This article offers an overview of what objects are, who can add them, how and where to use the Object Picker, and other helpful details.

You can also watch the following YouTube tutorial for a quick overview of objects and a walkthrough of the Object Picker:

What is an object?

Objects are the images you can place in your Space, on top of your Space's background image. They can be uploaded as custom object images, or selected from the large variety of pre-generated objects inside of our Object Picker. Objects can be almost any size, but are often scaled to match your avatar's size and can be moved, edited, and deleted without affecting the main background image. There are two primary categories of objects:

• Decorative objects: Images that are purely aesthetic with no interaction (e.g., furniture, plants, food)
• Interactive objects: Images that provide access to embedded media or some form of interactive functionality when you press "x" (e.g., TVs, whiteboards).

Who can add objects to a Space?

• If you are the Admin of a Space, you automatically have access to the Object Picker via the Build tool of your Space and via the Mapmaker. 
• Admins can also add users as Builders to give them access to the in-Space Build tool and the Mapmaker. 
• If you want users to be able to place objects but not use the Mapmaker, turn on Global Build in Space Settings > Space Customization. Global Build allows anyone to add and remove objects via the in-Space Build and Erase tool. 

To turn on Global Build, open Space Settings, select Space Customization, and toggle on Global Build.

How do you get to the Object Picker?

You can get to the Object Picker in your Space or in the Mapmaker. In your Space, select Build (hammer icon) in the toolbar. You can quickly search for an object or place a recent or suggested object, or you can select Open object picker. 

In your Space, select Build in the Left Nav Menu. Select Open object picker. 

From the Mapmaker, select Objects in the Top Nav Menu. In the right panel in the Objects tab, select More Objects.

In the Mapmaker, select Objects in the Top Nav Menu. In the right panel in the Objects tab, select More Objects.

How do you use the Object Picker?

All categories are listed in the Left Nav Menu of the Object Picker. Seasonal categories change with—wait for it—the season! Use the search bar at the top if you're looking for a specific object. 

In the right pane when an object is selected, the Object Details section shows the object, as well as any additional colors that are available for that object. Select the color to preview the object in that color. Use the rotational arrows to turn the object clockwise (right arrow or keyboard shortcut R) or counterclockwise (left arrow or keyboard shortcut Shift+R). 

A view of the Object Picker in the Mapmaker. When you select an object, the Object Details section shows a preview of the object, with the option to rotate the object clockwise or counterclockwise, as well as available colors for the object. In the Object interactions section, most objects default to No interaction. 

How do you find seasonal objects?

Creating a special Space for the holidays? Want fireworks, a Christmas tree, or a Baba Yaga house? We release special holiday objects almost every month! In the Object Picker, in the Left Nav Menu that shows the categories, look for the name of a recent holiday. 

Seasonal objects can be found by selecting the season or holiday in the Object Picker's Left Nav Menu.

How do you make an object interactive?

By default, most objects do not have interactions added, with the except of Games, Sound, and a few special objects like the whiteboard. When you select an object, you can select from the available interactions:

• Embedded Website: Link to any embeddable website directly inside a Gather iframe. 
• Embedded Image: Upload image (.png, .jpeg, .gif) to display inside a Gather iframe.
• Embedded Video: Link to an embeddable video from YouTube, Twitch, or Vimeo. Works for playlists and live streams as well.
• External Call: Link to an external call (Zoom, Webex, Teams, etc.). Call will open in new window and auto-mute in Gather.
• Note Object: Display lines of text or provide links for users to open in a new window.

Can you add your own objects?

Yes, you can! You can place text labels throughout the space or upload your own images to use as objects. Keep in mind that a tile in the Map is 32x32 pixels, so your object should be scaled to that size.

How many objects can you add to a Space?

There is not a specific number of objects you can add to your Space. Instead, the entire Map has a size limit. If you see an "An error has occurred" error while you're working in the Mapmaker, you've likely hit the size limit. We're working on improving this experience.