Generating Cubemaps from Spherical Maps using 3ds Max

Written by: Pablo Vezzini, KiSP Technical Services

This guide explains how to generate cube maps from spherical maps with 3DS Max®. You can use these cube maps to make a cubemap or to view in virtual reality with Yulio. 

Step 1: In 3ds Max, open the “Environments and Effects” dialog. (Rendering > Environment or shortcut 8)

Step 2: Click and add the spherical map you want to convert as the new “Environment Map”

Step 3: Create any object and make sure it’s positioned at the origin of the scene [ 0,0,0 ]

Step 4: Create a new Standard Material

Step 5: Add a Reflect/Refract Map to the diffuse channel

Step 6: Set up the following options for the Reflect/Refract Map:

– Source: From File
– Size: 1536 or other
– Use Environment Map: On
– Blur: Off
– Select Save Path




Step 7: Set up “Default Scanline Renderer” as the Production renderer in the Render Setup Dialog

Step 8: Select “Pick Object and Render Maps” and then click the object in the scene

Step 9: Now you have the maps to create the final image: filename_LEFT, filename_RIGHT, filename_TOP, filename_BOTTOM, filename_FRONT, filename_BACK

Step 10: Assemble the cubemaps in Photoshop in the following format to create a cubemap



Step 11: Assemble a cubemap in Photoshop by duplicating this cube map and stitching them together in the format below. You can view this scene in virtual reality by uploading this cubemap to Yulio.



Sign in to your account at www.yulio.com to create your VR project using this cubemap. Check out our article on creating VR projects for more information!

Check out our YouTube channel for more info & tutorials.