Virtual tour

A virtual tour is an interactive presentation in which viewers move around a building or space, looking wherever they like and stepping from one point to the next. Unlike an animation, the viewer chooses the route. It can be opened on a phone, a computer or a VR headset and is usually shared through a simple web link.

How virtual tours are made

There are two main approaches. In the first, a 360-degree panorama is rendered for each room and the panoramas are linked with hotspots; the viewer looks around from one spot, then clicks through to the next. This gives near-photographic quality and stays lightweight. In the second, the model runs in a real-time engine and the viewer can walk freely, sometimes switching between material or furniture options. That route offers more freedom but needs stronger hardware and careful optimization.

Where they help

Virtual tours are a strong tool for selling homes that are not yet built, for explaining a project to buyers who cannot visit the sales office, and for investor presentations of hotels and offices. In interior design, letting clients explore at their own pace often speeds up decisions. Adding information points, a floor plan and room names inside the tour keeps people from getting lost. For their role in sales, read about virtual tours for real estate sales.