We create a QuickTime virtual reality tour of our studio, and show you how to do something similar.

On tonight's show, we'll create a 3D virtual tour of the TechTV studios with the help of David Davenport, an expert in immersive imaging. Tune in to watch this award-winning technology in action, then check back here to see the completed project.

The clips are here. (Requires Quicktime)




Immersive imaging is the term given to the genre of 360-degree photo technology. There are two types of immersive images: panoramas and objects.

Panorama movies are interactive visual experiences in which viewers can rotate 360 degrees to observe an environment. Object movies allow users to view an object from all sides, while the viewer perspective remains constant. To put it simply, in a panorama, the user "spins" around to see his or her environment, while in an object movie, the user "spins" an object to view it from all angles. Interactive options in each format include looking up and down, zooming in for detail or zooming out for a broader view.

There are many advantages of these 360 views over still photos or video clips, including:
  • A higher level of detail
  • A larger field of view
  • The ability to zoom
  • The ability to easily embed hotspots
  • Small file size (100-300KB depending on resolution)
  • A more interactive experience for the viewer


How it's done

There are generally three methods of shooting 360s.
  1. Using Ipix, which involves shooting two back-to-back 180-degree fisheye images.
  2. Using Be Here, which requires shooting straight up into a hemispherical mirror creating a donut shaped 360-degree image.
  3. Using QuickTime Virtual Reality (QTVR), which involves shooting overlapping photos in a circle and stitching them together.
QTVR has emerged as the most popular method, in part because it is based on Apple's QuickTime file format, multi-platform and easily extensible.

Davenport will be shooting what is termed a cylindrical panorama: approximately a 100-degree vertical field of view. He'll shoot 12 images of the studio from a fixed location and transfer those images onto a laptop. The images will be stitched together using Realviz 3.5 authoring software to create one long strip. This strip is then "mapped" into a mathematical cylinder for final viewing.

For more details

Davenport works with the Nikon CoolPix 5000 camera, available from Nikon.com. You'll also need a camera mounting bracket, from Kaidan.
To see more QTVR in action, look at some examples of QTVR in a Virtual City Tour by David Davenport. Or visit David Davenport's homepage.

To view our completed tour, or any other QTVR movies, make sure you have Apple's QuickTime Player.