I have used the Pano2QTVR for a lot of time. There are some + and -. The question is: what am I to expect from the full version of Pano2VR?
* will there be sprites support? (I think yes)
* will there be Individual Tile Settings?
* is it possible to highlight the hotspot on the pano?
* is it possible to make the text area flexible (according to the size of the text), etc.
There are lots of questions. Can you please tell us whether I will be able to replace Pano2QTVR with Pano2VR completely (without losing anything) or will I have to use them both, running from Mac (I'm working on at the moment) to the PC all the time?
Thank you in advance.
Looking forward to your reply.
What are we to expect from the full version?
The final plan is of course to replace Pano2QTVR completely within 2-3 months (for the panorama part). I decided to release a not complete beta to give you all the chance to see what I am working on and also to have and influence on the final result. Also the current state may make people already happy because there is everything in it they ever need.
yes* will there be sprites support?
yes* will there be Individual Tile Settings?
What do you mean with that? Like in QuickTime?is it possible to highlight the hotspot on the pano?
yesis it possible to make the text area flexible (according to the size of the text), etc.
MfG, Thomas
This image is an example (100 kb - it's a gif file, wait until it's loaded - http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/3126 ... ghtcc2.gif):thomas wrote:What do you mean with that? Like in QuickTime?is it possible to highlight the hotspot on the pano?
* The thing is, that the necessary area is highlighted when the pointer comes over it (you see, people do not usually tend to press the place where the pointer is not changed, they are casual users, who need something that SHOWS what to do)
* Also is it possible to make the textbox be aligned differently - at the left bottom corner for example?
* Another wonderful option is changing the color of the textbox background (in addition to flexible textbox)
* Moreover, it would be wonderful if the cursor changed to some picture while moving over some hotspot (like above TV as you see).
These all questions come from the experience of doing virtual tours - people don't know where to press or what to do.
I would be very happy if any of these features were included. And I think that a lot of people will understand me
Thank you in advance.
Looking forward to your reply.
Last edited by Emique on Fri Aug 31, 2007 12:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Yeah, these are very good ideas. I added them to the wish list.
MfG, Thomas
Thomas, there are some more vital things about Pano2VR:
1) Could you please make sprites not sizable as the movie is made fullscreen. The problem is that the feature of non-sizable window doesn't work in Pano2QTVR (don't know the reason why it doesn't...) and when you make the window with flash panorama fullscreen, the logo (sprite) in the corner becomes huge and pixelated.
2) Another necessary thing is the textbox when the pointer comes over the sprite. It would be wonderful to write the necessary text like "Copyright of Company X" and the link from the sprite would lead to the official site of the company.
3) And the best thing is the right-click menu elements. Can you make people add menu elements and actions on them as you right click the flash panorama? See the link - http://www.group94.com. Try to right click it and you'll see the copyright part. Adding these elements would be just wonderful.
Looking forward to your reply.
1) Could you please make sprites not sizable as the movie is made fullscreen. The problem is that the feature of non-sizable window doesn't work in Pano2QTVR (don't know the reason why it doesn't...) and when you make the window with flash panorama fullscreen, the logo (sprite) in the corner becomes huge and pixelated.
2) Another necessary thing is the textbox when the pointer comes over the sprite. It would be wonderful to write the necessary text like "Copyright of Company X" and the link from the sprite would lead to the official site of the company.
3) And the best thing is the right-click menu elements. Can you make people add menu elements and actions on them as you right click the flash panorama? See the link - http://www.group94.com. Try to right click it and you'll see the copyright part. Adding these elements would be just wonderful.
Looking forward to your reply.
And there are some features to add for the security, which would make the files completely protected:
1) the great thing would be to have a special input textbox in the program where people could write the hosting where the panorama is uploaded.
Let me provide an example: I have made the panorama for some company and uploaded it to their hosting (site, let me say - http://www.panorams.ru). Somebody tried to pretend it's his work and put it on his site (these things happen all around
). But if there is such an option in the program, people can put a sprite above the pano like this:
or just type the text which will be shown in the red textbox like this:
These things would be just wonderful!
2) or there is another way to check whether the panorama uploaded to the site belongs to the owner or not. The thing is, when Pano2VR generates an swf, it generates an .xml file with a code (random code) and afterwards the owner uploads BOTH the panorama AND the xml file to the folder on his site. But the xml file is not shown in the URL code of the html-page (only swf needs it). So, the swf checks if the file is available in the same folder (where the swf file is) and if it's not available, swf shows the sprite or the warning shown above.
And another important thing is Author information:
3) It would be wonderful to make a special hot key like ctrl+shift+alt+c (or whatever you like) to immediately open the window with copyright information like here:
and it's wonderful to add this element to the right-click menu. Just as you've clicked the copyright the window appears.
If the field is not filled, it is just not shown. Instead of writing no comment, for example.
Thank you in advance.
Looking forward to your replies to the previous post and this one too
1) the great thing would be to have a special input textbox in the program where people could write the hosting where the panorama is uploaded.
Let me provide an example: I have made the panorama for some company and uploaded it to their hosting (site, let me say - http://www.panorams.ru). Somebody tried to pretend it's his work and put it on his site (these things happen all around
). But if there is such an option in the program, people can put a sprite above the pano like this:or just type the text which will be shown in the red textbox like this:
These things would be just wonderful!
2) or there is another way to check whether the panorama uploaded to the site belongs to the owner or not. The thing is, when Pano2VR generates an swf, it generates an .xml file with a code (random code) and afterwards the owner uploads BOTH the panorama AND the xml file to the folder on his site. But the xml file is not shown in the URL code of the html-page (only swf needs it). So, the swf checks if the file is available in the same folder (where the swf file is) and if it's not available, swf shows the sprite or the warning shown above.
And another important thing is Author information:
3) It would be wonderful to make a special hot key like ctrl+shift+alt+c (or whatever you like) to immediately open the window with copyright information like here:
and it's wonderful to add this element to the right-click menu. Just as you've clicked the copyright the window appears.
If the field is not filled, it is just not shown. Instead of writing no comment, for example.
Thank you in advance.
Looking forward to your replies to the previous post and this one too
Some crypting would be fine like the old ptcrypt or the features of the Immervision Package Crypter. Perhaps just an expiring date since licensing pictures should be based on time.
I think Yuv had once a look on the code and he said that it's a weak protection, but this should be enough in my opinion.
I think Yuv had once a look on the code and he said that it's a weak protection, but this should be enough in my opinion.
But the way I have explained is completely different. It's not encrypting - it's copyrighting+protectionThomasK wrote:Some crypting would be fine like the old ptcrypt or the features of the Immervision Package Crypter. Perhaps just an expiring date since licensing pictures should be based on time.
I think Yuv had once a look on the code and he said that it's a weak protection, but this should be enough in my opinion.
I have also some similar ideas so all this is added to the wishlist.
MfG, Thomas
The idea of an embedded Flash - XML script, so the flash SWF will check a code in the XML file is a good one, but being totally honest is totally unrealistic.
There are a million and one Flash Decompilers available on the internet, some free, but the better ones are a small price.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=flash+decompiler
A few months back one of my hard drives corrupted with some old backed up files, i didn't realise at the time one of my clients logos in FLA was on that HDD. So instead of rebuilding the whole logo in flash (as the site was having a full rebuild), i bought one of those decompilers for a few dollars and had it converted to FLA in mins using the old swf file on the old website.
The decompiler is also excellent to pull apart other peoples work, to find out how they have achieved a certain effect, which isn't theft, its just being resourceful
After all we have all checked JavaScript, HTML and CSS code in the same way to learn from other people work
This decompiled would definitely show the link to the XML file, which could simply be downloaded and stolen with the SWF file.
Also unless you could change the name of the path to the XML doc or the name of the XML doc itself (or both of course), it would be easily found by anybody who has ever used this software before, as they would know for example it was called pano2vr.xml in the same directory as the SWF file.
The only way you could really do something like this is to have some form of executable file such as an php or asp file, which could only be executed locally on the server but not remotely accessed. So even if the direct link was found, you couldn't view it. This would then return a code to the SWF file which will show as correct or not hosting.
But of course the same decompiler above, could be used to strip that element from the swf movie completely, so it wouldn't ever check for the php file in the first place. So this huge undertaking by gnome software will become a whole waste of time. If somebody is going to take your work, they will find a way around it.
The best way i think is a light water mark right across a difficult part to clone out in photoshop on the image directly, before it is wrapped into a movie of which ever form you want. At least this way if somebody does take it, you get some free advertising.
Another way (and I have used this before a few times) is to make a framed flash movie. So you have one flash file (which acts as a player only), which finds another flash file from another directory in your site (the content movie) and shows it through the first one (the player). So if you save the flash SWF embedded in your web page which you see in your browser (the player), you just get a blank flash movie, as the link between the flash movies is broken as you never downloaded the second movie (the content).
This can of course be broken with a decompiler by finding the link its goes to (the content), but its easy and free to do and equally as effective as the code idea, for if they are going to break your SWF to steal it, they will most def remove any security code elements you add.
Can i ask what expected release dates have you got for the next stages of pano2VR, as im planning on buying your software, but it depends on if and when you will be releasing the next stages. I really need Cylinders and Object VR.
Kindest regards
Ian
There are a million and one Flash Decompilers available on the internet, some free, but the better ones are a small price.
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=flash+decompiler
A few months back one of my hard drives corrupted with some old backed up files, i didn't realise at the time one of my clients logos in FLA was on that HDD. So instead of rebuilding the whole logo in flash (as the site was having a full rebuild), i bought one of those decompilers for a few dollars and had it converted to FLA in mins using the old swf file on the old website.
The decompiler is also excellent to pull apart other peoples work, to find out how they have achieved a certain effect, which isn't theft, its just being resourceful
After all we have all checked JavaScript, HTML and CSS code in the same way to learn from other people workThis decompiled would definitely show the link to the XML file, which could simply be downloaded and stolen with the SWF file.
Also unless you could change the name of the path to the XML doc or the name of the XML doc itself (or both of course), it would be easily found by anybody who has ever used this software before, as they would know for example it was called pano2vr.xml in the same directory as the SWF file.
The only way you could really do something like this is to have some form of executable file such as an php or asp file, which could only be executed locally on the server but not remotely accessed. So even if the direct link was found, you couldn't view it. This would then return a code to the SWF file which will show as correct or not hosting.
But of course the same decompiler above, could be used to strip that element from the swf movie completely, so it wouldn't ever check for the php file in the first place. So this huge undertaking by gnome software will become a whole waste of time. If somebody is going to take your work, they will find a way around it.
The best way i think is a light water mark right across a difficult part to clone out in photoshop on the image directly, before it is wrapped into a movie of which ever form you want. At least this way if somebody does take it, you get some free advertising.
Another way (and I have used this before a few times) is to make a framed flash movie. So you have one flash file (which acts as a player only), which finds another flash file from another directory in your site (the content movie) and shows it through the first one (the player). So if you save the flash SWF embedded in your web page which you see in your browser (the player), you just get a blank flash movie, as the link between the flash movies is broken as you never downloaded the second movie (the content).
This can of course be broken with a decompiler by finding the link its goes to (the content), but its easy and free to do and equally as effective as the code idea, for if they are going to break your SWF to steal it, they will most def remove any security code elements you add.
Can i ask what expected release dates have you got for the next stages of pano2VR, as im planning on buying your software, but it depends on if and when you will be releasing the next stages. I really need Cylinders and Object VR.
Kindest regards
Ian
I was ill the last 10 days but now I am back behind the screen. I hope to release the cylindrical beta within the next 1-2 weeks. The object movie software is planed for December but this may change.
MfG, Thomas