First published November 2026

What is volumetric video?

Volumetric video is a recording of people or objects captured in full 3D - a viewer can move around the scene and watch from any angle. It runs on a VR headset or in a web browser.

The subject is a real performer or a real object recorded as it stands. The result behaves like video and holds enough depth to be viewed from the side, from above or from behind. For an events team the useful part is what a real crowd does with that freedom of view. The expo stand work we do is planned around the crowd rather than the technology.

What is the difference between volumetric video and 360 video?

Volumetric video gives the viewer a position inside the scene. 360-degree video gives the viewer a direction from one fixed point.

In a 360-degree clip the camera is the centre of the world. A turn of the head changes the view and the picture stays anchored to that spot. Volumetric capture records the subject from many cameras at once so the viewer can step to the side and the scene answers with a new view.

The industry term for this is six degrees of freedom. Three of them are rotation and the other three are movement: forward and back, left and right, up and down. Volumetric video supplies all six and a 360-degree clip supplies rotation from a fixed position.

That extra freedom changes what the viewer can look at. A costume can be inspected from the back and a product can be seen from underneath.

How is volumetric video captured?

A capture studio surrounds the subject with synchronised cameras. Software turns those views into a 3D model that plays like video from any angle.

The cameras fire together and each one holds a view of the subject from its own angle. Reconstruction software solves those views into a single scene. The scene then carries a frame for every moment of the take and playback runs the frames like ordinary video.

A scan session runs inside a fixed capture area. The subject holds a pose or works through a short routine while the array records the whole body at once. A performer can also deliver a line or a short sequence for the clip.

BBC Research and Innovation built a live rig from ten depth-sensing cameras and streamed a performance as a live 3D model in December 2025. The model arrived in a browser-based virtual venue with no downloads.

Evercoast tested a cinema rig with a 360-degree array of 36 RED cameras and rebuilt the result in the cloud.

Picture quality has climbed with a method called Gaussian splatting. A 2023 research paper described a scene as millions of tiny coloured points. Together the points rebuild the subject from any angle. Many producers now prefer the method because the picture is sharp and processing is quicker.

Moncler used Gaussian-splat capture from a 36-camera array for a fashion music video released in January 2026. The campaign won a Gold Lion in Film Craft at Cannes Lions 2026.

Where does volumetric video already run?

Most public examples come from sport, music and venue productions. Each one turns a real performance into a scene that a viewer can walk around.

The Brooklyn Nets built the Netaverse with more than 100 cameras around the court. Players and the ball are reconstructed in 3D for replays and arena boards (Sports Business Journal, 2022).

Intel’s True View system has been installed across NFL venues since 2016 and it also runs in basketball and football leagues.

Michael Bublé’s team captured him with 106 cameras at The O2 so fans could meet a 3D version of him in the venue’s app (reported campaign).

Sprite ran a volumetric halftime performance at State Farm Arena (reported campaign).

A FIFA Club World Cup 2025 activation at MetLife Stadium scanned fans in full 3D. Each fan left with a personalised 20-second video of themselves scoring a goal (Groove Jones, reported campaign).

In each of those venues the capture happens on the event day and the output reaches the crowd during the same visit.

A capture area competes with every other stall in the hall. What pulls a passer-by off the aisle is a crowd already watching. Why crowds gather around VR follows that behaviour from the first onlooker to the queue.

How is volumetric video viewed?

Volumetric content plays in a web browser and it also runs inside game engines. VR headsets and AR devices render the same scene with stereo depth.

An MPEG standard for coded volumetric content exists as ISO/IEC 23090-5 and its fourth edition dates from 2026. A standard keeps one capture usable across players and platforms.

The browser route carries the wider audience. A delegate can open a link on a phone and turn the scene with a finger. The headset route adds depth and scale for a scheduled session.

Software such as Arcturus HoloSuite handles editing and publishing. A capture leaves the studio as a scene that a team can cut and place on a page.

What does volumetric video change for brands and events?

Volumetric video puts the guest inside the content. A visitor can be scanned and walk away with a 3D version of themselves. A performance can be offered from any seat in the room.

The FIFA activation shows the reusable pattern: a capture area at the venue and a clip the guest keeps.

Volumetric video also gives a sponsor an asset that lasts beyond the day. A captured performance can run on a stand screen, inside an app or in a follow-up email.

The approach fits a sponsor stand or a conference stage. A speaker can be captured once and replayed from any angle for delegates in an overflow room.

Volumetric video makes the guest the subject and gives the audience a place inside the scene. An events team can plan around a capture area and a short clip that leaves with the guest.

Sources

Planning an expo or trade show stand? Check your date - or call 083 733 5133 and ask Richard what will work in your space.