360 Drone Gaussian Splatting: Antigravity A1 and DJI Avata 360 Guide

A 360 drone records every direction at once, so you stop aiming the camera. You still have to fly around the subject. Here is the flight pattern, the file to upload, and how the splat becomes a tour a client can open.

The short answer

Yes, 360 drones make good Gaussian-splat sources for building exteriors, resorts, campuses, courtyards and land. Spatial Studio has a dedicated 360 drone option, and its in-app guide names DJI Avata 360 and Antigravity A1.

The pattern is a slow pass close to the main facade, then one low orbit, then middle and high orbits, all connected in one flight. Upload the full 2:1 360 master, never a reframed or virtual-gimbal clip.

The most common mistake is hovering in one place and spinning. The camera already sees every direction, so rotation adds nothing. Depth comes from moving around the subject.

A real 360 drone tour

The image above is our Vermilion Cliffs tour, flown with a DJI Avata 360 and published with named stops. Open it on your phone and look at the rock edges near the flight path, the far horizon and how it moves between stops.

Textured sandstone is an easier subject than a glass office building. Use the tour to judge what a finished aerial splat feels like, not as a promise for every site.

The two 360 drones

Sources: Antigravity A1 product page and DJI Avata 360 specs.

Where a 360 drone helps, and where it doesn't

It helps with coverage. You don't aim the camera, so you can put all your attention on a smooth, connected path. One flight records the facade, the roof and the surroundings in every frame.

It costs detail per direction. An 8K 360 frame spreads 7,680 pixels around a full circle, about 21 per degree. A 4K camera drone like the DJI Mini 4 Pro puts 3,840 pixels across an 82-degree lens, more than twice as many per degree. Close facade detail can come out softer than from a camera drone, which is why the pattern starts with a close facade pass.

It doesn't remove the need to move. Hovering and rotating gives the reconstruction nothing to work with. Every part of the building needs to be seen from several positions.

The flight pattern

This is the pattern from the 360 drone guide inside Spatial Studio.

1. Facade pass first. Fly one or more slow, connected passes close to the main facade. Add extra rows only when the building's height or the detail the client needs calls for it.
2. Low orbit. Continue outward from the last facade pass into one complete low orbit around the building.
3. Middle and high orbits. Climb smoothly and repeat the orbit at middle and higher heights for upper facades and the roof.
4. Stay connected. Keep every height joined to the one before it. Don't stop and restart the recording between orbits.
5. Don't aim. Don't point, yaw or virtually tilt the camera for coverage. The original 360 recording already holds every direction.

Which file to upload

Upload the highest-quality original 360 master: the full 2:1 equirectangular video, at least 3840x1920. Use the full 8K export where you can.

Don't upload a virtual-gimbal, tracked, reframed or social-media export. Those throw away most of the 360 view, and the reconstruction needs all of it.

Spatial Studio's no-export raw route was built for handheld camera files from Insta360 (.insv) and DJI Osmo 360 (.osv). For 360 drones, the reliable path is the full 2:1 export from the maker's app or desktop software. Process a short clip first before a paid job.

Paid plans accept files up to 25 GB. The Free plan takes up to 2 GB and 10 minutes. Videos need to be at least 30 seconds long.

From 360 master to a client tour

1. Open Spatial Studio generation and choose 360 drone.
2. Upload the master. You see a credit quote before anything starts.
3. Check the splat for holes, floating pieces and soft facades before you spend time on presentation.
4. Set an opening view that explains the site, then add stops for what the client cares about: the entrance, the pool, the boundary, the view.
5. Add hotspots for notes, photos, video or documents. If you also walked the interior with a handheld 360 camera, add those rooms as separate scenes and link them with navigation hotspots.
6. Add a contact button that opens your client's own form, then publish.
7. Open the link on an ordinary phone and use the embed code if it goes on a website.

Tour analytics then show views, unique views, view time, devices, traffic sources and CTA clicks.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 360 drone better than a camera drone for Gaussian splatting?

Not automatically. A 360 drone is quicker to fly for full coverage, and a camera drone puts more pixels on the building. We have not run a matched test, so try both on a similar site if you own both.

Does DJI Avata 360 work with Spatial Studio?

Yes. Our Vermilion Cliffs tour was flown with one. Choose 360 drone when you upload and send the full 2:1 master.

Does Antigravity A1 work?

Spatial Studio's 360 drone option names it, and the same pattern and upload rules apply. Process a short flight before you quote a client.

Can I combine the drone splat with interior capture?

Yes. Process the aerial and the interior as separate scenes and connect them in one tour, so a visitor can go from the overview into the rooms.

Which rules apply to a 360 drone?

Your local drone rules, as for any drone: registration, airspace, height limits, flying over people and permission from the property owner. DJI lists Avata 360 at about 455 g and EU class C1. Antigravity says A1 is 249 g with the standard battery and heavier with the high-capacity one. Check what your drone's weight and class mean where you fly.

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