lighting, time of day, weather, and mood all help
• Your active Style Guide can influence the look of generated panoramas

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The Panorama Viewer

When you open a panoramic image, WorldEngen automatically detects it and launches the interactive 360° viewer instead of the flat image view.

Auto-Detection

The viewer activates automatically when either condition is met:

• Aspect ratio is close to 2:1 (the standard equirectangular ratio)
• Filename contains pano, panorama, 360, or equirect

Controls

Camera movement has smooth inertia — the view keeps drifting slightly after you release, which makes exploration feel natural.

Zoom range: 20° to 90° field of view.

Little Planet Mode

Click the Little Planet toggle below the panorama to switch to a polar projection — the entire 360° scene is compressed into a tiny planet view. This is useful for:

• Getting a quick overview of the whole environment at once
• Spotting composition issues or seams
• A fun presentation angle for environment concepts

Click the toggle again to return to the standard spherical view.

Override Auto-Detection

If the viewer gets it wrong (or you want to force a mode), use the toggle buttons in the top-right corner of the image preview:

This is useful when you have an equirectangular image that wasn't auto-detected, or when you want to see the raw flat projection of a panorama.

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Panoramas vs Skyboxes

Both are equirectangular 360° images, but they serve different purposes:

To create a skybox for use as a scene background, see Skyboxes, Seamless Textures, and Panoramas.

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Example Workflows

Environment Concept Exploration

1. Generate several panoramas with different moods:

   Create a panoramic image of an abandoned train station overgrown with vines, warm afternoon light Create a panoramic image of the same train station at night, lit by flickering fluorescent lights

2. Open each in the viewer and look around to evaluate the space
3. Use the one you like as a reference for further asset generation

Reference for 3D Scene Building

1. Generate a panorama from your concept art:

   Create a panoramic image from @concept/tavern_interior.png

2. Use it as spatial reference while placing 3D models in your scene
3. Optionally convert it to a skybox for your scene background