Streaming the virtual model live: equipment, software and settings

Streaming a real-time 3D model is not the same as streaming a talk. The computer has to do two heavy jobs at once: draw the project and compress the video going out to the network. If either falls short, the audience sees stutters, the image pixelates on every turn or the audio drifts out of sync.

This is the setup that works, explained for whoever will put the stream together, whether it is the developer's marketing team or a provider. You do not need a TV studio; you need to rehearse.

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The basic setup

The stream has four pieces:

1. The 3D model, running in real time on a computer, full screen and with no menus in view.
2. The presenter's camera and microphone.
3. The streaming software, which combines everything into a scene and sends it. OBS Studio is free, open source and the most widely used.
4. The destination network: YouTube, Facebook or Instagram, each with its own stream address and key.

One computer or two

With a single computer, the same graphics card draws the model and compresses the video. It works if the card is powerful and the model is optimized, and it helps a lot to use the card's video encoder: on NVIDIA cards it is called NVENC, a part of the chip dedicated only to encoding, so it does not take work away from the processor. If the tour still slows down just when the most people are watching, it is time to split the load.

The alternative is to use two machines: the model computer only draws, and its image goes to a second computer through a capture card; the second one runs OBS, the camera and the chat. It is more stable and lets the person driving the model work without windows on top.

The scene

In OBS you build a scene in layers:

• The model full screen, as the background.
• The presenter's camera small, in a corner. The star is the project.
• A lower third with the project name and how to book the video call.
• A second scene with the camera large, for the welcome and the questions.

If you will stream on Instagram or TikTok, which are watched vertically on phones, prepare a vertical scene: the model cropped to the center and larger text.

Output quality

For H.264, YouTube recommends about 10 Mbps at 1080p and 30 frames per second, and 12 Mbps at 60; at 720p, 4 and 6 Mbps. It also asks for a keyframe every 2 seconds and AAC audio at 128 kbps. A 3D tour has a lot of motion, which is what consumes the most, so do not settle for the minimum:

• Leave headroom: measure the upload speed at the venue and at the time of the stream, and set a bitrate well below that figure.
• If your upload is not enough for 1080p, a smooth 720p stream beats a stuttering 1080p one.
• Use the graphics card's encoder, not the processor's.

Sound

• A lavalier or desktop microphone for the presenter, never the laptop's built-in one.
• If the model has ambient sound, turn it down or off: it competes with the voice.
• Headphones for the presenter, so the return audio does not create an echo.

Instagram and LinkedIn from a computer

Instagram lets you stream from software such as OBS with Live Producer, from instagram.com, using a key that changes with each stream. When you finish, end the broadcast on Instagram first and then the software, so the audience is not left watching a frozen image. LinkedIn Live, for its part, is always streamed with an external tool and requires meeting certain access criteria.

Streaming to several networks at once

There are multistreaming services that send the same signal to several networks. They are useful if your audience is spread out, on one condition: someone has to read all the chats. If you cannot keep up with them, one well-attended network is better.

The rehearsal and the plan B

• Run a private or unlisted stream the day before, at the same time and in the same place.
• Watch the stream on a phone using mobile data, as the audience will.
• Have a "be right back" scene in case the model closes.
• Have a recorded video of the tour to carry on if the model computer fails.
• Have the backup internet set up, not sitting in a drawer.

Streaming is not the same as pixel streaming

A live stream sends the same image to the whole audience: everyone sees what the operator drives. Pixel streaming, by contrast, gives each buyer their own session of the model, which they control from their browser. The two complement each other: the live stream to show the project to many people at once, and pixel streaming so each interested buyer can tour it on their own afterward. We explain it in pixel streaming.

With the project's model built in Unreal Engine, as we do at Inviewd, the stream shows the same thing as the sales room: the real-time tour, the finishes and the view from each floor. For the commercial side of the stream, see how to run a live stream.

Frequently asked questions

What software do you use to stream a 3D tour live?

OBS Studio, which is free and open source, is the most widely used: it captures the model's window, adds the presenter's camera and sends the signal to YouTube, Facebook or Instagram. There are also cloud services that do the same from the browser.

What internet speed do you need to stream at 1080p?

YouTube recommends about 10 Mbps of video for 1080p at 30 frames per second. Your upload speed needs headroom above that figure; if it is not enough, a smooth 720p stream is better than a stuttering 1080p one.

Can you stream the 3D model with a single computer?

Yes, if the graphics card is powerful, the model is optimized and the card's encoder handles the video. If the tour slows down during the stream, split the work: one computer runs the model and another streams.

Sources

OBS Studio · YouTube Help — Choose live encoder settings, bitrates and resolutions · NVIDIA — NVENC and OBS broadcasting guide · Instagram — Live Producer · LinkedIn Help — LinkedIn Live access criteria