Photographic 3D: Panoramic VR Worlds

A technology report on bitmapped VR tools and techniques

Panoramic VR vistas can be created with a number of different techniques, including manually stitching together conventional photos, shooting "360 degree" omni-view photos with a special camera, or rendering a photo-realistic bitmap in a 3D program. Of course, it is also possible to combine these techniques. Below are some links and products of interest to photo VR authors.

Photo VR Products:

• Apple QuickTime VR
• Black Diamond / Microsoft Surround Video
• Be Here Camera, PanImage and iVideo
• Caligari TrueSpace 3 and 4.x
• Corel Photo Paint
• Infinite Pictures SmoothMove
• IPIX and IPIX Movies
• LivePicture/MGI Photovista
• MetaCreations/Corel Bryce 3D (can create QTVR panoramas)
• Metastream
• Panamation Nodester and Widgetizer (Mac only)
• PixAround
• RealSpace Inc. RealVR Traveller
• VRML2
• Other programs

QuickTime VR
Apple's QTVR 2.0 Browser Plug-in
QuickTime, available for both Windows and Mac, includes a QTVR web browser plug-in. With it, you can view streaming QTVR content. QuickTime 5, due in mid-2000, will enhance QuickTime VR playback functions by providing unlimited spherical views of virtual-reality scenes.

QuickTime VR is scriptable, using tools available from Apple and third parties, to provide embedded sounds, pictures and 3D objects in QTVR movies.

Creative Mac has a "58-Second Tutorial" on generating a QuickTime VR Movie in LightWave 6.

Creative Mac also notes that VR Toolbox shipped an updated version of VR Worx at Macworld Expo in July, 2000, delivering integrated tools for QuickTime VR creation.

The main problem with QuickTime VR is the fact that it requires both a QuickTime VR plug-in (848K) and the QuickTime software itself (At minimum, QT is another 6.8 MB or so). Without these components, the page is simply blank. Complicating the issue is the fact that Microsoft's Media Player and the QuickTime players for most Linux systems support some QuickTime files, but not QuickTime VR. Therefore, QuickTime VR movies may download to the users' systems without warnings or error messages, but will display incorrectly. Thus, QTVR is best recommended for Mac-based viewing. Apple's QTVR website provides links to additional tutorials and information.

Corel Photo-Paint, noted below, can also create QTVR panoramas.

Is section of an article at MacDailyNews entitled ".Mac member's QTVR webpage a hidden gem," Hans Inge Hagen writes: "There are a lot of different tools for making great QTVRs. [...] I believe that Apple Quick Time VR Studio is still the greatest tool for making VRs fast, good and easy. AQTVRS [www.kaidan.com] are the grandfather of these tools. And the oldest knows best, right? I hope that Apple will take up the development and make a OSX version of the great tool. I keep using the 1.01 in classic mode till that happens. I have also discovered a set of "new" tools (for me) that will enhance the experience. Of course, the "SAVR"-tools by Squamish Media Group are good (in classic as well). The VRHotwire tools (see the demo at www.harlands.com) and I find a great potential in the new "eZediaQTI" by eZedia (interactive QT authoring tool).

Hans adds: "For people how like to make the QTVRs the way I have done it here, take time to see the tutorial I have made:

http://homepage.mac.com/hansingehagen/.Movies/makingQTVR600.mov

No sound at this moment.

Use Quick Time Player -> Open URL in New Player."

Panamation
Panimation has two tools of interest to Mac VR developers. Nodester is a Macintosh-only tool for creating photo-realistic panoramas based on Apple's QuickTime VR standard. Widgetizer is a tool designed for QuickTime VR object movie generation.

See our QuickTime 4 review for more info on Apple's QuickTime technology.

Corel Photo Paint
Creates QuickTime VR panoramas. Details at www.corel.com  

SmoothMove
Company: Infinite Pictures (www.smoothmove.com); contact: info@smoothmove.com,  800-990-2449 (sales only) or 503-221-2449. 33 NW First Ave, Portland, OR 97209.
Product: SmoothMove
Description: Photo panoramas with hotspots, zoom, pan, roll features. Requires plugin. A trial version of the company's US$99 panorama authoring software is available. The TrueClips disc sent to registered TrueSpace 3.0 owners contains the SmoothMove plugin and a 21-day trial version of the authoring tool, along with instructions on how to use TrueSpace to create "virtual panoramas." We had no trouble installing or using SmoothMove. Recommended.

Smoothmove is also capable of creating video-based immersive or multi-view movies. These files can contain hot spots, launching secondary vierws, information dialogs, tool tips and other links. The company's website provides samples and details.

PhotoVista
Company: By Live Picture Inc. (www.livepicture.com); now marketed by iseemedia Inc. Demo gallery at www.vista-point.com
Product: PhotoVista and RealVR
Description: PhotoVista is an authoring tool that creates panoramas based on the FlashPix format. RealSpace (Formerly known as RealVR Traveler) allows panoramas with embedded VRML2 objects, however, we found the company's implementation of  VRML 2 to be troublesome. Basically, almost none of our existing VRML files worked, although we had good success in building and viewing basic panoramas. Neither the Java version nor either of the two the plug-in versions we tried worked well in our tests when we used Internet Explorer 4.0, either. We also had problems with the prerelease version of "Reality Studio" we tested -- and the screensaver supplied with RealSpace locked our system up. Yikes. Not recommended, although we haven't yet had a chance to try the latest version. Versions for Windows and Mac are available.

Update: The software was subsequently sold to MGI, which was acquired by Roxio. It is now owned by iseemedia Inc.

See also:
MacNN: Photovista Panorama 3.0 gains OS X support [June 10, 2003]

Surround Video
From: Black Diamond. http://www.bdiamond.com/ (not in service?)
Description: This is the technology used by Microsoft for its CarPoint system. If you are using Internet Explorer, you can view Surround Video images by simply accessing one (see the Portfolios section), and the ActiveX component is automatically downloaded and installed. No restarting or fiddling is required --  it all happens "on the fly." Surround Video can have hot spots   and can have audio narration. A right click in the video window brings up a list of hot spots -- nice!  Scripting examples on the Black Diamond Portfolios pages show how it is possible to define multi-lingual hot spot text or control the navigation with an on-screen "Remote control," too. We had no problems with Surround Video, other than reaching the company's website. Recommended.

VRML2
VRML2 (aka VRML 97) is a language not a program. It stands for Virtual Reality Modeling Language. A number of companies, most notably ParallelGraphics (www.parallelgraphics.com) produce tools that can also be used to create Web-viewable 3D models and/or Photo VR vistas, as many authors have demonstrated. Virtually all major 3D graphics packages (3D Studio MAX, LightWave 3D, Maya, TrueSpace, Carrara, etc.) can also output VRML files.

Even more than some of the other technologies listed here, however, problems can occur depending on which plugin the user chooses to view the scene with -- a situation exacerbated by the fact that Netscape has discontinued its once-dominant Live3D VRML viewer, and the Intervista viewer Microsoft has shipped since the release of Internet Explorer 4.0 is, ahem, not especially good at displaying scenes in the way that they are depicted in SGI's (now defunct) Cosmo Player or ParallelGraphics' Cortona Viewer. For this reason, we do not recommend VRML2 panoramas. Overall, Surround Video and QuickTime VR are probably the best choices for most panoramic applications. If, however, you elect to use VRML, we recommend the ParallelGraphics authoring tools and viewer.

The company, on July 20, 2000, announced that it will deliver what it characterizes as a complete 3D software suite at SIGGRAPH 2000, held July 23 - 28 in New Orleans, LA. Here are the details, excerpted from the press release:

ParallelGraphics today unveils a complete suite of innovative software solutions for the Web3D market with the introduction of Internet Model
Optimser (IMO), a first generation CAD optimiser, and Cortona Jet, a cross platform Java applet for viewing VRML scenes. These new tools complement ParallelGraphics existing range of software products.

ParallelGraphics, a world leader in the field of Web3D technologies, will showcase IMO and its comprehensive range of applications and cross platform browsers - Cortona Jet, and pre- release versions of Cortona VRML client for Mac and Windows CE platforms at SIGGRAPH 2000, July 25 - July 27 in the New Orleans Convention Centre, Booth # 750.

IMO Highlights
IMO is a revolutionary tool that for the first time provides an efficient way to optimise complex 3D CAD models for use on the Internet. Based on
highly complex mathematical algorithms, IMO optimises objects on a shape-by-shape basis, whilst maintaining the visual aspects of objects. IMO's user-friendly interface is designed for those with little or no CAD experience.

 "IMO provides a unique opportunity for companies with libraries of CAD files to overcome bandwidth limitations and leverage the power of the Web to showcase complex 3D models or create online manuals and virtual catalogs," said Alexander Pivovarov, Vice President of Marketing, ParallelGraphics.

Cortona -The Complete Web3D viewer!

ParallelGraphics also announces the launch of Cortona Jet at SIGGRAPH 2000. Cortona is the smallest and fastest VRML browser in the world and is now available across a wide range of platforms. The move is part of ParallelGraphics' strategic focus on providing complete Web3D solutions for a wide range of developers and end-users. Pre-release versions of Cortona Mac and Windows CE will also be showcased.

Cortona Jet is a small cross platform Java applet that enables any standard Web browser with a Java virtual machine to display 3D scenes without the need for special plug-ins.

"This represents a new step in Web3D and opens up a wide range of exciting possibilities for all levels of 3D users. Automatic installation, faster
downloads and flexible content will be key driving forces in the growth of VRML and unleashing the true potential of this technology. Cortona Jet
brings a compelling and interactive 3D solution for a diverse range of applications in the field of e-commerce, product presentations and distance
learning amongst others," said Connell Gallagher, President, ParallelGraphics.
---
ParallelGraphics is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with a major R&D center in Moscow. The company is a world leader in the field of the 3D Internet technologies with over ten years' experience in the creation of unique 3D multi-user Internet services and software products. ParallelGraphics offers complete turnkey 3D services and a comprehensive range of interactive 3D products. The company's technologies have strong applications in the areas of education, entertainment and e-commerce.

Additional information about the company and our full range of products can be found at http://www.parallelgraphics.com

BeHere
Product: BeHere Surround Camera (US$9,995)
PanImage pricing starts at US$500.
Details and an impressive 360-degree gallery (with examples in Java, RealSpace and QuickTime VR formats) are at www.behere.com

Description. Rather than taking individual images and manually stitching them together using a product like PhotoVista, this "instantaneous single-frame panoramic camera" automates much of the process. The company also offers an Authoring Software package called PanImage that uses Java to view panoramas without requiring a separate plug in. In its initial releases, however, the vistas it created lacked many of the interactive features of competitive offerings. BeHere made up for this in May 2000, however, by unveiling a new technology it dubbed iVideo. With it, streaming media audiences are able to point, click, and steer the camera in every direction, as seen in Amy Talkington’s The New Arrival, dubbed "the world's first immersive movie," -- a seamless, 360º, user controllable video. The three-minute movie requires an 80k add-on for Real Player (available at www.real.com). Ars Technica notes that it took a month to film the piece, at a cost of 25 grand (US).  

BeHere's technology is currently inferior to that of Infinite Pictures' SmoothMove, in that it cannot create hotspots or links within the video. However, the product's compatibility with Microsoft Windows Media format AVI or ASF files (including the DivX variant) is a boon for those already equipped to process these files.

Metastream
Create a 3D showroom: here's a Metastream Panorama example, created using the MTS Scene Builder 104, now freely available from www.metastream.com. [Note that Metastream 3 files require a broadcast key.] We also successfully imported OBJ files from Metacreations' Poser and applied clickable "featured areas" at the top, side and bottom and light maps, generating unique reflective surfaces.

IPIX
Creates 360-degree "spherical" 3D panoramas. Details at www.ipix.com
As you explore panoramic websites around the Web, you are bound to see some that  have a "100% IPIX FREE" logo. This is in part due to IPIX's aggressive protection of several patents, acquired from Telerobotics International in 1991. Fortunately, third-party developers finally came up with a way to do it without infringing on IPIX's patents in this area, leading to other systems (including the forthcoming QuickTime 5) capable of generating spherical views of virtual-reality scenes similar to those that are IPIX's signature feature.

Another issue is the fact that the IPIX license also requires payment of a fee for every image you produce. Other spherical panorama systems, such as iMove's Spherical Photo Solution, do not.

At the Real Conference 2000, IPIX in May 2000 unveiled IPIX Movies, joining Infinite Pictures and BeHere in the category of 360-degree video players.

PixAround (bundled with)
Product: Creative Labs Webcam USB Camera; also available separately.
Description. PixAround uses Java to display the 360-degree images and, as such does not require a plug-in. Older versions were known to have some problems with some versions of Netscape, which tended to run out of memory when accessing pages requiring a Java VM. However, the company says the problems with Netscape are no longer present in its new PixMaker Lite. It replaces the PixAround Stitcher, and offers many new features and functionalities.
With PixMaker Lite, users can stitch up pictures of a place into a 360-degree interactive image, and publish it as a 360-degree PixAround Scene, Web page or Postcard - all in three easy steps - Snap, Stitch, Publish!

Now, anyone who has a digital camera can create immersive and interactive panoramic Web pages easily, without requiring expensive and professional equipment. These PixAround Webpages can be published on the Internet with no additional plug-ins to be installed, allowing visitors to take virtual 360° tours of any location.

PixAround viewers are available for the following platforms:

• MS Windows 95, MS Windows 98, and MS Windows NT 4.0.
• Partial support for windows CE.
• Partial support for PalmOS 2.x.

For more information on PixMaker Lite, please visit http://www.pixaround.com or refer to the company's press releases:

• http://www.pixaround.com/about/press/news/050400a.html
• http://www.pixaround.com/about/press/news/050400b.html

The PixMaker Lite software (4.33MB) is available for free download at http://www.pixaround.com/download/
(Many other software tools are listed at http://www.panoguide.com/software/  
A good example of the capabilities of the PixMaker software can be seen at SnapSingapore.com, the world's first Web site which offers online visitors a 360-degree virtual tour of a country using PixAround Solutions. Visit the site at http://snapsingapore.pixaround.com

Other Programs
MetaCreations/Corel Bryce can create 360-degree panoramas. Our 3D on the Web report has additional details on surround video and related technologies.

Panorama:
David Griffiths has produced a panoramic viewer written completely in Java. This applet takes a panoramic image and wraps it around in 3D, in a way similar to Quicktime VR.

[Download from demon.co.uk]  |  [Download from spigots.com]

For Further Reading

• www.panoguide.com is an excellent resource for those just getting started with panoramic photography.

In MacWorld magazine's QuickTime VR tool reviews (Nov. 97; not currently available online), Jim Heid presents tools and advice for generating QuickTime VR panoramas, including the camera angles required for manual stitching together multiple shots.

Digital camera tests and buying tips

• The QuickTime Gazette
• Noderiety
• Apple's QTVR Author's Guide shows how to add QuickTime VR content to your web site or CD-ROM.
• QTVR Central -- including FAQs, examples and other info.
• MacWeek: QTVR studio creates scene
• The VRML News page
• http://www.panoramicvr.com/professional/index.htm
• How to get rid of the photographer in spherical photos.
• Slashdot: 3D Stereo Graphics for Macs? [June 10, 2003]