Putting Sound and Video into Web Pages
QTVR Format (Quicktime Virtual Reality)
The Viewer Revolves Around A Fixed Object
Layman's Basic Description Of The Model
You are strapped in a chair that you can revolve around an object in a full circle, and
you are looking out through a pair of glasses that give you a view of what you see.
Your glasses have a zoom feature, you at the touch of a button you can zoom in/out your
view of the scene.
If your swivel chair is the deluxe version it will allows you to revolve up and over
the object. It's like being in orbit x miles over the world, and you can go any direction
over the world so long as you stay x miles high.
Unfortunately, your chair does not have thrusters, so you can not move towards or away
from anything. However, if Scotty is willing, you might get him to transport you to
another location in the VR world.
Example
The Viewer Holds and Turns Around A Fixed Object
Layman's Basic Description Of The Model
You are sitting in your chair looking through your glas that are permanently locked
onto an object, sort of like looking through a microscope. You can turn the object in any
direction, sort of like rotating the slide.
Your glasses may have a zoom feature, you at the touch of a button you can zoom in/out
your view of the scene.
Example
Briefly How Are They Made?
By photographing an existing scene.
- The object is placed in a stationary position, and the camera takes overlapping pictures
as it revolves around the object. Often the lighting is also moved to insure the object is
presented in a pleasing fashion.
- These pictures are then digitized and cleaned up (you don't want a dusty environment do
you?).
- Using QTVR software, the individual pictures are "stitched" together to form
an photograph that is composed of many images, each from a slightly different angle, that
are "mapped" to the outside of a sphere. The amount of the sphere that is
covered depends on the coverage you provide via the pictures.
- The viewer can either view the movement as them traveling around the "sphere"
or the object truning in front of them.
- Unlike QTVR scenes, QTVR objects are navigable movies.
Variations To The Path
- By moving the camera towards or away from the viewer you can have the object grow and
shrink in size.
- This movement can be very effective if it makes sense for the subject. For example if
you were going to give the view of the Sun as the Earth revolves around it, then you would
want to move in and out following the actual path.
- When doing these paths, one must make sure that the path joins up and there are no leaps
or spirals. After going the full 360 degrees, the user should be back to where the
started. Don't forget this is true in all directions allowed.
