Pano Map Node

Pano Map moves each pixel of the source panorama to its matching position in the target projection, following the spherical correspondences. The conversion is mathematical and lossless (within floating point precision).

Typical workflow: receive an equirectangular panorama from a 360° camera, convert it to a cubemap to edit a 3D skybox, then convert it back to equirectangular for delivery.

• Effects Library: Tools > VR > Pano Map
• Quick add: right-click in the Node Editor → Add Tool > VR > Pano Map

Equirectangular (Lat Long)

2:1 aspect, cylindrical unfolding. The standard 360° video format (YouTube, VR players). Massive distortion at the poles.

Cubemap (Horizontal / Vertical Cross)

6 faces of a cube projected as a cross. The usual format for 3D skyboxes (Unity, Unreal). No distortion per face, but 6 sub-images.

Cube Strip (Horizontal / Vertical)

6 faces lined up in a strip. Saves pixels compared to the cross (no black areas).

Mirror Ball / Light Probe

A spherical format for HDRI lighting probes. Useful for 3D lighting integration.

Angular Map

Azimuthal projection, the legacy Houdini / Mantra format for HDRIs.

• Input (orange) - the source panoramic image.
• Effect Mask (blue) - optional.

Equirect → Cubemap for Unreal:
MediaIn (Equirectangular) → Pano Map (To = Horizontal Cross)
                          → Saver (PNG cubemap for Unreal)

Received cubemap → Equirect for distribution:
MediaIn (Vertical Cross) → Pano Map (From = V Cross, To = Equirect)
                         → MediaOut

Round trip:
Equirect → Pano Map (To = Cubemap) → per-face editing
        → Pano Map (To = Equirect) → MediaOut

HDRI conversion:
HDRI Mirror Ball → Pano Map (From = Mirror Ball, To = Equirect)
                 → Fusion IBL environment

Multi-format export:
                          ┌── Pano Map (Cubemap) → Saver Unity
Equirect ─────────────────┤
                          └── Pano Map (Vertical Cross) → Saver Web

From (Source Type) (default: Equirectangular)

Format of the input panorama. Set it exactly, otherwise the conversion is wrong (views mixed up).

To (Destination Type) (default: Cubemap)

The output format you want. Choose it based on the target (3D engine, delivery format).

Output Resolution (default: auto)

Size of the output image. Cubemap = often face × 6 (e.g. 1024×1024 per face → 4096×3072 for a cross).

Rotation X / Y / Z (defaults: 0)

Lets you rotate the sphere before conversion. Useful to reorient the panorama (e.g. to level the horizon).

Resize Filter (default: Linear)

Resampling filter used during the conversion. Linear = standard, Cubic / Lanczos for higher quality.

Edge Smooth (default: Off)

Softens the seams at the borders between faces (cubemap) or at the edges of the panorama.

• Preparing a 3D skybox - filmed equirect → cubemap for a Unity / Unreal / Blender skybox.
• Multi-format distribution - produce equirect (YouTube), cubemap (games) and vertical cross (web) from a single source.
• HDRI integration - a spherical HDR received as a mirror ball, converted to equirectangular for use in Fusion 3D nodes.
• Round trip for per-face editing - convert to a cubemap, edit face by face (simpler than a distorted equirect), convert back.
• Reorienting a panorama - 3D rotation of the panorama to correct the horizon or the north pole.
• Converting legacy archives - old HDRIs as angular maps or mirror balls, converted to equirect for a modern pipeline.

• Always get From right - check the real format of the source. A From mismatch → a completely wrong result.
• Keep the bit depth - for HDRIs and subtle gradients, work in 32-bit float; 16-bit float minimum.
• Cubemap resolution - per face: 1K basic, 2K standard, 4K pro. The resulting cross = 4× or 6× the per-face resolution.
• Edge Smooth for cubemaps - enable it if you see visible seams between faces. Especially for high dynamic range HDRIs.
• Rotation Y for horizontal reorientation - changes the "north" orientation of the panorama (e.g. so a door sits in the center).
• Identity round trip - Equirect → Cubemap → Equirect with the same parameters should give back the source image within floating point precision. If there is a difference, check the filters.
• For 3D-aware operations (a skybox lighting objects), prefer Spherical Camera + Image Plane 3D over Pano Map alone.