Getting Started

Installation

1. Purchase a license at 360hextile.com/pricing
2. Download the installer from your account dashboard
3. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts
4. Launch 360 Hextile from your Start menu or desktop shortcut

First-Run Wizard

On first launch, 360 Hextile walks you through a setup wizard:

1. Welcome — Product introduction
2. Storage — Choose your data root folder (models, configs, outputs)
3. License Agreement — Read and accept the license agreement
4. License — Enter and activate your license key offline
5. GPU — Automatic GPU detection and VRAM check
6. Telemetry — Optional, off unless ticked; licensed totals go to your login-only 360hextile.com dashboard — not public, not Gallery, never prompts or images
7. Models — Select AI models to download (SDXL recommended to start)
8. Complete — Ready to use

You can re-run the wizard anytime from Settings. See License Activation for full details.

HuggingFace Token for Gated Models

Some models (like SD 3.5) are gated and require HuggingFace authentication:

1. Create a free account at huggingface.co
2. Accept the model license on the model's HuggingFace page (e.g., Stability AI's license for SD 3.5)
3. Generate an access token at huggingface.co/settings/tokens
4. In 360 Hextile, go to Settings and paste your token in the HuggingFace section
5. The token is stored securely and used automatically for all gated model downloads

See Model Management for more details.

GPU Detection

The application automatically detects your NVIDIA GPU and VRAM. The status bar shows your available GPU memory.

Your First Render

Step 1: Start Your Panorama

There are two equally good ways to begin — pick whichever fits your project:

Option A — Generate from a text prompt (no image needed): Use the built-in 360 LoRA input to generate a brand-new equirectangular 360° world straight from a text prompt. See 360 LoRA for details. You can also use Pattern (365 built-in presets + 100+ procedural generators) to build a starting composition — generators first, not freehand canvas drawing as the primary model.

Option B — Bring your own equirectangular image:

• Format: Equirectangular projection (2:1 aspect ratio)
• Resolution: Minimum 2048x1024, recommended 4096x2048 or higher
• File Format: JPG or PNG

Either way, the hexagonal tiling passes that follow refine and upscale your panorama to ultra-high resolution.

Step 2: Choose a Template

A new render starts on Dodecahedron (12 tiles). Pick Truncated_Icosahedron (32 tiles) when you want more hex density. See Templates.

Step 3: Configure Your Settings

Key parameters:

• Prompt: Describe the style you want (e.g., "painterly landscape, dramatic lighting")
• Strength: How much AI modifies the image (0.3 = subtle, 0.7 = dramatic)
• Guidance Scale: How closely to follow your prompt (7-12 typical)
• Steps: Number of diffusion steps (20-40 recommended)

Step 4: Process

1. Click RENDER
2. Watch tiles render in real-time as they complete
3. Processing time depends on your GPU, template, and pipeline

Step 5: Export

Once complete: 1. Review your result in the built-in viewer 2. Export as PNG (lossless) or EXR (32-bit HDR) 3. Use in any 360° viewer, game engine, or VR platform

Tips for Best Results

• Start with Dodecahedron — it is the default factory template
• Keep strength moderate (0.3-0.5) for natural-looking results
• Use directional prompts for directional variation (different sky, ground, etc.)
• Try different AI models — each has its own artistic character
• Use ControlNet to preserve spatial structure from your input image

Next Steps

• Interface Overview — Learn the full application layout
• Pipelines — Understand different AI models
• Templates — Choose the right template
• Modules — See which optional features each pipeline supports
• ControlNet — Depth-guided generation
• Settings — Configure preferences

Need help? Check the Troubleshooting Guide or contact us.