VirtualParks--Helpful Information for QTVR

Help Information for using QuickTime panoramas
The Getting Started page describes prerequisites and where to get stuff. Most of the problems I've heard people having are getting the QuickTime software installed and working with their browser. I've downloaded the QuickTime software and still the panoramas do not display? Did you install the QuickTime software? Did you select the right instance of your browser for the plugin (it's possible to have several versions of Netscape installed for instance. Perhaps the plugin didn't make it into the one you use)? I installed QuickTime and nothing happens when I try to view a panorama? Sometimes after installing QuickTime for Windows, you need to reboot the computer. You may have the old version 1 QuickTime for Windows software. Some of the panoramas can only be played using QuickTime version 3, available for free from www.apple.com/quicktime/ It may not be obvious what to do once the scene is displayed by your browser or the helper application "Movieplayer." What do I do now? Move the cursor within the inside of the picture window. Hold down the mouse button and drag to change your panorama viewpoint. You can usually move up to shift the view towards the sky, down to shift the view towards the ground, and left or right to scan around in a full circle. PC: Use the Shift key to enable the zoom function. Use Ctrl to Zoom Out. On the Mac: Option key zooms in, Control key zooms out. When viewing QTVR panoramas, the sky exhibits "banding"? Usually this means one's monitor is set to 8 or 16 bit color. In 24 bit color mode there should be no banding. When I play a scene all I see are tiny strips of scenery go flying by? This is most likely because you are playing a QuickTime/VR scene with a software application which understands QuickTime movies but not QTVR. To the best of my knowledge, there is no native UNIX software which plays QTVR movies as zoomable, pannable scenes. Apple has said they will make available a plug-in for Netscape 3 which displays QTVR inline, it's not clear whether this plugin will be available for UNIX.

Help Information for using QuickTime panoramas

The Getting Started page describes prerequisites and where to get stuff.

Most of the problems I've heard people having are getting the QuickTime software installed and working with their browser.

I've downloaded the QuickTime software and still the panoramas do not display?

Did you install the QuickTime software?
Did you select the right instance of your browser for the plugin (it's possible to have several versions of Netscape installed for instance. Perhaps the plugin didn't make it into the one you use)?

I installed QuickTime and nothing happens when I try to view a panorama?

Sometimes after installing QuickTime for Windows, you need to reboot the computer.
You may have the old version 1 QuickTime for Windows software. Some of the panoramas can only be played using QuickTime version 3, available for free from www.apple.com/quicktime/

It may not be obvious what to do once the scene is displayed by your browser or the helper application "Movieplayer."

What do I do now?

Move the cursor within the inside of the picture window.
Hold down the mouse button and drag to change your panorama viewpoint. You can usually move up to shift the view towards the sky, down to shift the view towards the ground, and left or right to scan around in a full circle.
PC: Use the Shift key to enable the zoom function. Use Ctrl to Zoom Out. On the Mac: Option key zooms in, Control key zooms out.

When viewing QTVR panoramas, the sky exhibits "banding"?

Usually this means one's monitor is set to 8 or 16 bit color. In 24 bit color mode there should be no banding.

When I play a scene all I see are tiny strips of scenery go flying by?

This is most likely because you are playing a QuickTime/VR scene with a software application which understands QuickTime movies but not QTVR. To the best of my knowledge, there is no native UNIX software which plays QTVR movies as zoomable, pannable scenes. Apple has said they will make available a plug-in for Netscape 3 which displays QTVR inline, it's not clear whether this plugin will be available for UNIX.