So I'm playing around with the values of panoweaver trying to get a true Full Screen Virtual Tour for the Easy Pano Virtual Tour Player.  I've managed to get the quicktimes to look real nice full screen.

When I tried changing the number values in the coding to % values for the Easy Pano Virtual Tour Player, it displays incorrectly.  Any suggestions on that?  Also, I been publishing my QuickTimes with a resolution of 5000 x 2500.

What's the suggestion for resolution for the Easy Pano Virtual Tour Player?  Is there any way to customise the Easy Pano Virtual Tour Player?  If not, is there any other software (Like Pleinplot) that does this or do I need to use my Tourweaver Pro to figure this one out.

While I'm on the subject.......

What are your opinions of QuickTime vs. JRE?  I'm starting to realize that alot of my clients don't have Quicktime installed on their computer which further complicates me trying to show off my full-screen tours.

I actually had to go to a client today to install QuickTime to show them the tours I just made.  After finally loading it in, The tours still didn't work and I realized that I still had to install DirectX which they didn't have either (grrrr).

What's the best and easiest solution for diplaying Full Screen Tours?  Me personally, I like QuickTime but there has to be something more user friendly.  I've made a simple interface page to show my clients and I'll share that with you.

http://www.nastudios.com/virtual

As you will notice, I'm using 2 different technologies (java & QT) to display the same thing.  What is everyone else doing?  I'm interested to know.

Thanks everyone!

Hmm good question.

Here is what we are using: Most are FULL SCREEN

QTVR and Flash http://www.360texas.com/virtualtour/texas/bg/index.htm

QTVR
http://www.360texas.com/virtualtour/texas/bg/index2.html

Java
http://www.360texas.com/virtualtour/texas/bg/index3.htm

Some Java and Qtvr
http://www.360texas.com/virtualtour/texas/wwp/index.htm

Thanks for the input Dave!  So I see that you are mixing technologies as well.  For many years I was doing just Cylindrical Panos and putting them into a Flash interface that I designed.  It was nice cause the motion was very fluid.

Now that I'm doing Spherical Tours I had to leave the flash interface behind.  I could design a new inface for flash but I'm afraid I don't have the programming (development) time like I use to.

Did you write the flash interface you are currently using or is it a third party software?

Hopefully in the future Macromedia can develop a better engine for flash and still keep the plug-in size low. 

I don't think my client was real pleased on the QuickTime download length of time or the additional features (itunes) that were forced on them.

Cheers!

~B

Daves, the botanic tours are really good. and the flash files are small

full screen panos at over 1 mb with quicktime looks good.

can you gives a small step by step on how your doing the flash tours.

Options:

Quicktime download the "Stand Alone" version 20MB

Quicktime download the "iTunes" version 37MB

Sun Java download Java version 5.0 update (7) 7.1MB

Omniviewer browser control for Internet Explorer 1MB automatic install from coded panorama display page. (Great Full Screen Viewer)

Omniviewer browser plug-in download 3.4MB (I.E - Firefox - Netscape - Mozilla)

Omniviewer download the "Stand Alone" 18.29MB

Immervision Pure Tools Java (very nice full screen)

DevalVR browser plug-in tiny 183kb - 209kb (full screen)

Field of View SPI Engine Requires Shockwave "version 10.1.3.018" 2.8MB

Personally I like points of them all. My favourite is the Omniviewer for fluid movement in rotation (zoom needs some work) Quicktime is second in display. DevalVR is great for the file size and Immervision's Pure Java is the best Java full screen option. I'm sure other options also exist.

Regards, Smooth

Thanks for the comments about the FLASH presentation.  The little .fla viewer file is propriatory - is being used with prior clients permission. They only wanted flash on their site.

Hint on the way it works - the .swf is just a scroller that is standalone cylinder player that just scrolls around on the flat panorama.  The .fla contains a link to the external panorama.jpg filename.  So all I had to do was to open the .fla in Flash 5 and in one of the fields I provided the filename.  Then of course make it a .swf.

The full screen QTVR file sizes are designed for broadband only visitors.  Dial up folks can see them too.. but they have to wait for a while.

Most all the content was done with RAW images using a Canon 20d.  Have not done to many with Canon 5d yet.

Dave

I have seen several virtual tours with Flash, and I don't see the benefits yet, i find them less realistic that Quicktime tours: when looking around, it seems that I am looking at a flat picture while I completely feel "inserted" into the scene with Quicktime.

Exactly... you are only scrolling around on a flat image.  The client understands this and accepts it.  The visualization though is very close (but not exact) to seeing it in qtvr.  The trade off of course is down load speed.  Flash viewer browser plug in is smaller.  Flash has a higher acceptance rate than qtvr.  This means more computers are already using Flash browser plug in.

QTVR standalone plug in is about 20mb not including iTunes.  Takes along time to download and install.  However, QTVR is spherical.

Not sure.  Maybe not until the next flavor of Flash viewer and Flash program becomes available.