Skip to main content

Panoramas and video

Build an AR Clip VPS map from 360° photos or a stabilised walkthrough video. Use it when photogrammetry is not practical.

Extract frames​

ffmpeg -i hotel-tour.mp4 -vf fps=1 tour_frames/frame_%04d.jpg
  • For video, use 1–2 frames per second.
  • For 360° cameras, such as Insta360 or Ricoh Theta, export equirectangular JPGs.

Upload the frames with Python​

Zip the frames you picked, and upload them through the REST API.

# cluster_frames.py
from pathlib import Path
import zipfile
import os
import requests

API_BASE = "https://api.arclip.app/vps/api/v3"
TOKEN = os.environ["ARCLIP_TOKEN"]
FRAMES_DIR = Path("tour_frames")
ARCHIVE = Path("tour_frames.zip")

with zipfile.ZipFile(ARCHIVE, "w", compression=zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zf:
    for frame in sorted(FRAMES_DIR.glob("*.jpg")):
        zf.write(frame, frame.name)

headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {TOKEN}"}

init = requests.post(
    f"{API_BASE}/pipelines/feature-cluster/import",
    json={"name": "Hotel Lobby Tour", "frameCount": len(list(FRAMES_DIR.glob('*.jpg')))},
    headers=headers,
)
init.raise_for_status()
cluster_info = init.json()
upload_url = cluster_info["uploadUrl"]
cluster_id = cluster_info["clusterId"]

with ARCHIVE.open("rb") as src:
    put = requests.put(upload_url, data=src, headers={"Content-Type": "application/zip"})
    put.raise_for_status()

finalize = requests.post(
    f"{API_BASE}/pipelines/feature-cluster/{cluster_id}/finalize",
    json={},
    headers=headers,
)
finalize.raise_for_status()
print(f"Feature cluster {cluster_id} ready")

The API returns a clusterId. You need it in the next step.

Turn the cluster into a map​

import os
import requests

API_BASE = "https://api.arclip.app/vps/api/v3"
TOKEN = os.environ["ARCLIP_TOKEN"]
headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {TOKEN}"}

payload = {
    "name": "Hotel Lobby Tour",
    "dataType": "feature_cluster",
    "clusterId": "cluster_abc123",
    "publish": False
}

resp = requests.post(f"{API_BASE}/maps/import", json=payload, headers=headers)
resp.raise_for_status()
print(resp.json()["mapId"])

When processing finishes (status READY), test the route on a phone with the iOS, Android or Unity SDK. Check that localization stays stable along the whole tour.

Tips​

  • Walk at a steady speed and avoid sudden turns.
  • Keep the lighting even. Reshoot spots where highlights are blown out.
  • Walk at least one full loop, and end where you started.

Next: CAD and BIM models — turn a building model into a map.