How do you render using Ray Tracing for 360 Panoramas?

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1.  Changes for Lumion 2026.1 and newer:

As part of the ongoing development of Ray Tracing in Lumion, support for the Ray Tracing Effect has been reintroduced in 360 Panoramas with Lumion 2026.1. This update also addresses the previous roadmap item for ray-traced 360 Panoramas.  

 

1.1  Ray Tracing Effect for 360 Panorama Mode

This Effect can now be added in the Panorama Effects window.

For 360 Panorama Mode, the Ray Tracing Effect now uses a fully Path-Traced rendering workflow, providing improved render output speeds while producing fully Path-Traced Panorama output. This differs slightly from Photo Mode and Movie Mode, and in earlier versions of 360 Panorama workflows, where Rasterization and Ray Tracing techniques could be combined within the same render. 

As part of the new workflow, the Fully Ray Traced Glass and Water toggle is always enabled when using the Ray Tracing Effect, which is why the toggle is now greyed out. 

This also affects content that has not yet been fully converted to the Ray Tracing engine. Some Objects, Materials, and settings will not appear on the Preview screen or in the final 360 Panorama output when using the Ray Tracing Effect.

Some Effects are also disabled because they rely entirely on the Rasterization pipeline.  See Section 1.3 Ray Tracing Effect Limitations in 360 Panoramas Mode.

For a deeper understanding of how Ray Tracing, Path Tracing, and Rasterization work in Lumion, and why these differences matter when using the Ray Tracing Effect, we recommend the following articles:

• Knowledge Base:  Ray Tracing in Lumion - Part 1: What is Ray Tracing?
• Knowledge Base:  Ray Tracing in Lumion - Part 2: Using Lumion for Ray Trace Rendering
  

 

1.2  Output Options and Resolution Limits

1.2.1 Resolution

When the Ray Tracing Effect is enabled in 360 Panorama Mode,  the maximum render resolution is limited due to the additional VRAM required for rendering.

There are three resolution options in 2026.1:

• Draft (3072x1536 ):  available for faster previews and test renders, especially on systems with lower VRAM. 

• Medium (4096 × 2048):  the highest output option for Ray Traced 360 Panoramas.

• Large (8192 × 4096): currently unavailable when using the Ray Tracing Effect.

 

 

1.2.2  Panorama Output Settings

• Only the Equirectangular projection is currently supported when rendering Panoramas with the Ray Tracing Effect.

• Cubic projection and Stereoscopic output are currently unavailable when the Ray Tracing Effect is enabled.

 

1.2.3  Graphics Card Memory

The Ray Tracing Effect in 360 Panorama Mode is more demanding on the graphics card than the standard panorama rendering workflow, especially when rendering at the maximum available 4096×2048 resolution.

For this workflow, we currently recommend using a Ray Tracing-capable graphics card with 12GB or more of VRAM when the Ray Tracing Effect is enabled. This is higher than the general 10GB VRAM recommendation for using the Ray Tracing Effect in Photo Mode and Movie Mode, due to the additional memory required for 360 Panorama output.

• Knowledge Base:  Which graphics card do you need for Lumion 2026 and newer?

If your graphics card has less available VRAM, use the Draft resolution option for previews and test renders, or render the panorama without the Ray Tracing Effect turned on.

 

1.3  Ray Tracing Effect Limitations in 360 Panorama Mode:

1.3.1  Unsupported Objects, Materials, and Settings:

The following items are not currently supported in 360 Panorama Mode because they have not yet been fully converted to the Ray Tracing engine.

 

1.3.2  Disabled Effects

The following Effects have been disabled because they rely entirely on the Rasterization pipeline:

 

If your Panorama shot depends on any of the above items, use the standard Rasterization workflow instead. For help choosing the appropriate workflow for your Lumion version, see Section 2.2.1: Workflow options by Lumion version. 

For a broader overview of the current Ray Tracing pipeline limitations in Lumion, see:

• Knowledge Base:  Transitions from prior versions to using Lumion 2025/2026: Technical Limitations

 

2.  Background and Rasterization options

2.1 Background

In Lumion 2024, the Ray Tracing Effect was disabled in 360 Panorama Mode while further changes and improvements were being developed.

For Lumion 2024 through Lumion 2026.0.2, this limitation continued to apply. In these versions, the officially supported workflow for 360 Panorama Mode was Rasterization.

• Knowledge Base:  Transitions from prior versions to using Lumion 2025/2026: Technical Limitations

2.2  Ray Tracing and Rasterization options 

2.2.1  Workflow options by Lumion version 

The standard Rasterization workflow remains available in 360 Panorama Mode and can still be a suitable option for many Scenes across all versions of Lumion.

The table below shows the available 360 Panorama workflow options by Lumion version:

 

2.2.2 Rasterization Output Quality

When using Rasterization, Output Quality 3 or 4 is usually recommended for higher antialiasing quality, although this will also increase render times.

• Knowledge Base: What does the Output Quality setting mean in Movie and 360 Panorama Modes?

 

2.2.3  Using Lumion 2024 through Lumion 2026.0.2 and need Ray Tracing for 360 Panoramas?

If you are using Lumion 2024 through Lumion 2026.0.2 and need the Ray Tracing Effect for 360 Panoramas, we recommend updating to Lumion 2026.1 or newer, where possible.

Lumion 2026.1 now makes the Ray Tracing Effect available in 360 Panorama Mode and also includes other bug fixes, stability improvements, and updates.

If you cannot update, or if you are working on a critical Project where updating is not possible, please contact us so we can review your available options.

• Knowledge Base:  Contact Lumion Technical Support

 

3.  Lighting Workaround

Community Suggestion: Area Lights 

There is a possible workaround shared by a Lumion Community member using additional Area Lights. Results may vary depending on the Scene. 

• Lumion Community:  RT with 3D Panoramics blotchy

 

See Also:

• Knowledge Base: How do you render and view Lumion 360° Panoramas in VR?
  
• Lumion Community:  Activity - Creating 360° Virtual Tours of your Lumion Projects
• Knowledge Base:  What do the render settings mean in Panorama Mode?

• Knowledge Base:  How do you reduce the complexity of a model before importing it in Lumion?