solidThinking supports the output of QuickTime VR object and panoramic movies. QuickTime VR is a cross-platform standard, developed by Apple, for presenting:
panoramic movies, a series of images from a fixed viewpoint;
object movies, a series of images of an object taken from different angles.
The software to view a QuickTime VR movie once created can be freely obtained from Apple via the internet, if you do not have it already. We recommend using the QuickTime 3.0 viewer. More information can be found at the QuickTime VR web site, the URL for which is http://quicktimevr.apple.com
QuickTime VR panoramic movies
Panoramic movies are produced from a series of views of a place taken from the same spot, but at slightly different angles.
These images are then combined into a single image to allow viewing. As you pan left and right, or tilt it up and down, QuickTime VR responds to your movements, displaying the correct section of the entire panorama.
The camera position is taken to indicate the initial viewpoint of the panorama. The panorama is taken to be a camera pan through 360 degrees from the initial view.
The middle Parameters column of the shading panel shows the following variables:
"Rendering method"
Method used to render the frames of the movie. Wireframe and hidden-line are not currently supported.
"Number of images"
Specifies the number of individual images that should be rendered to make up the full panorama. This should not be set too low to avoid distortion in the resulting movie. Also, high values should be avoided as the gain in quality becomes minimal. Normally this control should be left at its default setting of 32. Advanced users may wish to fine tune movie generation by slightly changing this value.
"Movie width"
Specifies the width of the window that the movie will be displayed in. Default setting is 440.
"Movie height"
Specifies the height of the window that the movie will be displayed in. Default setting is 220.
"Movie info"
It defines the movie information. Typically used for general information about the movie.
"Movie copyright"
It defines the movie copy-right details. Typically indicates the owner of the copyright on the movie.
"Movie credits"
It defines the movie credit details. Typically used for credits to those who provided resources for the movie.
QuickTime VR object movies
Object movies are slightly different in that they consist of a number of views of a static object taken from different points around it.
This allows the user to fly around the object (the effect is identical to, and often described as, rotating the object around any axis). As you turn the object, or tilt it up and down, QuickTime VR responds to your movements, displaying the correct image for that view onto the object.
The view resolution determines the dimensions of the movie, and the camera position is taken to indicate the front of the object that will form the movie subject.
Note: Object movie files will contain a large number of frames, and will therefore take a significant time to render.
The middle Parameters column of the shading panel shows the following variables:
"Rendering method"
Method used to render the frames of the movie. Wireframe and hidden-line are not currently supported.
"Movie width"
Specifies the width of the window that the movie will be displayed in. Default setting is 100.
"Movie height"
Specifies the height of the window that the movie will be displayed in. Default setting is 100.
"Pan min"
The minimum horizontal pan position the object will be rotated to. Specified in degrees. Default is 0.
"Pan max"
The maximum horizontal pan position the object will be rotated to. Specified in degrees. Default is 360.
"Pan initial"
The initial horizontal pan position. Indicates the starting horizontal rotation for the object when the movie is first opened. Specified in degrees. Default is 180.
"Pan frames"
The number of frames to generate between the minimum and maximum horizontal pan positions. Specified as an integer, defaults to 36 so that frames are rendered every 10 degrees.
"Tilt min"
The minimum vertical tilt position the object will be rotated to. Specified in degrees. Default is -90.
"Tilt max"
The maximum vertical tilt position that the object will be rotated to. Specified in degrees. Default is 90.
"Tilt initial"
The initial vertical tilt position. Indicates the starting vertical rotation for the object when the movie is first opened. Specified in degrees. Default is 0.
"Tilt frames"
The number of frames to generate between the minimum and maximum vertical tilt positions. Specified as an integer, defaults to 19 so that frames are rendered every 10 degrees.
"Movie info"
It defines the movie information. Typically used for general information about the movie.
"Movie copyright"
It defines the movie copy-right details. Typically indicates the owner of the copyright on the movie.
"Movie credits"
It defines the movie credit details. Typically used for credits to those who provided resources for the movie.