panoramic view of phase 2, Kent

[Max Lloyd]

Hi everyone.

This is a quick panoramic view I set up of the new build site in Kent, England I have been working on for a few months now. This shows the heart of the second phase of work.

In order to view these pan files, you need to download and install 'smoothmove' which is available at http://www.kaidan.com/smsviewer.html (download and run the file iMPanViewer50r1.exe (1.2MB)).

I would love to know if anyone knows how to import 'hotspots' into these files?

Max.

[PeterJ]

Nice piece of work. What sort of rendering time did this require?

[rhys]

Very nice presentation and a useful plug in. Must say though it made me feel a bit sea sick until I got used to the pan control:-)

[Phil Palmer]

Max,

I like it !
Its something we have played around with some while ago now.

A good site that may help you is http://www.panoguide.com/

[Max Lloyd]

The rendering was set at 400 dpi and takes about 30 mins. I did a series of 11 of these files for this site in preparation for a meeting this morning with the client.

They were seriously impressed (even called in the MD to see them), stating that they preferred the pan files to a flythrough as they are less restrictive and more interactive.

Consequently they want me to attend a pre-planning meeting with the planners to show them off again. Not sure if we are getting paid for all this though...........?

[aggockel50321]

Very nice job!


They were seriously impressed (even called in the MD to see them), stating that they preferred the pan files to a flythrough as they are less restrictive and more interactive. I find this to be true here also.

Plus, the amount of time (much less) to set up & render a panoramic view vs. a walkthrough is significant.

[Martin P]

Wow! a lot of models in there, how many separate files are there? Did you link lots of buildings together ot do it as one big model? Looks great btw....

Just for your info - change the .pan to .jpg and you can edit these files photoshop - change back to .pan and view...... I have added text/notes to some in the past, as well as some editing - as long as the text is roughly in the vertical centre it doesnt distort it too much....

[ejburrell67787]

Wow that is extremely effective - the interactive aspect + the spacial experience make such a difference to a static image / fixed animation. I thought it was possible to zoom in / out in these panoramic views also? (couldn't find any zoom control though)

it is great to see this kind of rendering available more generally now - I remember a few years back when a few of them first started apearing and they were pretty radical then! (I remember Foster's specifically)

Thanks for sharing your work like this Max, it is very enjoyable and instructive to see what other people are doing - especially in the UK.

Elrond

[PeterJ]

That's really a very impressive return on the rendering time. To get this kind of impact from a straight render you would need something that was nearly photo real and then showed three or four directions but I think people are more forgiving of the type of presentation you offer as it is interactive.

[Max Lloyd]

Martin, talk me through the saving pan to jpg and back to pan please?

There are about 15 linked rvt files into this site layout. Each linked model is set up using worksets so I can switch off the internals to keep the speed of the site layout reasonable. Works well. (perhaps that is what slows down people whilst rendering? If the internals are switched on, everything slows down by about 10 times! and forget trying to put shadows on!!!!!!!!)

Here is a jpg showing the extents of the overall model and all the linked files (perspective a bit distorted I'm afraid)

[Max Lloyd]

Martin, I've figured it. You mean just change the file extension in explorer from .pan to jpg, edit in photoshop, then rename back to pan. Couldn't be easier!

By the way, to zoom in and out, hold down ctrl, then your left mouse button.

Posted another pan file with text inserted for info.

Max.

[Max Lloyd]

As I now know I can convert pan to jpg, I realise I can therefore reduce my pan file sizes in this way. Here is a pan file I did a while ago for a private job, but have never been able to post before as the size was just too big. I never quite got to finish this 100% but I like it all the same.

[ejburrell67787]

Can see its not quite finished but still very nice stuff!

...very shiny doorknobs! And good paintings!

Got the zoom function thanks!

Elrond

[Les Therrien]

how much work is it to create these pan files?
what is the process exactly?

[Max Lloyd]

Hi Les.

Its really very simple and not much work at all to create pan files. Its identical to doing a rendered perspective with one exception. Simply set up a camera view as you normally would do for taking a perspective (consider that you normally want to be in the middle of an area/room for a pan file). Then set all your render settings, image size etc, then press the raytrace button. Before pressing the green 'go' button, you will see a series of pull down menus immediately to the left of that button. One of those is 'type'. Drop it down and select 'spherical' instead of 'by camera (there is also an option for 'cylindrical') . Then press the 'go' button and wait for the raytrace process to finish. When finished, export the image as usual, give it a name, but make sure you select the file type to be .pan and not .ivr at the bottom. Thats it!

Then use the pan viewer available in the first post of this thread to view them.

Typically I will do a test one at 72dpi which should only take a few minutes.Then I will export these at about 400dpi, which normally takes about 30mins (depends on complexity of model and lighting). If it is particularly special, I will do it at 800dpi (can take all night!)

Easy! Good luck.

Max

[Les Therrien]

thanks Max.
I'll give that a try!

[dazza163968596]

I found that for the best results you should set your ratio of viewport width to height to be about 2:1 ie 200mm wide X 100mm High See the one of a small kitchen diner that I did some tie ago R6.1 I think.

[SCShell]

Very Nice! I really like the feel of these pan views. Since I started using them, I have had excellent reactions from my clients.

Keep up the good work!
Steve

[Les Therrien]

that was fun and easy!
thanks again.

check it out.

[Andre Baros]

Max, regarding the addition of hotspots to tie the pan's together, the only program I've every used for adding hotspots is Macromedia Director, but I think that Quicktime will also let you do it (full blown program not just the viewer) I'm sure there are others out there by now as this was several years ago.

[Phil Palmer]

Have you seen this website

http://www.easypano.com

The Tourweaver application looks really good
I need to investigate this a bit further

[leediggle]

I've just begun to get to grips with pan files and I think they are really good. As a part one student on my year out I am working in a company who uses Revit quite a lot and I feel this program will help me in my Part II. I feel the ability to create pan files and what they do will enable me to show my tutors/mentors very quickly and easily what I am trying to achieve.

I notice hot spots have been mentioned and I am not that familiar with them. Has anyone used them and if so what are they like?

As I understand it, it allows a viewer to click on a door, for example, and walk through that door and view the inside (via another pan file) is this correct?