For Mac® OS X
All material contained in this manual is Copyright © 2003, VR Toolbox, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Some panoramic and object sample media is Copyright © 1998, Roundhouse Productions, Inc. or Copyright © 2003, Econ Technologies, Inc. And used with permission. Direct all questions and comments to: VR Toolbox, Inc. 1-877-878-6657 support@vrtoolbox.com www.vrtoolbox.com
VR Toolbox, VR ObjectWorx, VR PanoWorx, VR SceneWorx and The VR Worx are trademarks of VR Toolbox, Inc. Apple, Macintosh, Mac OS, Finder and Power Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. QuickTime, the QuickTime logo, QuickTime VR, and QTVR are trademarks used under license from Apple Computer, Inc. PowerPC is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Windows, Windows 95, Windows 98 Windows NT and Microsoft are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Adobe and Photocopy are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated. VR Object Worker is a trademark of Emery Manufacturing & Equipment, Inc. Kaidan, Meridian and Magellan are trademarks of Kaidan, Inc. Kodak is a registered trademark of the Eastman Kodak Company. Peace River Studios is a trademark of Peace River Studios. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 - Getting Started System Requirements Installation Launching The VR Worx
1 1 1 1
Chapter 2 - Terminology
2
Chapter 3 - QTVR Overview Panoramas Creating Panoramas Objects Creating Objects Single-row objects Multi-row objects Hot Spots Scenes
3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5
Chapter 4 - Project Document Overview Creating a New Project Document Saving and Opening a Project Document Opening an Existing Project Document Stationery Templates Saving a Stationery Templates Opening a Stationery Template
6 6 6 7 7 7 8
Chapter 5 - Panorama Module The Setup Panel Source Image Format Working with Multiple Source Images Panorama Geometry Feedback Fields Working with a Single Panoramic Image Correct Barrel Distortion Rectify Fish-eye
9 10 10 11 12 14 15 16 18
The Acquire Panel The Buttons Group View Mode The Frame Cylinder Linear Viewing Importing and Exporting Images Working with a Single Panoramic Image The Buttons Group
20 20 21 22 24 25 25 26
The Stitch Panel The Actions Group The Tools Group
27 28 29
The Blend Panel The Actions Group Exporting and Importing Panoramas
31 32 35
The Hot Spots Panel The Tools Group
36 37
The Compose Panel The Composition Presets Group The Compression Group The Dicing Group The Additional Tracks Group The Default View Angle Group Building the QuickTime VR Panoramic Movie The Actions Group
38 38 39 40 41 42 43 43
The Preview Panel The Actions Group The Properties Group The Constraints Group The Movie Interaction Box File Size Approximation Viewer Feedback
44 44 45 48 48 49 49
Chapter 6 - Object Module The Setup Panel The Source Image Format Group The Object Rig Group The Object Geometry Group Vertical Settings Horizontal Settings
50 51 51 52 52 52 53
The Acquire Panel The Buttons Group The Mechanism Group The View Array List
56 57 58 58
The Hot Spots Panel The Tools Group The Hot Spot List The View Group
60 61 62 62
The Effects Panel The Center Effect The Crop Effect The Dewobble Effect The Matte Effect The Sound Effect Sound Track Properties Assigning Local Views
63 63 64 65 66 68 69 70
The Compose Panel The Composition Presets Group The Compression Group The Media Group Building the QuickTime VR Object Movie
71 71 71 73 74
The Preview Panel The Actions Group The Properties Group The Special Views Group The Movie Interaction Box File Size Approximation Viewer Feedback
76 76 77 81 82 82 82
Chapter 7 - Scene Module The Setup Panel The General Definition Group The Scene Boundary Group
84 84 85 86
The Background Panel The Actions Group The Tools Group The Text Attributes Group
87 87 88 88
The Nodes Panel The Actions Group The Tools Group The Transition Generator
89 89 91 91
The Compose Panel The Actions Group The Recompression Groups
94 94 95
The Preview Panel The Actions Group The Properties Group The Current Node Group The Initial Node Group Viewer Feedback
97 97 98 100 100 100
Chapter 8 - The Node Browser Properties Panel Hot Spots Panel The Frame Group Preview Panel
101 101 104 105 106
Chapter 9 - Hot Spots Properties General Panel Cursors Panel Link Panel URL Panel
107 107 108 108 109
Chapter 10 - Acquiring Images Image Access (IMAC) Modules Image File Module Image File Setup Image File Buttons
110 110 111 111 112
Video Digitizer Module Video Digitizer Setup Video Dialog Video Digitizer Buttons
113 113 114 114
Mechanism Controller (MECH) Modules
118
Kaidan Universal Mechanism Controller Activating and Configuring Kaidan Universal Specifying a Profile Adding a Profile Removing a Profile Specifying a Serial Port Specifying the “Home� position Calibrating Object Rigs Specifying Stabilization Delays
119 119 120 120 121 121 122 123 124
Adobe Photoshop Acquire Modules
125
Chapter 11 - Built-In Image Editor Invoking the Editor Image Editor Interface Saving Modified Images Cycling Through Source Images Image Editing Commands Region Selection Rendering Text Choosing Colors Painting Tools Touch-Up Tools
126 126 126 127 127 128 128 130 130 131 132
Chapter 12 - Application Preference Settings Application Startup Group Scratch Disk Group Annotations Group QTVR Export Group Hot Spots Image Import Image Editor
134 134 135 136 137 138 139 141
Chapter 13 - QTVR Tips & Tricks Finding A Camera!s Nodal Point Choosing The Right Codec Determining the Field-Of-View of a Lens Method 1 - Check the Stationery Templates Method 2 - Compare Two Pictures
142 142 145 147 147 147
Archiving Panorama Projects Increasing Stitch Accuracy Animating Inanimate Objects Adding Text to Panoramas and Objects Repurposing Media Dialing-in a Camera/Lens Combination Step 1 - Ensure “Nodal� Imagery Step 2 - Setup and Acquire Images Normally Step 3 - Stitch the Images Normally Step 4 - Identify and Correct Vertical... Step 5 - Identify and Correct Spherical... Step 6 - Save the Dialed-In Settings
149 150 151 152 153 154 154 154 155 155 156 157
Chapter 14 - Menus File Menu Utilities Menu Scripts Menu
158 158 158 159
Chapter 15 - Tutorials Tutorial 1 - Creating a Full Panorama Tutorial 2 - Creating a Partial Panorama Tutorial 3 - Creating a Customized Panorama... Tutorial 4 - Creating a Single Row Object Tutorial 5 - Creating a Multi-Row Object Tutorial 6 - Creating an Object with Hot Spots Tutorial 7 - Building a Simple Scene
160 160 167 175 179 184 187 189
Glossary
193
QTVR Resources and Links
198
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Chapter 1 - Getting Started System Requirements
• • •
Mac OS X 10.2 QuickTime® 6.0 128 MB RAM
Installation
Insert The VR Worx CD-ROM into the drive. The CD icon will appear on the desktop and a window will open in the upper left corner of the screen. Double-click The VR Worx Installer icon to launch the installer. Next, the Software License Agreement will be displayed. It defines the terms and conditions which govern the use of this software product. To agree to the terms and conditions, click the Agree button. After accepting the terms and conditions of the license agreement, the main installation dialog will appear.
Launching The VR Worx
To launch The VR Worx, just double-click The VR Worx icon in your Applications folderr. The first time the program is launched the operator will be prompted to register the program by entering a key code which can be located on the registration card that was enclosed in The VR Worx package. Carefully type it in the Key Code field and click the OK button once all the remaining information has been entered. The VR Worx software is now ready to be used. Remember to fill out the registration card and mail it to VR Toolbox, Inc. Keep a copy of the key code in a safe place in order to reinstall The VR Worx or upgrade to a newer version.
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Chapter 2 - Terminology Three specific roles are conventionally used in this manual, the photographer, the operator and the viewer. These roles each provide a specific function within the time frame of the production and presentation of QuickTime VR movies. Each of these roles is explained below. The photographer is the individual who will be originally shooting the photographs or videos for the QuickTime VR panorama or object projects. Knowledge of camera and/or camcorder operation is the major role of this individual. The operator is the end user of The VR Worx product. This is the individual that will be compiling the QuickTime VR panoramas, objects and scenes by modifying and combining the photographs or videos that were originally captured by the photographer. The operator may also be the photographer depending on the staff assigned to the QuickTime VR project. The viewer is the end user of QuickTime VR productions. This is the individual that will see and use the final result of The VR Worx!s projects.
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Chapter 3 - QTVR Overview QuickTime VR is an extension of the QuickTime technology developed by Apple Computer, Inc. that allows viewers to interactively explore and examine photo realistic, three-dimensional virtual worlds. Unlike many other virtual reality systems, QuickTime VR does not require the viewer to wear goggles, a helmet or gloves. Instead, the viewer navigates in a virtual world using conventional computer input devices (such as the mouse, trackball, track pad or keyboard) to change the displayed image via the QuickTime VR movie controller. The displayed images in QuickTime VR movies can be either captured photographically or created on a computer using a three-dimensional (3D) graphics package. A QuickTime VR movie contains all the data for a QuickTime VR virtual world. The movie contains a single scene, which is an aggregation of one or more nodes. A node is a location in a virtual world at which an object or panorama can be viewed. For panoramic nodes, the node!s position is the center point from which the panorama is viewed. Any number of nodes, either object or panoramic, can comprise a QuickTime VR scene. Panoramas
A QuickTime VR panoramic node presents a panoramic view captured from a central point. The panoramic movie that is created presents up to a full 360° view of a desired location that a viewer can pan, tilt and zoom. These actions can be accomplished by clicking and dragging the mouse or by using keyboard commands. Partial panoramas are also possible, presenting less than a 360° view of a single location.
Creating Panoramas
To create a panoramic movie, a photographer must first capture images by placing their camera on a device known as a pan head and mounting it atop a tripod. The pan head rotates the camera around its nodal point (the exact location within the camera!s lens where the focused image inverts itself). Rotating about a camera!s nodal point eliminates a condition known as parallax and facilitates the stitching of the images together. As the camera is rotated, several photographs are taken. A sufficient quantity of pictures should be taken in order to achieve a 50% overlap between frames. Once this is accomplished, the images are then able to be loaded into a computer where The VR Worx software begins “stitching” them together. The end result is a complete, seamless panoramic image that can be displayed as a QuickTime VR movie. Another equivalent method for producing a panoramic movie that bypasses the process of taking several photographs and stitching them together, is creating a single panoramic image. This involves designing a view of a single location by using another application, such as a 3D rendering program. The results of these two processes are the same.
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A QuickTime VR object movie is a form of QuickTime movie that presents multiple views of a single object. The viewer can interact with this object, revealing different views, by clicking and dragging the object with the mouse, or by using keyboard commands. They can also zoom in or out on the object. A typical object movie will contain multiple views of the same object arranged in horizontal and/or vertical sweeps. If many views of the object are included in the movie, the illusion can appear as if the viewer is “holding” the object in their hands and rotating it three dimensionally to inspect the object from different angles.
Creating Objects
To create an object movie, the first step is to capture the images of the object by placing the object at the center of a turntable. The turntable can be as simple as a lazy Susan or as sophisticated as a Magellan 2500™ or Meridian™ C60. The object must be carefully placed at the center of the turntable. This is very important since, if the object is not centered, it will appear to wobble as the turntable is rotated. The rotation of the turntable is referred to as panning, and the increment of rotation is the spacing. The full 360° rotation is called the horizontal sweep. The image is centered at 0 degrees.
Single-row Objects
A single-row object is an object that is viewed from a single vantage point (usually its equator), and can be rotated up to 360° around this vantage point. It is captured by an input device (camcorder, digital camera) that is stationary and pointed directly at the equator (or other single vantage point) of the object. After the first image is taken, the turntable is rotated a specific increment, usually 10 degrees, and then another image is taken. This process continues until the object has been rotated a full 360°. If the increment of turntable rotation was 10° then 36 images would have been captured. By doing this, the photographer can create a movie that will present the object to be viewed from any point 360° about its equator. Film cameras can be used for this process, but will require processing and scanning. For this reason, digital or video cameras are more commonly used.
Multi-row Objects
A multi-row object is an object that the viewer can tilt and view in any direction in the final object movie. For example, if creating an object movie of a football, the football is placed on the center of the turntable with its center seam parallel to the turntable. The input device is positioned directly above the football and is pointed at its laces. The first image is captured, and the turntable is rotated 10°. This process continues until 36 images have been captured. The input device is then tilted down 10° along an arc, while maintaining the exact same distance (or radius) from the football. The object is again rotated in a 360° sweep to capture another 36 images. This process continues until the input device is 10° below the center seam and the last 36 images are captured. Because the laces have a tilt
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angle beginning at 90°, 11 rows are acquired (the first row at a 90° tilt angle, the second row at an 80° tilt angle, through the eleventh row at a tilt angle of -10°). The vertical sweep of the object was 100° (starting at 90° and ending at -10°). Obviously, this process is more complex than the process for a single row object because numerous rows must be created in order for the object to be viewed from every angle. It also requires more technically advanced equipment, such as an object rig mechanism. Without this mechanism, the process of creating multi-row objects becomes extremely difficult. Hot Spots
Both panoramic nodes and object nodes support arbitrarily shaped hot spots - specific regions in the movie image that encourage user interaction. When the cursor is moved over a hot spot (and perhaps when the mouse button is also clicked), QuickTime VR changes the cursor as applicable and performs certain actions. The actions that are performed depend upon the type of the hot spot defined. For example, clicking a link hot spot moves the viewer from one node in a scene to a different node. Hot spots are a critical element in creating scenes of multiple QTVR nodes.
Scenes
As mentioned at the beginning of this section, a QTVR scene is simply an encapsulation of one or more nodes. These nodes may contain panoramas or objects. The VR Worx also supports special nodes for static images and traditional “linear” QuickTime movies, although QuickTime VR does not explicitly support this feature. The VR Worx accomplishes it by converting still images and linear movies into object nodes. The individual nodes can be navigated by establishing links between nodes. The links are triggered by clicking hot spots, which may be placed anywhere within a panorama or object. A scene is designed by laying out individual nodes on a map and establishing relationships between the nodes. These relationships are in the form of links that are “drawn” between the nodes. Properties of these links, such as the placement, size and shape of the hot spots that trigger them, must be individually defined. Designing even a moderate scene can be a tedious process. Luckily, The VR Worx offers several advanced features that make this process easier. Once a scene has been designed, it is composed into a final movie. The individual nodes of the scene, which initially exist as separate movie files, are copied into the single output movie file. Thus, a complex scene consisting of dozens of different nodes may be distributed as a single, stand-alone movie file.
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Chapter 4 - Project Document Overview To create a QTVR panorama, object or scene in The VR Worx, the operator must first open a project document. The project document is the main file that contains all the information that needs to be provided for the creation of the QTVR movie. All the steps necessary to create the QTVR movie are performed within the project document. The project document may be saved at any time during the process, thus allowing the operator to stop their work and continue later, as well as retain archival copies of their work. Creating a New Project Document
A new project document is created by simply choosing New from the File menu. This opens the document selector dialog (Figure 4.1). This dialog presents the three types of QuickTime VR projects that may be created. Click the radio button next to Panorama, Object or Scene and then click OK to begin creating a new project.
Figure 4.1 Document Selector Dialog
Whether creating panoramas, objects or scenes, the project document window in each module presents an interface resembling several folder tabs. Each tab is referred to as a panel and each panel represents a single step in the QTVR media creation process. The VR Worx employs a technique called “progressive disclosure,� which prevents the operator from proceeding to the next step until all the necessary tasks have been performed in the current step. Panels that are inaccessible to the operator have their folder tabs dimmed, and thus are not selectable. Saving and Opening a Project Document
By saving the project document, the operator will be able to store all the settings and media relevant to the QTVR project into a single file. Project document files are completely self contained, i.e., all the acquired images, if any, as well as the QTVR movie being composed, are contained within this file. For this reason, as long as the project document is saved, any source images and/or generated
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movies may be discarded from the hard disk. The exceptions to this rule are scene projects. Any and all media added as nodes to a scene, are stored externally to the project document. Only references (or aliases) to the node media are stored within the project document. To save a project document, select Save or Save as… from the File menu. If Save is chosen, and the project had been previously saved, the new version will overwrite the old. If the project has never been saved, or Save as… is chosen, a standard file save dialog appears, allowing the operator to name the project and to specify a folder in which to save it. Opening an Existing Project Document
The operator can also open previously saved project documents, and begin working on them, by choosing Open… from the File menu. A standard file open dialog appears, allowing the operator to locate the project document that they wish to load. Only valid project documents, folders and volumes will appear within the standard file open dialog. Project documents may also be opened by double-clicking their file icon from within the Finder. If The VR Worx is not presently running, it will be launched and that specific project document will immediately begin to load.
Stationery Templates
Frequently, the operator will need to specify the same settings every time they create a QTVR movie, such as geometry, source image format, quality, etc. When this is the case, they should take advantage of a special feature called stationery templates.
Saving a Stationery Template All settings specified during the process of creating a QTVR movie are saved within a stationery template. The exceptions for this include source images and/or media, hot spots and composed QTVR movies. A stationery template may be created at any time during the QTVR creation process. To create a stationery template, choose Save as… from the File menu. Two icons appear at the bottom of the dialog, the left icon representing standard documents and the right icon representing stationery documents. By default, the standard document type is selected indicating that all files saved will be standard project documents. Selecting the stationery document type indicates that the file about to be saved will be saved as a stationery template. Upon selecting the stationery document file type, enter a name for the document, and save the file as usual. You!ll notice that the file location defaults to a “Stationery Templates” folder.
Note: Stationery files only contain the settings specified for the current
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project, not the source imagery, media references or composed QTVR movie.
Opening a Stationery Template To open a previously saved stationery template, choose Open from the File menu. A standard file open dialog appears allowing you to locate the document you would like to load. It is best to keep all stationery templates within the “Stationery Templates� folder. This should be the first place you look when opening the desired stationery file. When a stationery template is loaded, it may initially look no different from a standard new project. However, this document has retained all the settings that were in effect when the stationery template was first created. This may include (but is not limited to) source image format, geometry settings and compression settings. Stationery templates are a handy way of overriding The VR Worx!s defaults, to mirror the settings with which the operator commonly works. As is true with standard project documents, stationery templates may also be opened from within the Finder by double clicking on their file icon. The VR Worx will automatically launch (if not presently running) and the stationery template will be opened immediately.
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Chapter 5 - Panorama Module A panorama module project document window is made up of seven panels that step the operator through the process of creating a panoramic movie: Setup, Acquire, Stitch, Blend, Hot Spots, Compose and Preview. The operator may switch between these seven panels, by clicking on the respective folder tab. These folder tabs are arranged in the order in which the steps necessary to create a panoramic movie must be performed. The operator will not be allowed to proceed to the next panel until all required actions have been performed in the current panel. Panels unavailable will have dimmed titles. To create a panoramic movie, the operator will need to go through all the panels sequentially, from left to right. The first time a project document is opened, only the Setup and Acquire panels will be active. The project document panels are briefly outlined below. Setup - In this panel, the operator defines where the input images are coming, their format and orientation and what type of lens was used to take the photographs. The operator can also inform the program about what type of motorized pan head is being used, if any. Acquire - In this panel, the operator captures or imports the source images to be used in creating the panoramic movie. The order of the frames can be rearranged and basic image editing (for touchups) can be performed. Stitch - This panel is where the program is instructed to warp and align the images relative to one another, a process known as stitching. The operator can indicate the accuracy of the source image alignment, prior to stitching. They can also manually adjust the results, after stitching has been completed. Blend - In this panel, the program is instructed to blend the overlapping source images together. The degree of blending is controlled, as well as the optional application of one or more filters to enhance the image. Hot Spots - This panel allows the operator to define areas of the panoramic image as hot spots. Hot spots can trigger certain actions within the QTVR playback environment. They are optional and may be skipped entirely. Compose/Compress - In this panel, the type of compression to be used for the panoramic movie is specified. The operator can also control some internal QuickTime VR attributes, such as the tile array orientation and the generation of additional tracks. Preview - This panel allows the operator to view the finished movie. They can also set certain playback attributes for the panoramic movie, as well as export it as a stand-alone file.
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The Setup panel (Figure 5.1) is where all the parameters that define a QTVR panoramic movie are entered.
Figure 5.1 Panorama Project Document Window Setup Panel for Cylindrical Images
Working through the tutorials before proceeding to create a panoramic movie, is highly recommended. This will provide the basic knowledge and understanding of the panorama creation process, as well introducing the terms and parameters used in the panorama module. The Setup panel is viewed by clicking the leftmost folder tab at the top of the project document window. Within this panel, the operator is supplying four pieces of information: the source image format, the image source, the motorized pan head mechanism and the geometry of the panorama.
Source Image Format As stated earlier, QTVR movies can be created from two different image formats - a single panoramic image or a set of multiple images. Multiple images refer to a panorama that will be created from a series of photographs taken from a camera mounted on a pan head and tripod. The images are individually warped, stitched and blended together to create a single panoramic image. The QuickTime VR movie is then generated from this panoramic image. It is also possible to skip the step of stitching multiple images if a
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single, panoramic image is supplied. This image is typically created from a 3D rendering application, but can potentially be of a location that has been hand composed to achieve some type of artistic effect.
Working with Multiple Source Images For a sequence of photographs to be processed, Cylindrical Images must be chosen from the Source Format menu. The Cylindrical Images control group then appears. The operator will need to specify the image source (where it is coming from), image dimensions, pan head mechanism, and panorama geometry. The remaining settings are explained in detail below. Acquire From - Specifies the source of the images that will be acquired. Image File will typically be chosen as the source to load images from files on disk. If the operator has a digital camera or scanner, images may be directly downloaded into the software by installing an Adobe Photocopy Acquire Module in the Plug-ins folder. Setup... - Lets the operator define the source rotation of the image file (Figure 5.2). These rotations come in ± 0º, - 90º, + 90º, and ± 180º. The selected rotation will adjust the image accordingly. Figure 5.2 Source Rotation Setup Window
Mechanism - The Mechanism setting may be used to specify the type of pan head connected to the computer. If there is no computer controlled pan head, simply select None from the menu. If the photographer has a computer controlled, motorized model that is connected to the system, select the proper pan head. Similar to image acquisition, a plug-in architecture is used, to allow a wide range of pan head devices to be supported. Setup... - The Setup... button only activates if a pan head mechanism has been chosen. It allows the operator to define mechanism specific settings, such as interface port and rotation speed.
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Panorama Geometry Panorama geometry refers to the extent in which coverage of the panorama will be acquired. Coverage extends horizontally in sweeps. Full coverage results in a 360째 sweep. It is very important to specify the number of images that will be acquired for a given sweep, as well as the lens parameters (i.e., vertical field-of-view) for each image. This lets the program know the degree of overlap between each image and how much warping must be performed on each image, to result in a seamless blend. These features are described below. Node Sweep - This setting specifies the actual number of degrees for the horizontal capture, thus determining the extent of horizontal coverage of the panorama. Full coverage is 360째. Partial coverage is specified by any value less than 360째. If the desired sweep angle is not available from the menu, Custom may be selected. A dialog appears allowing the operator to type in any desired sweep angle (in degrees). Tweaking the node sweep angle may be required to achieve the desired resultant frame count for the panorama. Max. Frames - This setting should match the setting on the pan head for the number of frames that would be taken if the Node Sweep were 360째. If the photographer is shooting a partial panorama, the actual frame count will be smaller than this value. By selecting Custom from this menu, the operator may type in the desired number of views needed for the maximum frame count if it is not listed in the menu. Camera Lens - The Camera Lens parameters specify the type of lens used to take the source pictures. These parameters are important to determine how each image will be warped and subsequently stitched. The Preset option contains a menu so that a camera/lens pair may be chosen. If a specific camera is not listed, other presets may be added by clicking on the "+" button. When this is done, the following window appears (Figure 5.3):
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Figure 5.3 Add Lens Preset Window
Clicking on the "-" button will permanently delete the selected camera lens preset. Preset Name - The name of the preset. This may be any name. Parameters: Length - The focal length of the lens. Parameters: F.O.V. - The vertical field-of-view of the lens. Image Filter - Plug-ins that can be added to help correct problems within the image. There are two filters that are shipped with the program: Correct Barrel Distortion and Rectify Fish-eye. These will be discussed further in another section. It is common to determine the vertical field-of-view based on the focal length of the lens. Since commercial lenses are labeled with their focal length, this becomes a handy method of specifying the field-of-view of a lens. A standard has been adopted by many manufacturers to specify the focal length of lenses in terms of 35 mm equivalence. The vertical field-of-view (the field-of-view of the lens from top to bottom) indicates how much vertical area the lens “sees.� An ultrawide, fish eye lens typically has a field of view approaching 180°. Most common lenses, however, have a field-of-view significantly smaller than this. Most cameras take rectangular instead of square pictures, so the horizontal and vertical fields-of-view of an image are different from one another. If the operator knows the vertical field-of-view of their lens, they can simply type it into the edit field labeled F.O.V. Keep in mind that this must be the vertical field-of-view, since it is common to reference the field-of-view of a lens as the diagonal field of view. It is more common to determine the vertical field-of-view based on the focal length of the lens. A smaller focal length indicates a wider field of view. The vertical field-of-view can be determined if the focal length of
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a lens and the size of the image projected onto the film plane is known. Since commercial lenses are labeled with their focal length, this becomes a handy method of specifying the field-of-view of a lens. Since a wide variety of cameras have different image dimensions, using the focal length of the lens to indicate field of view becomes a tricky matter. Luckily, a standard has been adopted by many manufacturers to specify the focal length of lenses in terms of 35 mm equivalence. This means that a lens designed for a 35 mm camera would need the specified focal length to be equivalent in field-of-view to the lens in question. The operator may specify the focal length of their lens by typing it into the Length edit field. If they are not using a 35 mm camera, it is critical that the 35 mm “equivalent” focal length be determined. Often this is included in the documentation that accompanies the camera, e.g., Focal Length: 5.4 mm (40 mm equivalent). If the operator has no clue what the focal length or vertical field-of-view is, they should refer to Chapter 13, QTVR Tips & Tricks, for help. Lens Params - The Lens Params section displays information of the lens settings specified in the Camera Lens options. Image Size - Use this setting to specify the size of the images. The dimensions listed are in pixels and are expressed as width-by-height. If images are being imported and their size does not match the dimensions chosen in this menu, the images will be resampled (scaled) to the specified size. If the desired dimensions needed for the images are not listed in the menu, Custom should be chosen. A dialog appears allowing the operator to type in the desired dimensions (width x height). The preferred setting is Auto. With this setting, the application will automatically size the image for you.
Note: When specifying custom dimensions for images, an exact match is not as important as matching the aspect ratio of the images.
Feedback Fields The two feedback fields in the Setup panel provide the operator feedback while specifying the various setup parameters. This feedback is the result of calculations that are performed using the supplied information. These features are described below. Frame Count - This field displays the exact number of source images to be acquired. This is calculated as a function of the Max. Frames and Node Sweep values. The Max. Frames menu displays the setting of the pan head and reflects the number of images that would be acquired if the Node Sweep were 360°. For Node Sweep values less than 360°, the actual number of source images will be a fraction of Max. Frames.
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Overlap - When taking multiple pictures of a panorama, individual adjacent frames must overlap each other. This provides the program with information with which to correlate and blend. Ideally the operator would like to achieve a 50% overlap which results in more accurate stitch and higher quality blending. This field is only shown when the specified Image Size is a value other than Auto. This field displays the calculated overlap between adjacent frames. The overlap is represented as a percentage and is indicated by how much area of a given frame is being overlapped by adjacent frames (both on the left and right). The overlap is determined from all the previously defined parameters, i.e., maximum frame count, node sweep, image size and vertical fieldof-view. Changing any one of these parameters will result in a different overlap percentage.
Working with a Single Panoramic Image To indicate that the stitching process should be skipped, choose Single Panorama from the Source Format menu. With single panoramas, the operator need only specify the horizontal node sweep of the panorama and the dimensions of the panoramic image to be imported. If the dimensions are unknown, Auto may be chosen. Further discussion, on working with a single panorama will be found in the Blend Panel section of this chapter. The single panorama features are explained below. Node Sweep - This setting specifies the actual number of degrees for the horizontal capture, thus determining the extent of horizontal coverage of the panorama. Full coverage is 360째. Partial coverage is specified by any value less than 360째. If the desired sweep angle is not listed, Custom should be chosen. A dialog appears allowing the operator to type in any desired sweep angle (in degrees). Dimensions - This setting is used to specify the size of the panoramic image that will be acquired. The dimensions listed are in pixels and are expressed as width-by-height. If a panoramic image is imported and its size does not match the dimensions chosen in this menu, the program will resample (scale) the image to the appropriate size. Choosing Auto indicates that the dimensions of any imported panoramic image will be retained. If the desired dimensions needed for the panorama are not listed in the menu, Custom should be chosen. A dialog appears allowing the operator to type in the desired dimensions (width-by-height). The newly specified dimensions will then appear in the Dimensions menu.
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Correct Barrel Distortion The quality of the lens being used is an important factor in preventing any distortion within the image. Usually the better quality lenses will produce images with little or no distortion. Unfortunately, though, there are times when distortion does occur and a correction method is needed. In this section the Correct Barrel Distortion topic is covered. Barrel distortion is whenever an image appears to bow or "barrel" outwards. Typically this phenomenon is seen on the outer edges of the image. The Correct Barrel Distortion image filter does just as the name implies, corrects barrel distortion. To set up a filter, click on the Setup... button (indicated by the arrow in Figure 5.4). Doing this opens the Correct Barrel Distortion Setup window (Figure 5.5). Figure 5.4 Correct Barrel Distortion Preset Window
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Figure 5.5 Correct Barrel Distortion Setup Window
After the window opens, choose a sample image file by clicking on the Setup... button. This sample image must be an image produced by the camera lens that was just set up. This is so that the level of distortion produced by that particular lens may be seen and, therefore, used for correction. It is highly recommended that a sample image be taken specifically so that barrel distortion can be best seen. Once an image is chosen, it will display in the window. Next, choose the amount of Grid Spacing to better see any distortion within the image. Here, the grid lines can be used as a reference to the objects within the image. To take full advantage of this feature, find an object in the image that should be vertical (or horizontal) but, because of distortion, looks a bit bowed. Use this point-of-reference object with the vertical (or horizontal) grid lines and get them to "match up". This can be done by manipulating the Transform Coefficients. The Transform Coefficient values can be changed to correct any distortion within your image. To counter barrel distortion, these values should be negative. The "A" coefficient, when changed, will affect the outer areas of the image. The "B" coefficient is the most common one to change. This value will affect the entire image uniformly. The "C" coefficient, when changed, will affect the inner areas of the image.
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Rectify Fish-eye The quality of the lens being used is an important factor in preventing any distortion within the image. Usually the better quality lenses will produce images with little or no distortion. Unfortunately, though, there are times when distortion does occur and a correction method is needed. In this section the Rectify Fish-eye topic is covered. Fish-eye is whenever an image appears to bulge out towards the viewer. The Rectify Fish-eye image filter does just as the name implies, rectifies the fish-eye distortion. To set up a filter, click on the Setup... button (indicated by the arrow in Figure 5.6). Doing this opens the Rectify Fish-eye Setup window (Figure 5.7). Figure 5.6 Rectify Fish-eye Preset Window
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Figure 5.7 Rectify Fish-eye Setup Window
After the window opens, choose a sample image file by clicking on the Setup... button. This sample image must be an image produced by the camera lens that was just set up. This is so that the level of distortion produced by that particular lens may be seen and, therefore, used for correction. It is highly recommended that a sample image be taken specifically so that fish-eye can be best seen. Once an image is chosen, it will display in the window. Next, choose the amount of Grid Spacing to better see any distortion within the image. Here, the grid lines can be used as a reference to the objects within the image. To take full advantage of this feature, find an object in the image that should be vertical (or horizontal) but, because of distortion, looks a bit bowed. Use this point-of-reference object with the vertical (or horizontal) grid lines and get them to "match up". This can be done by manipulating the Horiz. Field-of-View values. The Horiz. Field-of-View values can be changed to correct any distortion within your image. To counter fish-eye distortion, manipulate the Src. FOV value until the distortion is no longer seen.
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The Acquire Panel
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The Acquire panel (Figure 5.8) is where the source images are loaded before they are stitched together. As the source image frames are acquired, they are displayed in the frame cylinder which dominates the window. One of the frames is always drawn with a thick border around it (called a focus ring), and this is defined as the target frame. When each new image is received, it is loaded into the target frame.
Figure 5.8 Panorama Project Document Window Acquire Panel for Cylindrical Images
The Buttons Group This buttons included in this group provide commands that act upon the target frame in the frame cylinder. If no image has been received in the target frame, most of the buttons are disabled. A description of each button is given below. Clear - Removes the image from the target frame. This may also be done by choosing Clear from the Edit menu. Edit - Opens the targeted image, using the built-in image editor. The capabilities of the image editor are discussed in Chapter 11, Built-in Image Editor. Can also open the image in the external editor.
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Rotate - Rotates the selected image (in 90º increments) based on the operator!s selection from the “rotation” dialog. A thumbnail proxy provides graphic feedback of the rotation that will occur. This may also be done by choosing Rotate... from the Edit menu. Rotate All - Rotates all of the images (in 90º increments) in the frame cylinder based on the operator!s selection from the “rotation” dialog. A thumbnail proxy provides graphic feedback of the rotation that will occur.This may also be done by choosing Rotate All... from the Edit menu. Origin - Rotates the selected image to the origin position (0.0º), where the stitching begins. All other images will retain their respective order relative to each other. This may also be done by choosing Make Origin from the Edit menu. Note: New origin frames may only be specified for full panoramas. Reverse - Reverses the order of all frames. The panorama module expects that the camera was rotated in a clockwise direction, when the source photographs were taken. Sometimes this is not the case, or possibly the images were processed in reverse order, resulting in a counter-clockwise progression of the source image files. This problem can be corrected, too, by choosing Reverse Frames from the Edit menu. The following buttons only appear if Image File is selected on the Setup panel. Single - Select an image from the Open dialog. This image will be placed in the image cell with the focus ring. Multiple - Select desired images from the Open dialog. Images will be placed within frame cylinder beginning with the cell containing the focus ring.
Note: When rotating, images are resampled to the specified frame dimensions. Unless the images are square, performing a 90 ° or -90 ° rotation will result in a slight degradation of image quality. In such instances, it is better to reacquire the image. Frame rotation is most useful when the images have been acquired upside down.
View Mode Either a Circular or Linear view mode can be chosen. The circular view mode displays the images around a frame cylinder while the linear view mode displays them linearly.
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The Frame Cylinder Dominating the Acquire panel, is the frame cylinder (Figure 5.9). This feature creates a thumbnail view for each source image that is imported into it. The views are labeled by their angle in the panorama. This view is obtained by selecting Circular in the View Mode. The target frame can be specified by clicking on any enabled thumbnail, thus drawing the focus ring around the selected frame. The target frame may also be moved, by pressing Tab or Shift-Tab on the keyboard. The frame cylinder always shows the same number of frames that has been specified in the Max. Frames setting in the Setup panel. If a partial panorama is specified, by selecting a Node Sweep less than 360째, the frames that fall outside the node sweep are disabled frames and will be drawn in a gray pattern. Displayed at the top of the frame cylinder is the node origin, which always begins at the 0째 position. Within the frame cylinder, there is information that pertains to the project and the selected image. The Project Attributes provides information on the frame count, project dimensions, and the node sweep. The Selection Attributes group gives feedback on such features as the selected image!s frame position within the frame cylinder, it!s dimensions, the kind of image it is, and the size of the image.
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Figure 5.9 Frame Cylinder
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Linear Viewing Selecting Linear in the View Mode changes the display images to appear linearly. See Figure 5.10 for an example. Figure 5.10 Linear View Mode
The target frame can be specified by clicking on any image, thus drawing the focus ring around the selected frame. If there are more images than the present window can accommodate, there will be a horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of the window so that you can navigate to each image. The total number of images depends on the number of frames that was specified in the Max. Frames setting in the Setup panel. Under each image, data is shown for that particular image. Information such as the frame number, image dimensions, the kind of image it is, the size of the image, and where the image is located on the hard drive will be displayed.
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Importing and Exporting Images The operator can import image files, by choosing Import from the File menu. This opens a standard file dialog that allows the operator to locate and select image files to import. The target frame will be advanced after each file is imported. If the target frame!s image has been acquired, it may be exported as an image file for use in another application. To do this, simply choose Export from the File menu.
Note: The import/export function will import and export files of the following formats: SGI™ (Silicon Graphics™ Image), Photoshop™, BMP (Windows™ bitmap), JPEG, PICT (Macintosh™ Picture File), PNG, MacPaint™, TIFF, TGA (Targa), QTIF (QuickTime™ Image File).
Working with a Single Panoramic Image The Acquire panel is quite a bit simpler when working with a single panoramic image (Figure 5.11). This panel is comprised of an acquire window and five buttons that aid in the acquiring and blending process. Figure 5.11 Panorama Project Document Window Acquire Panel for Cylindrical Images
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The Buttons Group This buttons included in this group provide commands that act upon the single panoramic image in the acquire window. If no image has been received in the target frame, most of the buttons are disabled. A description of each button is given below. Import - Opens the Import Image dialog so that the operator may select an image to be imported into the project document. Resize - Invokes the Resize Panorama dialog (Figure 5.12). The panorama!s dimensions can be changed by typing new pixel values in the width and height text edit fields. The รท2 and รท3 buttons are shortcuts to dividing the width and height text edit fields by two and three respectively. This is handy when down-sampling the panorama size for the eventual delivery over bandwidth constrained media such as the Internet. If a height is specified that is smaller than the height of the original panorama, the option of cropping the image at its base, instead of scaling it to its new height, will appear. Doing so will rid the image of unwanted scene elements, such as tripod legs, photo equipment, etc. Upon clicking OK, the panorama will be resized to the new dimensions. Figure 5.12 Resize Panorama Dialog
Edit - Opens the targeted image using the built-in image editor. The capabilities of the image editor are discussed in Chapter 11, Built-in Image Editor. Can also open the image in the external editor.
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The Stitch Panel
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The Stitch panel (Figure 5.13) is responsible for warping and aligning each image with adjacent images. Two groups, Actions and Tools along with the stitching window, comprise the Stitch panel. When the Stitch panel is first displayed, the stitching window appears blank. The stitching process must be invoked, by clicking the Build button before any images appear.
Figure 5.13 Panorama Project Document Window Stitch Panel
Note: If the Source Image Format in the Setup panel was specified as a Single Panorama, the Stitch panel would not exist.
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Actions Group Build - Clicking this button produces a progress dialog that shows the stage of the stitching process as it is being performed. The stitching can always be canceled by clicking the Cancel button. The stitching process begins by analyzing and gathering information from the first few images. An important piece of information that is determined during this analysis is the actual field-of-view. The vertical field-of-view, which is specified in the Setup panel, is used as a starting point while attempting to determine the actual field-of-view. This step is necessary because numerous factors can modify the actual field-of-view captured in each image, such as a mislabeled lens (a 20 mm lens that is really 20.7 mm), a focus adjustment or different frame utilizations of the camera. For tips in achieving the best possible stitches, refer to Chapter 13, QTVR Tips & Tricks. Upon completion of the stitching process, the individual source frames will be displayed in the stitching window, overlapping each other according to their calculated offsets.
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Tools Group After the stitching has been performed, the following options may be used, to modify the way in which the stitched frames are displayed. Tolerance - This opens the Frame Offset Tolerance dialog (Figure 5.14). The exact offset from one frame to the next can be calculated through the frame count, fieldofview and image size, which is the predicted offset of the source images. In reality, though, the predicted offset is rarely achieved. If this is the case, the Frame Offset Tolerance dialog can be used to instruct the program on how far it must search in order to position the offset between source images. To specify the tolerance of the source image offsets, the operator should modify the vertical and horizontal sliders located in this dialog. Vertical Tolerance - Vertical tolerance is the range that adjacent images must be shifted up or down in order for stitching to occur. This can be caused by several factors, such as a bumped or windblown tripod or a camera that is not mounted perpendicular to its axis of rotation. The default settings used for the vertical tolerance should accommodate most source images that are not stitched correctly. In some instances, the vertical tolerance must be incremented to increase the vertical search range that is used when comparing adjacent images. Horizontal Tolerance - The horizontal tolerance must be adjusted when the overlap spacing between adjacent images is inconsistent. One sure sign of the need to increase vertical or horizontal tolerance is a stair-stepped sequence of source images that do not quite make proper stitches. In this instance, increasing the tolerance one notch at a time and restitching may solve the problem. The process may be repeated, if necessary, increasing upward for vertical tolerance and to the left for horizontal tolerance. Once the correct tolerance settings have been found, those settings can be used for all future panoramas (assuming the source imagery is consistently stairstepped) by saving a stationery template.
Note: By increasing the tolerance setting higher than needed, the amount of time it takes the software to stitch the images also increases. This may also increase the likelihood of a missed correlation.
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Figure 5.14 Frame Offset Tolerance Dialog
Options - This opens the Stitch Panel Options dialog (Figure 5.15).The Auto-stretching option will stretch the images, where needed, to try to make them fit together better. Figure 5.15 Stitch Panel Options Dialog
Display - The Opaque Frames option will turn the overlapping regions/frames of the image opaque. The Relevant Areas option draws attention to the area of overlap that should be paid attention to.
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The Blend Panel
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The Blend Panel (Figure 5.16) is responsible for rendering the panorama, which involves the blending together of the stitched source images, to create a seamless panoramic image. If stair-stepping of the source images is present, the image will also need to be de-skewed. This panel is divided into two groups, Actions and Tools, along with the panorama window.
Figure 5.16 Panorama Project Document Window Blend Panel
Note: If the Source Image Format in the Setup panel was specified as a Single Panorama, the Blend panel would not exist. When the Blend panel is first displayed, the panorama window appears blank. If the panorama has been constructed from multiple source images, the rendering process must be invoked by clicking the Build button. Located on the side of the Blend window there are two vertical inset arrows pointing to the right which allows the panoramic image to be cropped. These are mainly used so that if any scallop regions exist, the panorama may be cropped to get rid of them.
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Actions Group Build - Invokes the rendering process for multiple source images. This results in each adjacent image being blended together, to form a seamless transition. Any necessary de-skewing is performed during this process as well. If any filters are to be applied, the final panoramic image is subsequently enhanced, before being displayed in the panorama window. Resize - Invokes the Resize Panorama dialog (Figure 5.17). The panorama!s dimensions can be changed by typing new pixel values in the width and height text edit fields. The รท2 and รท3 buttons are shortcuts to dividing the width and height text edit fields by two and three respectively. This is handy when down-sampling the panorama size for the eventual delivery over bandwidth constrained media such as the Internet. If a height is specified that is smaller than the height of the original panorama, the option of cropping the image at its base, instead of scaling it to its new height, will appear. Doing so will rid the image of unwanted scene elements, such as tripod legs, photo equipment, etc. Upon clicking OK, the panorama will be resized to the new dimensions. Figure 5.17 Resize Panorama Dialog
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Options - Choosing this opens the Blend Panel Options dialog (Figure 5.18). The Blend Level slider controls the degree of blending that is performed when rendering the panorama. Moving the slider fully to the left disables blending altogether, while moving it fully to the right incurs the maximum blend possible. This is necessary only when there are radically different exposures. The default setting is adequate for most panoramic scenes. The Alpha Ramp slider controls how quickly blending occurs. The narrower the alpha ramp, the quicker the blending is. The disadvantage to this is that lines may be visible in the image. The advantage, though, is that there is a significantly lesser chance of blurriness within the image. This is a good option to choose whenever the photography is of good quality. The wider the alpha ramp, the slower the blending is. The disadvantage to this is that a certain level of blurriness may be visible in the image. The best option is to keep it at the default value, in the middle. The Auto-fill 'scallop' regions option will attempt to fill the scallop areas that are typically seen after blending a series of images. These regions are the white, "ramplike" areas at the top and bottom of the images. If this option is checked, these regions will be less noticeable. Figure 5.18 Blend Panel Options Dialog
Filters - Invokes the Filters dialog (Figure 5.19) where one or more effects can be specified to act as filters on the rendered image. Filters are useful for enhancing and/or otherwise altering the quality of the rendered panorama. Any such filters will appear in this list.
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Figure 5.19 Filter Dialogs
The Add/Plus button adds a filter to the list. A list of QuickTime “single source� effects, which act as filters, is presented in the Select Effect dialog. The Select Effect dialog presents all the available effects that appear in the list on the left. Selecting an effect from this list causes effect specific settings to appear on the right. A preview of the selected effect and its current settings is shown at the lower left corner. When satisfied with their choice, the operator may click OK to add the effect to the filter list of the project document.
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The Edit/Pencil button invokes the specific filter parameters which allow settings to be modified. Filters are applied at the tail end of the blend process in the order that they appear in the list. Adding or modifying a filter after a panorama has been rendered will force the panorama to be re-rendered. The Delete/Minus button removes the selected effect from the filter list. Edit - Opens the targeted image using the built-in image editor. The capabilities of the image editor are discussed in Chapter 11, Built-in Image Editor. Can also open the image in the external editor.
Exporting and Importing Panoramas It is from within the Blend Panel that panoramic images, which need to be retouched, are exported to external image editing programs. To do this, select Export... from the File menu. An external editing program should be used in cases where the built-in image editor does not provide the desired functionality.
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The Hot Spots Panel
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This panel (Figure 5.20) allows for the creation of one or more hot spots for the panoramic movie. A hot spot is a region that acts as a button that can trigger an event, play a sound, display a picture or take the viewer to another node. Usually the cursor will change when it passes over a hot spot to alert the viewer. Most of the time, a click of the mouse is necessary to set the event in motion. Note that while the operator may create a hot spot in the panoramic module, a specific action, other than connecting to a URL, cannot be specified to occur when the viewer triggers the hot spot. The exact action to be induced via a hot spot, is determined within the environment that is used to playback the panoramic movie.
Figure 5.20 Panorama Project Document Window Hot Spots Panel
Note: If the Source Image Format in the Setup panel was specified as a Single Panorama, the Hot Spots panel would function exactly the same. In the Hot Spots panel, the complete, rendered panoramic image is presented, along with controls to help define and manage hot spots within the panorama.
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The Tools Group This group provides multiple drawing tools to define an area in the panorama as a hot spot. A hot spot can be designed in five shapes, a square, circle, oval, rectangle or polygon. Clicking any of these tool icons and then drawing the hot spot area, will create a hot spot in that particular shape. See below for an explanation of these tools. Arrow - Used to select hot spots. Once selected, four handles appear on the corners of the hot spot region. Clicking and dragging one of these handles allows for the resizing of the hot spot. Clicking and dragging anywhere within the hot spot itself, allows the hot spot to be repositioned. Double-clicking a hot spot, opens the Hot Spot Properties dialog (see below). Square - Creates a square shaped hot spot. Holding the mouse button down and dragging increases the size of the square while remaining centered on the initial click point. Circle - Creates a circle shaped hot spot. Holding the mouse button down and dragging increases the radius of the circle while remaining centered on the initial click point. Hilight Color - Clicking this brings up the system color picker, where a different hilight color may be chosen. Unlike other QTVR authoring applications, The VR Worx does not place any special meaning to the chosen color; all hot spots are drawn with the same hilight color. The operator should choose a color that has the greatest amount of contrast with the background of the image. Polygon - Creates a multi-sided hot spot. Each click of the mouse defines a vertex of the polygon. Double clicking will close the polygon, from the current click location to the original click location. Rectangle - Creates a rectangular shaped hot spot. Clicking and dragging the mouse defines a rectangular region. Oval - Creates an oval shaped hot spot. Clicking and dragging the mouse defines a rectangular region. Upon releasing the mouse, an oval is defined that fits perfectly within the rectangular region. Hot Spot Properties - With a hot spot object selected, clicking this button invokes the Hot Spot Properties dialog. Here, several attributes of the selected hot spot may be changed. Refer to Chapter 9, Hot Spot Properties, for a detailed discussion of this dialog, and the options available.
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The Compose Panel
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This panel (Figure 5.21) is the final step in the QTVR panoramic movie creation process. It is here where the image data that is to be compressed, displayed and stored in QuickTime VR format is composed. The panel is divided into five main groups: Composition Presets, Compression, Dicing, Additional Tracks, and View Angles. Clicking the Build command button will create the panoramic movie. Once created, the Preview panel will be enabled.
Figure 5.21 Panorama Project Document Window Compose Panel
Note: If the Source Image Format in the Setup panel was specified as a Single Panorama, the Compose panel would function exactly the same.
The Composition Presets Group The composition presets feature lets the operator choose how a panorama is structured based on a prior panorama project. Select the desired setting from the list to adjust the current panorama to those settings. If you choose to add a new preset setting based on the settings in your current panorama project, choose the plus sign button and name the new preset. After doing this, this setting will be added to the list and available for further use in other projects.
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The Compression Group The compression settings, to be used when composing the panorama, are displayed and can be modified within this group. The panoramic image is divided into tiles (see Dicing Group, below) and each tile needs to be compressed to achieve a manageable file size. As is always the case with image compression, there is a tradeoff between image quality and file size, i.e., high quality results in larger files and vice versa. Set/Codec - Clicking this button brings up the Compression Settings dialog (Figure 5.22) which displays all available codecs (compressor-decompressors) installed in the system. While the three most prominent and popular codecs for QuickTime VR include Cinepak, Photo-JPEG, and Sorenson, experimentation with the other codecs listed in this panel is suggested. Refer to Chapter 13, QTVR Tips & Tricks, for suggestions on choosing the right codec. After selecting a specific codec, its name appears in the Codec field, next to the Set button. Figure 5.22 Compression Settings Dialog
Quality - This displays the quality that was chosen in the Compression Settings dialog box. Color Depth - The color depth at which each tile of the panorama is rendered may be selected before it is compressed by changing this setting. It is best to choose a color depth that represents the maximum depth at which the resultant movie is likely to be viewed. In the vast majority of cases, this means this setting should be left at 24 bit (Millions of Colors). Target Size - This feature allows the operator to optionally specify a desired file size and, when composed, the program will try to achieve a final movie no greater than the specified size.
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NOTE: A movie will never have a higher compression quality than what is specified. It “works down” to the target size. It will not work up to it. Additional movie tracks, such as quarter resolution or web previews tracks, as well as hot spot data, each "compete" with the primary image data to achieve the desired file size. Thus the same movie with the same target size will actually be lower in quality if hot spots exist or web preview is turned on than if there are no hot spots or additional image tracks. Hot spot data is loss-less, meaning that scaling image quality doesn't work. Thus simply having hot spots in a movie results in a fixed increase in size. It is suggested that slightly higher target data sizes be specified if hot spots exist.
NOTE: Achieving the target size is not guaranteed. The value specified may not be attainable, even at the lowest codec image quality.
The Dicing Group Before a panoramic image can be compressed, it is divided up into tiles, each tile representing a small area of the panoramic image. To determine the size of each tile and the number of tiles the panoramic image will be divided, the dimensions of the tile array must be specified. The tile array is expressed in terms of rows-by-columns. The size of the tile and the dimensions of the tiling array can have a great effect on the performance of the QuickTime VR panorama as the viewer is interacting with it. It can also have a significant impact on the RAM requirements of the panorama. Take, for example, the case where a 2400 x 800 pixel panorama is divided into a 1 x 24 tile array. The width and height of each tile is 100 x 800, respectively. If the playback window is 320 x 240 pixels, and the viewer is “zoomed out” as much as possible, four tiles representing 16.6% of the image data will have to be loaded into memory, and decompressed, to display the panorama. If the tile array is changed to 4 x 48, the width and height of each tile will now be 50 x 200, respectively. With a playback window of 320 x 240 pixels, 14 tiles, representing 7.2% of the image area, will have to be loaded into memory and decompressed. The drawback to having more tiles is that a greater emphasis is placed on disk input and output, since more tiles will have to be retrieved and displayed, while interacting with the viewer. It also results in less efficient compression ratios and hence, a slightly larger file size.
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Tile Array - The dimensions of the desired tiling array are specified in this menu. Dimensions are expressed as rows-by-columns. If the desired array dimensions do not appear in the menu, choosing Custom will cause the Custom Tile Array dialog to appear. The desired number of rows and columns may then be specified by typing values into the text edit fields. Optimal Scaling - Enabling this check box turns on the optimal scaling feature. This feature will resample the panoramic image, while it is being compressed, so that its width is a multiple of 96 and its height is a multiple of 4. This enhances playback, and thus, this option should normally be left enabled. Optimize for Web Delivery - This rearranges the data to permit QuickTime "fast start" (streaming) over the web. The installation of the QTVR Flattener allows for this function.
The Additional Tracks Group This group allows the operator to specify how tracks should be displayed in the QTVR movie. The main reason for enabling any of the additional track features is for faster loading of the movie tracks. This, of course, will result in a lower degradation of the image. This is ideal, however, when working with an enormous movie file or working on a slower machine with limited memory. Below explains each feature in better detail. Create “Web Preview� Image Track - This feature, if enabled, will create a image track for web previewing based on the options provided in the Preview Track Options dialog (Figure 5.23). The dialog is invoked by choosing the Options... button. This is primarily used for faster loading of movies when viewing them on a web page. It is ideal to load a lower resolution track so that the movie can quickly begin and then improve the resolution as the movie plays.
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Figure 5.23 Preview Track Options Dialog
Create Quarter-Resolution Image Track - If enabled, the movie track will be at a quarter of its normal resolution. This is primarily done to aid in the loading and storing of a movie. Create Half-Resolution Image Track - If enabled, the movie track will be at a half of its normal resolution. This is primarily done to aid in the loading and storing of a movie.
The Default View Angle Group This allows the operator to specify viewing angles and constraints for the generated panorama. For the pan, tilt and zoom angle settings, the operator may specify desired values for the initial view of the panorama. Of course the viewer will change these viewing angles as they interact with the movie. For the zoom angle, constraints that will limit the minimum and maximum zoom angles may also be specified, thus limiting how far in and out the viewer will be able to zoom. The program selects appropriate defaults for these values and displays them in the edit fields in this group. The default values can be changed to any desired value by entering the desired value into the corresponding text edit field. However, the operator can interactively control these same settings in the Preview panel. This is why these values will rarely need to be changed in this panel. The most popular reason for making a change is when creating a stationery template in which the operator wishes to establish a different uniform setting.
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Building the QuickTime VR Panoramic Movie The Actions Group Build - Once the desired compression, dicing and view settings have been set, the program should be instructed to build the QTVR panoramic movie by clicking the Build button. The program will then proceed to divide the panoramic image into tiles and compress them using the desired codec. Upon completion, the results of the work may be tested in the Preview panel. Hints - Opens the Hints Options dialog (Figure 5.24) which provides control over two QuickTime (not QuickTime VR) playback settings that may enhance playback performance. Enabling Preload and Cache data will cause loading to occur prior to opening a movie image and will retain as much calculated data as possible for that image, resulting in smoother movie playback. Figure 5.24 Hints Options Dialog
The Hints Options dialog has these settings: Preload check box - Causes loading to occur, prior to opening, which results in smoother movie playback. Cache data check box - Causes QuickTime to retain as much calculated data as possible, which results in the movie playing smoother.
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In the Preview panel (Figure 5.25), the panoramic movie can be viewed and finishing touches can be added. The preview window size can be specified, the default viewing angles can be changed, annotations can be added or the imaging properties for the panorama can also be set in this panel. Once all the preview settings have been assigned, the last step is to Export the movie, to a stand-alone QuickTime VR panoramic movie file. The Preview panel has three groups, Actions, Properties, and Constraints, along with the movie interaction box.
Figure 5.25 Panorama Project Document Window Preview Panel
The Actions Group Export - Invokes a file dialog window that allows the operator to specify a file name and a location for the exported movie. Once this is completed, a stand-alone panoramic movie has been created. Export... may also be chosen from the File menu. Resize - Allows for changing the size of the panoramic movie!s playback window (technically known as the movie box), by entering the width and height into the text edit fields. Upon typing in a new dimension, pressing OK allows the new values to take effect.
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The Properties Group Annotate - This function provides a means for descriptive information to be added to the generated panoramic movie. The Annotations dialog (Figure 5.26) permits the operator to type in a name, copyright and a desired description regarding the movie. Figure 5.26 Annotate Dialog
Name edit field - Typically the name of the movie. Copyright edit field - A copyright notice, or other credit given to the author. Description edit field - A description of the movie!s subject matter.
Note: These defaults can be changed in Preferences in the Application menu providing an automatic mechanism for stamping all panoramas with a generic copyright notice, without any attention by the operator. Refer to Chapter 12, Application Preference Settings, for more information. Interaction - Opens the Interaction Properties dialog (Figure 5.27) which allows the control of how viewers will interact with the panoramic movie. There are two groups in this dialog, Mouse and Speed.
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Figure 5.27 Interaction Properties Dialog
The Mouse group provides control over two settings, which control the mouse interaction with the viewer, hysteresis and timeout. Hysteresis slider - Hysteresis refers to the radius in which the mouse can be moved by the viewer, after an initial click, before QuickTime VR will recognize the mouse movement. Timeout slider - Indicates the length of time in which a mouse click in a hot spot will be recognized as such before switching into a pan or tilt. When a click occurs in a hot spot, the mouse button must be released before this time expires for it to be considered a hot spot trigger. The Speed group provides control over two settings that control the speed at which panoramic movies are panned/tilted and zoomed. Pan & Tilt slider - Controls the speed at which panning and tilting occurs. Zoom slider - Controls the speed at which zooming occurs. Imaging - Opens the Imaging Properties dialog (Figure 5.28). There are two groups in this dialog, Static Imaging and Motion Imaging. The static imaging state refers to the movie as it appears, when no interaction is occurring. The motion imaging state refers to how the movie appears when the viewer is interacting with it (i.e., panning and tilting). Within each group, there are two properties, Quality and Correction.
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Figure 5.28 Imaging Properties Dialog
Quality settings - Three qualities exist at which a QuickTime VR movie!s image may be rendered. Low - The image is not anti-aliased. Medium - The image is partially anti-aliased. High - The image is fully anti-aliased. Correction settings - Three correction modes exist that QuickTime VR uses when rendering the movie!s image. None - Applies no warping to the image. Partial - Applies warping in the horizontal dimension. Full - Applies full warping in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. Data Rate - Opens the Data Rate Calculator (Figure 5.29) which simply takes the size of the generated movie file and estimates the download time at various connection speeds. Figure 5.29 Data Rate Calculator
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The Constraints Group The Constraints group is for specifying constraints for the initial viewing angles of the panoramic movie, as well as the minimum and maximum zoom angles. The basic procedure for setting a constraint is to manipulate the QuickTime VR panorama to the desired view angle then clicking Set next to the desired constraint. This copies the movie!s current view angles to the specified constraint. For a given constraint setting, the panorama can be forced to “jump” to the view angles specified for that constraint by clicking the Go button. To return the constraint setting to its initial value (which was determined when composing the movie), click the Res button. The zoom angle is represented as a vertical field-of-view. A maximum zoom for a panoramic movie would mirror the vertical field-of-view of each frame. The viewer must “zoom out” to reach the maximum zoom angle. The minimum zoom angle for a panorama is 1° unless otherwise set. This represents an extremely small vertical field-of-view and would result in seeing giant pixels.
Note: When a QTVR movie is fully “zoomed out,” it loses its immersive effect, restricting the viewer to only move left and right, with no ability to “look up and down.” Thus, the viewer may be limited as to how far they may zoom out, by specifying the maximum zoom. Initial view angle - This refers to the value of the pan, tilt and zoom angles that will be applied to the QuickTime VR movie when the viewer first opens it. Min. Zoom angle - Specifies a limit which the viewer cannot zoom-in beyond (useful for preventing the image from appearing pixilated). Max. Zoom angle - Specifies a limit which the viewer cannot zoomout beyond.
The Movie Interaction Box The interaction box presents the composed QuickTime VR panoramic movie as it would appear in a standard playback environment. Manipulating the panorama (pan, tilt, and zoom), like any QuickTime VR movie, can be achieved by clicking and dragging the panoramic image. Two icons also appear in the movie!s controller which allow zooming in and out. Besides typing in dimensions in the Movie Box Dimensions dialog, the size of the playback window can also be interactively changed by dragging the resize handle on the lower right corner of the displayed
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panoramic movie. Holding the Command key down while interactively resizing the playback window, will constrain its proportions. The playback window “snaps� to the constrained proportions when the mouse button is released.
File Size Approximation At the bottom left corner of the movie interaction box, the approximate file size for the panoramic movie is displayed. Because certain file sizes are desired for certain panoramic movies and their delivery medium, determining the file size for the document is extremely important. To decrease the file size, it is possible to go back to previous panels and make corrections that result in a smaller file size for the panoramic movie. Examples include changing the panorama!s size or the compression settings. Once corrections have been made, the QTVR movie can be recomposed and the changes can be viewed in the Preview panel.
Viewer Feedback Viewer feedback, while interacting with the scene, is displayed at the bottom of the project document window. Est. Size - The size of the QuickTime VR panorama if exported to a movie file on disk. Pan - The pan value of the currently displayed node. Tilt - The tilt value of the currently displayed node. Zoom - The zoom value of the currently displayed node. Dimensions - The size of the movie box.
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Chapter 6 - Object Module An object module project document window (Figure 6.1) is made up of six panels that step the operator through the process of creating an object movie. These panels are Setup, Acquire, Hot Spots, Effects, Compose and Preview. The operator may switch between these six panels by clicking on the respective folder tab. These folder tabs are arranged in the order in which the steps necessary to create an object movie must be performed. The operator will not be allowed to proceed to the next panel until all required actions have been performed in the current panel. Panels unavailable will have dimmed titles. Figure 6.1 Object Project Document Window Setup Panel
The first time a project document is opened, only the leftmost panel, Setup, will be active. The project document panels are briefly outlined below. Setup - In this panel, the operator defines from where the input images are coming, what format and orientation they are and the geometry of the object movie. They can also inform the program about what type of motorized object rig is being used, if any. Acquire - In this panel, the operator captures or imports the source images to be used in creating the object movie. They can rearrange the order of the frames as well as perform basic image editing (for touchups) within this panel. Hot Spots - This panel allows the operator to define areas of the object as hot spots. Hot spots can trigger certain actions within the QTVR playback environment. They are optional and may be skipped entirely.
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Effects - This panel provides a list of effects that may be applied to the source images during the composition process. As in Hot Spots, these effects are completely optional and may be skipped entirely. Compose - In this panel, the operator defines the type of compression to be used for the object movie. The program is also instructed to build the object movie in this panel. Preview - This panel allows the operator to view the finished movie. They can also set certain playback attributes for the object movie as well as export it as a stand-alone file. The Setup Panel
The Setup panel is where all parameters that define the QTVR object movie are entered. The operator must provide all the settings that define the geometry of the object, as well as the source of images, and the type of object rig mechanism being used (if any). It is highly recommended that the operator work through the tutorials, before proceeding to create their own object movie. This will provide the basic knowledge and understanding of the object creation process, as well as the terms and parameters used in the object module. The Setup panel is viewed by clicking the leftmost folder tab in the project document window. It represents the first step in the object creation process. Within this panel, three pieces of information are being supplied: the source image format, the object rig (mechanism) being used, and the geometry of the object.
The Source Image Format Group The source image format group is composed of the image source (where the image is coming from) and the image dimensions. It is a collection of these images that will be combined to form the object movie. Two menus define the source image format: Image Size and Source. Image Size - This is used to select the size of the images. The dimensions listed are in pixels and are expressed as width-by-height. If the operator is importing images, and their size does not correspond with the dimension chosen in this menu, the images will be resampled (scaled) to the appropriate size. If the desired dimensions needed for the images are not listed in the menu, Custom should be chosen. A dialog appears which will allow the operator to type in the desired dimensions (width-by-height). The newly specified dimensions will then appear in the Image Size menu and will be selected for use. The preferred setting is Auto. With this setting, the application will automatically size the image for you. Source - This setting is used to select the source of the images that will be acquired by the object module. The choices shown in this menu reflect all the Image Access Modules currently installed in The VR
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Worx!s plug-ins folder. Any Adobe Photoshop® Acquire Modules currently installed will also appear here. The default choice is Image File, which will load one or multiple images from files stored on disk. Setup... - The Setup... button allows the operator to define the settings specific to the currently selected Image Access Module or Photoshop Acquire Module. Refer to Chapter 10, Acquiring Images, for more details regarding the different image sources available.
The Object Rig Group If the operator has a computer controlled, motorized object rig connected to the system, they need to inform the program of the type of mechanism being used. They should use the Mechanism setting to specify the type of object rig connected to the computer. If no computer controlled object rig is being used, None should be selected from this menu. The mechanism is controlled by the program to allow automatic capture of images, usually in 10 degree increments, both horizontally (columns) and vertically (rows). Setup... - This button only appears if the operator has chosen an object rig mechanism. It lets them define mechanism specific settings such as interface port and rotation speed.
The Object Geometry Group Object geometry defines the extent in which coverage of the object will be acquired. Coverage can extend horizontally (columns) and/or vertically (rows). The extent of this coverage is represented as columns-by-rows. A simple, single-row object that was rotated in 10° increments (for 36 columns), for example, would be referred as a 1 x 36 object. To define the number of rows and columns that will be used to cover the object, the operator specifies the proper settings in the Vertical Settings and Horizontal Settings group of controls. Another important aspect of the object geometry is the order in which views will be acquired. This is specified in the Advance Views menu.
Vertical Settings Objects may be captured in vertical sweeps called rows. Full vertical coverage is considered 180° starting at 90° above the equator of the object. Sweep - Specifies the number of degrees for the vertical capture. This determines the extent of vertical coverage (arc) of the object. Full coverage is 180°, while a single row would be 0°. If the desired
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sweep angle is not available from the menu, Custom should be chosen from the Sweep menu. A dialog appears allowing the operator to type in any desired sweep angle (in degrees). Rows - Specifies the number of rows for the vertical capture. It is best to choose a row count which, when divided into the vertical sweep, will result in a row spacing of 10°. The formula for achieving 10° spacing is: (vertical sweep ÷ 10) + 1 If the desired number of rows is not available from the menu, Custom should be chosen from this menu. A dialog appears allowing the operator to type in the desired number of rows. Spacing - The spacing that will occur from row-to-row, given the selected sweep and number of rows, is displayed in this field. For example, if a sweep of 90° and 4 rows is chosen, then there will be a spacing of 30°. Given that the starting point is 0°, then the rows will be at 0°, -30°, -60° and -90° respectively. This field cannot be edited. Centered at/Start at - This setting orients the vertical sweep. By selecting Centered at in the menu, the vertical sweep will be centered at the degree location specified in the edit field, next to the menu. Specifying 0° indicates the vertical sweep is centered about the equator of the object. The exact starting point of the vertical sweep can be defined by selecting Start at in this menu. The degree position specified in the accompanying edit field will then indicate the beginning of the vertical sweep. The beginning of a vertical sweep is the maximum vertical degree position, relative to the equator of the object. The sweep always progresses from top to bottom.
Horizontal Settings Objects are usually captured in one 360° sweep around the object!s equator, starting at 0° and rotated clockwise. As the object is rotated, one or more views will be captured to create the object movie. Sweep - This specifies the extent which the object is rotated while capturing views. The number of degrees desired for the horizontal capture should be specified. Full horizontal coverage is a 360° sweep. If the desired angle is not shown, Custom should be selected from the menu. A dialog appears allowing the operator to type in the desired sweep angle (in degrees). Columns - This determines how many columns will be captured while rotating the object by the number of degrees specified in the Sweep setting. The operator should select the number of images that the photographer wants taken, for each horizontal sweep (row). For best
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results, a view count that will result in a view spacing of 10° when divided into the horizontal sweep, should be specified. For 360° horizontal sweeps, choose 36 as the number of views. For horizontal sweeps less than 360°, use the following formula to choose the correct view count: (Horizontal sweep ÷ 10) + 1 If the view count is not listed, selecting Custom from the menu will allow the desired number of views to be specified. Spacing - Given the selected horizontal sweep angle and the number of views within the row, the program displays the spacing that will occur between horizontal views. For example, if the horizontal sweep is 360° and 18 views were specified, the spacing would be 20 °. This field cannot be edited. Centered at/Start at - This setting orients the horizontal sweep. By selecting Centered at, the horizontal sweep will be centered at the degree location specified in the text edit field, next to the menu. By selecting Start at in the menu, the operator can define the exact starting point of the horizontal sweep. The degree position, specified in the accompanying edit field, indicates the beginning of the horizontal sweep, which always moves from left to right. Advance Views - This menu specifies the advance direction. The advance direction is the order in which views of the object are acquired. Horizontally indicates that an entire row of views will be acquired before advancing to the next column (if one exists). Vertically results in an entire column being acquired before advancing to the next row (if one exists). In the Acquire panel (discussed in next section), thumbnails of the images are displayed in the view array. Choosing Horizontally from the Advance Views menu will let the operator tab horizontally, from one thumbnail to the other. As expected, choosing Vertically will allow for tabbing in a vertical fashion. Frame Layers - Frame layers add a third dimension to the view array in the Acquire panel (see Acquire panel, next section). They allow for more than one view for a given row and column of the array. When frame animation is employed, the operator must select a number of frame layers to match the number of frame states in the animation. An object may be captured in different states for each given view of the object. Each of these different states will be captured into a separate frame layer. In the final object movie, playback will “cycle” through each frame layer, to give the appearance of animation. As an example, suppose the object being photographed is a toy alligator and the animation desired to be employed is the mouth opening and closing. For the simplest form of animation, the operator
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would specify two frame layers (one showing the mouth open and the other closed). In the final result, the two animation states (mouth closed/mouth opened) would be cycled, giving the appearance of the mouth opening and closing. To make the animation smoother, more frame layers (and more pictures) would be specified. The additional images would show the mouth in different positions, having the mouth be open 1/3 and 2/3 of the way in addition to the mouth being fully opened and closed. Traverse Layers - This feature works in conjunction with the advance direction, as explained above. It only appears when multiple frame layers are specified. Enabling the check box indicates that views will traverse “downward� through all frame layers, before advancing horizontally or vertically.
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The Acquire panel (Figure 6.2) is where the images for each view of the object are obtained. This panel contains the buttons that provide commands to act upon the image, the Mechanism group, and the view array list. As the images are acquired, they are displayed in the view array list located at the bottom of the window. The view that is currently highlighted is defined as the target view. When a new image is acquired, it is always loaded into the target view.
Figure 6.2 Object Project Document Window Acquire Panel
The Mechanism group displays the position of the object and camera that corresponds to the target view. Any actions performed by the buttons is performed on the target view only. The acquisition commands group allows for the acquisition of images that are then displayed in the view array.
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The Buttons Group This group provides commands that act upon the currently selected image in the view array list. If no image is selected in the view array list, these commands are disabled. A description is given below. Clear - Removes the image currently selected in the view array list. This may also be done by choosing Clear from the Edit menu. Edit - Opens the selected image, using the built-in image editor. The capabilities of the image editor are discussed in Chapter 11, Built-in Image Editor. Rotate - Rotates the selected image (in 90º increments) based on the operator!s selection from the “rotation” dialog. A thumbnail proxy provides graphic feedback of the rotation that will occur. This may also be done by choosing Rotate... from the Edit menu. Rotate All - Rotates all of the images (in 90º increments) in the frame cylinder based on the operator!s selection from the “rotation” dialog. A thumbnail proxy provides graphic feedback of the rotation that will occur.This may also be done by choosing Rotate All... from the Edit menu. The following buttons only appear if Image File is selected on the Setup panel. Single - Select an image from the Open dialog. This image will be placed in the view array list. Multiple - Select desired images from the Open dialog. Images will be placed in the view array list. The target cell is advanced according to the advance direction setting in the Setup panel.
Note: When rotating, images are resampled to the specified frame dimensions. Unless the images are square, performing a 90 ° or -90 ° rotation will result in a slight degradation of image quality. In such instances, it is better to reacquire the image. Frame rotation is most useful when the images have been acquired upside down.
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The Mechanism Group The Mechanism group provides a graphical representation of the object and positioning mechanism (object rig) as it relates to the image acquisition. The object used in this representation rests in the center on a turntable. The capture device displayed, a camcorder, is always the same, regardless of which acquisition module has been selected. The capture device will be referred to as a camera, for simplification. The ring encircling the object represents all the possible positions for the camera, during vertical/horizontal acquisition. The camera rests on the ring, its exact position determined by the settings chosen in the Setup panel. The left and right arrow buttons, located in the lower portion of the Mechanism group, allow for the rotation of the turntable in either direction. Between the arrows is a label field that indicates the position of the object. See the Label setting discussion (below) for further explanation. If vertical acquisition was defined in the Setup panel (by specifying multiple rows), a portion of the vertical acquisition ring will be colored gray and segmented. Each of these divisions, represents the number of degrees and area to be acquired from the camera position. Clicking on the up-down buttons, will cause the camera to move along the ring, resting on one of the divisions that represent camera positions. The camera may also be moved along the ring by clicking and dragging the camera icon. Between the arrows is a label field that indicates the position of the camera. See the Label setting discussion (below) for further explanation. Each time the camera or the turntable changes position, the corresponding view in the view array list is highlighted. Conversely, each time a view is clicked on in the view array list (which causes it to be hilighted), the camera and turntable change positions, to correspond to the new view. Located at the top of the Mechanism group is a disclosure triangle, which toggles between collapsing and enlarging the group. This is useful for displaying more thumbnail views of the object in the view array list (see below).
The View Array List Located beneath the Mechanism group, the view array list creates a thumbnail view for each source image that is imported or acquired. These thumbnail views are displayed in the view array list. The views are either labeled by their angles, or by their horizontal column frame number, followed by the vertical row number. The number of views visible in the view array can be increased or decreased by resizing the window and/or toggling the disclosure triangle in the Mechanism group (see above).
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The position of the camera and turntable, as displayed in the Mechanism group, corresponds to the view that is hilighted in the view array list. When another view is clicked, the camera and/or the turntable will change positions to correspond to the newly selected view. The horizontal scroll bar allows for scrolling horizontally through the columns, while the vertical scroll bar allows for scrolling vertically through the rows. If multiple frame layers (for frame based animation) are to be acquired, as defined in the Setup panel, a menu located on the left side of the horizontal scroll bar will allow the operator to change the animation layer of the images being displayed in the view array list. Frame layers (Figure 6.3) add another dimension to the view array, allowing for more than one view for a given row and column of the array. For a particular view of the subject, the photographer can shoot it in a different state, and each of these different states are acquired into a separate frame layer. In the final movie, every frame layer is cycled through by the QTVR media handler, giving the illusion of animation. Figure 6.3 Frame Layer
Label views by - This menu, located to the left of the view array, lets the operator choose from one of two ways in which the thumbnails (in the view array list) and the camera/turntable positions may be labeled. Choosing Angle will cause the angles of each view to be displayed, whereas Index will display the vertical row number followed by the horizontal column number. The labels in the Mechanism group are also affected by the selection in the Label views by menu.
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This panel (Figure 6.4) allows for the creation of one or more hot spots for the object movie. A hot spot is a region that acts as a button that can trigger an event, play a sound, display a picture or take the viewer to another object. Usually, the cursor will change when it passes over a hot spot, to alert the viewer. Most of the time, a click of the mouse is necessary to set the event in motion. Note that while the operator may create a hot spot in the object module, a specific action, other than connecting to a URL, cannot be specified to occur when the viewer triggers the hot spot. The exact action to be induced via a hot spot is determined within the environment that is used to playback the object movie. A single view of the object is presented, along with controls to help define and manage hot spots within the view frame. The basic procedure involves the creation of hot spots for each view of the object. The same hot spot can exist in different views through a technique called cloning, which is discussed below.
Figure 6.4 Object Project Document Window Hot Spots Panel
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The Tools Group This group provides multiple drawing tools to define an area in the currently visible view as a hot spot. A hot spot can be designed in five shapes, a square, circle, oval, rectangle or polygon. Clicking any of these tool icons and then drawing the hot spot area, will create a hot spot in that particular shape. Arrow - Used to select hot spots. Once selected, four handles appear on the corners of the hot spot region. Clicking and dragging one of these handles allows for the resizing of the hot spot. Clicking and dragging anywhere within the hot spot itself, allows the hot spot to be repositioned. Double-clicking a hot spot, opens the Hot Spot Properties dialog. Square - Creates a square shaped hot spot. Holding the mouse button down and dragging increases the size of the square while remaining centered on the initial click point. Circle - Creates a circle shaped hot spot. Holding the mouse button down and dragging increases the radius of the circle while remaining centered on the initial click point. Hilight Color - Clicking this brings up the system color picker, where a different hilight color may be chosen. Unlike other QTVR authoring applications, The VR Worx does not place any special meaning to the chosen color; all hot spots are drawn with the same hilight color. The operator should choose a color that has the greatest amount of contrast with the background of the image. Polygon - Creates a multi-sided hot spot. Each click of the mouse defines a vertex of the polygon. Double clicking will close the polygon, from the current click location to the original click location. Rectangle - Creates a rectangular shaped hot spot. Clicking and dragging the mouse defines a rectangular region. Oval - Creates an oval shaped hot spot. Clicking and dragging the mouse defines a rectangular region. Upon releasing the mouse, an oval is defined that fits perfectly within the rectangular region. Hot Spot Properties - With a hot spot object selected, clicking this button invokes the Hot Spot Properties dialog. Several attributes of the selected hot spot may be changed. Refer to Chapter 9, Hot Spot Properties, for a detailed discussion of this dialog.
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The Hot Spot List Once an area has been defined as a hot spot by use of the drawing tools, the name and ID for that hot spot will be displayed in the Hot Spots list (Figure 6.5). All hot spots defined for the object appear in this list regardless of whether or not hot spots exist in the current view. If a listed hot spot does not exist in the current view, click on its name and drag it to the view frame. Upon releasing the mouse, a clone of the chosen hot spot is created in the new view. A cloned hot spot retains all the same properties as the original hot spot, including name, ID, kind, etc. It may be repositioned without affecting its sibling clones that exist in other views of the object. This feature facilitates the creation of a single hot spot that exists in several views of the object. This feature facilitates the creation of a single hot spot that exists in several views of the object. Figure 6.5 The Hot Spots List
The View Group The View group displays the row and column, in degrees, of the currently displayed view frame. The arrow buttons allow for the changing of the view frame being displayed, and thus the creating and editing of hot spots for different views of the object.
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The VR Worx allows the operator to apply special effects while composing the object movie. The Effects panel (Figure 6.6) is setup to do just that. Several effects are available that may be applied. The Available Effects group contains all of the effects available. To view an effects! settings, select (check) it from this group. If an effect is desired to be applied to the object, it should be enabled by checking the check box that appears next to its name. The effects currently available are Center, Crop, Dewobble, Matte and Sound. These effects are described below.
Figure 6.6 Object Project Document Window Effects Panel
The Center Effect The Center effect allows a new image center to be defined for all views of the object. This effect is useful when an object was perfectly centered atop a turntable, but was not framed perfectly in the field-ofview of the camera. To apply the Center effect, the first step is to enable it by checking the box next to it and highlighting the word “Center”. When enabled, a “cross hair” appears, overlaid atop the view image. Clicking and dragging the center of the cross hair allows its position to be moved. Feedback is provided in the Center Point field, showing the current center point of the image in pixels.
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Each frame in the final movie is offset horizontally and vertically in order to make the newly specified center point the true center point of the image. For example, if the source imagery is 320 x 240, and the new center is specified at 165, 114, each image will be shifted 5 pixels to the left and 6 pixels down in the final movie. The current view (row, column) of the object can be changed at any time by clicking one of the four view adjustment arrows at the base of the sub-panel. Feedback is provided in the Row, Column field, showing the current row and column being viewed. Changing the view displayed has no effect on the output, but merely is an aid for locating the center of the object. The Fill With attribute indicates how the exposed area of the shifted image is dealt with. In the above example, there would be 5 pixels at the right edge and six pixels at the top which are exposed as a result of the shift. Fill with Edges indicates that the exposed area is filled with the portion of the original image that would have appeared if the image were unshifted. Fill with Color, specifies a solid color to fill in the exposed area. Clicking the color swatch invokes the system color picker, which allows the operator to change the fill color.
The Crop Effect The Crop effect allows each view of the object to be cropped to any dimension smaller than the source image!s dimension. This effect is useful when the aspect ratio of the object does not match that of the captured images. In such cases, the resultant object movie may have a significant amount of “dead space” at the top or side edges. For example, if an object movie were taken of a tall vase with a video camera in standard orientation, the aspect ratio of the images would be the standard 3:2 while the aspect ratio of the vase may be 2:5. To apply the Crop effect, the first step is to enable it by checking the Crop check box and highlighting the word “Crop”. When enabled, a marquee appears, overlaid atop the view image. Interaction with the selection box is controlled by the Tool palette. Two tool choices exist, marquee selection and resize. With marquee selection chosen, the operator may simply click on the image and “draw” the selection rectangle. With resize chosen, eight “handles” appear allowing the operator to independently adjust the height or width of the selection. Feedback for the marquee selection is displayed in the Selection field. The value displayed here represents the crop dimensions, in pixels. Cropping is always performed at the center of the image. The current view (row, column) of the object can be changed at any time by clicking one of the four view adjustment arrows at the base of the sub panel. Feedback is provided in the Row, Column field,
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showing the current row and column being viewed. Changing the view displayed has no effect on the output, but merely is an aid for cropping the object.
The Dewobble Effect The Dewobble effect allows each view of the object to be shifted slightly to compensate for any “wobbling” phenomenon that may appear in the final QTVR movie. This effect is useful when an object has not been perfectly centered on a turntable. Three different axes are available, which the Dewobble effect can adjust, X, X! and Y. The Y-axis is only available for multi-row objects. Also, the X and X!-axis are only available fore multicolumn objects, which have a 360° horizontal sweep. The Y-axis refers to the object!s position, relative to the center of the arc of movement, that the camera follows when shooting a multi-row object. In such cases, if the object is not centered on the Y-axis, the object may appear shifted towards the top or bottom, at the vertical extremes of the object movie. To apply the Dewobble effect, the first step is to enable it by checking it and highlighting the word “Dewobble”. When enabled, two views of the object appear. Each view is offset horizontally 180° from each other. A marquee selection appears overlaid on top of the two views of the object. The objective is to adjust the marquee selection rectangle so it perfectly encompasses the object in each view. The handles may be used to adjust the width and height of the rectangle. Clicking in the center of the rectangle allows its position to be relocated. A different selection rectangle is maintained for each axis. Initially, the X-axis rectangle is displayed. The X! or Y-axis rectangle can be defined by first clicking the proper Axis icon, then repositioning the rectangle. If a given axis does not need to be adjusted, its marquee selection rectangle should be left alone. Once the selection rectangles have been drawn around the object, for each axis that needs an adjustment, the software then calculates the amount that the object “drifts” during its 180° rotation, and thus, offsets the image, to keep the object centered. The current view (row, column) of the object, can be changed at any time by clicking one of the four view adjustment arrows, at the base of the sub panel. Feedback is provided in the Row, Column field, showing the current row and column being viewed. Changing the view displayed has a significant effect on the output, and represents the “outer travel” of the object, for a particular axis. Generally, the horizontal views for the X-axis should be 0°, 180° and the X!-axis should be
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90°, 270°. The horizontal view for the Y-axis is unimportant. When the Y-axis is being defined, the vertical views cannot be changed. Only the same horizontal view, from the top and bottom rows, are displayed. The Fill With attribute indicates how the exposed area of the shifted image is dealt with. Fill with Edges indicates that the exposed area is filled with the portion of the original image that would have appeared if the image were not shifted. Fill with Color specifies a solid color to fill in the exposed area. Clicking the color swatch invokes the system color picker, which allows the operator to change the fill color.
The Matte Effect The Matte effect allows for the masking out of a region, of each source image frame, based on its color, and for the replacing of it, with a background picture or pattern. The way this works, is that a specific color is chosen to be keyed. Each pixel in the source image is compared against the keyed color. If a pixel!s color is sufficiently close to the keyed color, the corresponding pixel in a specified picture or pattern is used, to replace the original pixel in the output image. An object will typically be photographed against a blue, red or green background so that an entirely different scene may be masked in as a background. This is commonly referred to as a chroma-key or bluescreen effect. Mask (Key) color - To designate a key color to mask out, place the cursor over the source view frame. The eyedropper cursor that appears will allow for the “pickup” of any color in the source image. This selected color will be the key color. The Mask color swatch indicates the color in the source image that will be replaced by the corresponding pixels in the background image. The operator may use any of the views to select the color to be masked. To change views, use the arrow buttons that appear below the source image. The background masking will be applied to all views. Range - Even in perfect conditions, a background color will vary significantly in hue and brightness. For this reason, it is impossible to key a single color, but rather a range of colors that is sufficiently close to the desired key color. This menu provides the ability to specify a range of hue and brightness, above and below the key color. Depending on the consistency of the background color, this range may have to be increased significantly. Background - This box displays the background image or pattern that will be masked behind the source image. Pictures may be chosen by clicking on the Select… button, pasted in from the clipboard, or dragged from any other application that supports drag-
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and-drop. To delete a background, click on the background image and press the Delete key. Type - A picture, pattern or QTVR Panorama may be selected for the background via this menu. Select - When Picture or QTVR Panorama are chosen in the Type menu, clicking the Select... button will bring up a standard file open dialog, where a file containing the desired background image may be chosen. When Pattern is chosen, clicking the Select... button will bring up the Pattern Selector dialog. In the Pattern Selector dialog (Figure 6.7), the operator can choose which pattern they wish to be drawn behind the object by scrolling through the horizontal list of patterns and clicking on the desired one. The color of the background pattern may also be changed by clicking the color swatch. This brings up the standard system color picker, from which any desired color can be chosen. Figure 6.7 Pattern Selector Dialog
Options - If Picture is selected in the Type menu, it is unlikely that a chosen background image will match the exact dimensions of the rendered image. Different options are available for dealing with the mismatched image size. Clicking the Options button opens the Picture Placement Options dialog (Figure 6.8), which presents three choices. Figure 6.8 Picture Placement Options Dialog
If QTVR Panorama is chosen, clicking the Options button opens the Panorama Synchronization Options dialog (Figure 6.9). This
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allows the user to control how the panorama is panned and/or tilted in relation to the object. Panning is only available if the object has more than one column. Tilting is only available if the object has more than one row. Both panning and tilting can optionally be disabled. This could be desirable in many cases, such as a multi row object in which tilting the background panorama could be disorienting. It may also be desirable to completely disable panning and tilting, thus using the QTVR panoramic view as a static image file. If panning and/or tilting are enabled, the user can optionally choose insync or counter-sync rotation. This determines the direction in which panning/tilting of the panorama will occur in relation to panning/tilting of the object. Figure 6.9 Panorama Synchronization Options Dialog
Scale - Scales the picture to be used for the new background to match the frame size of the rendered images in the object movie. This prevents a large picture from being cropped, or a small picture not filling the image frame. Crop - Crops a picture that is too large for the rendered frame size. The picture is anchored to the upper left hand corner of the frame before cropping. This option is only available if the chosen image is larger than the dimensions of the rendered frame. Tile - A picture that is smaller than the rendered frame size will be tiled, or repeated, until the rendered frame is filled. This option is only available if the chosen image is smaller than the dimensions of the rendered frame.
The Sound Effect The VR Worx can synchronize one or more sound tracks with specific views of an object. This is useful for incorporating audible annotations, sound effects or music to an object movie. This capability is limited, though, in that sound tracks must be synchronized with specific views, and thus cannot play seamlessly and indefinitely, while the viewer is
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manipulating the object movie. By selecting Sound from the Effects menu, the operator will be able to incorporate sound into the object movie. They will be able to add one or more sound tracks into the Sound Tracks list, or add an existing sound track from a QuickTime movie, a digitized sound file, or record a new sound with a microphone, by clicking the Add button. The sound tracks! properties can then be modified, if necessary, and finally assigned to playback, in specific views. Sound Tracks - Displays all sound tracks that have been added to the object movie. A specific sound track may be edited by simply selecting its entry from this list. Add‌ - Brings up a standard file open dialog, where a file that contains a sound or sound track may be chosen. Supported formats include QuickTime, SND, AIFF and WAV. Once a file is selected, it is converted to a sound track and added to the list. By default, a newly added sound will have a global scope (see Properties below). Upon loading a sound, the operator will be asked to give the new sound track a name, in the Sound Track dialog. Delete - Deletes the selected sound track from the Sound Tracks list. Play - Plays the currently selected sound track. Record - Brings up a recording dialog (Figure 6.10), which allows the operator to digitize a sound using the default sound input device. This is usually a microphone. Upon recording a sound, the operator will be asked to give the new sound track a name in the Sound Track dialog. Figure 6.10 Recording Dialog
Sound Track Properties For each sound track added to the project, there are three properties which affect how the sound track will be played in the final object movie. These are Volume, Balance and Scope. When a sound track is selected in the Sound Track list, its current property settings are displayed on the right half of the Effects sub-panel, under the
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heading Properties. The properties of each sound track can be independently modified in the project by manipulating the respective controls. Volume - Slide the bar to the desired speaker volume for the selected sound track. This volume setting is always relative to the system volume level. Balance - Slide the bar to the desired speaker balance for the selected sound track. Scope - Determines in which views of the object movie the selected sound track will be enabled, and thus playing. Global - Specifies that the sound track will be played within every view of the object movie. Local - Specifies that the sound track only be played during a specific view or range of views in the object movie. Click the Assign‌ button to define the desired view(s).
Assigning Local Views Clicking the Assign‌ button allows the operator to define which views of the object will play the specified sound track (Figure 6.11). Figure 6.11 Sound Track Local Scope Dialog
To select a desired view frame for playback, the operator uses the arrow buttons below the view frame preview. Alternatively, they can click on the corresponding cell in the view array. Once the desired frame is being previewed, the Enabled radio button will activate the sound for the indicated view. The corresponding cell in the view array will become marked, indicating that it is enabled. This process is repeated until all desired frames are marked. The opposite procedure can be used to disable sound track playback, within a specific view, by clicking the Disabled radio button.
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The Compose panel (Figure 6.12) is the final step in the QuickTime VR object movie creation process. It assists in determining how the image data is to be compressed and displayed. Clicking the Build command button will actually create the object movie and allow the operator to proceed to the Preview panel.
Figure 6.12 Object Project Document Window Compose Panel
The Composition Presets Group The composition presets feature lets the operator choose how an object is structured based on a prior object project. Select the desired setting from the list to adjust the current object to those settings. If you choose to add a new preset setting based on the settings in your current object project, choose the plus sign button and name the new preset. After doing this, this setting will be added to the list and available for further use in other projects.
The Compression Group The compression and rendering settings, to be used when composing the object, are displayed and may be modified within this group. Each image, in every view, needs to be compressed to achieve a manageable file size. Set/Codec - Clicking this button brings up the Compression
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Settings dialog (Figure 6.13). This is a standard QuickTime dialog that displays all codecs (compressor-decompressors) installed in the system. For each codec, the operator may choose different quality settings for rendering the images. In general, lower quality settings result in drastically smaller file sizes, while sacrificing the quality of each frame. The converse relationship is also true. Higher quality frames result in larger file sizes. Refer to Chapter 13, QTVR Tips & Tricks, for suggestions on choosing the best codec. After selecting the desired codec, its name appears in the Codec field next to the Set button. Figure 6.13 Compression Settings Dialog
Quality - This displays the quality that was chosen in the Compression Settings dialog box. Color Depth - With this menu, the color depth at which each frame is rendered, may be specified before it is compressed. It is best to choose a color depth that represents the maximum depth, at which the resultant movie is likely to be viewed. In the vast majority of cases, this setting should be left at 24 bit (millions of colors). Frame Size - This menu gives the dimension that each frame is rendered before it is compressed. Each image will be scaled to the size chosen here. By default, the size displayed matches the size of the input images. If the QuickTime VR object movie is to be repurposed (possibly a version for the Web and another for a CD-ROM), the images may need to be scaled down before composing them. It is not recommended to scale images up, as pixelation will occur.
Note: If the Crop effect was applied in the Effects panel, the Frame Size will be set to the crop dimensions specified. Changing the
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Frame Size setting after enabling the Crop effect could produce unwanted results. Target Size - This feature allows the operator to optionally specify a desired file size and, when composed, the program will try to achieve a final movie no greater than the specified size.
Note: A movie will never have a higher compression quality than what is specified. It “works down” to the target size. It will not work up to it. Additional movie tracks, such as quarter resolution or web previews tracks, as well as hot spot data, each "compete" with the primary image data to achieve the desired file size. Thus the same movie with the same target size will actually be lower in quality if hot spots exist or web preview is turned on than if there are no hot spots or additional image tracks. Hot spot data is loss-less, meaning that scaling image quality doesn't work. Thus simply having hot spots in a movie results in a fixed increase in size. It is suggested that slightly higher target data sizes be specified if hot spots exist. Target scaling does not factor in any sound data that may be added to an object movie. In such cases, the resultant movie will be (more or less) the specified target size PLUS the size of all the sound data attached to the movie's views.
Note: Achieving the target size is not guaranteed. The value specified may not be attainable, even at the lowest codec image quality. Use temporal compression - Temporal (time) compression is only enabled when multiple animation frame layers were specified in the Setup panel. This feature looks for ways to compact the description of the changes during a sequence of frames. It does this by looking for patterns and repetition over time and takes advantage of the fact that consecutive frames of video often contain much of the same pixel data. By identifying differences between consecutive frames of video, and storing just those frame differences in the compressed file, temporal compression can dramatically decrease video data size.
The Media Group The Optimize for Web Delivery check box should be used if the object movie will be viewed on the web. This rearranges the data to allow for QuickTime “fast-loading” (streaming) over on the web.
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Building the QuickTime VR Object Movie Build - Once the desired compression settings have been set, the QuickTime VR object movie is built by clicking the Build button (at left), located within the Actions group. The program will then proceed to apply any specified effects to each view frame, and compress them using the desired codec. Depending on the number of source view frames and the effects being performed, this can be a rather lengthy process. Upon completion, the results of the work may be tested in the Preview panel. Hints - Opens the Hints Options dialog (Figure 6.14) which provides control over several QuickTime (not QuickTime VR) playback settings that may enhance playback performance. There are two groups in this dialog, one for the video track (which contains the view frames) and one for all sound tracks (if sound has been added to the project). Figure 6.14 Hints Options Dialog
The Hints Options settings are as follows: Video Track Hints- These settings apply to all view frames contained within the object movie. High Quality - Uses an anti-aliasing function (if available) that makes the movie appear sharper and crisper. Preload - Causes loading to occur, prior to opening, which results in smoother movie playback. Cache data - Causes QuickTime to retain as much calculated data as possible, which results in the movie playing smoother.
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Sound Track Hints - The sound settings apply to any and all sound tracks that might have been added to the project. If no sound tracks have been added, these check boxes are disabled. Interpolation - If the added sound was sampled at a low rate, enabling this setting may result in a higher fidelity playback. Preload - Causes loading to occur, prior to opening, which results in a decreased likelihood of skips and pauses in the sound track. Cache data - Causes QuickTime to retain as much calculated data as possible, which results in a decreased likelihood of skips and pauses in the sound track.
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In the Preview panel (Figure 6.15), the operator can view the object movie and also add the finishing touches, such as viewer interaction and annotations. They can also specify the preview window size and the default viewing angles of the object. There are three groups, Actions, Properties, and Special Views, along with the movie interaction box that comprise the Preview panel. Once all of the desired preview settings have been specified, the last step is to Export‌ the movie to a stand-alone QuickTime VR object movie.
Figure 6.15 Object Project Document Window Preview Panel
The Actions Group Export - Invokes a file dialog window that allows the operator to specify a file name and a location for the exported movie. Once this is completed, a stand-alone object movie has been created. Export... may also be chosen from the File menu. Resize - Allows for changing the size of the object movie!s playback window (technically known as the movie box), by entering the width and height into the text edit fields. Upon typing in a new dimension, pressing OK allows the new values to take effect.
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The Properties Group Annotate - This function provides a means for descriptive information to be added to the generated panoramic movie. The Annotations dialog (Figure 6.16) permits the operator to type in a name, copyright and a desired description regarding the panoramic movie. Figure 6.16 Annotate Dialog
Name edit field - Typically the name of the movie. Copyright edit field - A copyright notice, or other credit given to the author. Description edit field - A description of the movie!s subject matter.
Note: These defaults can be changed in Preferences in the Application menu providing an automatic mechanism for stamping all panoramas with a generic copyright notice, without any attention by the operator. Refer to Chapter 12, Application Preference Settings, for more information. Interaction - Opens the Object Interaction dialog (Figure 6.17) which allows the control of how viewers will interact with the object movie. There are two groups in this dialog, Object Controller and Control Settings.
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Figure 6.17 Object Interaction Dialog
Object Controller - In QuickTime VR, the Object Controller refers to the tool that is used to manipulate the object, i.e., pan, tilt and zoom. The default object controller is Grabber w/Scroller, which is represented by the mouse cursor changing to a hand when the viewer passes over the object movie. The object controller should not be confused with the movie controller, which is the bar of controls that typically appears at the base of a QuickTime playback window. Method - Allows the operator to choose from one of five methods currently supported by QTVR, for interacting with the object. Motion Scale - Slide the bar to achieve the desired motion scale. A Slow setting will require more movement from the mouse to achieve pan/tilt rotation of the object. A Fast setting will require significantly less mouse movement to rotate the object. Control Settings - QuickTime VR provides control over several constraints and behaviors via the Control Settings flags. In this group, the operator is provided with control over each one of these flags. Wrap when panning - When panning the object horizontally, this setting controls whether or not the viewer can continuously pan in either direction. When disabled, the object stops rotating when the limits of its horizontal sweep are reached. This setting is typically enabled. Wrap when tilting - Similar to Wrap when panning, this setting determines whether or not an object may be continuously tilted. When disabled, the tilt rotation is stopped when the limits of its vertical sweep are reached. This setting is typically disabled.
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Allow zooming - Determines whether the viewer will be able to zoom in and out of the object. Zooming is controlled via the keyboard by pressing the Shift or Control keys to zoom in/out respectively. If a movie controller is visible, clicking on the zoom in/out icons achieves the same result. This setting is usually enabled. Allow translation - When the viewer is zoomed in on an object, they are only viewing a small portion of the view frame. By enabling translation, they can scroll the (zoomed) view of the object in all directions. If a movie controller is visible, the translation icon toggles the translation mode. This setting is typically enabled. Reverse pan direction - Inverts the pan magnitude while the viewer is panning the object. When enabled, the viewer must drag the mouse to the left in order for it to rotate towards the right and vice versa. This mode is useful if the object was not rotated clockwise while capturing views, in which case enabling this setting restores proper orientation. This setting is typically disabled. Reverse tilt direction - Inverts the tilt magnitude while the viewer is tilting the object. When enabled, the viewer must drag the mouse upwards in order for it to rotate downwards and vice versa. This is useful if the vertical sweep of the object was advanced from bottom-to-top while capturing views, in which case enabling this setting restores proper orientation. This setting is typically disabled. Swap pan & tilt control - Enabling this setting reverses the pan and tilt axis, thus requiring the viewer to drag the mouse up-down to pan and left-right to tilt. This setting is typically disabled. Animation - This controls the two types of animation available for object movies, frame animation and view animation. This dialog (Figure 6.18) contains a Frame Animation group and a View Animation group to control each of these animation types respectively.
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Figure 6.18 Frame/View Animation Dialog
If multiple frame layers were acquired and/or sound tracks have been added to the movie, frame animation setting should be enabled. Frame animation instructs QTVR to cycle through all frames that may exist for a specific view of the object. During frame animation, the view itself does not change, only the state of the object within the view. The Frame Animation settings function as follows: Enabled - Checking this box will enable frame animation. Frame animation also applies to sound track playback, if sound tracks have been added to this object. Restart for each view - Causes the object movie, after being moved and stopped, to return to the initial frame of the animation. Play backwards - Causes animation to play in the opposite direction. Loop when finished - Causes the movie to repeat the animation, when complete. Back-and-forth - Causes the movie to continue repeating the animation, alternating from the normal direction to the opposite direction. Speed - Use this slider bar to select the playback speed of the animation. When view animation is enabled, QuickTime VR will cycle through all views of the object, within the current row. This is the equivalent of a viewer perpetually rotating the object. The difference is that the view animation will continue indefinitely, until the viewer begins interacting with the object, at which time interaction is handled as it is normally.
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The View Animation settings function as follows: Enabled - Checking this box will enable view animation. Play backwards- Causes the view animation to play in the opposite direction. Loop back-and-forth - Reverses direction of the view animation, when the horizontal sweep limit is reached. Sync. to frame animation- Causes the entire frame animation to play for each view of the object, before cycling on to the next view. Speed - Use this slider bar to select the playback speed. Data Rate - Opens the Data Rate Calculator (Figure 6.19) which simply takes the size of the generated movie file and estimates the download time at various connection speeds. Figure 6.19 Data Rate Calculator
The Special Views Group The Special Views group contains two views that represent the image in the preview window. The Poster view refers to a single frame within the movie that QuickTime will use to “identify� the movie to viewers. This frame is displayed in the file dialogs and used to create thumbnail icons. To assign a poster view, the object should be manipulated in the
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interaction group until the desired poster view is being displayed. The operator can then simply click the Set button to define the displayed view of the movie as the poster view. Set - Assigns the currently displayed view to be used as a poster view. Go - Causes the assigned poster view to be displayed. The Initial view represents the frame that is first displayed when the viewer opens the object movie. To assign an initial view, the operator must manipulate the object movie in the interaction group until the desired initial view is displayed. Clicking the Set button will define the displayed view as the initial view. Set - Assigns the currently displayed view to be the initial view when the object movie file is opened by the viewer. Go - Causes the assigned initial view to be displayed.
The Movie Interaction Box The interaction box presents the composed QuickTime VR object movie as it would appear in a standard playback environment. The object may be manipulated (panned, tilted and zoomed), just as any QuickTime VR movie, i.e., clicking and dragging on the view image.
File Size Approximation In the bottom left corner of the movie interaction box, the operator can see the approximate file size for the object movie. Because certain file sizes are desired for certain object movies and their destination, determining the file size for the document is extremely important. In order to make the object movie file size smaller, i.e., decrease the file size, the operator must go back to previous panels and make modifications. Examples for doing this include changing the frame size or the compression settings. Once corrections have been made, the operator should click the Build button in the Actions group of the Compose panel. The changed movie can then be viewed in the Preview panel, and the operator can then observe the approximate file size again to see whether the desired file size has been obtained.
Viewer Feedback Viewer feedback, while interacting with the scene, is displayed at the bottom of the project document window, below the QTVR scene!s
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preview box. Est. Size - The size of the entire QuickTime VR scene, if exported to a movie file on disk. Pan - The pan value of currently displayed node. Tilt - The tilt value of currently displayed node. Zoom - The zoom value of currently displayed node. Dimensions - The size of the movie box.
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Chapter 7 - Scene Module The Scene Module project document window is made up of five panels which step the viewer through the process of creating a scene. These are Setup, Background, Nodes, Compose and Preview. These panels appear as folder tabs, each with its corresponding name. To create the scene, the operator will typically step through each of the five panels, sequentially from left to right. These tabs provide for progressive disclosure, i.e., the operator must complete all necessary steps in the current panel, before being allowed to proceed to the next panel. Panels that are unavailable will have dimmed titles. Once all the necessary information for the current panel has been defined, the title for next panel becomes highlighted. This process continues until all the necessary steps in each panel have been performed. The five project document panels contained in the scene module are briefly outlined below. Setup - In this panel, the operator will specify some basic information about the scene and define grids for the background and/or nodes. Background - This panel allows for the import of a background template or for the creation of one using the tools available. Nodes - In this panel, nodes can be added to the scene and various settings for the nodes can be modified, including the addition of hot spots and the linking of nodes. The scene may also be previewed in this panel, using the Node Browser function. Compose - This panel instructs the scene module to compose the QuickTime VR scene. This process takes all the source media and combines them into a single movie. Optionally, compression may be applied to one or more media elements, overriding the original compression settings for those media elements. Preview - This panel allows for the viewing of the finished scene, as a QuickTime VR movie. Certain playback attributes can also be set for the scene, as well as for exporting it as a stand-alone movie file. The Setup Panel
The scene creation process is broken down into five steps, 1) define the scene, 2) create a template, 3) layout the scene, 4) compose the scene, and 5) review the composed scene. When creating a QuickTime VR scene in the scene module, all work is performed in a project document. The project document window contains five folder tabs, representing each step in the process. These tabs are usually referred to as Panels. All work must be performed in the current panel, before moving on to the next step/panel. After creating a scene project document, a document window will appear. At the top of the document window are several folder tabs labeled Setup, Background, Nodes, Compose and Preview. Each one of these tabs displays a different panel. Initially the Setup panel (Figure 7.1) is active. It is in the Setup panel that information is specified about the scene, the background grid and the node grid.
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Figure 7.1 Scene Project Document Window Setup Panel
The General Definition Group The General Definition Group is where basic information about the scene is supplied. The values specified here affect the resultant QTVR movie. Name - Specifies a name for the scene. When saving the project document, this name will be used as the default for the file name that appears on the save file dialog. Once saved, this is the name that will be displayed on top of the project document window. The name is also embedded in the final QTVR movie. Orientation - When a panoramic node is added, it will be positioned so that this angle will be facing up (toward the top of the screen), or north. For example, if the operator choose 220°, a node that is added to the scene will be rotated, so that the angle that points up to the top of the screen is 220°. One of the angles can be selected from the menu, a custom angle can be entered, or the “initial” view can be chosen. Selecting initial view will retain the node!s initial view as its orientation. This attribute only applies to panoramic nodes. Master Size - Determines the track dimensions of the generated QTVR movie. All source media images will be scaled to this size and stored in the final QTVR movie file at this size. The operator should enter a custom size or select a predefined size from this menu.
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Playback Size - Determines the playback dimensions of the final QTVR movie. This is commonly referred to in QuickTime jargon as the Movie Box.
Note: if the Master Size and Playback Size are different, the images are scaled from the Master Size to the Playback size at run time.
The Scene Boundary Group The Scene Boundary Group is where information about the dimensions of the scene are supplied. While these values affect the scene creation process, they do not have a direct effect on the generated QTVR movie. Dimensions - Specifies the desired width and height of the scene, along with the corresponding units (from the menu). Scale - This is the scale that will be represented by the grid. The grid will be sized to conform to the given dimensions and scale. Background Grid - A background grid is an aid for placing the background objects in their proper positions. Checking this box results in a background grid displayed in the background panel. The operator should specify the desired divisions for the grid and check the Active box if the background objects should be automatically aligned within grid lines. The background grid will only be displayed in the Background panel. Node Grid - A node grid is similar to a background grid in that it aids in placing the nodes in their proper positions. The operator should check this box for a node grid to be displayed in the nodes panel. They should also specify the desired divisions for the grid, and check the Active box if the nodes should be automatically aligned within the grid lines. The node grid will only be displayed in the Nodes panel.
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A background image template is simply a graphics drawing that can be used as a guide for placing nodes in the scene. The scene module provides the ability to design the operator!s own background templates in two ways, i.e., by using the built in drawing tools, or by importing a more complex image created in another program (or scanned using a flatbed scanner). This can be done by using the Background panel (Figure 7.2).
Figure 7.2 Scene Project Document Window Background Panel
The Actions Group Add... - Allows the importing of a background image template file. Clicking on this button brings up the standard file selection dialog, where the desired file can be located. Once located and selected, the image will appear in the Background panel. This image may be positioned by clicking and dragging it to the desired position. The operator may also need to enlarge the window to see the entire image. This function supports virtually all common image file formats.
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The Tools Group The built in drawing tools (Figure 7.3) allow the operator to draw a background template. The basic tools allow for the drawing of lines, curves, rectangles, filled rectangles, ovals, filled ovals and for the placement of text. The fill pattern swatch, located next to the paint bucket icon, shows the current fill pattern and color. The pen swatch, located next to the pencil icon, shows the current pen color and line thickness. The Layer control allows the operator to bring objects in front, or send them behind other overlapping objects. To modify the fill pattern color, the operator clicks on the color button located under the paint bucket, bringing up the Color Picker dialog. Figure 7.3 The Tools Group
To modify the fill pattern, click on the pattern button located under the fill pattern swatch. This causes the Pattern Selector dialog to be displayed. Choose the desired pattern, by clicking on it, and then press the OK button. To modify the pen color, the operator clicks on the color button located under the pencil. Clicking on either of the color buttons causes the Color Picker dialog to be displayed. To modify the pen line width, click on the pen size button located under the pen swatch. This causes the Pen Size Selector dialog to be displayed. Choose the desired pen size, by clicking on it, and then press the OK button.
The Text Attributes Group This group allows the customization of placed text. Three menus allow the choice of the font, size and style for text objects.
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The Nodes panel (Figure 7.4) allows for the addition of nodes to the scene and for the modification of the attributes associated with these nodes.
Figure 7.4 Scene Project Document Window Nodes Panel
The Actions Group Add... - Clicking on this button brings up the standard file selection dialog. The operator should select the file containing the desired node to add it to the scene. A panoramic node is represented by a circle with a “P” inside of it, and the file name is displayed below this circle. The operator may also add object movies (designated by an “O” icon), still images (designated by a picture icon) and linear QuickTime movies (designated by a movie icon). To link the nodes with hot spots, use the tools as described in this section under “Tools Group.” Clear - Clicking this button deletes the selected node or nodes from the scene.
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Edit... - Opens the media file associated with the selected node in the appropriate editor. If the node is a QuickTime movie (standard or QTVR) or an image file, the application installed on the operators system for the applicable media type will be launched, and the media file loaded. If the node is an embedded panorama or object project, the project will be opened in The VR Worx!s own panorama or project editor. Browse... - When a node is selected, the Node Browser may be opened by clicking this button. Double clicking on a node icon will also bring up the Node Browser. This lets the operator review and modify various attributes that control how the node will interact with the rest of the scene. Refer to Chapter 8, Node Browser, of this manual for a detailed discussion on the Node Browser. Transition - Opens the Transition Generator dialog (Figure 7.5). This button is only enabled whenever two nodes are selected. More about the Transition Generator later in this section. Figure 7.5 Transition Generator Dialog
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The Tools Group Eight tools are available in this group. The function of each tool is discussed below. Arrow Selector - Used to select nodes.
Unidirectional Link - Creates a one-way link from initial to target node. Bidirectional Link - Creates a two-way link between nodes. Scissors - Used to cut (delete) links between nodes.
Panorama Project - Creates an embedded panorama project node. Object Project - Creates an embedded object project node. Generic Node - Creates a generic media placeholder node. URL Node - creates a URL node.
The Transition Generator The Transition Generator Utility is a tool for creating stand-alone, linear QuickTime movies that represent a transition from one image to another. The transition itself can be one of several transition effects defined in QuickTime 3.0 or later. The basic process is to specify two images, a source and destination. These images, by themselves, represent the absolute beginning and end of the movie that will be generated. The duration of the movie between the beginning and end will be occupied by some combination of the two images. The user via the selected transition effect determines this combination. To specify the two images, the user must choose Select... at the top
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of either “Source� group box. A standard file selection dialog allows the user to choose image files, linear QuickTime movies or QTVR movies. In any case, the chosen file will appear in either the Source A or Source B view boxes. Alternatively, the user may drag-and-drop files onto the Transition Generator Utility window. If a linear or VR movie was chosen, the user must manipulate the movie until the desired view is visible. The controller bar will appear in order to facilitate this. Whatever is visible on screen is the 'snapshot' that will be taken for either the start or end views of the generated movie. Once both source images are chosen, the next step is to specify the transition effect. Clicking Select... next to the Selected Effect field presents the Select Effect dialog (Figure 7.6). A list of Quick Time double source effects is presented at the left. The right portion of the dialog presents options and properties of the selected effect. At the lower left, a preview of the effect appears. Clicking OK accepts the chosen effect settings. Figure 7.6 Select Effect Dialog
The compression specifies the compression method and quality settings to be applied to the finished movie. Clicking Select..., near the Compression field, invokes the standard Compression Settings dialog (Figure 7.7). "Cinepak" and "Sorenson" are good choices. The dimensions indicate the physical dimension of the finished movie. The source images can be of any dimension - they will be scaled to fit. This is an important point since choosing images with a different aspect ratio may cause obvious distortion in the final movie.
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Figure 7.7 Compression Settings Dialog
The duration indicates how long, in seconds, the final transition movie will play. When all settings are complete, click Make Movie. The user must designate a file to which the transition movie will be saved. When finished, the transition movie can be used standalone, or added to a scene as a transition node. Both the dimensions and the duration are invoked though the Transition Generator dialog.
NOTE: The VR Worx 2.0 has a transition generator shortcut: If exactly two nodes are selected in the Nodes panel, the Transition button is enabled. Clicking this button invokes the Transition Generator Utility. The two selected nodes will automatically be specified as Source A and Source B in the Transition Generator Utility. The order in which the two nodes were selected is important! The first one selected will be Source A while the second one selected (via Shift-Clicking it) will be Source B. If a hot spot link exists between the two nodes, Source A's initial view will be set to the exit angle of that link while Source B's initial view will be set to the entry angle of the link. All that needs to be done is an effect must be specified. Then Make Movie may be invoked and the effect movie given a name and location.
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The Compose Panel (Figure 7.8) allows the operator to compose the scene and to recompress any of the media that they have chosen. Once a scene is composed in this panel, the operator may proceed to the Preview panel and view the final scene.
Figure 7.8 Scene Project Document Window Compose Panel
The Actions Group Build - Clicking on this button causes the program to compose the scene. A progress bar will be displayed during the process. When complete, the final QTVR scene is ready to be viewed in the Preview Panel. If the operator chooses to recompress any media elements (see below), the amount of time required to compose the scene may increase significantly. Hints - Opens the Hints Options dialog (Figure 7.9) where two check boxes are available, Preload and Cache data. These settings may enhance playback.
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Figure 7.9 Hints Options Dialog
Preload - Causes loading to occur prior to opening, which results in smoother movie playback. Cache data - Causes QuickTime to retain as much calculated data as possible, which results in the movie playing smoother.
The Recompression Groups When composing a scene, it is possible to have the source media recompressed to result in a smaller QTVR movie file. This practice is completely optional, and may be undesirable, since the source media is typically already compressed. Recompressing media can generally result in a degradation of image quality. However, if the source media is not compressed or has been compressed using high quality settings, it is quite advantageous to recompress the data. This not only reduces file size, but increases playback performance. The four Recompression Groups are Recompress Panoramas, Recompress Objects, Recompress Still Images, and Recompress Movies. The first three of these work in a very similar manner. The operator must check the desired Recompress check box to make the corresponding group active. The Codec and Quality settings for each media type are displayed in each group. This controls the method of image compression and the quality used when recompressing each frame in the source media. The Color Depth setting controls the amount of color information that is stored, when recompressing each frame. Pressing the Set button, brings up the Compression Settings dialog (Figure 7.10), where a compressor (Codec) may be chosen and the slider bar adjusted to select the desired quality level. After pressing the OK button, the Compression Settings dialog closes, and the corresponding group will display the updated information. If recompression is specified for linear movies, the Compression Settings dialog is slightly different. This is caused by the program recompressing temporal (time based) data, instead of spatial (static) images.
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Figure 7.10 Compression Settings Dialog
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After composition is complete, the final scene may be tested in the Preview Panel (Figure 7.11). Here, it is displayed as a single QTVR movie. All the nodes, source media and linkage information are stored in a single QuickTime file.
Figure 7.11 Scene Project Document Window Preview Panel
The Actions Group Export - Invokes a file dialog window so the operator can specify a file name and a location for the exported movie. Once this is completed, a stand-alone object movie has been created and can be played in another environment or distributed on the World Wide Web. Export... may also be chosen from the File menu. Resize - Allows for changing the size of the final movie!s playback window (technically known as the movie box), by entering the width and height into the text edit fields. Upon typing in a new dimension, pressing OK allows the new values to take effect.
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The Properties Group Annotate - This function provides a means for descriptive information to be added to the generated panoramic movie. The Annotations dialog (Figure 7.12) permits the operator to type in a name, copyright and a desired description regarding the panoramic movie. Figure 7.12 Annotate Dialog
Name - Typically the name of the movie. Copyright - A copyright notice, or other credit given to the author. Description - A description of the movie!s subject matter.
Note: These defaults can be changed in Preferences providing an automatic mechanism for stamping all panoramas with a generic copyright notice, without any attention by the operator. Refer to Chapter 12, Application Preference Settings, for more information. Imaging - Opens the Imaging Properties dialog (Figure 7.13). There are two groups in this dialog, Static Imaging and Motion Imaging. The static imaging state refers to the movie as it appears, when no interaction is occurring. The motion imaging state refers to how the movie appears when the viewer is interacting with it (i.e., panning and tilting). Within each group, there are two properties, Quality and Correction.
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Figure 7.13 Imaging Properties Dialog
Quality settings - Three qualities exist at which a QuickTime VR movie!s image may be rendered. Low - The image is not anti-aliased. Medium - The image is partially anti-aliased. High - The image is fully anti-aliased. Correction settings - Three correction modes exist that QuickTime VR uses when rendering the movie!s image. None - Applies no warping to the image. Partial - Applies warping in the horizontal dimension only. Full - Applies full warping in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. Data Rate - Opens the Data Rate Calculator (Figure 7.14) which simply takes the size of the generated movie file and estimates the download time at various connection speeds. Figure 7.14 Data Rate Calculator
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The Current Node Group The Current Node group provides information concerning the currently viewed node in the scene. ID - The ID of currently displayed node. Name - The name of currently displayed node.
The Initial Node Group While interacting with the QTVR scene, the operator may return to the initial node of the scene by pressing the Go button. If, during scene interaction, the operator decides to change the initial node of the scene, the Set button should be clicked. This will require that the scene be recomposed. The operator will be informed of this, and may choose to recompose it on the spot.
Viewer Feedback Viewer feedback, while interacting with the scene, is displayed at the bottom of the project document window. Est. Size - The size of the entire QuickTime VR scene. Pan - The pan value of currently displayed node. Tilt - The tilt value of currently displayed node. Zoom - The zoom value of currently displayed node. Dimensions - The size of the movie box.
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Chapter 8 - The Node Browser In the Scene module, by clicking on the Browse button in the Nodes panel, the Node Browser dialog appears (Figure 8.1) which displays various attributes pertaining to the currently selected (highlighted) node. The Node Browser is a powerful and complex tool which is why it is documented in its own chapter. Figure 8.1 The Node Browser Dialog
Three panels are available within the Node Browser: Properties, Hot Spots and Preview. Each allows for the viewing and modification of a different set of attributes for the current node. Properties Panel
The Properties Panel (Figure 8.1) is where general information about the node being browsed is displayed. Node Kind - Displays the type of media being referenced by this node, and may not be modified. Reference ID - Displays the reference ID associated with the node (nodes are referenced sequentially as they are added to the scene), and may not be modified. Name - Displays the name of the node. It will initially be set to the name of the media file that was added to the scene, but may be modified here. Comment - A comment may be entered here. This comment will be embedded in the node, but not visible to the viewer. Initial Node - When this check box is enabled, it signifies that this is
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the first node in the scene. Checking this box, designates the current node to be the initial node of the scene. Transition - When this check box is enabled, it has the ability to create transitions between any 'linear' QuickTime movie that is added to a scene and another node. A transition can be thought of as an "automatic" link hot spot. This hot spot gets triggered automatically when the movie reaches the end of it's playing time. Once triggered, the current node will change to whatever was specified.
NOTE : A linear movie may only have one transition. It always occurs at the end of its playing time. To specify that a transition should exist, open the Node Browser for a linear movie. If transitions are available for this node, the "Transition" check box will appear along with a menu list. Checking the "Transition" check box allows items from the adjacent menu list to be chosen. The items listed are all the other nodes in a scene. Choosing one of these nodes designates it as the target of the transition. When the movie finishes playing, the target node will become current. A linear movie with a transition may also have 'traditional' hot spots attached to it. The user may trigger those hot spots at any time during the playback of the movie.
NOTE : Transition 'links' are represented on the node map in the "Nodes" panel by red, unidirectional arrows. Media File - Displays the file path of the node!s media file that was added to the scene. Choose… - A different media file, altogether, may be defined for the node, by clicking on this button, which brings up the standard file selection dialog. All the information in this dialog will be modified, when applicable, to correspond to the type of media file designated here. This is most useful if the alias! reference to the original media file somehow becomes “broken.” Animation - If the media is an object movie or linear movie, this group will be visible and will display the current settings for the animation. Change… - To modify the animation file settings, click on this button which will bring up the Animation Settings dialog box (Figure 8.2). The Animation Settings dialog box contains two groups, Frame Animation and View Animation.
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Figure 8.2 The Animation Settings Dialog
Frames Animation - To activate the Frames Animation group, the Enabled box must be checked. Any of the check boxes that follow may then also be enabled. Restart for each view - If the node is an animated object movie, checking this box will cause the animation to start from the beginning, for each view of the object, as the viewer is manipulating it. Play backwards - Causes the movie to play in the reverse direction. Loop when finished - Causes the movie to begin again, after each play. Back-and-forth - Causes the movie animation to play from beginning to end, and then from end to beginning. This process will continue repeatedly. Speed - Allows the operator to change the speed of the frame animation. View Animation - To activate the View Animation group, the Enabled box must be checked. Then, any of the boxes that follow, may be enabled. Play backwards - Causes the view animation to play in the reverse direction. Loop back-and-forth - Causes the view animation to play from beginning to end, and then from end to beginning. This process will continue repeatedly. Sync. to frame animation - Causes the entire frame animation to play for each view of the object, before proceeding to the next view. Speed - The Speed slider bar allows the operator to change the speed of the frame animation.
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This panel provides all the facilities for creating and/or modifying hot spots. The hot spots may serve as links to other nodes, URLs or may be unassociated with any other node in the scene. Auto - Automatically generated when nodes are linked together. One hot spot is generated for a unidirectional link and two hot spots are generated for bidirectional links (one at each node). If the nodes are repositioned in the scene, the auto hot spots will be adjusted by the software to correspond to the new position of the link. Note that an auto hot spot that is manually moved, will instantly become a manual hot spot. This will be noticeable because a different color is assigned to each type of hot spot. Manual - Placed “manually� by the operator. Manual hot spots will not be modified when moved.
Figure 8.3 The Animation Settings Dialog Hot Spots Panel
The various tools allow for drawing a manual hot spot in the display window. The operator may modify the color of either a manual or auto hot spot by clicking on the corresponding color swatch. To modify the shape of an existing hot spot, the operator should click on the hot spot to select it, then option-click on the desired shape. If any attempt is made to further modify the shape of an auto hot spot (by use of its handles), it will be converted into a manual hot spot.
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The Frame Group This group becomes active when the selected node!s media is a linear movie. The three arrow buttons will take the movie to the beginning (first frame), back one frame, or forward one frame, respectively. The Offset displays the time code value of the frame being displayed.
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In this panel (Figure 8.4), the node!s media, as it will appear in the final composed QuickTime VR scene, can be reviewed. The operator may interact with this node exactly as they would in the final scene, including triggering hot spots. If they click on a hot spot that contains a link to another node in the scene, the linked node will become the current node and will be displayed in this panel. The other panels of the Node Browser may then be used to modify the attributes of the new node.
Figure 8.4 The Animation Settings Dialog Preview Panel
Name - The name of the node currently displayed in the display window. ID - The ID of the node currently displayed in the display window. Pan - The pan angle of the node, as currently displayed in the display window. Tilt - The tilt angle of the node, as currently displayed in the display window. Zoom - The zoom angle of the node, as currently displayed in the display window. Set - Clicking this button causes the current pan, tilt and zoom values to be saved and used for the initial settings of the node. This recorded view is what the viewer will see when they “step into” this node, unless an entry angle is defined for the hot spot that triggers entry into this node. Go - Clicking this button causes the node to be displayed at its initial pan, tilt and zoom settings, as if the viewer has just “stepped into” it.
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Chapter 9 - Hot Spots Properties Hot spot attributes can be viewed and modified by bringing up the Hot Spot Properties dialog (Figure 9.1). This same dialog may be invoked from the hot spot editors, in all three modules of The VR Worx. Generally, invoking this dialog is accomplished by double clicking on a hot spot in one of the hot spot editors, or by clicking the Hot Spot Properties icon with a hot spot selected. Figure 9.1 The Hot Spot Properties Dialog General Panel
Kind - The type of hot spot defined. Common hot spot kinds are listed in this menu. Type - If the Kind chosen is Other, the Type edit field becomes active, allowing for the entering of the type for the hot spot here. This allows still undefined or custom hot spot types to be specified. Custom types are identified by four alphanumeric characters, such as “link.� ID - ID numbers are assigned sequentially within each node, from 1 to 254, for each hot spot that is added to the node. The ID may be changed by entering a new value into this edit field. The program will ensure that the ID is unique, among all hot spots for this node. Name - The initial hot spot name is assigned by the program. A hot spot!s name may be modified at any time. In the final composed QuickTime VR movie, the hot spot name is displayed in the movie!s controller bar, as the viewer passes over the hot spot with the cursor. Comment - Any desired comment regarding the hot spot may be entered. This comment will not be visible to the viewer when viewing the QuickTime VR movie.
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The Cursors panel (Figure 9.2) is useful if a custom cursor is desired when passing over and interacting with hot spots.
Figure 9.2 The Hot Spot Properties Dialog Cursors Panel
Custom Cursors group - Checking the box in this panel allows the definition of three custom cursors, Mouse-over ID, Mouse-down ID and Mouse-up ID. Custom cursor IDs are defined by QuickTime VR and are listed in the “Virtual Reality Programming with QuickTime VR� book, available from Apple Computer, Inc. Link Panel
This panel (Figure 9.3) allows the changing and defining of various attributes of the link that is triggered by the hot spot.
Figure 9.3 The Hot Spot Properties Dialog Link Panel
Destination Node ID - The operator may change the destination node to which the hot spot is linked by typing an explicit ID, or by
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selecting one by name from the menu. Custom Link View group - Defines a custom initial view for the destination node when triggered by this hot spot. An initial pan, tilt and FOV angle, as well as the zoomed center of non-panoramic nodes, may be specified. Leaving a check box unselected causes the values to revert to the destination node!s initial settings for the particular angle/view center.
Note: Link views are usually specified interactively in the Preview panel of the Node Browser. Refer to Chapter 8, Node Browser, for more information. URL Panel
For URL type hot spots, this panel (Figure 9.4) is where the actual URL associated with the hot spot is specified.
Figure 9.4 The Hot Spot Properties Dialog URL Panel
URL - Enter a URL in this edit field in the form “http://www.mywebpage.com.� When the viewer clicks on this hot spot in the final QuickTime VR movie, their web browser will be instructed to open this page.
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Chapter 10 - Acquiring Images The VR Worx uses a plug-in architecture, for providing access to various image sources (including files and digital cameras), as well as for controlling device mechanisms (such as object rigs). These plug-ins are typically referred to as modules. When The VR Worx needs to employ the services of a module (such as when loading an image file), the module is loaded from disk and told to execute specific commands. The module concept allows the capabilities of The VR Worx to be expanded, without the need for upgrading the application. Modules are selected from within the Setup panel of a project document window. The Acquire from menu presents a list of all image access modules (IMAC!s) that are available to the program. This allows the operator to specify a specific source for the images. The Mechanism menu presents a list of all mechanism controller modules (MECH!s for short) that are available to the program. This allows the operator to choose the type of device that The VR Worx will be controlling (if any), during the acquisition process. The VR Worx supports three types of modules. Image Access (IMAC), and Mechanism Controller (MECH) modules are the first two, and are available on both platforms. The third type of module is an Adobe Photoshop “Acquire” module. Each is explained below. Image Access Image access modules exist to retrieve an image from a source and (IMAC) Modules deliver it to The VR Worx. This source can be a file on disk, a tethered digital camera or a scanner. Interaction with image access modules occurs in two places within a project document window, the Setup panel and the Acquire panel. In the Setup panel, the operator must first choose which image access module they will be using to acquire images. This is selected via the Acquire from menu. Upon making a selection, the Setup button becomes enabled. Clicking this button typically results in a dialog being displayed, which provides the operator with control over the default behavior of the device and/or module. The exact interface to the “Setup” function will vary, depending on the image access module that is chosen. The Acquire panel is where most of the operator interaction with an image access module will occur. The Commands group is labeled with the name of the chosen module. One or more command buttons appear in this group, which provide direct interaction with the module. The commands are provided by the module and will vary depending on which image access module was chosen. The commands will usually acquire one or more images, and insert them into the frame cylinder or view array, beginning at the current target view. The VR Worx ships with two image access modules, Image File and Video Digitizer. These two image access modules are documented in the following sections.
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The Image File image access module loads one or more images, stored as files on disk, and returns them to The VR Worx. It supports a wide range of image file formats including GIF, TIFF, BMP, PNG, and Targa, to name a few.
Image File Setup To setup the Image File module, the operator clicks the Setup... button next to the Acquire from menu in the Setup panel. Of course, this assumes that Image File was chosen from the menu. The Image File Setup dialog appears (Figure 10.1). Figure 10.1 The Image File Setup Dialog
The Source Rotation menu allows the default rotation to be applied to images to be specified. A thumbnail proxy gives a graphic representation of the rotation that will occur, by showing a sample image before and after the rotation. The default rotation is 0째, which means there will be no rotation applied to the image files. Rotation can be overridden while actually acquiring source images, i.e., this dialog merely establishes a default rotation setting. The operator can save their new settings as a global default by clicking the Make Default button. By specifying a global default, they are indicating that the chosen rotation will be the default setting for all project documents created in the future. Not specifying a global default means that the chosen rotation will only be applied to the current project document. Clicking Cancel will exit the setup dialog, without recognizing the changes, while OK accepts and applies the changes.
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Image File Buttons The Image File module provides two commands that may be invoked via the buttons group of the Acquire panel. Single - Allows for the acquiring of a single image via a standard file open dialog. The Rotate Image menu will allow the operator to specify that the image be rotated when it is imported into The VR Worx. It defaults to the setting specified in the Setup function. Multiple - Allows for the acquiring of multiple images, via a muti-file open dialog. The image rotation menu will allow the operator to specify that the image(s) be rotated when imported into The VR Worx. It defaults to the setting specified in the Setup panel. A thumbnail proxy gives a graphic representation of the rotation that will occur by showing a sample image before and after the rotation. The operator can specify multiple image files to be imported by either shift-selecting (holding down the shift key to acquire a range of files) or command-selecting (holding down the command key to acquire specific files). The operator clicks the Select button when they are finished selecting image files to be added. This begins the multi-file import process. Images are inserted at the current target frame and the target frame is advanced after each image is imported. If images have already been imported into The VR Worx, the new images overwrite the old.
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If an AV capable computer is being used, the Video Digitizer module can grab a single frame of video to be used as a source image. Video cameras offer the fastest, most cost effective method of acquiring source images for object movies, but are less useful for panoramas. For nonstandard video sources, the Video Digitizer module will also work.
Video Digitizer Setup To setup the Video Digitizer module, the Setup... button next to the Acquire from menu is chosen in the Setup panel. Of course this assumes that Video Digitizer has been chosen from the menu. Figure 10.2 The Source Rotation Dialog
The Source Rotation menu (Figure 10.2) allows the operator to specify the default rotation to be applied to video images as they are acquired. A thumbnail proxy gives a graphic representation of the rotation that will occur, by showing a sample image before and after the rotation. The default rotation is 0째, which means there will be no rotation applied to the video images. Rotation can be overridden while actually capturing source images, i.e., this dialog merely establishes a default rotation setting. The Digitizer... button invokes the Video Setup dialog. This allows for adjusting various settings that affect how the video digitizer will function. Refer to Video Setup Dialog later in this section. The new settings can be saved as a global default by clicking the Make Default button. By specifying a global default, the operator is indicating that the chosen rotation and digitizer settings will be the default for all project documents created in the future. Not specifying a global default means that the chosen rotation and digitizer settings will only be applied to the current project document. Clicking Cancel will exit the setup dialog, without recognizing the changes, while OK accepts and applies the changes.
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Video Dialog The Video dialog consists of multiple groups of controls that allow the adjusting of several settings that affect the video digitizer and the signal that it is digitizing. Switching between groups of controls is accomplished via the menu at the upper left corner of the dialog. The exact number of control groups and their function will vary, depending on the digitizing hardware and accompanying driver software installed on the system. At least two groups of controls are guaranteed to be present, however. These are the Image and the Source control groups. The Image control group provides control over the signal that is being digitized. The sliders in this dialog affect the hue, saturation, brightness, contrast, sharpness, black level and white level components of the signal. Dragging the sliders to the right increases the respective component!s level, while dragging to the left decreases the component!s level. Some components may not be selectable based on the hardware being used, and/or the source signal being generated. Clicking the Defaults button returns to the default component levels, as determined by the digitizing hardware!s driver software. The Source control group provides control over the source of the signal and the type of signal being generated. The exact choices available will differ, based on the digitizing hardware being used.
Video Digitizer Buttons The Video Digitizer module provides four commands that may be invoked via the buttons of the Acquire panel. Framing - Opens the Object Framing dialog (Figure 10.4) which allows for aligning the subject to the center of the camera!s frame. The video image updates about once every second, allowing for the adjustment of the camera and/or subject matter, with near instant feedback.
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Figure 10.4 The Object Framing Dialog
The Video… button Invokes the Video Setup dialog allowing for the adjustment of the source signal. If a mechanism module has been selected in the Setup panel, four arrow buttons will appear at the upper right corner of the dialog, as well as the Set and Go buttons in the Home group. The arrow buttons will advance the mechanism in the respective direction. The Set button resets the mechanism!s origin, so that whatever position it is in when Set is clicked, will become the origin, i.e., the 0° position on both the X and Y-axis. The Go button instructs the mechanism to return to its “home” position, i.e., the origin last specified by the Set button. Snapshot - Grabs one frame from the video digitizer and imports it into The VR Worx, without presenting any user interface. It then advances the target frame after acquisition. Interactive - Opens the Interactive Video Digitizer dialog (Figure 10.5) which allows the operator to interactively capture frames from the video digitizer.
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Figure 10.5 The Interactive Video Digitizer Dialog
The dialog is dominated on the left side by a live feed of the video signal from the digitizing hardware. On the right side of the dialog is two groups, Snapshot and Rotation. If a mechanism controller has been specified, a third group, Positioning, will also be present. Besides the two (or three) control groups appearing at the right side of this dialog, two buttons appear at its base. The Input‌ button invokes the Video Setup dialog (see above), allowing for the adjustment of the source signal. When interactive capture is complete, clicking the Done button dismisses this function. The Snapshot group displays two counters and the Capture button. The Taken counter shows how many frames have been captured, since the Interactive Video Digitizer function was invoked. The Remaining counter shows how many frames are left to take, until the remaining views in the frame cylinder (panoramas) or view array (objects) have been acquired. Clicking the Capture button, grabs the frame presently being displayed, and stores it into The VR Worx at the target view, which is then advanced. After capturing a frame, the counters update. If the Remaining counter reaches zero, the dialog will automatically close and return control to The VR Worx.
Note: Pressing the space bar on the keyboard, also captures the current frame.
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Rapid Grab - Pressing this button opens the Rapid Grab dialog window (Figure 10.6) where the number of frames the operator wishes to capture and a delay between each frame capture (in seconds) can be specified. Pressing the OK button invokes the rapid grab function which will proceed to acquire the designated number of images with no assistance. Acquisition begins at the current target frame, which is advanced after each frame. The process may be aborted at any time, by clicking Cancel. Figure 10.6 Rapid Grab Dialog
If the object geometry specifies that multiple rows are to be acquired, the Rapid Grab dialog will display a third field, in which a secondary delay can be introduced between rows.
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Mechanism controller modules exist to position a device (usually an object rig), in conjunction with the advancement of the target frame in the Acquire panel. The geometry of the frame cylinder (panoramas) or view array (objects) is mirrored by the mechanism controller module and, thus, the device is advanced to the same corresponding position in space, as is represented in the Acquire panel. The mechanism controller module to be used is selected in the Setup panel via the Mechanism menu. Upon making a selection, the Setup... button next to the menu becomes enabled. Clicking this button, sends the “Setup” command to the chosen module. This typically results in a dialog being displayed, which provides the operator with control over the default behavior of the device. The exact interface to the “Setup” function will vary, depending upon the mechanism controller module that is chosen.
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The Kaidan™ Universal mechanism controller is designed to control several of the computer driven object rigs available from Kaidan Incorporated. These object rigs are designed to connect to the computer via a serial port, and are instructed by The VR Worx to position themselves in accordance with the object geometry that the operator has specified. Having the software control the object rig greatly facilitates and automates the object creation process. As the name implies, the Kaidan Universal mechanism controller can operate any Kaidan object rig. It accomplishes this by storing profiles, which contain all the settings specific to a particular model object rig. The VR Worx ships with six predefined profiles, one each for the following object rigs: C60, M1501, M2500, MDT-19, MT-84 and TM-400. Additional profiles can be created, either to accommodate a new model object rig or to provide a variation on an existing profile.
Activating and Configuring Kaidan Universal To specify that the Kaidan Universal mechanism controller should be used to operate an object rig, simply choose Kaidan Universal from the Mechanism menu in the Acquire panel of the project document. The Kaidan Universal plug-in is now active. To configure the plug-in after it has been selected, simply click the Setup... button next to the Mechanism menu in the Acquire panel. This invokes the Kaidan Object Rig Setup dialog to appear (Figure 10.7). Figure 10.7 The Kaidan Object Rig Setup Dialog General Panel
The Kaidan Object Rig Setup presents four panels from which to configure various settings which control the object rig. The four panels are summarized below. General - Used to select a profile, add or delete profiles and control
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general behavior, such as user warnings when homing the rig. Interface - This is where the serial port used to communicate with the object rig is specified. Position - The object rig may be “manually” positioned from this panel and the “Home” position may also be specified here. Advanced - The specific control parameters, which define how the object rig will operate, are specified here.
Specifying a Profile Object rig profiles are listed in the Model Number menu in the General panel. Six profiles are available by default, C60, M1501, M2500, MDT-19, MT-84 and TM-400. Note that the last three models listed, MDT-19, MT-84 and TM-400, typically require to be calibrated by the operator, before they can be used. Refer to Calibrating Object Rigs, later in this chapter, for a description of how this is done. Any changes specified in the Kaidan Object Rig Setup dialog get stored in the current profile. To permanently save these changes, simply click OK to accept the dialog. To indicate that a the current profile should be the default profile for all future project documents that activate the Kaidan Universal controller, click the Make Default button at the base of the setup dialog.
Adding a Profile A new profile may be added by choosing Add... from the Model Number menu, in the General panel. The Add New Object Rig Profile dialog appears (Figure 10.8). A name for the profile must be specified in the Object Rig Profile Name field. Figure 10.8 The Add New Object Rig Profile Dialog
The Clone Existing Profile check box, when selected, allows the settings from an existing profile to be copied into the new profile. This is usually a good idea to provide a starting point for the new profile. Otherwise, The VR Worx simply creates an empty profile, for which
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all settings must be defined by the operator.
Removing a Profile To remove an existing profile, choose Remove‌ from the Model Number menu, in the General panel. The Remove Object Rig Profile dialog appears (Figure 10.9). Figure 10.9 The Remove Object Rig Profile Dialog
All existing profiles appear in the list. Selecting a profile name and clicking the Remove button, will delete that profile permanently.
Specifying a Serial Port The serial port, used to communicate with the object rig, is specified in the Interface panel (Figure 10.10), via the Serial Port menu. All available serial ports are listed in this menu, and simply choosing one will activate that port.
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Figure 10.10 The Kaidan Object Rig Setup Dialog Interface Panel
From the Serial Port menu, traditional built-in Modem and Printer ports will be the only options. Select one of these so that communication and compatibility with the devices will occur.
Specifying the “Home” position The “Home” position of the object rig is the origin of movement and corresponds to the 0°, 0° position in the object geometry. It is important that the home position be correctly specified for all subsequent position commands to be correct. When the object rig is first turned on, its initial position is recorded as the home position. This may or may not be desired. Changing the home position of the object rig may be done in the Position panel (Figure 10.11).
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Figure 10.11 The Kaidan Object Rig Setup Dialog Position Panel
In this panel, rotation can be induced via the spinner controls in the Rotation group. If the object rig specified supports two axes of rotation, both the X-Axis and Y-Axis may be controlled. If the object supports only a single axis, i.e., it only has a turntable, the X-Axis will be the only axis selectable. Once the object rig has been rotated to the desired position, clicking the Set button in the Home group will define the current position as the home position. If, at any time during manual rotation, it is desired to return to the home position, clicking Go in the Home group will achieve this.
Calibrating Object Rigs Certain models of Kaidan object rigs require calibration before they may be accurately controlled. To perform this calibration, follow these steps. Step 1 - Choose the object rig model from the Model Number menu in the General control panel. Step 2 - Switch to the Advanced panel In the Steps Per Revolution field for the X-Axis, enter the calibration value that came with the object rig. This value should be part of the accompanying documentation, and/or located on a label affixed to the bottom of the object rig unit. Step 3 - Click OK to record the profile settings.
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Specifying Stabilization Delays The Kaidan Universal mechanism controller can introduce delays after the object rig has been positioned to its designated location. These delays are called stabilization delays, as they offer a period of time when the object rig and/or the object in question can settle, thus eliminating the possibility of incorrect focus or motion blurs being introduced into the captured images. Stabilization delays are specified in the Advanced panel (Figure 10.12). Two Stabilization Delay fields for each the X-Axis and YAxis are available. Stabilization delays are stipulated in seconds. Figure 10.12 The Kaidan Object Rig Setup Dialog Advanced Panel
The X-Axis stabilization delay indicates the amount of time that must elapse, after the turntable has been rotated to its designated position, before control will return to The VR Worx. The Y-Axis stabilization delay indicates the amount of time that must elapse, after the camera arm has been rotated to its designated position.
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The VR Worx implements the host callback interface for Adobe Photoshop “Acquire” modules, thus allowing the use of these modules for acquiring images. Virtually all digital cameras and scanners for the Macintosh are shipped with an “Acquire” module that allows the download/scanning of images directly into Photoshop. Since The VR Worx emulates this interface, such modules may be used to download/scan directly into The VR Worx. To install a Photoshop Acquire module, all the operator needs to do is to drag it into The VR Worx!s “Plug-ins” folder. If Adobe Photoshop is installed, a better method is to make an alias of Photoshop!s own “Plug-ins” folder and drag it into The VR Worx!s “Plug-Ins” folder. The VR Worx resolves the alias upon launching, and will identify any Acquire modules that may be installed in Photoshop!s “Plug-ins” folder. This prevents having to install the same module, in two separate places on the hard drive. Photoshop Acquire modules appear in the Acquire from menu, in the Setup panel of a project document. The VR Worx!s™ own image access modules are listed first, followed by any Photoshop Acquire modules. The two types of modules are separated by a divider. Aside from this, using a Photoshop Acquire module is functionally very similar to using one of The VR Worx!s™ own IMAC modules.
Note: Not all Photoshop Acquire modules may work in The VR Worx. To support Acquire modules, The VR Worx must emulate the Photoshop environment. There are certain facilities that Photoshop provides that The VR Worx doesn!t support. In such cases, an Acquire module usually will report an error. The good news is that most Acquire modules work just fine in The VR Worx.
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Chapter 11 - Built-In Image Editor The VR Worx contains a built-in image editor, which can be invoked at various stages during the panorama and/or object creation process. The built-in image editor provides the means for minor touchups and enhancements to be performed on source images and rendered panoramic images, without the need of using an external application. This image editor is extremely useful for dealing with common flaws in source imagery, including lens flare, inconsistent lighting and unwanted scene elements, such as turntable stands. Invoking the Editor
Source images are opened in the built-in editor within the Acquire panel of both the panorama and object modules. Clicking the Edit button opens the built-in editor with the current target frame!s image. The operator may also double-click the target frame in the frame cylinder (panoramas) or view the array list (objects), to open the respective image using the built-in editor. In the panorama module, the built-in image editor may also be invoked from the Blend panel after a panorama has been rendered or imported. Clicking the Edit button, opens the built-in editor with the entire panoramic image displayed. Images are opened in a separate document window (Figure 11.1) that may be repositioned and resized independently of the project document window. Horizontal and vertical scroll bars allow for the scrolling of the visible portion of the image, if it is larger than the editor!s window.
Figure 11.1 The Built-In Editor Window
Image Editor Interface
Residing at the top of the image editors! window, is a row of icon buttons. This row of icons is called the tool palette. Each icon button activates a different image editing function. A specific image editing tool is activated by clicking its icon in the tool palette. The tools available for editing images are discussed in detail later. These tools are available to create selection regions, render text, choose and change background and foreground colors, as well as to apply touchup colors for pixels of the image. All these functions have fundamental processes and work in the same way as they do in other image
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editing computer applications. Residing at the lower left corner of the image editor!s window are the scale down and scale up icon buttons, respectively. The current scale percentage is displayed next to these icon buttons, as well. When the scale down icon button is clicked, the image size is reduced, and thus more of it becomes visible in the editor!s window. When clicking the scale down button, the operator reduces the image size to as small as 20% of its original size, allowing more of the image to become visible in the editor!s window. Conversely, upon clicking the scale up icon, the image size is increased, allowing for closer examination of the image. The operator can increase the image size up to 3200% of its original size, thus viewing the image at the pixel level. Saving Modified Images
While editing an image, the operator is working on a copy of the original image, as stored in the project document. Any changes made to the image will not take effect until the modified image is saved. Modified images may be saved in two ways. The first is to choose the Save command from the File menu. This saves the changes made to the image into the project document and leaves the image editor window open. Note that this does not save the project document to disk. The Save command is context sensitive, i.e., it performs different functions depending on where it was invoked. If an image editor window is the front most window being displayed, the Save command will save the image back into the project document from where it came. If a project document window is front most, the Save command will save the project document to disk. The second method of saving a modified image is to simply close the window. If changes were made to the image, an alert dialog will appear, asking whether the operator wants to save the changes. The choice of replies are Save, Don!t Save or Cancel. The latter choice returns to the image editor, as if the operator never tried to close the window. Note that the operator may opt not to save the image, thus leaving the original intact. This is useful if they have gone too far with their touch ups, and wish to discard the changes.
Cycling Through Source Images
Often, the operator will find themselves in need of performing minor touchups to many or all of the acquired source images, in their frame cylinder (panoramas) or view array (objects). This requires opening each image, making modifications, saving changes, selecting the next image and opening it, and then repeating the process until all the desired images have been changed. Fortunately, The VR Worx provides a shortcut to simplify this process. It is called image cycling. To cycle through images in the frame cylinder or view array, the operator simply opens the first image which they desire to edit within the image editor. They can make their changes and then Save the modified image back into the project document. Instead of closing the
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window and selecting the next image, they should simply choose Next Image from the Edit menu. This will close the current image, advance to the next image in the frame cylinder or view array, and open it in the image editor. If the operator needs to go back to a previously edited image, choosing Previous Image from the Edit menu will cycle in reverse. If an object project document is being cycled, the order in which source images are cycled is determined by the advance direction, which is set in the Setup panel.
Note: The Save, Next Image and Previous Image commands all have keyboard equivalents (Command-S, Command-] and Command-[ respectively), which makes the process of cycling even simpler. Image Editing Commands
The built-in image editor offers all the commands that a simple painting application would provide. The commands are accessed via the tool palette at the top of the image editor window. To invoke an editing command, simply click on the corresponding command icon in the tool palette. The command icon will be drawn with a dark background to signify that it is currently in effect. The mouse cursor will usually change to match the current command, e.g., the cursor changes to a pencil when the pencil tool is invoked. This feedback only occurs when the cursor passes over the image contained in the editor!s window. Outside the image the cursor will be displayed as a standard arrow. The tools and their function are explained below.
Region Selection Rectangle - Clicking and dragging the mouse selects a rectangular region of the image. Oval - Clicking and dragging the mouse selects an oval region of the image. Lasso - Clicking and dragging the mouse selects an irregular shaped region of the image. Magic Wand - Clicking on a pixel in the image will result in a region being created from all neighboring pixels that are sufficiently similar in color to the pixel that was clicked. Discontinuous regions can be created with the magic wand tool by holding the Shift key down while repeatedly clicking on the image.
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To change what the magic wand considers to be “sufficiently similar,” the operator should double click onthe magic wand icon in the tool palette. This opens the Magic Wand Options dialog (Figure 11.2). Here the operator can specify the tolerance used by the magic wand when matching pixel colors. Figure 11.2 Magic Wand Options Dialog
After a region has been defined, it will be outlined with an animated marquee pattern. A region may be moved by clicking within the selection, and dragging it elsewhere in the image. The four arrow keys on the keyboard may also be used to “nudge” the selection region, one pixel at a time, in the respective direction. Any selection region will work with the standard clipboard editing commands in the Edit menu. A region may be copied to the system clipboard via the Copy command. A duplicate may be pasted back into the image via the Paste command. A selection region may be erased, by using the Clear command. When a region is defined (indicated by the marquee pattern), it is also acting as a constraint for the other editing tools. This means that other tool commands that modify pixels, can only be performed on the pixels that fall within the selected region. For example, if a region is selected and then the brush tool is chosen, only the brush strokes that fall within the selected region will take effect. To “un-define” a region, the operator can select either the Rectangle, Oval or Lasso tools, and click anywhere within the image (but outside the selection region) without dragging the mouse.
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Rendering Text Text - Clicking on the image with this tool, will bring up the Text Selection dialog (Figure 11.3) where a text message can be typed to be rendered into the image. Using the menus at the top of this dialog, the operator may specify the font, size, and style to be applied to the text Clicking the color swatch, at the upper right corner, opens the standard system color picker, which allows for choosing the color to be used when rendering the text. Figure 11.3 Text Selection Dialog
Upon clicking the OK button, the text message is rendered beginning at the insertion point, which is where the mouse was originally clicked. The text message itself, will be selected as a region, allowing for the repositioning of it anywhere on the image.
Choosing Colors Color settings are applied whenever using one of the painting tools discussed in the next section. Color Swatch - To change the color, the operator must click the color swatch square. This opens the system color picker. Eyedropper - If the operator clicks on any pixel in the image, the color of that pixel will be used as the foreground color. If the Option key is held down, prior to clicking, then the selected color becomes the background color.
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Painting Tools There are four tools that provide direct modification of pixels in the image. Eraser - Clicking and dragging erases an area of the image. The current background color is used to erase the pixels. Pencil tool - Clicking and dragging, draws any shaped line on the image. The line is drawn in the current foreground color. Brush - Uses a paint brush pattern to draw fat strokes on the image, using the foreground color. The size and style of the stroke pattern may be selected by double-clicking on the brush icon in the tool palette. This brings up the Brush Selection dialog (Figure 11.4) which presents several brush options. Figure 11.4 Brush Selection Dialog
Paint Bucket - Fills a region of the image with the foreground color. The region is defined by neighboring pixels, whose color is sufficiently similar to the pixel that was originally clicked. To change what the paint bucket considers to be “sufficiently similar,� the operator should double click on the paint bucket icon to bring up the Paint Bucket Options dialog (Figure 11.5). The tolerance used by the paint bucket when matching pixel colors is specified here. Figure 11.5 Paint Bucket Options Dialog
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Touch-Up Tools The following four tools modify existing pixels in special ways, and are unaffected by the current foreground and background color. Smudge - Clicking and dragging this tool over the image will smear adjacent pixels. This works best in unidirectional “strokes� or a circular motion. Lighten - Clicking and dragging this tool will lighten the pixels beneath the cursor. The lightening is not progressive, i.e., once a specific pixel is lightened, it will not be lightened again, until the mouse is released. This works best in a repeated circular motion. To modify the percentage of lightening that occurs, the operator should double-click the lighten icon in the tool palette. This opens the Lighten Tool Options dialog (Figure 11.6) which lets the operator specify the percentage of lightening that occurs when passing over pixels. Figure 11.6 Lighten Tool Options Dialog
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Darken - Clicking and dragging this tool will darken the pixels beneath the cursor. The darkening is not progressive, i.e., once a specific pixel is darkened, it will not be darkened again, until the mouse is released. This works best in a repeated circular motion. To modify the percentage of darkening that occurs, the operator should double-click the darken icon in the tool palette. This opens the Darken Tools Options dialog (Figure 11.7) which lets the operator specify the percentage of darkening that occurs when passing over pixels. Figure 11.7 Darken Tool Options Dialog
Clone - Used to replicate one portion of an image, in another portion of the same image. When this tool is first selected, the rubber stamp cursor will be in record mode. This is readily identified, by the small triangle in the rubber stamp cursor, drawn in white. Clicking on a point in the image defines that point as the reference point. The clone tool will now be in replicate mode, with the triangle on the cursor now drawn in black. When the mouse is clicked and dragging begins, pixels relative to the reference point will be replicated at the new cursor position. This tool is most useful for removing unwanted elements from a scene.
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Chapter 12 - Application Preference Settings The VR Worx provides a suite of preference settings that can be used to customize the environment and significantly enhance the QTVR creation process. The preference settings are accessed by choosing Preferences… from the Application menu. This opens the Preferences dialog. This dialog defines multiple preference setting categories, and displays them in their own group. To select a different group of settings, scroll through the selection list, at the left side of the dialog, and click on the icon that represents the desired preference group. Each icon is labeled by the name of the preference group. The control group, on the right side of the dialog, will update with the settings pertinent to the selected group. After making any desired changes, click the OK button to record those changes. Application Startup Group
This group of preference settings determines the state of The VR Worx, after it is first launched. There are three different methods of starting up that may be specified (Figure 12.1).
Figure 12.1 The Application Startup Preferences
Create a new document - The VR Worx will open a “blank” project document upon which the operator may begin working. Since there are three types of project documents that may be created, the operator will be prompted for which type of document to create. Open a document from disk - The VR Worx issues itself the “File/Open” command after launching, presenting a standard file open dialog to select a project document to load. Start with no document open - The VR Worx does nothing special other than displaying its menu bar, ready for the operator to invoke a command.
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Whenever working with a project, The VR Worx stores all of its intermediate image data and calculations on its scratch disk. When a project is saved, the data from the scratch disk is written to the specified file. Through this preference group, The VR Worx can be instructed regarding where the scratch disk should be located, as well as how this disk should be used (Figure 12.2).
Figure 12.2 The Scratch Disk Preferences
The scratch disk space requirements can be rather high, so a location should be chosen with a fair amount a free disk space. It must also be kept in mind that The VR Worx relies heavily on its scratch disk, so choosing the fastest disk available will enhance The VR Worx!s performance.
Note: The VR Worx will have to be relaunched for new scratch disk settings to take effect. Scratch Disk - If more than one hard drive is connected to the system, the name of each disk volume is displayed in this menu. The operator can change the volume they wish to use by choosing its name from this dialog. Flush Data - This determines at what frequency The VR Worx should flush any cached data to the scratch disk. Decreasing the frequency of cache flushing may hamper performance slightly. Issue warning at - If the operator desires The VR Worx to inform them when the scratch disk space is getting low, this check box should be enabled. In the accompanying text edit field, they can define exactly what “low disk space� means. Expressed in megabytes, when the available disk space falls below this value, The VR Worx will present an alert, informing the operator of the situation.
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Annotations allow the tagging of each generated QTVR movie with textual information describing the movie and who created it. This preference group (Figure 12.3) allows the operator to specify default messages for the Name, Copyright and Description annotation fields. These default messages will be embedded in all QTVR movies created within The VR Worx, unless overridden in a given module!s Preview panel, using the Annotations command.
Figure 12.3 The Annotations Preferences
It is strongly recommended to at least enter a name and copyright notice in the Copyright field, so that all movies created will have this information by default. Annotation Field - This menu displays the three fields for which annotations may be entered, Name, Copyright and Description. Upon choosing a field name, the text edit field below this menu will display the contents of the respective field. These contents may be changed to anything desired.There is a 255 character limitation on the message that is typed.
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When a QTVR movie is exported from the Preview panel of any module, it is saved as a QuickTime movie file that can be opened in any application that can open a QuickTime movie. However, the Macintosh file system supports an additional piece of information called the Creator ID. This is a special ID that lets the operating system know who created the file, and thus what application should be instructed to open the file, if its icon is double-clicked in the Finder. This preference group allows the operator to control which creator ID is used, and hence which application will be launched to display an exported object movie (Figure 12.4).
Figure 12.4 The QTVR Export Preferences
Note: The creator type does not prevent an exported object movie from being displayed in any application. It merely defines the preferred application for displaying the movie. QuickTime Player (“TVOD”) - The default creator type indicates that the QuickTime Player application (which is installed on every Macintosh), is the application that is preferred to display this file. QTVR Player (“vrod”) - This refers to the original QTVR Player application designed to display version 1.0 format movies. With the advent of QuickTime VR 2.0, this application is now obsolete. SimpleText (“ttxt”) - SimpleText is pretty much guaranteed to be present on any Macintosh. While there is no real advantage to specifying SimpleText, it may be useful for creating a “player agnostic” QTVR movie, possibly for web upload. Other - Creator codes are defined by four alphanumeric characters. If the operator wishes to specify the creator ID of another application, choosing Other will enable the text edit field, in which they may type a four character creator code.
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This preference group (Figure 12.5) controls the size and shape of automatically generated hot spots in the Scene module. Automatically generated hot spots are created when drawing a link between nodes. In the Hot Spots panel of the Node Browser, auto-generated hot spots appear in a specific color. Once an auto-generated hot spot has its size, shape or position modified by the operator, it becomes a “manual” hot spot, and has its displayed color changed accordingly. The default colors for auto and manual hot spots can also be changed in this preference group.
Figure 12.5 The Hot Spots Preferences
Shape - Dictates the shape of the hot spot that is automatically generated. Choices are Rectangle, Square, Oval, and Circle. These shapes match the shapes available from the hot spots tool palette, when “drawing” hot spots. Size - This field allows the operator to specify the size of the hot spot, relative to the height of the image in which it is placed. This is specified as a percentage. The width of an auto-generated hot spot will always be half of its height. Color - Both of these swatches display the color that will be used for auto-generated and manual hot spots, respectively. Clicking on the swatch will invoke a color picker dialog, which allows the operator to change the hot spot color, as desired.
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When importing images via the “Import� command, under the file menu, the rotation to be applied to imported images can be specified. This preference group (Figure 12.6) defines the default rotation setting, used when invoking the import command. Of course, the default setting may be overridden by the operator when performing the import.
Figure 12.6 The Image Import Preferences
Note: This rotation setting is also applied when importing images via drag-and-drop. Default Import Rotation - Specifies the desired rotation value. A thumbnail proxy gives a graphic representation of the rotation that will occur by showing a sample image before and after the rotation. Copy image data into projects- This feature, when checked, will copy the data from the images directly into the project. This may not be the best option when dealing with a large number of images or images with large file sizes. If the setting is turned off, it results in an alias to the source image file being created and stored in the project document. Again this results in a much smaller project document size and significantly faster acquisition times. However, this requires that the source image files remain accessible to the program while the project document is being manipulated. If the volume on which the source image files resides is not mounted when the program tries to access the image data, (e.g. the source images are located on a zip disk), the user will be prompted to enter the correct media. If aliases ultimately cannot be resolved, an error will be generated and the program will be unable to proceed.
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NOTE: The default setting for this option is to "Copy image data into projects", but performance is significantly better if this is turned "off". You must turn this setting off in two places to guarantee that external referencing is in effect (the Image Import preferences within the Preference dialog and the Setup function in the Acquire From menu selection). The purpose of this default setting is to keep the program behaving the way it did in previous versions and not to catch anyone off guard, thus preventing a situation where a user who upgraded the program acquires some images from a digital camera then throws them away, thinking they are copied into the project. That user wouldn't be very happy when he finds out he's permanently lost his source media.
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Image Editor
Figure 12.7 The Image Editor Preferences
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Allows user to specify if an external image editor should be used by default or a built-in editor (Figure 12.7). This is relevant in the Panoramic Acquire and Blend panels and the Object Acquire panel.
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Chapter 13 - QTVR Tips & Tricks Finding A Camera!s Nodal Point
The panorama module employs a technique for stitching images together that is highly dependent upon source images that were captured by rotating a camera about its nodal point. The nodal point of a camera is the exact point within the lens where the image inverts. It is not equivalent to the film plane. Failure to rotate the camera about its nodal point results in a phenomenon known as parallax. To understand parallax and the effect it can have on the panoramas, a simple experiment can be conducted. The photographer should begin by holding the index finger of their left and right hands in front of their face. They should then place their right finger about 10 inches from their face, and the left one at arms length. Next, they should close one eye and align their hands, so the right finger obscures the left. Now they should turn their head from right-toleft. As they do so, they will see the left finger move from left-to-right, along with their head. This occurs because they are not rotating their head about their eye!s nodal point, but instead about their neck, which is significantly behind their eye!s nodal point. A camera is no different from the photographer!s eye. Failing to rotate a camera about its nodal point will result in physical differences between adjacent images, as background objects are obscured by foreground objects, in one image, but not in another. This is known as parallax, and it is impossible to accurately stitch a series of images which are subject to parallax. The solution to this problem is to ensure a camera is rotated about its nodal point. Unfortunately, this is not very easy to accomplish. Simply mounting a camera to a standard tripod will not work, since the camera will be rotated about its mounting hole, which is likely to be the cameras center of gravity, not its nodal point. Fortunately there are special pan heads from companies such as Kaidan and Peace River Studios, which are designed to mount a camera to a tripod in such a manner that it is rotated about its nodal point. These pan heads are adjustable so that they can accommodate a wide range of cameras and lenses, each of which will have different nodal points. The catch is that the operator has to first find the cameras nodal point. The process for finding a camera!s nodal point is very similar to the “finger experiment� performed earlier. There are two axes that must be adjusted before a camera!s mounting position can be considered nodal. The first axis, which shall be referred to as the X-axis, is easy to determine. While facing the front of the camera, loosen the pan head!s adjustment screw so the camera can be slid from left-to-right. Once done, slide the camera so that the lens appears centered above the center of the rotation of the pan head. Once in position, tighten the pan head!s adjusting bolt so the camera cannot slide any more. Most quality pan-heads will have markings on them so that the X-axis position can be recorded. If this is the case, the current position should
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be recorded for later reference, in case the photographer ever needs to break down the pan head or mount a different camera. The next axis to be adjusted, the Y-Axis, concerns the front-to-back position of the camera. It is in this step that the nodal point of the camera needs to be positioned precisely over the rotation point of the pan head. Unfortunately, since most camera!s do not have their nodal point marked, the nodal point must be determined through observation. First the photographer must find two objects that will assume the role of their fingers, in the finger experiment performed earlier. Telephone or light poles perform the role nicely, but virtually any pair of near and distant objects will do. Begin by loosening the pan head adjusting screw so that the camera can slide front-to-back. Next aim the camera at the object pair, and position it, so that the near object obscures the distant object. Now, rotate the pan head from the left-to-right and observe the behavior of the distant object. The process is to slide the camera front-to-back, until the distant object is always obscured by the near object. When this occurs, the nodal point has been found! Tighten the pan head adjusting screw and record its position, as was done for the X-axis. The above technique only works if the photographer has an SLR camera or a digital camera with an LCD viewfinder. Cameras with separate viewfinders present a problem, since the viewfinder is offset slightly from the lens. Employing the above technique, will find the nodal point of the viewfinder, not the lens. If such is the case, the photographer will actually have to take a pair of photographs, for several different positions of the camera, and evaluate the developed images. In such instances, finding the X-axis is exactly the same, since the photographer is visually aligning the lens over the rotation point. When finding the Y-axis position, the photographer will have to establish a range of movement for the camera and test several positions within that range. Establishing a range of movement is pretty simple since the nodal point will lay somewhere between the front of the lens and the film plane of the camera. Determine what this range is and record the positions on the pan head, so that the range is not exceeded. Then position the camera at the front of the range, and aim it at the pair of objects. Take a picture, and rotate the pan head to its next stop position, and take another picture. Then slide the camera back slightly, within its range, and repeat the process, by taking another pair of images. For each pair of images the pan head!s position needs to be recorded for later reference. The photographer may also want to place some indication of the pan head!s position (such as a white-board with the current position written on it), within the field of view of the camera, so that the position is physically recorded with the picture. This is a precaution, in the unlikely instance that the developed images do not match the order, in which they were taken. Repeat this until the entire range of positions has been traversed. Once the final set of images has been taken, they must be evaluated by analyzing the relative position of the foreground and background objects. This is necessary since it is unlikely that the camera was
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aligned perfectly, causing the near object to obscure the distant object. Choose the set of images, where the relative position of the two objects does not change. Use the recorded position for this pair to adjust the pan head. The nodal point has now been found!
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Choosing The Right Codec
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The options available when selecting a codec are a function of the codec and not a function of The VR Worx. When in the codec selector window, The VR Worx simply tells QuickTime to choose the “best depth.” The codec then displays what it considers to be the best depth. Some codecs do not even offer a choice of depths. Generally it is best not to change whatever depth the codec considers “best.” Any changes made to the codec type, depth or quality settings, are recorded by The VR Worx software and blindly passed on to QuickTime, when it comes time to compress images. The codec quality setting, also, is a function of each codec and not The VR Worx. Some codecs are lossless, and thus have no choice other than “best.” Lossy codecs typically offer a range of quality settings, though not necessarily. Generally, quality is a tradeoff between image fidelity and file size, and is where the most control over resultant QTVR movies file size lies. The codecs listed in the codec selector are all the codecs installed on the system. This typically just represents the default set provided by QuickTime, but third-party codecs are possible. Many of the listed codecs are inappropriate. Generally, QTVR is limited to four choices. Cinepak - Low on the quality scale and definitely larger in file size than other options, this codec decompresses faster than anything else, thus being the best choice when consideration is being made for slow playback hardware. Also, if playback is performed on a preQuickTime 3.0 equipped machine, the operator has little choice, as other codecs will yield unpredictable results (movies also have to be exported in QTVR 1.0 format for these older systems). Video - Sometimes a viable option for object movies, especially when being played on slower machines or pre-QuickTime 3.0 machines. Much higher fidelity than Cinepak, but much larger file sizes to match. Not really an appropriate option for panoramas, in any situation. Photo-JPEG - Good on quality, file size and performance. Slower machines (<120 MHz Pentium or <100 MHz PowerPC) may be a bit jumpy when playing back, so reverting to Cinepak may be necessary. Images have a large amount of artifacts and “harsh” edges at lower quality settings. Photo-JPEG/25% yields very good file sizes for the web (panoramas or objects). Sorenson - Only available to QuickTime 3.0 (and later) equipped systems, it provides excellent image quality and small file size, at the expense of requiring the most horsepower to playback. This infers using 200-300 MHz systems or better. It will achieve better image quality and produce dramatically smaller file sizes than JPEG, at higher quality settings. Again, Sorenson/25% is typical for web, but the operator may be able to drop to an even lower quality than that and still produce an acceptable image.
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If the source images are coming from computer generated art, the Graphics codec may also be an option. It is only suitable when the image has many pure, solid colors.
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Determining the Field-OfView of a Lens
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Without knowing the field-of-view of a camera!s lens, it is extremely difficult to achieve good quality stitches from source images. For this reason, it is very important to know the field-of-view, with a relative degree of certainty. If using a 35 mm film camera to take the source pictures, the field-ofview is relatively simple to attain. The field-of-view of a lens is determined by its focal length. This specification is widely advertised for 35 mm film cameras. The first and most logical place to look for the focal length specification for a lens, is on the lens itself. It is usually stamped or printed on the front of the lens, and appears as a number expressed in millimeters (mm). It is typical to have focal lengths in the range of 28 - 50 mm. Only higher-end cameras with interchangeable lenses will offer focal lengths wider than 28 mm (the shorter the focal length, the wider the field-of-view). If using a digital camera or a non-35 mm film camera, the focal length may be just as easy to attain. However, verify that the focal length advertised for such cameras is a “35 mm equivalent” focal length. The VR Worx assumes a 35 mm image size when calculating the field-ofview from a lens!s focal length. With digital cameras and non-35 mm film cameras, the image size is usually smaller, and thus specifying the true focal length for the cameras lens, would lead to erroneous results. Luckily most camera manufacturers display the focal length of their lenses as a 35 mm equivalent. For instance, the Kodak® DC220 digital camera has printed on its lens “F.4.0 - 4.7 29 - 58 mm (Equiv.).” In this case, 4 mm is the actual (wide angle) focal length but 29 mm is the (wide angle) focal length, equivalent to a 35 mm film camera. It is the equivalent focal length that must be specified in the panorama module!s Setup panel. If attempts to find a camera!s focal length by inspecting the lens and reviewing the accompanying documentation fails, the following techniques may be employed to determine the actual field-of-view.
Method 1 - Check the Stationery Templates The VR Worx ships with stationery templates for over 40 different models of cameras. Check the list and see whether the camera in question is among them. To do this, choose Open... from the File menu and navigate to your “Stationery Templates” folder. The list of available templates appears. If the camera model is listed, opening its corresponding file displays a template with the correct settings for the camera preprogrammed.
Method 2 - Compare Two Pictures If a stationery template for the camera in question does not exist, an
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analysis of images will have to be made. Set the camera and pan head up to shoot a panorama. Only take the first two pictures in the node sweep. The left picture will be referred to as Image 1, and the right picture as Image 2. With the photographs developed (or downloaded in the case of digital cameras), measure the width of a photograph. The units of measure are unimportant as long as the measurements are consistent. Once the width of the images is known, locate a prominent feature that is visible in both pictures. Measure the distance from the right edge of Image 1 to the prominent feature. This distance will be called Offset 1. Now measure the distance from the right edge of Image 2 to the same prominent feature. Call this distance Offset 2 (Figure 13.1). Now plug the measurements into the following formula. % Overlap = ((Offset1 + Offset2) ÷ (Image Width)) x 100 Figure 13.1 Analyzing two adjacent images to determine the fieldof-view
Now, have The VR Worx figure out the rest. In the Setup panel, supply all the known information, such as 360° Node Sweep, Max Frame count (according to pan head setting) and the image dimensions matching the digitized photo!s pixel dimensions. Next, enter 90° in the FOV field. The % overlap is calculated based on all the supplied parameters. If the number displayed is greater than the % overlap calculated in the above formula, reduce the value of FOV by 5°. If the % overlap is less than the calculated overlap, increase the FOV by 5°. Repeat these steps until an FOV value is found that matches the calculated overlap.
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Archiving Panorama Projects
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When saving a project document from the panorama module, all the source images, as well as the rendered panoramic image (the result of stitching and blending), are saved in this document. Depending on the size of the images involved, this can require a large amount of disk space. Frequently, once the panoramic image has been blended and the operator is satisfied with it, there is not a need to ever re-stitch again, and hence the source images stored in the project document are no longer needed. They are simply wasting space. To overcome this, the source imagery can be eliminated by “archiving” the project. To do this, the operator should perform the following steps: 1. Blend the panorama fully. 2. Switch back to the Setup panel and change the Source Format to Single Panorama. 3. A warning appears indicating that source images will be lost. Click OK. The source images will then be removed and the Acquire and Stitch panels are dimmed. The Blend panel is still available, however, and switching to it reveals the blended panorama intact. The project now behaves as if the panorama were generated in another application and imported into the panorama module, as a “flat” panoramic image. Saving the project document at this point, will result in a significantly smaller file size, and thus more efficient disk usage.
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Increasing Stitch Accuracy
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When stitching a series of images in the Stitch panel of the panorama module, The VR Worx evaluates the imagery, and sets up several internal values, which are subsequently used to transform and correlate the source images. This is true whether or not automatic or manual correction is chosen. In the later case, this analysis is only performed the first time that the series of images is stitched. This phase of the stitching process is indicated on the progress dialog, by the message Analyzing Imagesâ&#x20AC;Ś. During this phase, The VR Worx is only analyzing the first few images in the panorama, and is assuming that the results of this analysis are valid for the rest of the panorama. This is usually the case, but will not always be. Panoramas that vary greatly in subject matter as the view is panned, such as a beach front vista or the corner of a room, can have their stitch quality greatly increased, by strategically choosing the first set of images that the software will analyze. For example, start by examining a panorama taken of the view from the deck of a beach front property, which looks over the ocean. The series of images that look towards the ocean do not have much detail and contrasting objects, which the software can key on during correlation. However, the series of views that face the structures on the beach front, provide plenty of detail and contrast. In this case, it would be most desirable if the initial images analyzed by the software, were those of the structures, not those looking towards the ocean. As another example, examine a panorama of an interior room. The tripod is placed towards one end of the room, right next to a wall. The wall itself is plain and featureless, but the rest of the room provides plenty of detail. Here, the initial images should not be of the wall, but of the feature-filled room. To specify which image should be analyzed first, the operator should select the desired image in the Acquire panel, by clicking on its thumbnail. The Make Origin command from the Edit menu should then be chosen. The frame cylinder is then rotated, so that the origin frame is displayed at the top of the cylinder. The software will now analyze this image first, the next time a stitch operation is performed.
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Animating Inanimate Objects
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Most object movies are of a physical object that has been placed on a turntable and rotated, while multiple pictures are taken and captured as views of the object. The end result is an object that can be manipulated by the viewer, and observed from multiple angles, as if the viewer were actually manipulating the object in their hands. With this traditional view of objects being dominant, it is easy to overlook many other potential uses of object movies that do not exactly fit this model. One natural application of object movies is for time-lapse photography. This involves capturing a subject or scene at multiple points in time. Of course this is only interesting if the subject matter actually changes its state over time. As an example, a camera could be set up to capture a sequence of images of a rocket blasting into orbit. The series of images would begin with the rocket sitting on the pad, then the engines igniting, and finally with the rocket lifting into the air. The final object movie would be composed of a single column, with multiple rows, each row representing the rocket in a different state. The end result would be an object movie, which initially shows the rocket on the pad. The viewer could then click and drag the mouse up, to make the rocket lift off! Another nontraditional application of object movies is to capture panoramic views of a scene. In such instances, it may seem natural to create multiple panoramas and link them together in a scene, using the scene module. This may often be the case, but sometimes the photographer is concerned with capturing a single vantage point from multiple points of view. As an example, consider a sports stadium with many seating sections. The photographer is primarily concerned with the view from each seating section, and that view solely concentrated on the playing area. A panorama from each section is somewhat wasteful. Taking the object approach, the photographer could capture a single image from the center of each seating section. The object would be created as a single row (or multiple row if the stadium has multiple decks), with multiple columns, one for each section. The result would be an object movie, with an initial view of the playing area. As the viewer drags the mouse from left to right, the view advances to the next section, as if they were actually moving into the next section.
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Adding Text to Panoramas and Objects
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Many instances exist where it may be desirable to add text to panoramas and object movies. At the very least, the operator may wish to add their copyright notice to the base of the QTVR movie. They may also wish to label portions of a scene, or specific points of detail, within an object. This is easily accomplished by invoking the built-in image editor and applying the text tool. Any string of text can be added to an image, using any installed font and a variety of type styles and point sizes. To add text to object movies, the original images must be edited. This is performed from the Acquire panel. Simply select the acquired view of the object to be edited and click the Edit button. If the image needs to be exported instead, select it first and choose Export... from the File menu. Once the exported file has been modified, it can be brought back into The VR Worx, via Import from the File menu. Adding text to a panorama is basically the same process, except the image will need to be edited/exported after it has been blended. This is performed from the Blend panel. The panoramic image can also be exported/imported from here. If text is added to a panorama using this method, the operator must keep in mind that they are adding text to a “flat” version of the panorama. This image will subsequently be warped when played back using the QTVR movie controller. Thus, text that appears nice and straight when added to the panorama, will appear warped and curved when in the final movie. One way around this problem, is to use a product called PanoTouch™, available from Adessosoft™. PanoTouch is a Photoshop plug-in that allows the operator to edit “flat” panoramas in Photoshop, as if they were editing the final QTVR movie. Thus, text (and/or other modifications), will appear to the viewer, as they are intended.
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Repurposing Media
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When QTVR media is generated, be it a panorama, object or scene, it often needs to be delivered over multiple mediums. For example, a series of panoramas linked together in a scene for a real estate presentation, may be distributed on a CD-ROM, as well as on a world-wide-web site. In such cases, the CD-ROM version will typically be fairly high in quality, while the web version will be lower quality, to preserve bandwidth. Aside from the quality, there is, otherwise, no difference between the two versions of the media. When multiple versions of the same media are generated at different quality settings, such as this, it is called “repurposing” the media. The VR Worx has a powerful capability for repurposing media, the scene module. When composing scenes, the final stage of the process allows for recompression of the source media. The operator has independent control over the recompression of panoramas, objects, stills and linear movies, which may be a part of the scene. The scene module also has the capability of composing single node “scenes,” which in essence, transforms this module into a node filter of sorts, taking as input a single QTVR media node, and outputting a transformed version of the original. When recompression is specified, each image frame in the source media is rendered internally at the highest possible resolution. The internal rendering is then recompressed, according to the new settings, and stored in the final QTVR movie. To achieve the best possible results, it is best to keep the source image quality as high as possible. This prevents significant image degradation that occurs when recompressing compressed imagery. The basic concept of repurposing media, be it panorama or objects, is to create the original media, with as high of a quality setting as possible, add it to a scene, and rely on the scene modules ability, to recompress the media to create the final product. For example, a panorama may be created in the panorama module, and composed using no compression. The result is the highest possible image fidelity, but an unmanageable file size. This QTVR movie is added to a scene as a node. The scene is then composed, with recompression for panoramas setup to use the Sorenson codec at a 90% quality setting. This results in a high quality panorama, with a fairly large file size, but significantly smaller than the original panorama, which had no compression. The scene can then be recomposed, this time with a Sorenson/25% setting. The resultant QTVR movie is lower in quality, but significantly smaller in size. The advantage to employing this technique is that it eliminates the need to recompose the panorama in the panorama module, for each version of the QTVR media that needs to be produced. The time savings compounds itself when multiple media files are involved, such as a multi-node scene.
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Dialing-in a Camera/Lens Combination
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The panorama module is designed to deal with a wide variety of camera and lens combinations when processing a series of images. A critical step in image processing involves warping each image in such a way that adjacent images can be aligned, or stitched together. The process is relatively simple, provided the imagery is perfect and conforms to the theoretical optimal characteristics. Unfortunately, it is an imperfect world, and source imagery is rarely optimal. Several factors, not the least of which is lens distortion, can contribute to imperfect imagery, thus resulting in imperfect panoramic renderings. The VR Worx is designed to accommodate a certain degree of imperfection when stitching a series of images. It first attempts to find the true vertical field-of-view of the lens being used. It then attempts to identify and correct distortions introduced by the lens. The result is usually quite acceptable; however, it likely can be improved by applying a certain degree of manual corrections. Luckily, performing these manual corrections is not difficult, provided the operator understands how each correction setting works, and what flaws they are intended to correct. Once all manual corrections have been performed, the settings may be saved in a stationery template. Since most of the correction settings are intended to correct physical flaws introduced by a lens, and these physical flaws will exist in exactly the same way for all images taken with that lens, the stationery template can be used for all panoramas in the future. This bypasses the need to manually correct each panorama generated and speeds up the composition because the automatic correction process is bypassed. Performing the steps necessary to create a stationery template containing manual correction settings is known as “dialing in” a camera lens. This is highly recommended for all users of The VR Worx, whether casual or professional. The following steps define the process of dialing in a camera lens.
Step 1 - Ensure “Nodal” Imagery The dial-in process will fail miserably if the imagery is not “nodal,” i.e., the camera was not rotated about its nodal point, when the images were taken. To locate the nodal point, refer to the Finding a Camera!s Nodal Point tip earlier in this chapter.
Step 2 - Setup and Acquire Images Normally This step involves setting up the project based on the camera and image characteristics. The source images will then be fully acquired, allowing access to the Stitch panel.
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Step 3 - Stitch the Images Normally Ensure that Auto correction is enabled, and click the Build button. It is important to do this, to allow The VR Worx to identify and calculate the settings that will be the basis for manual correction. When stitching is complete, enable the Manual correction mode.
Step 4 - Identify and Correct Vertical Projection Flaws Each image is projected outward vertically at its middle. The degree of projection increases at the top and bottom of the image. If the source imagery is rectilinear, it is unlikely that this adjustment will need to be made. However, if a wide angle adapter, instead of a true wide angle lens, were used, adjustments to vertical projection may be necessary. There are basically two problems that can be present, too much or too little vertical projection. Too much vertical projection can be identified by “scalloping” that appears along horizontal lines in the imagery. The top or bottom of walls or fences are excellent subjects that will clearly exhibit scalloping, if the vertical projection is too great. Figure 13.2 exhibits scalloping along the ceiling-line of a room. Notice how the ceiling-line appears to arc in each frame. In this case, the V-Adj value needs to decreased until the ceiling-line appears smooth and contiguous. This example is somewhat extreme, thus the value should be reduced by typing negative values into the V-Adj. field, starting with 5° increments and reducing it to 1° as the desired result nears. Figure 13.2 An example of too much V-Adj
The second vertical adjustment problem is too little projection. In this case, an “angular corner” appearance will be present along horizontal lines in the imagery. In Figure 13.3, notice how the ceiling-line appears flat and seems to create an angular corner or joint at the edge of each image. In this case, the V-Adj. value needs to be increased, to increase the vertical projection applied to each image. As in the above example, where the projection needed to be decreased, values should be typed into the V-Adj. field in 5° then 1° increments. In this case, however, positive values should be supplied, until the ceilingline appears smooth and contiguous.
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Figure 13.3 An example of not enough V-Adj
While the vertical projection value is being adjusted, it may be very helpful to periodically re-stitch the images. This can be accomplished by simply clicking the Build button while in the Stitch panel. Verify that Manual correction is still in effect when this is done, or the manual adjustment settings will be lost.
Step 5 - Identify and Correct Spherical Distortion All lenses introduce distortion at their edges, which is a result of light passing through the curved glass from which the lens is made. Some lenses exhibit more distortion than others. Such distortion is easily identified by observing vertical lines in the imagery, such as the sides of buildings or door frames. These lines will appear to bow outward the closer they are to the sides of the image. Such distortion is much more obvious when a wide-angle adapter was used instead of a true wide-angle lens. However, this distortion exists to a certain degree in all lenses, and thus, spherical correction is likely necessary in all imagery. The process of correcting spherical distortion is known as rectification of the imagery. The VR Worx provides control over the rectification of images through the H-Adj. setting. Increasing this value compensates for a greater degree of bowing. Unlike vertical projection, it is almost never the case that too much horizontal correction is performed. It is usually just right or too little. Figure 13.4 shows the result of stitching images that exhibit a fair amount of spherical distortion. Note that the window frame stitches correctly at the middle, but bows outward at the top and bottom. In this case, applying a H-Adj. value of 8% rectifies the images enough that the correctly stitched image in appears Figure 13.5.
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Figure 13.4 An example of barrel distortion. Note the “ghosting” at the bottom of the window frame.
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Figure 13.5 An example of corrected barrel distortion. Note the less “ghosting” at the bottom of the window frame.
Throughout the course or adjusting the H-Adj. value, the width of each image at its middle is changing and thus the result of correlation also must change. The VR Worx will automatically try to compensate for changes in width, however, the only true method of compensation is to re-stitch the panorama. This can be accomplished by simply clicking the Build button. Establish that manual correction is still in effect when this is done or the manual adjustment settings will be lost. Frequently re-stitching while making changes to the H-Adj. setting is highly recommended.
Step 6 - Save the Dialed-In Settings Once the correct degree of V-Adj. and H-Adj. has been defined, it is time to save the settings as a stationery template. This is done by choosing Save as... from the File menu. In the file save dialog, ensure that the stationery template file type is selected. Give the file a significant name, and save it in a handy location, preferably the Stationery Templates folder that is local to the application. To use the settings in the future, begin the panorama composition process by first opening the stationery template. This can be done by double clicking its icon or by choosing Open... from the File menu. More information on creating and opening stationery templates is discussed in Chapter 3.
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Chapter 14 - Menus File Menu
The File menu has an option to Export panoramas. Within the Export sub-menu, plug-ins can be added that will appear in this menu for use. With the shipping version of VR Worx, the PTViewer Java Exp plugin is included. Below is the PTViewer setup dialog (Figure 14.1):
Figure 14.1 PTViewer Java Exporter Setup Window
Utilities Menu
This menu is used to invoke utility class functions that aren't necessarily a part of any specific module. The menu options and descriptions are as follows: Transition Generator - The VR Worx creates a folder named "Utilities", which is local to the application. Files placed in this folder will be visible in the Utilities menu. Choosing their name from the Utilities menu will launch them. Any file, folder, application, etc. placed in the "Utilities" folder will appear in the menu. The Utilities menu simply acts as a convenient launcher. QuickTime VR related utilities (or aliases to them) could all be handily placed in the "Utilities" folder (~/Library/Application Support/VR Worx/Utilities), making the VR Worx the central tool for VR authoring.
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Recompose Project from Movie... - Launches an Open File dialog so that a project may be selected for recomposition. It takes a final QTVR movie (generated by any tool) and “picks it apart”, creating a VR Worx project document, which allows additional editing. Lens Tuner - Launches the Lens Tuner Utility window where images can be selected and then manipulated so that the selected lens will be corrected from any distortion. Using the Lens Tuner is an easier and better way to create lens presets. See the Correct Barrel Distortion and Rectify Fish-eye sections for a better understanding of the controls found on this window.
Scripts Menu
The Scripts menu functions similar to the Utilities menu in that any script stored in the "Scripts" folder will appear in this menu. Choosing an item from this menu will invoke the corresponding script. You typically place AppleScripts in the "Scripts" folder. Scripts are targeted toward facilitating the creation of movies, which are constructed with elements that are tailored to desired web playback characteristics. These web-savvy Scripts can include Image size, playback window size, web-oriented codecs, and file size. AppleScripts™ will be used to automate and simplify the optimization process. Users can create their own Scripts that employ their favorite setup for web based movies.
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Chapter 15 - Tutorials
Tutorial 1 - Creating a Full Panorama This tutorial explains how to: • Create a project document • Setup the input parameters based on the source imagery and camera type • Acquire the source images • Stitch and blend a panoramic image • Resize the playback window • Specify an initial view • Export a QTVR panoramic movie
Step 1 - Create a Project Document Launch The VR Worx application. If the program is already running, choose New from the File menu. When the document selector dialog appears, click on the Panorama radio button and choose OK. A blank panorama project document window will appear (Figure 15.1). Figure 15.1 A new project document for a panorama
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Step 2 - Specify Input Parameters and Camera Type When the panorama for this tutorial was photographed, 16 pictures were taken in a full 360° circle. The images reside on disk, as ordinary image files. A 20 mm lens was used to provide a reasonably wide field of view. This information needs to be entered into the program. 1. Keep the default Acquire From setting as Image File. 2. Change the Max Frames setting to 16, which matches the number of pictures that were taken. 3. Type 20 into the Lens Params: Length field, thus specifying a 20 mm lens. 4. Keep the default Image Size setting at “Auto”.
Step 3 - Acquire the Source Images With all the input parameters specified, click on the Acquire folder tab at the top of the project document window (Figure 15.2). The source images will now be acquired by performing the following steps: Figure 15.2 The Acquire Panel is where source images are loaded
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1. Click the command button labeled Multiple. A window similar to Figure 15.3 appears. 2. If necessary, navigate to the path â&#x20AC;&#x153;/Tutorials/P1.Full/Source Imagesâ&#x20AC;? on the VR Worx CD. A list of image files will appear. Click on the first image file. 3. Choose the desired files. Multiple files may be selected by either shift-selecting (holding down the shift key to acquire a range of files) or command-selecting (holding down the command key to acquire specific files). 4. Click the Select button. Figure 15.3 Acquisition of image files
The images are now being imported into the project. This process is called acquisition. During acquisition, a thumbnail for each image appears in the frame cylinder, as it is loaded. Each image is scaled and rotated, if necessary, during this process.
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Step 4 - Stitch the Source Images With all the frames acquired, click on the folder tab labeled Stitch. This displays the Stitch panel (Figure 15.4). Invoke the stitching process, by clicking the Build command button at the upper left of the window. When completed, the results are displayed as a series of overlapping frames. Figure 15.4 The Stitch Panel
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Step 5 - Blend the Panorama With stitching complete, click on the folder tab labeled Blend, at the top of the project window. This displays the Blend panel (Figure 15.5). The next step is to blend the stitched images together into a single, seamless image. This is done by clicking the Build button. When completed, a seamless panoramic image will be displayed. Figure 15.5 The Blend Panel
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Step 6 - Compose the Panorama The final step in the composition process is to compress the panoramic image into the QTVR format. Click the Compose tab at the top of the window. This displays the Compose panel (Figure 15.6). A variety of different compression options may be specified and applied at this stage. For this tutorial, the default settings will be used. Click the Build button to build the movie. When composition is complete, advance to the next step by clicking the Preview folder tab. Figure 15.6 The Compose Panel
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Step 7 - Set Preview Options & Export the QTVR Movie The Preview panel allows interaction with the composed movie. Click and drag the mouse on the QTVR image to see how the view of the scene changes. Dragging side-to-side is a process known as panning. Dragging up-and-down is known as tilting the view. 1. Outdoor panoramas, such as this, are better viewed in a wider window. Choose the Resize button and type 400 in the Width edit field within the Movie Box Dimensions Window. Press the OK key to accept the new value. The movie box for the panorama will change, showing a wider field-of-view. 2. Pan and tilt until the desired initial view of the panorama appears. Click the Set button that appears under Initial in the Constraints group of the window. This specifies that the current view of the panorama will be the initial view, when the movie is first opened. 3. Choose Export... from the File menu. Navigate the hard disk and find the desired location for the QTVR movie. Name it anything desired. It is recommended that the name conforms to the QuickTime standard by ending it with “.mov.” For this example, type in the name “First Node.mov,” and save it in a convenient location, such as the desktop or the “My Documents” folder. If the exported file is double-clicked from the Finder, the MoviePlayer application will launch and display the QTVR panorama. This completes the composition of a full QTVR panorama.
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Tutorial 2 - Creating a Partial Panorama This tutorial explains how to: • Specify input settings for a 180° panorama • Selectively acquire source images • Apply a filter to a panorama • Specify custom compression settings • Save a stationery template
Step 1 - Create a Project Document Launch The VR Worx application. If the program is already running, choose New from the File menu. When the document selector dialog appears, click on the Panorama radio button and choose OK. A blank panorama project document window (Figure 15.7) will appear. Figure 15.7 A new project document for a partial panorama
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Step 2 - Specify the Input Parameters When the panorama was originally photographed, 9 pictures were taken in a 180째 arc. To specify a partial panorama, perform the following: 1. Keep the default Acquire from setting as Image File. 2. Change the Max Frames setting to 16. It is important that this setting matches the maximum possible pictures, based on the detent setting of the pan head. Even if only 9 pictures were taken, the pan head was set for 16 positions per 360째 of revolution, and thus, that is the value specified. 3. Change the Node Sweep setting to 180째. This indicates that only half of the maximum 16 possible images will be processed. 4. Type 20 into the Lens Params: Length field, thus specifying a 20 mm lens. 5. Keep the default Image Size setting at 512 x 768.
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Step 3 - Acquire the Source Images With all the input parameters specified, click on the Acquire folder tab at the top of the project document window. Perform the following: 1. Click the button labeled Multiple. The following window (Figure 15.8) appears. Figure 15.8 Acquisition of image files
2. If necessary, navigate to the path “/Tutorials/P2 Partial/Source Images” on the VR Worx CD. A list of image files will appear. 3. The images now need to be selectively chosen. Click once on an image to select it. This image represents the starting point of the 180° panorama. 4. Choose the desired files. Multiple files may be selected by either shift-selecting (holding down the shift key to acquire a range of files) or command-selecting (holding down the command key to acquire specific files). 5. When all files have been selected, click the Select button to begin the acquisition process.
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Step 4 - Stitch the Source Images With all the frames acquired, click on the folder tab labeled Stitch. This displays the Stitch panel. Invoke the stitching process by clicking the Build button at the upper left of the window. When completed, the results are displayed as a series of overlapping frames (Figure 15.9). Figure 15.9 TheStitch Panel
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Step 5 - Specify a Filter With stitching complete, click on the folder tab labeled Blend at the top of the project window. This displays the Blend panel. The VR Worx has the ability to apply any QuickTime single source effect as a filter to the panoramic image. Filters are frequently used to enhance the visual quality of the rendered panorama. To specify a filter to be applied while blending the panorama, perform the following; 1. Click the Filters button and then the â&#x20AC;&#x153;plusâ&#x20AC;? sign to add a new filter. 2. From the Select Effect dialog, select Adjustments and then select HSL Balance from the list on the left. The following options appear (Figure 15.10). Figure 15.10 Selecting a filter effect
3. Move the Saturation slider to the 150 setting. 4. Click OK. The HSL Balance effect has been specified and added to the filter list. More than one filter may be specified. Filters are applied in the order that they appear in the list.
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Step 6 - Blend the Panorama The next step is to blend the stitched images together into a single, seamless image. This is done by clicking the Build button. When completed, a seamless panoramic image, with filters applied, will be displayed (Figure 15.11). Figure 15.11 The Blend Panel
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Step 7 - Compose the Panorama Click the Compose tab at the top of the window. This displays the Compose panel (Figure 15.12). Figure 15.12 The Compose Panel
The final step in the composition process is to compress the panoramic image into the QTVR format. Before doing so, however, the compression settings, used to reduce the file size of the QTVR movie, will be adjusted. To change compression settings, perform the following: 1. Click the Set button that appears next to Codec in the Compression group. The Compression Settings dialog appears. 2. From the menu, choose Sorenson Video. 3. From the Quality slider, choose Low. 4. Click OK. The compressor/decompressor, or codec, that will be applied to the image data has been modified. For a detailed discussion of the various codecs available, refer to Chapter 13, QTVR Tips & Tricks. Click the Build command button to build the movie. When composition is complete, advance to the next step by clicking the Preview folder tab.
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Step 8 - Set Playback Options & Export the QTVR Movie Any desired options, such as preview size and initial view, as performed in Step 7 of Tutorial #1, may now be applied. The final QTVR movie may also be exported (as done in the same step), at this time.
Step 9 - Create a Stationery Template When processing panoramas, the same settings are frequently applied to build the final movie. The VR Worx provides a mechanism, whereby any custom settings may be preserved, so that they do not have to be respecified each time a panorama is created. In this tutorial, the custom settings that were specified include the image count, node sweep, lens size, filter settings, compression method, compression quality, as well as any other options specified in the Preview panel. All of these settings can be saved in a special document called a stationery template, which can be used as a starting point for future projects. To create a stationery template, perform the following: 1. Choose Save asâ&#x20AC;Ś, from the File menu. 2. Click the stationery template icon in the lower portion of the dialog. 3. Type in a name for the stationery template. Use â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Partial Pano.ptxâ&#x20AC;? for this example. The project document has now been saved as a stationery template, and may be used as a starting point for future projects. This completes the composition of a partial QTVR panorama.
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Tutorial 3 - Creating a Customized Panorama with Hot Spots This tutorial explains how to: • Open a project document from a stationery template • Edit the panoramic image • Create a URL hot spot
Step 1 - Open a Project Document from a Stationery Template To perform this step, a stationery template must have been created from the previous tutorial. If this was not done, go back and perform the steps in Tutorial 2, and be sure to save the stationery template file. Perform the following steps: 1. Ensure that The VR Worx is running. If it is, close all project windows presently displayed. 2. Choose Open... from the File menu. 3. Locate and select the file name “A Partial Pano,” which was created in Tutorial #2. Click the Open button. A project window now appears, ready to begin work. All the settings that were specified in Tutorial #2 have been retained, including node sweep, frame count, lens size and image size. None of these settings need to be modified for this tutorial.
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Step 2 - Edit the Panorama The steps performed to edit the panorama are different depending on which platform the program is running. There is a built-in image editor which can be used to touch up panoramas. If the operator desires to edit the panorama using a more powerful tool, Adobe Photoshop may be used. In the Blend panel, click the Edit button. The built in image editor is opened, displaying the rendered panoramic image (Figure 15.13). Figure 15.13 The Built In Image Editor
A simple task will now be performed. A text message will be drawn on top of the panoramic image. To do this, perform the following: 1. Select the Text tool from the tool palette, by clicking on it once. 2. The cursor changes into an I-beam as it passes over the image. Click the I-beam cursor anywhere on the image. 3. Type the message “QTVR is cool!” in the large edit field of the text selection dialog. Change the font size to 36 and the style to Bold, via the menus, at the top of this dialog. Click the OK button. 4. The text message appears at the point in the panorama where the mouse was initially clicked. The text is now selected, via the animated marquee. As the cursor is passed over the animated selection, it changes to a hand. This allows the text to be dragged anywhere within the image. When the message is positioned in the desired location, click anywhere outside the animated selection to deselect the text. 5. Close the image editor by clicking the close-box at the upper left of the window. When prompted to save the image, click Save. The changes are now stored in the rendered panoramic image. The modified panorama will now be imported back into The VR Worx. Begin by activating the application by choosing The VR Worx from. Now choose Import from the File menu. The open file dialog appears. Locate the “Exported Panorama.bmp” file, and select it. Then click Open. After a brief pause, the edited panorama appears in the Blend panel, ready to be composed into a QTVR movie!
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Step 6 - Create a URL Hot Spot With the panorama edited, click on the Hot Spots folder tab. This displays the Hot Spots panel (Figure 15.14). Figure 15.14 The Built In Image Editor
The following steps explain how to create a URL hot spot: 1. Choose the rectangle tool by clicking on the rectangle icon in the tool palette. 2. Draw a rectangle hot spot by clicking and dragging the cursor over the text message â&#x20AC;&#x153;QTVR is Coolâ&#x20AC;?. 3. The hot spot position and size can be fine tuned by dragging it from its center or by dragging one of its four handles. 4. With the hot spot correctly sized and positioned, open the Hot Spot Properties dialog by clicking the Properties icon or double-clicking the hot spot. 5. Change the Kind selection to URL. 6. Click on the URL folder tab at the top of the Hot Spots Properties dialog. 7. A new URL may be specified in the URL edit field, or the default VR Toolbox URL may be retained. 8. Click the OK button. A URL hot spot has now been added to the panorama.
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Step 7 - Compress the Panorama The final step in the composition process is to compress the panoramic image into the QTVR format. Click the Compose tab at the top of the window. This displays the Compose panel. Since this project was opened from a stationery template, the Sorenson codec will already be selected. Leave these settings alone, or change them if desired. Click the Build button to build the movie. When composition is complete, advance to the next step, by clicking the Preview folder tab.
Step 8 - Set Playback Options & Export the QTVR Movie Any desired options, such as preview size and initial view, as performed in Step 8 of Tutorial #2, may now be applied. The final QTVR movie may also be exported (as done in the same step), at this time. If the mouse cursor is passed over the text â&#x20AC;&#x153;QTVR is Cool!â&#x20AC;? the cursor will change to a finger pointing to a globe. This indicates the presence of a URL hot spot. Clicking this hot spot will launch the default web browser and automatically load the specified page. The panorama with a URL hot spot tutorial is now complete.
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Tutorial 4 - Creating a Single Row Object This tutorial explains how to: • Specify input settings for a 1 x 18 object • Acquire the Source Images • Enable view animation • Specify the initial view • Export a QTVR object movie
Step 1 - Create a Project Document Launch The VR Worx application. If the program is already running, choose New from the File menu. When the document selector dialog appears, click on the Object radio button and choose OK. A blank object project document window will appear (Figure 15.15). Figure 15.15 A new Object project document
The project defaults to a single row, 1 x 36 object. To specify a 1 x 18 object, choose 18 from the Columns menu in the Horizontal Settings group.
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Step 2 - Acquire the Source Images All the input parameters for a simple 1 x 18 object are now specified. Click on the Acquire folder tab at the top of the project document window (Figure 15.16). Figure 15.16 Acquisition of images
When the input parameters were specified, the Acquire From setting was left at its default, which is Image File. This indicates that the Image File plug-in will be used to load images from disk. To acquire the source images, perform the following steps: 1. Click the button labeled Multiple. 2. If necessary, navigate to the path “/Tutorials/O1 Single/Source Images” on the VR Worx CD. A list of image files will appear. Click on the first image file, “Image.01.jpg”. 3. Choose the desired 18 files. Multiple files may be selected by either shift-selecting (holding down the shift key to acquire a range of files) or command-selecting (holding down the command key to acquire specific files). 4. When all files have been selected, click the Select button to begin the acquisition process. The images are now being imported. This process is called acquisition. Notice that a thumbnail for each image appears in the view array list as it is loaded. Note also, the hilighted cell and how it advances ahead of each image acquired. This is the target view in the view array list. Acquisition always occurs at the target view.
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Step 3 - Compose the Object With the acquisition of source images out of the way, click the Compose tab at the top of the window. This displays the Compose panel (Figure 15.17). Figure 15.17 The Compose Panel
Click the Compress button to build the movie. When composition is complete, advance to the next step, by clicking the Preview folder tab.
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Step 4 - Set Playback Options & Export the QTVR Movie The Preview panel allows interaction with the created movie. Click and drag the cursor on the QTVR image, and see how the view of the object changes. See Figure 15.18 for the Preview panel. Figure 15.18 The Preview Panel
1. Rotate the object until a view is reached that is desired to appear when the object is first displayed. Now click the Set button that appears in the Initial View group of the window. The current view of the object has been set to be the initial view when the movie is first opened. 2. Click the Animation button on the left side of the window in the Properties group. The following dialog appears (Figure 15.19).
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Figure 15.19 The Animation Settings Dialog
This dialog controls many aspects of frame or view animation. In the View Animation group, click the Enabled check box, and then move the slider 2 “notches” to the right. Click the OK button to accept the changes. Notice how the object is now rotating. This is called view animation, since QTVR is cycling through all views of the object. This technique is useful for presenting a dynamic view of the object when it is first opened. The viewer can stop the animation by clicking on the object and interacting with it. 3. Click the Export button. Navigate the hard disk to find the desired location for the QTVR movie. It can be named anything desired, but it is standard to verify that the file ends with “.mov.” For this example, type in the name “First Object.mov” then click Save. This creates a QTVR movie file named “First Object.mov.” If this file is double-clicked, the MoviePlayer application will launch and display the QTVR object. The single-row QuickTime VR object is now complete!
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Tutorial 5 - Creating a Multi-Row Object This tutorial explains how to: • Specify input settings for a 12 x 36 object • Enlarge the visible view array • Specify custom compression settings • Create a stationery template
Step 1 - Create a Project Document Launch The VR Worx application. If the program is already running, choose New from the File menu. When the document selector dialog appears, click on the Object radio button and choose OK. A blank object project document window will appear (Figure 15.23). Figure 15.23 A new project document, ready to build an object
The project defaults to a single row, 1 x 36 object. The desired size to specify is 12 rows with a 110° sweep, representing a spacing between rows of 10°. To do this, perform the following steps: 1. Select 12 from the Rows menu in the Vertical Settings group. 2. In the same group, select Custom from the Sweep menu. Type 110 in the edit field and click OK. 3. Type 20 into the Centered at text edit field. This centers the vertical sweep 20° above the object!s equator.
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Step 2 - Acquire the Source Images All the input parameters for the 12 x 36 object are now specified. Click on the Acquire folder tab at the top of the project document window. At the top of this panel, a disclosure triangle sits next to the group labeled Mechanism. Click this triangle to collapse the mechanism controller and expand the view array list. This allows a larger portion of the view array list to be seen. The source images for the 12 x 36 object must now be acquired. 1. Click the button labeled Multiple. 2. If necessary, navigate to the path “/Tutorials/O2 Multiple/Source Images” on the VR Worx CD. A list of image files will appear. Click on the first image file, “Image.01.01.jpg”. 3. Choose the desired 432 files. Multiple files may be selected by either shiftselecting (holding down the shift key to acquire a range of files) or commandselecting (holding down the command key to acquire specific files). 4. When all files have been selected, click the Select button to begin the acquisition process. The images are now being imported (Figure 15.21). Figure 15.21 The Acquire Panel during Acquisition
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Step 3 - Compress the Object With all the source images acquired, click the Compose tab at the top of the project window. When dealing with a large number of source images, as in this tutorial, it may be desirable to compress each image more than usual, to result in a smaller QTVR movie file size. To accomplish this, follow these steps: 1. Click the Set button next to Codec to bring up the Compression Settings dialog. 2. From the main menu, choose PhotoJPEG. 3. Move the Quality slider to the 25% (low) point. 4. Click OK. Now the QTVR object may be built, by clicking the Compress command button.
Note: Since 432 views of the object need to be compressed, this process may take quite some time.
Step 4 - Set Playback Options & Export the QTVR Movie Any desired playback options may be specified such as view animation and initial view, as was done in Step 4 of Tutorial #4. The QTVR movie should be exported as was performed in the same step. Give it the name “Big Object.mov” and save it to the desktop or the “My Documents” folder.
Step 5 - Create a Stationery Template If there is a need to process 12 x 36 objects frequently, it would be helpful to preserve all the custom settings so that they do not have to be re-specified each time an object is created. The VR Worx can create a stationery template, an, otherwise, empty project document that retains all the custom settings. To create a stationery template, perform the following: 1. Choose Save as…, from the File menu. 2. Click the stationery template icon in the lower portion of the dialog. 3. Use “A 12 x 36 Object.otx” for this example when typing in the name. The project document has now been saved as a stationery template, and may be used as a starting point for future projects. This completes the composition of a multi-row object.
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Tutorial 6 - Creating an Object with Hot Spots This tutorial explains how to: • Create hot spots, and add them to multiple views • Save a project document, containing all settings and source images
Step 1 - Create a Project Document Launch The VR Worx application. If the program is already running, choose New from the File menu. When the document selector dialog appears, click on the Object radio button and choose OK. A blank object project document window will appear.
Step 2 - Acquire the Source Images Since the default settings specify a 1 x 36 object, and this is what is desired, there is no need to make any modifications to the settings in the Setup panel. Proceed directly to the Acquire panel to acquire the source images. The source images for the 1 x 36 object must now be acquired. 1. Click the button labeled Multiple. 2. If necessary, navigate to the path “/Tutorials/O3.Hot Spots/Source Images” on the VR Worx CD. A list of image files will appear. Click on the first image file, “Image.01.01.jpg”. 3. Choose the desired 36 files. Multiple files may be selected by either shiftselecting (holding down the shift key to acquire a range of files) or commandselecting (holding down the command key to acquire specific files). 4. When all files have been selected, click the Select button to begin the acquisition process.
Step 3 - Create the Hot Spots With all the images acquired, it is now time to define hot spots for the object. Click the Hot Spots folder tab to open the Hot Spots panel. To create hot spots, perform the following steps: 1. Using the arrow icon buttons in the View group at the lower left corner of the window, rotate the view until the desired hot spot location is obtained. 2. Select the polygon tool from the hot spot tool palette. 3. Draw a polygon around the desired location on the image. Double click the last vertex to close the polygon.
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4. Double click the hot spot object to modify its properties.
Step 4 - Compress the Object With all the hot spots defined, click the Compose tab at the top of the project window. Here the custom compression settings may be specified, as performed in step 3 of Tutorial #4. Click the Compress button to generate the QTVR object movie.
Step 5 - Set Playback Option & Export the QTVR Movie Any desired preview options may be specified, such as view animation and initial view, as done in Step 4 of Tutorial #4. The QTVR movie should be exported, as performed in the same step. Give it the name “Hot Spots.mov,” and save it to the desktop. If the file “Hot Spots.mov” is double-clicked, the object opens in the Movie Player application. Rotate the object until the desired location comes into view. Pass the cursor over the respective hot spot location. Notice that the mouse cursor changes, and the name of the hot spot appears in the controller portion of the window.
Note: Hot spots are only supported in the version 2.0 QTVR file format. Exporting a movie to 1.0 format, will lose all hot spot definitions.
Step 6 - Save the Project Document To save the project document and all its contents, simply choose Save from the File menu, and give the project a name and location. This saves all project settings, acquired images, hot spot definitions and even the generated QTVR movie. This project document may be opened in the future to perform additional work on the object. This completes the composition of an object with hot spots.
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Tutorial 7 - Building a Simple Scene This tutorial explains how to: • Setup a scene • Specify a background image template • Place two nodes in the scene • Link the two nodes together • Compose the QuickTime VR multi-node scene
Step 1 - Setup a Scene Launch The VR Worx application. If the program is already running, choose New from the File menu. When the document selector dialog appears, click on the Scene radio button and choose OK. A blank scene project document window will appear (Figure 15.22). Figure 15.22 A new project document, ready to build a scene
It is in the Setup Panel that information is specified about the scene being created. For this lesson, only two settings will be modified, relying on the defaults for all other settings. 1. Change the name of the scene to a name depicting the scene. 2. Disable the Node Grid, by un-checking the “Node Grid” check box.
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Step 2 - Specify a Background Image Template A background image template is simply a graphics drawing that can be used as a guide for placing nodes in the scene. For instance, if a scene of a house were being composed, it may be desirable to use a floor plan of the house as a guide for where to place the nodes. The scene module provides the ability to design custom background templates, using the built in drawing tools. Alternatively, the operator can import a more complex image, created in another program (or scanned using a flatbed scanner). To create a background template, click on the Background folder tab which activates the Background panel. If so inclined, the drawing tools may be used to create a simple template. For this lesson, however, a simple template has been provided, as an image file. To add it to the background, perform the following: 1. Click the Add… button in the Actions button group. 2. Use the standard file selection dialog to locate the file named “Background Map.pct” located in “VR Worx CD:Tutorials:SI.Scene:Media” folder. 3. Click Open. After the “Background Map” file has been selected, an image will appear in the Background panel. This image may be repositioned by clicking and dragging it to the desired position. It may be necessary to enlarge the window to see the entire image. The image has now been placed to be used as a background template. It is important to note that the background template is merely a guide for placing nodes. It will not appear in the final QuickTime VR scene.
Step 3 - Place Two Nodes in the Scene To place nodes in the scene, the Nodes panel must be activated by clicking the Nodes folder tab. Notice that the background template in the Nodes Panel may not be moved or modified in any way. Nodes will be placed on top of this image. To place the first node, perform the following steps: 1. Click the Add… button in the Actions button group. 2. Use the standard file selection dialog to select the file named “Floor.mov” located in the “Media” folder of this tutorial. 3. The new node is added to the scene and is represented by an icon. 4. Position this icon, by clicking and dragging it, until it is in the desired location on the
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background template. To place the second node, perform the following steps: 1. Click the Add… button in the Actions button group. 2. Use the standard file selection dialog to select the file named “Entrance.mov” located in the “Media” folder of this tutorial. 3. The new node is added to the scene and is represented by an icon. 4. Position this icon, by clicking and dragging it, until it is in the desired location on the background template. The two nodes have now been placed into this scene.
Step 4 - Link the Two Nodes Together With the two nodes correctly placed, the next step is to link them together. The process of linking will create Hot Spots that, when clicked on by the viewer, will switch from one node to another. This presents the effect of “walking” through a scene. Creating links is accomplished by using one of the link tools available in the Tools palette. For this lesson a bidirectional link between the two nodes will be created. To do this, perform the following steps: 1. Click on the bidirectional link tool in the Tools button group. 2. Use the mouse to click on the node named “Floor.” 3. Hold the mouse button down and drag the cursor to the node named “Entrance.” As the drag is occurring, a line is being drawn from “Floor” to the current cursor position. 4. With the “Entrance” node hilighted, release the mouse button. A line with arrows at each end is drawn between these nodes. The two nodes are now linked together. The hot spots associated with this link have been automatically created.
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Step 5 - Compose the QuickTime VR Multi-node Scene With the nodes placed and the links defined, proceed to the Compose panel by clicking on the Compose tab. For this lesson, the default settings for composition will be used. Thus, immediately induce the composition process by clicking the Compose button in the Actions button group. A progress dialog appears, showing the progress of the scene composition. When it is complete, proceed to the Preview panel by clicking on the Preview folder tab. The final QuickTime VR Scene is displayed at the center of the window. Interaction with the movie is possible by clicking and dragging on it, or using one of the controller buttons. A particularly useful controller button is the Show Hot Spots button. By double-clicking this button, all hot spots in the node will be hilighted in blue and will remain hilighted as the movie is panned, tilted and zoomed. This allows the hot spots that were created when the two nodes were linked together, to be quickly identified. Clicking on a hot spot will trigger a transition to the next node. The QuickTime VR multi-node scene has now been successfully generated. It is recommended to proceed to the following tutorial lessons, to learn how to improve the scene.
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Glossary animation setting - A value that specifies characteristics of an object node while it is playing an animation. For example, one animation setting determines whether an object node animation is looped. anti-aliasing - The smoothing of jagged edges on a display, shaped by modifying the transparencies of individual pixels along the shape!s edge. cinepak - A method of image data compression. codec - An acronym that stands for compressor/decompressor, an algorithm or specialized computer program that reduces the number of bytes consumed by large files and programs. Compression works by eliminating redundancies in data. color depth - Indicates the number of bits per pixel used to store color information. compression quality - Refers to the perceptive quality of an image after it has been compressed. Lower quality usually results in smaller files. controller bar - A rectangular region associated with a QuickTime VR movie that displays the movie!s controls. controller bar key - A key that, when pressed, activates a control in the controller bar. For example, the translation key is a controller bar key. control setting - A value that specifies whether an object can wrap during panning and tilting, as well as other features of the node. correct - To undo the cylindrical (or other) projection of a panoramic image, so that it appears as it was originally captured or rendered. Also called warp. correction mode - The type of warping correction to be applied, when imaging a panoramic view. current node - The node in a scene that is currently being viewed on the screen. cylindrical projection - A method of projecting a panorama onto the surface of a cylinder. default node - The node in a scene that is displayed when the scene is first opened. degree - An angular unit equal to 1/360 of a complete circle. Indicated by the sign 째. destination node - The node to which a link hot spot is linked. detent stops - Positions within a panoramic pan-head where rotation clicks to a stop. dicing - The process of transforming a panoramic image into individual frames in a panorama image track. field of view - The horizontal or vertical angular expanse, visible through a camera. focal length - The distance from a lens to the focal point of the image projected by the lens. Usually expressed in millimeters, smaller focal lengths result in wider fields-of-view. frame animation - An animation through all frames of a particular view. full panorama - A 360째 panorama.
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go-back button - A button in the controller bar for panoramas that allows the user to return to the previous node. horizontal field of view - The horizontal angular expanse, visible through a camera. horizontal spacing - The amount of rotation, expressed in degrees, that occurs between columns in an object or in source images in a panorama. hot spot - An area in a QuickTime VR movie that permits user interaction. hot spot display button - A button in the controller bar that allows the user to highlight the visible hot spots. hot spot ID - An unsigned long integer that uniquely identifies a hot spot. hysteresis - The distance, in pixels, from the location of a mouse-down event, to the limit in which the cursor is considered not to have moved. imaging mode - A mode or state of a panoramic node that determines the type of drawing that is to be performed for the node. imaging property - A property of a node that determines a drawing characteristic for that node (such as the image quality). interaction property - A property of a QuickTime VR movie, whose value determines a specific mode of user interaction. label display area - An area in the controller bar, in which information can be displayed. For instance, when the cursor is over one of the buttons, the button!s name appears in the label display area. link - A connection between two nodes in a QuickTime VR movie. link hot spot - A hot spot that allows a user to navigate from one node in a scene to another. lossless compression - A compression scheme that preserves all the original data. low-resolution image track - A video track that contains a diced low resolution version of a panoramic image. mouse-click time out - The number of ticks after which a mouse click times out and is automatically switched from a hot spot selection, into a pan. mouse-motion scale - A value that indicates the number of degrees or radians that an object or panorama is panned or tilted when the cursor is dragged the entire width of the VR movie image. movie - A set of time-based data that is managed by the Movie Toolbox. A QuickTime movie may contain sound, video, animation, laboratory results, financial data, or a combination of any of these types of time-based data. A QuickTime movie contains one or more tracks; each track represents a single data stream in the movie. movie image - The image currently displayed in a QuickTime VR movie. multi node movie - A QuickTime VR movie that includes more than one node. navigable object - An object movie node, within a scene. node - A position in a scene at which an object or a panorama is viewed.
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node ID - An unsigned long integer that uniquely identifies a node in a movie. object - The real or synthetic object that is captured photographically or rendered, by computer, to create an object node. object image array - A two-dimensional array of images that represent all possible views of an object. overlap - The area of a source image, expressed as a percentage, which is also visible in an immediately adjacent object. palindrome looping - A type of looping in which the frames in a view duration are played forward, then backward, then forward, and so on. pan - To move a camera or point of view horizontally. pan angle - The angle of pan. Pan angles are measured in radians or degrees, where positive values pan to the left. panorama - The real or synthetic expanse that is captured photographically or rendered, by computer, to create a panoramic node. panorama view - A single set of values for the field of view, pan angle, and tilt angle for a panoramic node. panoramic image - A cylindrical band of blended photographed or rendered images. partial panorama - A panorama that is less than 360째. QuickTime - A part of the system software for Macintosh and other computers that an application can use to control time-based data, such as video or audio data. QuickTime movie - A set of time-based data that can be displayed and manipulated using QuickTime. QuickTime VR - An extension of the QuickTime technology, developed by Apple Computer, Inc. that allows users to interactively explore and examine photo realistic, threedimensional virtual worlds. QuickTime VR file format - The format of the movie files that contain QuickTime VR movies. QuickTime VR Manager - The part of the system software for Macintosh and other computers, that an application can use to control QuickTime VR movies. QuickTime VR movie - A collection of object and panoramic nodes. QuickTime VR movie controller - The movie controller component that manages QuickTime VR movies. scene - (1) A site or location at which a photographer want to make a QuickTime VR movie. (2) A collection of one or more nodes. single-node movie - A QuickTime VR movie that includes just one node. spatial compression - Image compression that is performed in the context of a single frame. This compression technique takes advantage of redundancy in the image, to reduce the amount of data, that is required to accurately represent the image.
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speaker button - A button in the controller bar that allows the user to adjust the sound volume. target frame - The currently hilighted thumbnail view in the frame cylinder or view area of the Acquire panel. temporal compression - Image compression that is performed between frames in a sequence. This compression technique takes advantage of redundancy between adjacent frames in a sequence, to reduce the amount of data that is required to accurately represent each frame in the sequence. Sequences that have been temporally compressed typically contain key frames at regular intervals. thumbnail view - A miniature representation of a graphic image. tile array - The order and quantity of segments into which a flat panoramic image is divided when compression occurs. tilt - To move a camera or point of view vertically. tilt angle - The angle of tilt. Tilt angles are measured in radians or degrees, where positive values tilt up. tilting speed - The relative speed of panning and tilting. This speed should be from 1 (the slowest speed) through 10 (the fastest speed); the default panning and tilting speed is 5. transition - The movement between two items in a movie, such as from one view in a node to another view in the same node, or from one node to another. translate - To reposition an object by changing the current view center. translate mode button - A button in the controller bar that allows the user to enable or disable translate mode. Uniform Resource Locator (URL) - An address of a page on the World Wide Web. URL hot spot - A hot spot that is associated with a URL. vertical field of view - The vertical angular expanse, visible through a camera. view - Indicates a single, static state of an object movie. view animation - An animation through all views in the current row of a particular object. view array - See object image array. view center - The pixel in the image of a view that appears at the center of an object!s bounding box. viewing constraint - A limit on the current viewing characteristics (pan angle, tilt angle, or field of view) for a panorama or object. A constraint is imposed at run time and must always lie in the node!s viewing limits. view state - A state that selects an alternate set of images for an object!s views. For instance, holding down the mouse button might change an object from one view state to another, causing a different set of images to be displayed. virtual reality (VR) - The experience of exploring and interacting with a spatial environment, using a computer. virtual world - A spatial environment that can be explored and interacted with using a
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computer. zoom - To enlarge or reduce the magnification of an image, while maintaining the current point of interest. zoom-in button - A button in the controller bar that allows the user to zoom in. zooming speed - The relative speed of zooming in and out. This speed should be from 1 (the slowest speed) through 10 (the fastest speed); the default zooming speed is 5. zoom-out button - A button in the controller bar that allows the user to zoom out.
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QTVR Resources and Links Adobe Magazine http://www.adobe.com/motion/main.html Apple Computer http://www.apple.com Canon Cameras http://www.usa.canon.com/ Channel 360 http://www.channel360.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc? Digital Imaging Magazine http://www.digitalimagingmag.com/ digitalFOTO Magazine http://www.digitalfoto.com/ EDGE (Eastern Developers Group Enclave) http://www.xtb.com/ Electrifier http://www.electrifierpro.com/ IQTVRA (International QuickTime VR Association) http://www.iqtvra.org/ Kaidan Immersive Imaging Technology http://www.kaidan.com/ Kodak Cameras http://www.kodak.com/US/en/digital/cameras/ The Little QuickTime Page http://www.judyandrobert.com/quicktime/ Macworld Magazine http://www.macworld.com/ MacAddict Magazine http://www.macaddict.com/magazine/ Maximum PC Magazine http://www.maximumpc.com/ Nikon Cameras http://www.nikonusa.com/ Olympus Cameras http://www.olympusamerica.com/ Panoscan http://www.panoscan.com/
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Peace River Studios http://www.peaceriverstudios.com/ QuickTime Authoring http://www.apple.com/quicktime/ Ricoh Cameras http://www.ricohzone.com/ Sacred Worlds http://www.vrview.com/sacredworlds/ Squamish Media Group http://www.smgvr.com/ Sony Cameras http://www.sonystyle.com/ Terran Interactive http://www.discreet.com/ TotallyHip http://www.totallyhip.com/ WGBH (Pyramids of Giza in QTVR) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/khufuenter.html
All company, product and web-related trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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