Digital Workshop

Anyone worked with these? We are working on a boiler operator training piece and I'd like to be able to have the student move around the boiler, then click on a panel to go to an Opus construct to interact with controls and valves, then return to the QTVR to move to another panel, etc.

Anyone done this?

Dave

G-day, Greetings from Sydney.

AS I understand it, what you would like is create an environment where the student can take a virtual 360 degree view of a boiler and use hotspots to take the student to ( Im guessing control panels / switches ) etc.

Ive done this before and if you get your photos right, it can look very swish indeed.

Here's a method ( adopted to your needs ):

Take a good quality digitial camera and tripod. - and a tape measure and some chalk.

1: set up your camera and tripod in position for a shot that shows your boiler at a range that will be close enough to give a good view .

2: measure the distance between the camera ( I always use a plum -otherwise known as a weight on a string ) and mark the point directly underneath the camera. ( remember this measurement your gonna need it )

3: Now its simply a case of taking shots that will "overlap" the previous one by 25% I usually go clockwise around the object and each time, simply take a shot at the same measurement away from the boiler as the previous one. do this around 20 times, and you have a series of "stills".

4:In Opus, create a rectangle across your screen ( from left to right - so it looks like a wide screen TV shape. ( well call this rectangle 1 )

5: INSIDE that, draw another rectangle ( this is the one your going to put your pictures in ). - ( well call this rectangle 2 )

6: Insert your first pic into Rectangle 2 - then the second one next to it - you will notice that every time Opus has a new object added, that object unless told otherwise comes to the front. ( this is the cool part! ) partially FADE image 2 and drag it across the top of image 1 and you can then bring the right edge of picture 1 into alignment of picture 2 till they match up. Then simply un-fade picture 2 and bingo! you should have what looks like a wide screen SINGLE shot ( but as you know its really 2 pics instead. )

Continue adding, and remember to partially fade the new picture to get it to match up with the right edge of the 1 before till their all in place.

7: Add a horozontal slide bar to ( rectangle 2 ) and you will be able to move the series of pics ( which will now look like a full 360 degree movie ) around from left to right . it will look as if you are walking right around your boiler.

8: HOTSPOTS:

When you get to a picture that shows some controls you wish the student to ( zoom in on - or examine closer )....simply draw a hotspot around that part of the picture ( for example the main control panel ) - then tell opus....on left click, go to page...( bla bla bla ) and off it goes. when your done - tell opus to return to your main view of your boiler pic so the student can move around and look at another part to click and examine.

I hope this one helps you out.

When I did mine, it was a series of pics that built up an entire floor of a building and the student ( for orientation ) had to find thir way around the whole floor - there were many rooms and lifts to contend with - so Im quite confident you will be able to do this pretty easily.

Final note: - when you look like theres not going to be ebough room for the next shot.....( within rectangle 2 ) - simply click on it and drag it BEYOND the border of rectangle 1 (this will aloow you to stretch rectangle 2 as far as you want to addd more pics.

I hope this isnt too confusing. -pretty easy once you get the concept in your head.

Regards....
Rick

Thanks, Viper, and Gday to yawl...

Looks straightforward enough. I guess I was over complicating it. I've done plenty of panoramas in the past but, from the samples included with Opus, somehow got sidetracked thinking I'd need to embed the hotspots from QTVR then interface them to Opus.

I am still not sure how to keep the Opus hotspots locked to the portion of the image I want them to stay locked to, but will study your thoughts and am sure to figure it out.

I've yet to see much you can't do with Opus if you noodle enough or pick enough brains.

dave

Thanks my friend - I figure that since you have already got "donuts" under your belt ( panoramas that is! lol! ) - you will be pretty right!

As for the measurement? - remember to keep that distance constant for every shot!.

And now to the hot spots....Pretty simple really...

I dont insert a " picture " as such ...I create a FRAME instead - then I put the picture inside the frame.

From there, I can add hotspots any place and they wont move because Opus will read the hot spots position within the frame.

One thing that does annoy me though... you know, half the time Id like to be able to create small samples of things to post on here to let those that need a bit of help getting the idea ( by way of an .imp file ). for the life of me, I cant upload anything.


Have a cracka of a day mate, - hope this helped.

I haven't investigated yet to see why, but I suddenly couldn't get a jpg up using the normal method.

I prefer them in the post rather than as an attachment, but it's a hassle to have to upload to a url then link.

Others don't seem to be having the problem. Perhaps we missed a policy change or something.

Dave

The only problem I've had posting an image... is when my pixel dimensions were too large, or file size possibly. Both solved easily in IrfanView >>> Resize the image (say 600 to 800 px on one side? I forget the limit) and then Save As (with about 70-80% quality for a jpg -- dramatically decreases file size)