QTVR image file format

See also “Import image file formats” and “Export image file formats” in this chapter for tables comparing the different image formats.
You may also wish to visit this same web page at The Panorama Factory website to check for updates: www.panoramafactory.com/help/hid_qtvr.html.

About QTVR
Creating a QTVR panorama using the Wizard
Creating a QTVR panorama using the Classic interface
Saving a QTVR panorama
Capabilities of the QTVR export filter
Importing a QTVR panorama
Capabilities of the QTVR import filter
Installing support for QuickTime on your computer
References

About QTVR

NOTE: The QuickTime viewer is produced by Apple Computer, Inc. and is not a product of Smoky City Design, LLC. When using this viewer, please be sure to comply with licensing requirements (if any) imposed by Apple Computer, Inc.

QTVR is a media type within Apple's [1] QuickTime [2] data format that provides for panoramic images. The QuickTime viewer from Apple displays a segment of a panoramic image, re-projecting the image to have conventional perspective. By click-dragging on the image, you can look around as though you were standing in the middle of the scene.

QTVR images can contain hotspots. These are areas on the image that do something when you click on them. For more information, see “Adding hotspots to your panoramas” in Chapter 7, “Making a virtual tour.”

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Creating a QTVR panorama using the Wizard

To make a QTVR panorama using the Wizard, simply select QTVR for the output format on Wizard step 5/9 - Select panorama type. You may choose either Spherical projection or Cylindrical projection.

Upon exporting to QTVR format, The Panorama Factory may convert the panorama to cubic or cylindrical projection if it can determine that one projection will produce a significantly smaller file than the other. Otherwise, it will convert spherical panoramas to cubic and leave cylindrical panoramas unchanged. However, cubic projection is always used if you have selected the Add top and bottom caps to saved image on the QTVR settings dialog box

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Creating a QTVR panorama using the Classic interface

Follow these steps to make a QTVR panorama:

1. Create a panorama using the Stitch command or the Stitch 360 command (New image menu). Be sure to use the Stitch 360 command if this is a full 360 degree panorama.

You may choose either Spherical projection or Cylindrical projection on the on the Camera properties dialog box.

Upon exporting to QTVR format, The Panorama Factory may convert the panorama to either cubic or cylindrical projection if it can determine that one projection will produce a significantly smaller file than the other. Otherwise, it will convert spherical panoramas to cubic and leave cylindrical panoramas unchanged. However, cubic projection is always used if you have selected the Add top and bottom caps to saved image on the QTVR settings dialog box

2. Crop the stitched image using the Crop command (New image menu). You may change the height of the cropping rectangle if you wish, but for best results do not change its angle or width.

3. Resize, sharpen or otherwise enhance the image.

4. Make sure the final image is displayed as the current image. If it is not, you should double-click its thumbnail to make it the current image.

5. Select the Save current image as... command from the File menu and then select QTVR format from the the Save as type dropdown list of the Save Image As dialog box.

See also Chapter 4, “Using the Classic interface, step by step.”

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Saving a QTVR panorama

To save your QTVR panorama, Save current image as... command from the File menu and then select QTVR format from the the Save as type dropdown list of the Save Image As dialog box.

NOTE: Use the Save current image as... command to save and name the current image. To save the entire Panorama Factory project, use the Save project command, Save project as... command or Save project archive as... command instead.

Choosing QTVR enables other choices on the Save Image As dialog box. You may create a web page containing an PTviewer viewer, create a thumbnail image and view your web page in your computer's web browser.

You can also control attributes of the saved QTVR image file by selecting the QTVR settings... button to display the QTVR settings dialog box.

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Capabilities of the QTVR export filter

The QTVR export filter supports only a subset of the QuickTime format. This section describes this subset and explains the relationship between Panorama Factory panoramas and hotspots and the QuickTime format.

Single-node VR images only — A Panorama Factory image can be exported to a single-node QTVR image. There is no provision for combining multiple images into a multi-node QTVR file.
Partial panoramas and 360 degree images — The Panorama Factory can export partial panoramas as well as full 360 degree images.
255 hotspots — The QTVR format imposes a limit of 255 hotspots in a single QTVR image.
URL hotspots only — The Panorama Factory supports hotspots that link to web URLs. It does not support other types of QuickTime hotspots.
Arbitrary shaped hotspots — The Panorama Factory can export hotspots of any shape.
Hotspot name is not supported — QTVR preserves the hotspot name.
Show hotspot is not supported — QTVR does not support the show hotspot attribute.
Hotspot color is not supported — QTVR does not support hotspot colors.
Text message is not supported — QTVR does not support hotspot text messages.
Compression formats — The Panorama Factory can export the following QTVR compression formats: JPEG, Sorenson, Cinepak and PNG.
Image quality — The Panorama Factory can control the QTVR image quality. Lowering the image quality can produce smaller file sizes.

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Importing a QTVR panorama

To import an PTViewer panorama, select the Import images... command from the File menu and then select QTVR format from the Files of type dropdown list of the Import Images dialog box.

You can select a .MOV file to import a single QTVR file or select an .HTML or .HTM file to import all QTVR files that are referenced from a web page.

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Capabilities of the QTVR import filter

The QTVR import filter supports only a subset of the QuickTime format. This section describes this subset and explains the relationship between Panorama Factory panoramas and hotspots and the QuickTime format.

Multi-node VR images — The Panorama Factory can import multi-node QTVR images. Each panoramic node will be imported to a separate image in The Panorama Factory.
Partial panoramas and 360 degree images — The Panorama Factory can import partial panoramas as well as full 360 degree images.
URL hotspots only — The Panorama Factory supports hotspots that link to web URLs. It does not support other types of QuickTime hotspots.
Arbitrary shaped hotspots — The Panorama Factory can import hotspots of any shape. Some shapes may be slightly different than when they were exported. For example, polygon hotspots may not have exactly the same vertexes although they will cover the same area.

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Installing support for QuickTime on your computer

Before you can create QTVR images with The Panorama Factory you must install the QuickTime Authoring components. You should also install the QuickTime plug-in (for internet browsers) to view your images in the Wizard. You may also wish to install the QuickTime viewer application program.

These components are available directly from Apple Computer. Visit the QuickTime download page [2] at Apple Computer, Inc. to download the QuickTime viewer.

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References

This section contains references to web pages at other web sites.

1. Apple Computer, Inc.
http://www.apple.com.

2. QuickTime page at Apple Computer, Inc.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/.

NOTE: There is no guarantee that these web addresses will remain valid over time. If they are no longer valid, please visit this same web page at The Panorama Factory website to check for updates: www.panoramafactory.com/help/hid_qtvr.html.

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