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BoxMapCamera

BoxMapCamera creates rig for a BoxMapCapture Node

BoxMapCamera represents the virtual camera chassis, while the BoxMapCapture represents the virtual film: For capturing the textures the BoxMapCapture is needed.

A BoxMap is similar to an OpenGL-CubeMap, but instead consists of a list of 6 unique textures, each representing the view of one box side. The term BoxMap is used in order to make sure it is not confused with a CubeMap.

BoxMapCamera Node

BoxMap vs CubeMap

While both represent 360° environments using six faces, they serve different purposes in SPARCK:

BoxMap CubeMap
List of 6 separate textures Single OpenGL cubemap texture
Generated dynamically via BoxMapCamera + BoxMapCapture Loaded from image files via CubeMap node
Used for real-time 360° scene capture and projection Used for static environments (SkyBox, reflections)
Output (generated by its sibling node BoxMapCapture) can be split, line, or cross format Input as cross-shaped image

Reference

The following properties can be configured for this node:

Property Type Description
directions - sets which of the 6 Box-sides need to rendered
near - near frustum clip
far - far frustum clip
parent - parent transformation node
position (local transformation) position x y z
rotation (local transformation) rotation x y z
scale (local transformation) scale x y z
gizmo - show Camera icon on 3DViewer
Inlet Type Description
properties properties properties | use message [set <propertyPath> <value(s)>] (without node/<nodeName> at the beginning) to set internal properties
Outlet Type Description

Use Cases

360° Scene Capture

BoxMapCamera is essential for capturing complete 360° 3D scenes. Combined with BoxMapCapture, it renders six perpendicular views from a single point in space. This enables:

  • Dome projections: Seamless 360° content for planetarium-style setups
  • Immersive environments: Full surround projection mapping
  • External render engine integration: Receive 360° content via Spout or Syphon from Unreal, Unity, or TouchDesigner

Raymarching Shaders

BoxMapCamera provides the camera rig for the ShaderRaymarcher node. The raymarcher casts rays outward from the BoxMapCamera's position, enabling ShaderToy-style volumetric effects in 3D space.

360VR Projection Modes

When using TextureProjectory with BoxMapCamera, you can project equirectangular (360° VR) content:

  • 360VR.single: Project a single equirectangular texture
  • 360VR.multiblend: Blend multiple equirectangular textures with standard textures
  • boxmap: Project the six BoxMap textures directly

These modes require the projection source to be set to a BoxMapCapture node.

Working with BoxMapCapture

Camera + Capture Workflow

BoxMapCamera and BoxMapCapture work as a pair:

  1. BoxMapCamera defines the capture position, orientation, and frustum settings
  2. BoxMapCapture renders the scene from that position and outputs the textures

The BoxMapCapture mode property determines output format:

  • split: 6 separate texture outlets (left, front, right, back, top, bottom)
  • line: Single texture with faces arranged horizontally [-x, -z, x, z, -y, y]
  • cross: Single texture in standard cubemap cross layout

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Last updated: 2025-12-01 | Edit this page on GitHub