Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About How to Create a

Virtual Reality Tour

Lynn WhitelawDirector

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art

William HaunWeb Programmer/Analyst

Web & Instructional Technology Services, St. Petersburg College

Agenda

• What Exactly is a Virtual Tour?

• The Different Tour Formats

• Which One is Best? - Pros & Cons

• What “Stuff” Do I Need to Create a Tour?

• Delivering Your Virtual Tour

• Other Issues to Consider with Virtual Tours

• Case Studies

• Discussion & Questions

What exactly is a Virtual Tour?• A Virtual Tour allows a computer user to interact with an

environment via a series or collection of images (still and/or moving).

• “Interact”

– “Virtual” is a reference to “Virtual Reality” - an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one's actions partially determine what happens in the environment

• “Series or Collection”

– Series can be individual images the user navigates between

– Collection can be several images “stitched” together into a single panoramic image (0 to 360 degrees)

Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online: http://www.webster.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=virtual+reality

What is NOT a Virtual Tour?

• Slideshows are NOT Virtual Tours– http://www.inlandseas.org/Anfy/FadeShow.html

• Photo Albums are NOT Virtual Tours– http://www.2004.com/virtual_tours.asp

• Videos are NOT Virtual Tours, they are Video Tours– http://www.answersingenesis.org/museum/media.asp

Different Types of Tours

• HTML

• QuickTimeVR

• Java

• iPIX

• Shockwave/Flash

Different Types of Tours: HTML

• HTML is the code behind ordinary web pages

• These Virtual Tours usually involve a series of web pages the user navigates through. Each page usually consists of text, images, and/or multimedia

• Javascript can be used to enhance the Tour (transitions and other features)

Different Types of Tours: HTML

Examples:

Basic HTML Virtual Tour:Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - http://www.mnh.si.edu/museum/VirtualTour/

HTML Virtual Tour with Javascript:Henry Whitfield Historical Museum –http://www.hbgraphics.com/whitfieldmuseum/

Different Types of Tours: QuickTimeVR

• QuickTime VR is an extension to the popular video format developed by Apple Computers.

• Was the first major virtual tour product on the market (Jan. 1995)

• Can be embedded in a webpage or a stand-alone QuickTime movie

• QuickTime Player is a free download from the Apple website; ships with many products.

• Official Site: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtvr/

David Egbert’s Quicktime History Timeline - http://david.egbert.name/quicktime/history/

Different Types of Tours: QuickTimeVR

Examples:

• Musée du Louvrehttp://www.louvre.or.jp/louvre/QTVR/anglais/

• Sola Creohttp://www.solacreo.com/gallery.html

• MacWorld 2004 Location Promo http://www.iqtvra.org/exhibit/MWBoston2004/MW_Boston_VR.mov

• Refrigerator (placed 3rd place in Apple Computer’s 1998 QuickTime VR Contest)

http://www.mediacosm.com/refrigerator/index.html

Different Types of Tours:Java

• Most common type of Virtual Tour on the Web

• Java is a plug-in* for internet browsers.

• Every browser has some form & version of Java Virtual Machine

• Java “applets” are programs downloaded by the user and run by the user’s Java Virtual Machine

* Plug-in - An auxiliary program that works with a major software package to enhance its capability - www.gurunet.com

Different Types of Tours:Java

• Programmers can create an applet that can then run on most computers.

• Any programmer can create applets or components, so they come in all shapes and sizes

• Dozens of Do-It-Yourself Virtual Tour programs exist that create Java applet Virtual Tours for you

* Plug-in - An auxiliary program that works with a major software package to enhance its capability - www.gurunet.com

Different Types of Tours:Java

Examples:

• Roman Open Air Museum Hechingen-Stein http://www.villa-rustica.de/tour/indexe.html

• Imperial War Museumhttp://www.pan3sixty.co.uk/tours/iwm/java-select.html

Different Types of Tours:iPIX

• Largest commercial vendor of Virtual Tours• Has its own proprietary format that must be

created with its own hardware and software• Has a national network of independent “service

providers” that can create iPIX tours• Tours can be displayed as Java applets or using

iPIX’s own plugin• Official website: http://www.ipix.com

Different Types of Tours:iPIX

Examples:

• National Baseball Hall of Fame – http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/2005/ipix_gallery.htm

• Greensboro Children’s Museum -http://www.gcmuseum.com/explore/virtual/

• British National Maritime Museum:Royal Observatory, Greenwich -http://www.nmm.ac.uk/site/navId/00500000d

Different Types of Tours:Shockwave/Flash

• Media created by Macromedia’s products Director and Flash

• Flash is the most popular plug-in on the Net97.6% of Internet users have the Flash plug-in

• Flash has evolved over the years from a animation tool into a multimedia delivery system that is used for design, streaming video, rich internet applications, and even document creation.

Different Types of Tours:Shockwave/Flash

• Though often used in website design & décor, Flash is relatively new to the Virtual Tour scene

• Flash allows full customization and creativity

– Some Flash Tours are just a series of images

– Others offer 360 degree views

– Yet others have Quicktime Tours embedded in them

• Some Do-It-Yourself Virtual Tour programs now export their tours in the Flash format (*.swf)

Different Types of Tours:Shockwave/Flash

Examples:

• National Museum of American History:

VOTE Exhibitionhttp://americanhistory.si.edu/vote/index.html

• Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art http://www.spcollege.edu/central/museum/museumtour.htm

• Pickering Museum Village (with QuicktimeVR)http://www.picnet.org/pickering/pmv/flash/default.htm

• Petra Virtual Tour with 3D animation (Shockwave)http://vrm.vrway.com/projects/petra/

Format Pros & Cons:Things to Consider

• Target Audience Computer Compatibility & Requirements

• Plug-ins Required for End User

• Size of Download (Tour & Plug-in)

• Features & Customization options

• Quality of Image

• Resources Needed (Cost & Staff)

Pros: HTML

• Web pages work for everyone!

• No special plug-ins or large files to download

• Web pages are easy to create – even Microsoft Word makes them (though they aren’t too pretty)

• HTML is free to create. All you really need is a text editor (Notepad or Word). WYSIWYG editors are available from $20 - $500

WYSIWIG – What You See Is What You Get

Cons: HTML• Web pages work for everyone… so I wasn’t completely telling

the truth. Care has to be taken to make sure they are cross-browser friendly

– Internet Explorer http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/

– Firefox http://www.getfirefox.com

– Netscape http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp

– Opera http://www.opera.com/

– Mozilla http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/

– Safari (Mac) http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

– Older versions archived at http://browsers.evolt.org

• Web pages are limited when it comes to interactivity

• Bottom Line:

They just don’t make very impressive Virtual Tours

Pros: Quicktime VR• Very Reliable and Efficient – they’ve had one update to their

Authoring software since their 1995 release

• 64% of Internet users already have the Quicktime plug-in* since it is used for so many other functions (video, music, iTunes) – Mac users always have it

• Has built in Dynamic Perspective Correction (DPC)

• Allows Progressive Download – User doesn’t have to wait to load the whole thing. Instead sees each piece as it is loaded.

• Allows Full-spherical views – 360 degrees and up & down

• Not only allows 360 views of rooms but of objects

• You can add Hot Spots, embed video clips, and more

*NPD Online survey, conducted June 2005

Cons: Quicktime VR

• 36% of Internet users don’t have the Quicktime plug-in and the download size is now 23mb or more* (60 minutes on a dial-up modem!!)

• They are still in Version 1 of the Authoring Software

• A lot of newer features (stand-alone tour, maps, nodes, additional interactivity) require purchasing 3rd party software

*Download size for Quicktime 7 - Mac OS X: 25.7MB Windows: 23MB

Pros: Java• The most popular Virtual Tour format. There are dozens

of products available that create Java Virtual Tours for you.

• 87% of Internet users have some form of a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed: It was built into Netscape, Microsoft and AOL version 3.0 and later Web browsers.

• Because Java is a programming language, programmers can create Tours that do, look, and act however they want.

• Can have dozens of features (hot spots, DPC, full-spherical, stand-alone, and more)

Cons: Java• Basic Java Tours do not require downloading a plug-in,

however some tours may need certain versions of Java that the user doesn’t have.Get the most recent JVM at http://java.com/en/index.jsp

• Java Tours can take a while to load since not only do the images have to load but the Applet itself

• Java Tour interfaces often look primitive and are not very visually appealing (not always though)

• Poorly coded applets can kill processor speed and freeze up slow computers

• DPC is often missing or sub-par

Microsoft Java Virtual Machine Support - http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/

Pros: iPIX

• iPIX Tours can be created with the complete iPIX “kit”

• Very simple and easy to use

• Very easy process to put tours on webpages

• Only two shots create a single, 360 degree, spherical virtual tour

• Great Dynamic Perspective Correction

• Customer Support

• Large network of experienced users with sites & forums online to share info and help

Cons: iPIX• $$$$$

• Their tours can only be created with certain cameras and their proprietary hardware “kits” (starting at $595 - not including cost of camera)

• Their tours must be created with their software which must be re-licensed annually ($899 first year, $699 per renewal year)

• Though the end user can view theiPIX tours with Java, for best qualitythey need to have the iPix plugininstalled

iPIX Software Pricing: http://www.ipix.com/products_studio.html

iPIX Hardware Pricing: http://www.ipix.com/products_photography.html

VRPhotography.com Case Study: QTVR vs. iPIX - http://vrphotography.com/data/pages/casestudies/qtvrvsipix.html

Pros: Flash• Macromedia Flash is the world’s most pervasive

software platform, reaching 97.6% of Internet-enabled desktops worldwide, as well as many popular devices*

* http://www.macromedia.com/software/flashplayer/

Pros: Flash

• Flash plug-in is a small 480K (1 minute download on dial-up modem) file that installs itself from the Macromedia website

• Unlimited interactive capabilities & fully customizable

• Ability to be dynamic (database or XML driven)

• Virtual tour can be turned into a stand-alone executable file for CD or DVD distribution. The user does not need the plug-in or Internet access to view it then.

Cons: Flash

• Macromedia’s “97.6% of Users have Flash” Statistic can be deceiving*

Flash Version Worldwide Usage Statistics (June 2005)

98.30% 98.28% 98.05% 97.65% 96.00%

87.85%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

Flash 2 Flash 3 Flash 4 Flash 5 Flash 6 Flash 7

* http://www.macromedia.com/software/player_census/flashplayer/version_penetration.html

Cons: Flash

• Unlike Java Tours, there are not many stand-alone applications that create Flash Virtual Tours for you

• For a customized Flash application you must have (or hire) a Flash Developer to create the Tour and write the ActionScript (code)

• 3rd party panorama stitcher software is needed (Flash doesn’t do that)

• Macromedia Flash is expensive: $499 – however, it does have many uses in addition to Virtual Tours (interactive websites, animation, streaming video, and much more)

Tools Needed

• The Hardware– Computer– Digital Camera– Tripod– Panoramic Head (optional)– Turntable (optional)

• The Software– Stitching Software– Tour Creation Software – Webpage Creation Software

• The Method of Delivery– Web Server– CD-ROM– DVD

Hardware: Computer

• Processor needs to be fast enough to handle complex stitching algorithms

• Needs enough memory to hold large panoramic images

• Basic Suggestion (minimum requirements)

– 2ghz processor

– 500mb memory

– Video card with 128mb memory

– 40 gigabyte hard drive

– USB 2.0 and/or IEEE 1394 (aka Firewire or i.Link)

– Windows XP or Mac OS X

Hardware: Digital Camera

• 3 megapixel will suffice for web & CD-ROM production

• Extra memory stick usually required since one room can require 20-60 photos

• Some models have built-in stitching tools

• Camera may need to support addition of lenses (wide-angle or fisheye)

• Cost from $150 - $infinity

• CNET.com feature/cost comparison site at:http://shopper.cnet.com/Digital_cameras/2001-6501_9-0.html?tag=shfd.feature

Hardware: Tripod

• Tripod must be sturdy (flimsy $20 tripods don’t do the job well)

• Must have good adjustment brackets & knobs

• Needs to have levels

• Cost: $50 - $250

Hardware: Pano Heads(optional)

• Panoramic Heads attach to tripods and allow for taking photographs at exact angles that provide the best resulting stitched panoramas

• Not required but they make the image quality better and the task of stitching easier

• Some stitching software requires images to be taken at exact angles, so a panoramic head may be necessary

• Cost $200 - $1300

Hardware: Turntable(optional)

• Object Turntables are used to photograph objects so that the user can view them from all angles

• Pricing ranges from small manual turntables to large motorized ones that hold 200lb objects and lighting gear

• Cost $75 - $6000

Software: Stitching Tools

• Stitching software takes your series of photos and “stitches” them together into a single panoramic or spherical image

• Some stitching software can create a 3D movie from a series of object photos

• Software varies in image quality, image format, ease-of-use, and automation

• Price Range: Free* - $500Some Tour Creation software includes Stitching tools

* Helmut Dersch’s Panorama Tools are a free, open-source set of Java tools that are used by many VR professionals. However, they are extremely complex and have no graphical user-interface - http://webuser.fh-furtwangen.de/%7Edersch/

Software: Stitching Tools

Realviz Stitcher 4.0

• Internationally recognized as the “industry-standard software for creating panoramas”*

• Allows adjustments to accommodate most camera lenses(can’t stitch from fisheye though)

• Allows exporting panoramas as QTVR movies, JPEG images, layered Photoshop files, Shockwave, and more

• Available for PC and Macintosh

• Cost: $580 – Trial Version Available Online

• Stitcher 5.0 comes out this month• http://www.realviz.com/products/st/index.php

*3D World

Software: Stitching ToolsEasyPano Panoweaver 4.0

• Easy-to-use and powerful panorama software which can stitch perfect 360*180 spherical and cubic panoramas from fisheye images.

• Stitches automatically and allows manual stitching• Only stitches from fisheye lens images• Publish panorama as PTViewer, QTVR, MGI

Panoviewer, and VRML• Available for PC and Macintosh• Cost: $599• http://www.easypano.com/pinfo_pw.html

Software: Stitching Tools360 Degrees of Freedom – Panorama Pro

• Powerful panorama stitcher and simple-to-use virtual tour builder

• Stitches automatically• Features hotspots, transition effects, and zoom• Unlimited technical support & 60 day money back

guarantee• Available for Windows only• Cost: $99

• http://www.360dof.com/products/panorama-stitching-software/360-panorama-professional/

Software: Stitching Tools

Adobe Photoshop CS

• The world’s greatest image editor now has a built-in photo stitching tool

• Completely automated stitcher – just point to the folder with all your images

• Lack of manual controls when stitching is limiting; if images aren’t take just right, results are disastrous

• Available for PC and Macintosh• Cost: $649 (latest version CS)

Trial Version Available Online• http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/main.html

Software: Tour Creators• These products take your panoramic images and create

interfaces for them

• Features vary from product to product. Features to look for are:– Final format of the interface (webpage, stand-alone,

Quicktime movie, Flash movie, etc..)

– Built-in stitching tools

– Interface’s ease of navigation (linked rooms, hotspots, etc…)

– Ability to add images, video, audio, text

– Visual appeal of final Virtual Tour

• Price Range: Free - $500 (with a plethora of add-ons available)

Software: Tour CreatorsEasyPano Tourweaver 1.30

• Create tours that not only include 360 and spherical panoramas but sound, still images, slideshows, maps, floor plans, and more

• Has unique features of interactive map with compass effect, personalized viewer skin and customized walkthrough

• Available for PC only• Cost: $199 (standard) $499 (pro)

• http://www.easypano.com/pinfo_tw.html

Software: Tour Creators

360 Degrees of Freedom - VRbrochure

• Build 360 panoramas and choose from a library of templates when creating the multi-page VRbrochures

• Features 3D objects, photos, slideshows, interactive floorplans/maps, and hotspots

• Tours created for both Java and Flash• Available for Windows only• Cost: $147 (lite) $297 (project) $497 (pro)

• http://www.360dof.com/products/vrbrochure-authoring-software/

Software: Webpage Creation Tools

• There is no shortage of WYSIWYG programs for you to choose from

• The most popular are:– Microsoft FrontPage $199– Macromedia Dreamweaver $399– Adobe GoLive $399– Macromedia Homesite $99– NetObjects Fusion $195– Microsoft Word $229 (Office Standard edition)– CoffeeCup HTML Editor $49

• Price Range: Free* - $400

Some free Webpage tools are listed at http://www.thefreecountry.com/webmaster/htmleditors.shtml#wysiwyg

Delivering Your Virtual Tour

• Web

• CD-ROM

• DVD-ROM

Delivery Method: Web• To put any web pages or media on the Internet you need

two things:– A domain name (aka mymuseum.org)– Web Server that “hosts” it

• Every city has its own companies that host websites and the internet has a million more

• Things to look for in a Web Hosting Package:– Bandwidth: basically the amount of information that can be

downloaded from your site in one month– Server space: how much storage space you have to hold all your

webpage files (images & video can take up a lot)– Uptime: % of time your host guarantees your website will be up

and running

• Price Range: Free* - $500+ per month

*CAUTION: Free hosting packages ALWAYS incorporate advertisements on your site and greatly restrict bandwidth

Delivery Method: CD-ROM

• Price Range: $.20 per disc plus printing & packaging costs

• Leepa-Rattner produces its CDs at an approximate cost of $.60 per disc. That includes the CD media, packaging, and printing of labels on disc.

Delivery Method: DVD-ROM

• Price Range: $1 per disc plus printing & packaging costs

• Virtual Tours created in the formats covered in this presentation must be viewed on a computer and are not viewable on a stand-alone DVD player and TV.

• Virtual Tours can be created for DVD and television but are more like “Video Tours” and have very limited interaction.NOTE: The DVD edition of the first Harry Potter film has the best DVD Virtual Tour I have seen to date.

• As the next generation of DVD players are released, the potential for Virtual Tours on DVD will grow significantly.

Other Issues to Consider

• Security of your copyrighted images

• Cost of Maintenance & Ability to Update

• Portability

• Accessibility

Case Studies

• Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art– Flash & XML driven Virtual Tour

• Musée du Louvre– Quicktime VR & HTML driven Virtual Tour

Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art Virtual Tour

• Built with Macromedia Flash technology

• Pulls all content from XML files, making changes easy

• Images hidden and encoded to protect copyright

• Created for both web and CD-ROMWeb version allows user to pick bandwidth

• Leepa-Rattner Museum of Arthttp://www.spcollege.edu/central/museum/museumtour.htm

Musée du Louvre Virtual Tour• Combines QuicktimeVR with HTML Webpage interface

• Has about 60 individual panoramic images

• Has Java Tours on select rooms

• Users use a floorplan of the museum to navigate between rooms

• Does not offer views of current and rotating exhibits

• Tours consist only of panoramicimages with no descriptions,text, or closeups ofindividual works of art

Misc. ResourcesResources• VRMag – Online Magazine dedicated solely to Virtual Tours & Photography

http://www.vrmag.org • VR Photography Case Studies -

http://vrphotography.com/data/pages/casestudies/casestudies.html

Tutorials• Creating Javascript & HTML Virtual Tours -

http://www.macromedia.com/devnet/server_archive/articles/creating_virtual_tours.html

Other Cool Virtual Tours• Arounder – Travel around the world via 360 full screen panoramas - http://

www.arounder.com

• FullScreenQTVR – A directory of extreme locations shot in 360 panoramashttp://www.fullscreenqtvr.com

• POSCO Museum in Korea – The inspiration for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art’s Flash-based Virtual Tour - http://museum.posco.co.kr/museum/docs/eng/mTour/s91b3060001m.jsp

VendorsTour Creation Software

• 360 Degrees of Freedom - http://www.360dof.com/• EasyPano – the virtual tour way - http://www.easypano.com• iPIX - http://www.ipix.com• Quicktime VR Authoring - http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtvr/• Realviz - http://www.realviz.com • Squamish Media Group (QTVR extensions) - http://www.smgvr.com/ • VRToolbox - http://www.vrtoolbox.com/vrthome.html

Hardware

• Kaidan Panoramic Heads, Lenses, & Motors - http://www.kaidan.com/

• Manfrotto Panoramic Heads - http://www.manfrotto.com/303SPH/

Feel Free to Send Questions and Comments to:

William HaunEmail: haun.william@spcollege.edu

Phone: 727.394.6173

Website: www.williamhaun.com