I've just got a new computer at the office with Vista Ultimate. To try and use TW 3.0 on this one is just not a good idea. TW crashes constantly, and the few times I can get a tour published, being in flash or as a Java applet, panos may not show, panos get "destroyed", buttons relocate and so on.

Has EP at all tested TW 3.0 on Vista computers?

For what it's worth I had a couple of the same issues on XP with TW 3.0.

So for the time being I'm sticking with 1.3 and 2.0 unless EP can come up with a working 3.0 version.
From my production colleague and my point of view it seems that TW version 3.0, and 2.0 for that matter, is full of bugs making it almost impossible to use on a professional basis.

Any thoughts and ideas on this matter is highly appreciated!

Hi everybody.

I understand all of your frustrations, and honestly must say that I have not spent much time with tw3. I just made a few tests, and because the image quality was not as good as tw1.3 I abandonned it. Quality and stability is everything, when you want to sell virtual tours commercially. I still stick with tw1.3 and I am starting to loose all faith in EP. I hope that some of their competitors will start developing more stable virtual tour software packages, as I would really like to keep selling virtual tours.

I think people are confusing "Java Issue's" with the Tourweaver software.

How about posting links to these tours that are causing freeze ups? I rarely use Java anymore because of conflicts. Do these problems occur when published to Flash?

As for Vista  ** Shudder **  horrible operating software.

Regards, Smooth

Hi Smooth,

I appreciate all you posts on this board and you really help people.  I am confused that you can say that you rarely use Java becasue of problems.  To use the car analogy again, that is like selling a car that does not turn left, so if you want to go somewhere you need to make 4 right turns!!!  I personally like the Java loading speed and quality over flash.  Most of my competitor use Java and I can not just tell customers that I only use Flash. That was the point in buying TW in that it did flash and Java and that is what I PAID FOR but did not get!!!  I am kinda new to VR Photography but not computers, I have several certs. and have been in the computer business for 15 years professionally so I know what I am talking about when it comes to software, and the more I use TW3.0 the more I feel I wasted my money!

I also understand that Vista may have issues and not such a great OS but it has been out for a whille and contiunes to gain market share; therefore EP has had time to test this OS with TW3.0 so this should NOT be a problem RIGHT?  NOT!!!!! LOL

I'm not confusing Java Issues with the TW software, and what Java Issues are you reffering to? The problems I'm reffering to is happening "inside" TW 3 on both XP and Vista. 

I.e.: when publishing, the progress bar stops at 40%, I've let the XP computer "do an overnighter", and in the morning still 40%. Reinstall a fresh XP OS and only TW 3 software, same thing happens. Yes, I'm using the newest build.  

Placing buttons on the skin, next scene, previous scene etc. looks fine in preview, when published, buttons relocate.

Same thing goes for hot spots, you can put the hot spot i.e. on a door, and when published it ends up in the roof. Nice touch!

And as for Vista being horrible, that may be true, but EP definately have to follow the "evolution" and make their software work correctly on other MS OS's than WIN 2K and XP.
An example here: When starting TW 2.0 or 3.0 on Vista Ultimate, the computer screen flickers from black to white and back to the desktop, and the OS has switched to Vista Basic color mangement because TW is not compatible with visual color elements in Vista. This may not be a big issue, but it is kinda annoying.

Here is an example I published from my windows Vista home Premium machine.  It's a flash tour that will be embeded into my customers website.  It has the full screen option.  I know the full screen pictures are not great but I feel if you put anything large for web you are looking for problems.  We use higher resolution for kiosk and product cd versions. 

Also we only publish to flash now.  When I purchased my Vista machine I had a hard time getting java loaded on to it while flash was a no brainer.  So I feel as more Vista machines enter the market with non tech people that Java tours will be viewed less and less.

http://www.fcedesign.com/auraria/outside/auraria_outside.html 

My point is "Sun Micro Systems Java" constantly is moving the goal posts. When developers build the software it is based around a "build" version of Java. Which is fine and dandy one minute is trash once you upgrade your Java.

Hey, don't shoot me because I offered an opinion! I'm just pointing out my observations and passing on what I do. I don't have to defend Easypano or any of the products offered. But I will to a point, because nothing better or more stable exists and Easypano has been doing this for many, many years. Long before most had even thought or knew anything about panoramas or virtual tours. 

Still, we all wish for Tourweaver to be all things to all people (and then some). People don't understand Microsoft Vista (I don't believe Microsoft fully understand Vista!) There are too many flavours. Basic, Premium, Business and Ultimate. Believe it or not you CAN'T build a complex program to work across "all" flavours. Many companies 100's the times the size of Easypano are still trying to sort issue's out with Vista. Some of these companies have had to release multiple copies of their software to match the "version" of Vista you are running.

I try not to use Java for tours because of Java issue's NOT because of the output of Tourweaver because I know it worked pretty well when it was installed, but then failed at some point after updating Sun Java.

From the many years of playing virtual tours, programming, helping out here on this forum, I have found that more often than not the whole truth behind complaints is user driven and not the programs fault.

All that said, I know there are many things that need addressing with Tourweaver and purposely started a thread pointing these out. Tourweaver Wish List (October 2007)

Without posting your examples online showing the error's you are reporting/complaining about you are doing yourself out of the opportunity for one of the forum members or Easypano staff from trying to pin point your problem.

Easypano aren't sitting back thinking how great it is to take money from people and have them complain on a forum that they pay for and support without trying to get to the bottom of the problem/s.

You can either help out and discuss the issues or complain, threaten to shop elsewhere etc. Makes little to no difference to me personally.

Regards, Smooth