My First Impressions of theta360.biz

This is a repost of a review of the service that I wrote a while ago during the beta test phase in Japan. It illustrates how easy it is to create 360 tours with theta360.biz. I updated some parts of the post for the new system.

main interface

I created a mockup of a used car marketing system using the trial account. It only took me an hour. I created the demo to encourage @jcasman and my son to help me finish the Raspberry Pi controller bits to take the images of the car with a single-purpose standalone portable system. My intent was to use the theta360.biz API to upload and manage the images. Sadly, the two other people on the team (my son and @jcasman) pulled out of the challenge before we were able to win a hackathon Here’s an example of the system we were working on. I also finished the Raspberry Pi controller prototype with touchscreen, but did not connect it to the theta360.biz API. Though, I’m now thinking of doing this again with an improved interface based on JavaScript, not the SDL graphics system in the video.

RICOH’s commercial 360 image hosting system is designed for businesses. It is optimized for use by staff in industries such as real estate, travel, and automotive sales. The system is in large-scale production use in Japan by large companies. People in the US can gain access to the pilot system.

Feature Overview

Browser-based editor and site manager. No download required

Grouping of 360 images into a single site with navigation

Navigation from within the sphere to another sphere

Text and labels can be attached inside of the sphere

API access

Scrolling through spheres

Multi-role for different staff (technical admin, clerical updates)

My Experience with theta360.biz

Site Builder

Graphical tool to easily build and host sites. Suitable for use by non-technical staff.

Live Site Demo

Map Builder

THETA image spheres can be attached to a navigational map with drag and drop ease.

Upload a catalog of 360 images that can be attached to your map with your mouse. The map can be areas of a car, the floor plan of a house, the rooms in a restaurant, or other.

Field of view can be shown on map.

Analytics

There is also a decent amount of analytics included, with data represented graphically. Data can be downloaded in CSV format for use in spreadsheets. Time periods can be customized. This should be useful for many different types of business applications.

Pageviews

Analytics Export

Date and Sphere Ranges

Security and Roles

The site also allows basic security roles and permissions to be easily configured by the administrator. This allows quick setup for larger teams with various roles.

User Management

API Authentication and Control

Sample image POST.

Player Settings