PixMaker™ 1.0 User Guide - PixAroundpixaround.com/downloads/guide_pm10web.pdf · PixMaker 1.0 User Guide 10 In a nutshell…. PixAround provides fully integrated solutions that

PixMaker™ 1.0 User Guide

Ver: MW.1.0.UG.030401

PixMaker 1.0 User Guide

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Table of contents Table of contents ............................................................................. 1 Setting Up Your Software.............................................................. 3

System Requirements ................................................................................. 3 Installing PixMaker™ 1.0 .......................................................................... 4 Upgrading PixMaker™ 1.0........................................................................ 8

In a nutshell…. .............................................................................. 10 Get the shots! ................................................................................. 10

1. Get ready your equipment. .................................................................. 10 2. Plan your shots. ..................................................................................... 10 3. Set a time and date................................................................................ 10 4. Positioning the camera. ........................................................................ 11 5. Choose the appropriate lenses ............................................................. 11 6. Check camera resolution...................................................................... 11 7. Use the correct shooting technique ..................................................... 12 8. Note the starting point when taking pictures..................................... 15 9. Transfer the pictures to the PC. .......................................................... 15

Snap, Stitch, Publish! ................................................................... 16 The ‘Snap’ button ..................................................................................... 16 The ‘Stitch’ button.................................................................................... 17 The ‘Publish’ button................................................................................. 19

· a PixAround™ Scene (.JPG) .................................................................................... 19 · a PixAround™ Web Page (.HTML)......................................................................... 20 · a PixAround™ Postcard (.EXE) ............................................................................... 22 · PDA .......................................................................................................................... 23 · Print........................................................................................................................... 27

The Stitch Toolbar ........................................................................ 28 The ‘Add images’ button.......................................................................... 28 The ‘Delete images’ button ...................................................................... 28 The ‘Select All’ button.............................................................................. 28 The ‘Reverse images’ button ................................................................... 29 The ‘Undo’ button .................................................................................... 29 The ‘Copy’ button..................................................................................... 29 The ‘Paste’ button..................................................................................... 29 The ‘Manual Align’ button...................................................................... 29

The ‘Setting’ Options ................................................................... 31 · Stitching Settings..................................................................................... 31


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· Viewing Settings...................................................................................... 32 · Lens Settings............................................................................................ 33

The Hotspot toolbar...................................................................... 34 The ‘Link to another Scene’ button........................................................ 34 The ‘Link to Web Site’ button................................................................. 38 The ‘Link to Audio’ button...................................................................... 39 The ‘Link to Video’ button ...................................................................... 40 The ‘Link to Email’ button...................................................................... 41 The ‘Add text’ button............................................................................... 41

Preview the Hotspots .................................................................... 42 Scene & Hotspot Properties......................................................... 44

Reviewing the Scenes and Hotspots ........................................................ 44 Editing the properties............................................................................... 45

File Management........................................................................... 47 File Types................................................................................................... 47

Project ......................................................................................................................... 47 Image .......................................................................................................................... 47

Opening Files............................................................................................. 48 Stitcher project (*.pim) ............................................................................................... 48 Hotspot project (*.piw) ............................................................................................... 48 PixAround Scenes (*.jpg) ........................................................................................... 49

Appendix A: µPixScreen Java..................................................... 50 Features...................................................................................................... 50 Methods...................................................................................................... 50 Options....................................................................................................... 51

Appendix B: ObjPixScreen Java................................................. 54 Features...................................................................................................... 54 Options....................................................................................................... 54

Appendix C: PixScreen Java ....................................................... 57 Features...................................................................................................... 57 Methods...................................................................................................... 57 Options....................................................................................................... 59

Appendix D: PixAround World .................................................. 61 Syntax......................................................................................................... 61 Definitions.................................................................................................. 62

Scene........................................................................................................................... 62 Hotspots ...................................................................................................................... 62

FAQ ................................................................................................ 64 Glossary ......................................................................................... 67


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Setting Up Your Software System Requirements Minimum system configuration • Microsoft Windows® 2000, 95, 98 or NT 4.0 Service Pack 5 • Intel Pentium® 233 or equivalent • 64 MB RAM • 50 MB available hard drive space • CD-ROM drive (Required for Retail or Demo version) • Video display capable of 640x480 pixels or higher with 65,535 colors • Microsoft® ActiveSync® for publishing to Windows® CE devices • Palm™ Desktop for publishing to Palm OS® devices Recommended system configuration • Microsoft Windows® 2000, 95, 98 or NT 4.0 Service Pack 5 or higher • Intel Pentium® II 333 or faster • 128 MB RAM • 50 MB or more free hard disk space • CD-ROM drive (Required for Retail and Demo version) • Video display capable of 800x600 pixels or higher with 16 million colors • Microsoft® ActiveSync® for publishing to Windows® CE devices • Palm™ Desktop for publishing to Palm OS® devices


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Installing PixMaker™ 1.0 To install PixMaker 1.0, follow these steps: 1. Run the installation program, pm10en.exe. 2. Click NEXT on the Welcome screen to continue with the installation.

Fig. 1a 3. Click YES after reading the License Agreement. Pressing NO will cancel the

installation.

Fig. 1b


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4. Click NEXT on the Choose Destination Location screen to install the files to the

default location. To change the Destination Folder, click on BROWSE.

Fig. 1c 5. Click NEXT to install PixMaker into the default folder.

Fig. 1d


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6. Click FINISH to complete the installation.

Fig. 1e 7. After the installation is complete, double-click the PixMaker icon on the desktop. The

following dialog box will appear.

Fig. 1f


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8. PixMaker is installed by default without the license key. Without the license key, you will not be able to save, publish or print. If you have the license key, click on INSTALL KEY else click on PURCHASE KEY to purchase a key or DOWNLOAD KEY to download the key from our website if you have the product serial number.

9. The following dialog box will appear after clicking on INSTALL KEY. If you have

purchased the Business Edition, click on (Business Edition). If you have purchased the Home Edition, click on (Home Edition).

Fig. 1g 10. Select the license key. For the Business Edition, use the Select license key dialog,

locate the license key file and select it. For the Home Edition, enter the license key number using the fields provided.

Fig. 1h

Fig. 1i


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Important Note: PPlleeaassee rreettaaiinn tthhee lliicceennssee kkeeyy aafftteerr iinnssttaallllaattiioonn.. YYoouu wwiillll nneeeedd tthhee lliicceennssee kkeeyy ffoorr PPiixxMMaakkeerr rree--iinnssttaallllaattiioonn iinn tthhee eevveenntt ooff aa ssyysstteemm ccoorrrruuppttiioonn,, wwhhiicchh rreeqquuiirreess yyoouu ttoo rree--ccoonnffiigguurree yyoouurr ccoommppuutteerr ssyysstteemm.. Upgrading PixMaker™ 1.0 The Home Edition and Demo Edition of PixMaker 1.0 can be upgraded to the Business Edition using a new license key. To upgrade to the Business edition, follow these steps: 1. Start PixMaker. 2. Click INSTALL KEY from the Help menu.

Fig. 1j 3. Click YES and then click on (Business Edition).

Fig. 1k

Fig. 1l


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4. Locate and select the license key at the Select license key dialog.

Fig. 1m

5. Restart PixMaker to activate the license.


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In a nutshell…. PixAround provides fully integrated solutions that allow users to create and publish 360° interactive PixAround Web pages in 3 simple steps, “Snap, Stitch, Publish!” It is an easy 3-step process – any new user should have no difficulty following the 3 steps. However, do bear this in mind: A PixAround Scene is made up of a series of photographs stitched together as a single image. Hence, how your PixAround Scene turns out after stitching will be largely dependent on the quality of your photographs. To ensure you start off on the right foot, we have prepared a short guide – it will provide guidelines on how to take your photographs, as well as show you how to take your photographs for optimum PixAround experience! On how to create PixAround content, follow the pointers and you can be sure your first PixAround Scene will turn out successful!

Get the shots! Before you can start stitching your photographs together using PixMaker 1.0, you need to take the photographs first. Photo-taking sounds like an easy task, and it is, really. But to ensure you do it without any hiccups, you need to PLAN.

1. Get ready your equipment. Any digital camera that has the capacity to shoot pictures at 640 x 480 pixels resolution can be used. It will be good if a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels can be achieved as it gives sharper images.

2. Plan your shots. Decide what you want to shoot beforehand. It can be a list of scenes that you have in mind.

3. Set a time and date. The best time to shoot your pictures is in the morning between 10 to 11am. If you’re shooting outdoors, choose to do it on a sunny day. Postpone your photography session if you must. It’s better to get it right the first time, than to do a poor job and then have to do it all over again.


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If it is an indoor shoot, try to take the pictures with a flash in the darker areas. This is to maintain consistency of the brightness and contrast in all the images that you want to stitch.

4. Positioning the camera. The camera’s orientation depends on the scene that you are taking. For best results, position the camera in a portrait orientation. This is to obtain the maximum vertical view possible.

5. Choose the appropriate lenses There are various types of lenses available in the market. Rectilinear Lens (Normal type)

Normal lenses where the image taken will be exactly the same as the scene.

Wide Angle Lens Lens that cover a wider view hence requires only a few pictures for the same view. However, the objects in the pictures will appear smaller and more distant than they actually are. Try not to use lens below 24mm as the PixAround Scene may appear slightly warped when the images are stitched.

Fisheye lens Extreme wide-angle lens that magnifies the portion of the image near the focus point and also de-magnifies the portion of the image that is away from the focus point. Presently PixMaker 1.0 does not support the use of fisheye lens.

6. Check camera resolution PixMaker 1.0 can stitch images with a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels (3.3 Megapixels). It is advisable to take pictures at a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels instead of the maximum resolution. Increase in image resolution will increase the size of the stitched image.


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7. Use the correct shooting technique Different scenes require different shooting techniques. For a 360° or Partial Panorama scene, take a series of pictures while in a

stationary position as shown in Fig. 2a.

Fig. 2a


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For a vertical Partial Panorama scene, take a series of pictures from top to bottom while in a stationary position as shown in Fig. 2b.

Fig. 2b

In this case, it is good to take the series of pictures with a camera in a landscape position. This is to obtain the maximum horizontal view possible while snapping the pictures from top to bottom.


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For a Flat Scene, take a series of pictures from left to right as shown in Fig. 2c. As you take the individual pictures, maintain the distance between the camera and the subject or scenery.

Fig. 2c For an Object View, take a series of pictures of the object at different

angles as shown in Fig. 2d.

Fig. 2d


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Do bear in mind that the more pictures you take, the smoother the movement of the PixAround Scene because there will be fewer “frame drop” effects. However, it also means that the overall file size will be bigger as there are more images taken.

8. Note the starting point when taking pictures A common mistake made by users is that they forget the starting point of their series of pictures. To help you remember, choose a landmark as a starting point, then take the series of pictures in a clockwise direction. You have to take the pictures in a clockwise direction because PixMaker 1.0 stitches the images clockwise by default. If the pictures are taken anti-clockwise, they will have to be rearranged first before stitching. Try not to tilt the camera in any direction and keep it parallel to the ground while taking the pictures. This is to reduce the amount of cropping during the stitching process. Note the edge (side) of the image taken and allow some overlapping (at least 10% overlapped as shown in Fig. 2e) when taking the next picture. The average number of pictures required for one scene is about 12 to 18 depending on the type of lens that you use.

Fig. 2e

9. Transfer the pictures to the PC. Transfer the series of images that you have taken to the PC. This is where the images are stitched and published. For easy identification, create different folders for different sets of images. Otherwise you will have heaps of images that do not make sense.


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Snap, Stitch, Publish!

The ‘Snap’ button

Now that you have the images stored in a folder, it’s time to stitch them together and see the result. Launch the PixMaker 1.0 program and you will see the ‘Snap’ button near the top left hand corner. Click on the ‘Snap’ button and a prompt box (Fig. 3a) will appear.

Fig. 3a Select ‘My Computer’ and click ‘OK’ and you will be asked for the location of the image files that require stitching.

Fig. 3b Navigate to the folder that you have stored the series of images and select all the images that need to be stitched and click on ‘OK’.


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Once you have clicked on ‘OK’, the series of images will be displayed on the top window. To perform simple tasks to individual images, right-click on the desired image. A series of options will be made available as shown in Fig. 3c.

Fig. 3c

The ‘Stitch’ button

PixMaker 1.0 is able to stitch images for 4 types of PixAround Scenes, namely, 360°, Partial, Flat* and Object View*. Select the type of Scene that is consistent with the way you have taken the images. For example, select “360°” if you have taken your images in one position for a 360° angle of view.

Type Purpose 360° For a series of images taken in one position for a 360° angle of view Partial For a series of images taken in one position for a specific angle of view Flat For a series of images taken from left to right for a wide view Object View For a series of images of an object taken at different angles Next, select the type of lens the images were taken with. If the desired type of lens is not available, select the ‘Auto’ option and PixMaker 1.0 will compute the type of lens automatically. After selecting the type of Scene and lens, click on the ‘Stitch’ button. PixMaker 1.0 will begin to stitch the series of selected images. Watch the stitching process and see how the program aligns and stitches the images together on the fly. *Flat and object view stitching is only available in the Business edition


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Fig. 3d If the images are not aligned, PixMaker 1.0 will crop them to give you the best possible result as shown in Fig. 3d.

Fig. 3e PixMaker 1.0 is able to tolerate tilting to a certain degree but not too much. If the tilt error is too great, the stitching process will give an error. As far as possible, ensure that the camera is always upright and vertical, and kept level to the ground as much as possible.


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The ‘Publish’ button

PixMaker 1.0 allows you to publish the stitched image into several formats. You can publish it as:

Fig. 3f · a PixAround™ Scene (.JPG) Publishing in JPEG format will save the stitched image as a single JPEG file like the one below:

Fig.3g Before achieving a picture like this, you will be asked to choose the image quality and preferred size of the JPEG file. The better the quality and the bigger the image size, the larger the file size. You may want to experiment and play around with the options to obtain the desired configuration (balance between both quality and size).


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Fig.3h · a PixAround™ Web Page (.HTML) Publishing to HTML will result in three files being generated. They are: a JPEG image, a HTML file and the JAR applet file. Please note that in order to view the HTML through a web browser, these three files are required to be located in the same folder. When you choose to publish as a Web Page, the following screen will appear.

Fig. 3j Template: There are three types of templates to select from: Simple, Clean and Fun. This option provides the layout of the Web Page.


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Fig. 3k Heading 1: This will be the text that will appear on the first line of the web page. As you can see from Fig. 3k, it will appear above the picture. Heading 2: This is the sub-heading for the Web Page. As shown in Fig. 3k, the heading will appear above the picture. Body Text: Enter the information that you would like to accompany the PixAround Scene that has been created. As shown in Fig. 3k, the contents are below the Scene.


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· a PixAround™ Postcard (.EXE) This is one of the special features that PixMaker 1.0 offers to users. When the stitched image is published as a Postcard, a self-running executable file (.EXE) is created. To create an EXE file, select the image quality and size for portability, then enter the message that you want as a description of the image. This is shown in Fig. 3l.

Fig. 3l If the image contains hotspots, you will only need to select the image quality and size (Fig. 3m), as the message will be entered in the hotspot properties as shown in Fig. 5d.

Fig. 3m

Next, you will be asked to save the file to the desired folder. Run the executable file that has just been created and you will see the stitched image together with the message that has been entered as shown in Fig. 3n.


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Fig. 3n This self-running executable postcard can be used in many ways. You can use it for a presentation or as an advertisement. This is why you are able to personalise your messages and show a 360° panoramic view of the place and scenery. · PDA This is a new feature that allows users to publish directly to PDA devices, enabling them to view PixAround Scenes on the move. You will be able to publish to devices running on both Palm OS® and Windows® CE operating systems. (Note: PixScreen Palm 1.0 and/or PixScreen WinCE Lite must be installed on the devices before publishing)

Fig. 3l


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Publish to Palm OS Depending on the Scene itself, you will be able to specify the view type and resolution.

Scene Type 360 Flat Object View View Type available 2D/3D 2D 2D Resolution (colors)* 256/64K 256/64K 256/64K

Fig. 3m Each Scene type option will result in a format of different resolution and file size, depending on the resolution selected. For a 256 colors selection, the file size may be as large as 400K. In comparison, a 64K colors selection may result in a file size that can be as large as 800K. *The 64K colors selection will display the Scene in 8-bit color only on 8-bit devices.


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After selecting the view type and file size, preview the PixAround Scene by clicking on “Preview”. Click on “OK” to publish the PixAround Scene. The Scene will be transferred to your Palm device during the next HotSync® operation.

Fig. 3n

Fig. 3o


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Publish to Windows CE PixAround Scenes are published to Windows® CE devices in the JPEG format. You will be asked to choose the image quality and preferred size of the JPEG file. The better the quality and the bigger the image size, the larger the file size. You may want to experiment and play around with the options to obtain the desired configuration (balance between both quality and size). Viewing of PixAround Scenes on Windows® CE devices is dependent on the program memory available on the devices. A larger image will require more program memory for viewing. Once you have selected the desired image quality and size, click on “OK” to publish the scene to your Windows® CE device. The scene will be transferred to your device during the next ActiveSync® session.

Fig. 3q


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· Print This option enables you to print out the PixAround Scene either on a single page or on multiple pages.

Fig. 3r


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The Stitch Toolbar The stitch toolbar (see Fig. 4a) is shown by default after snapping. The stitch toolbar will be displayed just below the ‘Snap, Stitch, Publish’ buttons. The function of each button is described below.

Fig. 4a

The ‘Add images’ button This button allows you to add images or files that were left out during the ‘Snap’ action. A dialog box will prompt you to select the images or files that you require and to click on ‘OK’. The images will appear next to the series of images you had selected earlier. Drag and insert them to the required position.

The ‘Delete images’ button This button deletes unwanted images from the series of images displayed. This is to allow you to remove images that were accidentally inserted during the ‘Snap’ action or accidentally taken during the shoot. You can delete images in several ways. One way is to select the file and press ‘delete’. The other way is to right-click the unwanted image and select ‘delete’. These actions doe not delete the unwanted image from the folder. It merely removes the image from being stitched.

The ‘Select All’ button You can select all the displayed images by clicking on this button. This action allows you to perform a batch operation for all the images selected. For example, you can delete, reverse or rotate all the images.

The ‘Rotate images’ button This button lets you rotate the images to the correct orientation prior to stitching. This is especially helpful when the pictures are taken in a portrait position. The button will rotate the selected images to the position that is required before performing the stitch.


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The ‘Reverse images’ button This button allows the images selected to be reversed from anti-clockwise to clockwise.

The ‘Undo’ button Like most programs, this button is useful when an accidental action is executed. This will undo the last action that you had performed.

The ‘Copy’ button This button allows you to move the images that need to be stitched to the desired position.

The ‘Paste’ button This button definitely requires no introduction. What else can you do after you have copied the image? Paste! Select the desired position for the image then click on this button and it will be inserted as wished!

The ‘Manual Align’ button Sometimes the image may not be as satisfactory as you would like it to be, so some user intervention is required. This is where the ‘Manual Align’ function comes in. When there are some misaligned pictures and you would like to perform a manual alignment, you can click on this button and a window (Fig. 4b) will pop up. This is where you can re-align the pictures.


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Fig. 4b The smaller window on the top right hand corner allows you to select the images that require re-alignment. You can scroll to the desired images in this window and the larger window on the left will display the two images that are selected. Move the cursor over to the larger window to move the images to the desired positions. Select ‘Blend’ and you will be able to see the final look of the images when they are blended together. Move the slider to the right to improve the blending of colors. However, increasing the blending percentage may also result in blurred or shadowy outlines. When the images are in the desired positions, click on ‘Done’ and PixMaker 1.0 will perform a re-stitch. The required result will be shown after the re-stitch.


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The ‘Setting’ Options

Generally, you do not have to change the default settings for stitching as they work well for most images. If you wish to change them, however, select 'Stitching' from the 'Settings' menu. · Stitching Settings

Fig. 4c Under stitching option, the ‘Sharpness’ feature defines how much the image will be sharpened. By moving the slider, you are able to adjust the sharpness of the image. The default is set at ‘ON’ for the color correction feature. PixMaker 1.0 automatically compensates for differences in lighting between consecutive images. If the difference in colors is still apparent in the final scene, you can use manual alignment, which lets you change the blending percentage.


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· Viewing Settings

Fig. 4d This setting determines how the stitched image behaves. Gradual Stop:

The ‘Gradual Stop’ option determines how the image stops panning. When you select this option, the image will slowly come to rest when you stop panning it using your mouse. The image will come to an abrupt stop if this option is not selected. High Quality Viewing: This setting lets you decide when you would like high quality viewing. When 'Always' is selected, it will display a high quality image at all times. If 'On Stop Only' is chosen, a high quality image will only be displayed when the image stops panning. If you do not want to display a high quality image, then select 'Never'. Pan / Zoom: The sliding bar here determines the speed at which the stitched image pans or zooms. Automatic Panning: When this option is selected, it will enable the stitched image to pan automatically when loaded. Zoom to maximum wide angle: This setting allows you to set the image to the widest angle when the image is loaded.


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· Lens Settings

Fig. 4e This setting allows you to correct any distortion of the images. First use the sliding bar to select the image that you want to correct for lens distortion.

Lens: Select the lens that you have used to take the images. Choose 'Auto' if you are not sure.

Distortion Correction: Move the sliding bar to adjust the distortion. When you move the sliding bar, the 'Lens' setting option will be set back to 'Auto'.This is because PixMaker 1.0 will automatically assume that you are not sure of the exact lens setting and have decided to adjust the distortion manually.


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The Hotspot toolbar

Fig. 4f The Hotspot toolbar (Fig. 4f) will be displayed when you click on the Hotspot tab after creating the Scene. It is always displayed to help you insert the Hotspots. Alternatively, you can insert Hotspots by clicking on ‘Edit’ and select ‘Add Hotspots’.

The ‘Link to another Scene’ button This button allows you to create a link from the current Scene to another Scene. When this button is selected, the following window will appear.

Fig. 4g In the left window, pan the scene to the desired position and use the zoom function to create a smooth transition to the next scene.


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In the right window, from ‘Destination’, select the Scene that you want to link to.

Fig. 4h Selecting ‘New Scene’ will require you to specify the type of scene as shown in the following screen.

Fig. 4i


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When selecting an ‘Object view’ type, you will need to specify the total number of images taken for the object as shown below.

Fig. 4j Next, type in the label for the Hotspot. This label will appear beside the Hotspot when you move your cursor over the Hotspot in the Scene.

Fig. 4k


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The Hotspots can be positioned anywhere within the Scene.

Fig. 4l


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The ‘Link to Web Site’ button This button allows you to create a link from the Scene to a Web site or a Web page. Type in the URL and label the Hotspot. Alternatively, you can browse for the URL by clicking on ‘Browse…´.

Fig. 4m

Fig. 4n


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The ‘Link to Audio’ button *Note: This feature is only available in the Business edition This button allows you to create a link to different types of audio files, namely, Wav, Snd, Midi, MP3 and RealMedia. Click on ‘Browse…’ to look for the file that you would like to link to and label the Hotspot.

Fig. 4o

Fig. 4p


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The ‘Link to Video’ button *Note: This feature is only available in the Business edition This button allows you to create a link to different types of movie files, namely, Mpeg, Quicktime, AVI, Flash and RealMedia. Click on ‘Browse…’ to look for the file that you would like to link to and label the Hotspot.

Fig. 4q

Fig. 4r


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The ‘Link to Email’ button *Note: This feature is only available in the Business edition This button allows you to create a link to send Email to the address that you have typed.

Fig. 4s

The ‘Add text’ button *Note: This feature is only available in the Business edition This button allows you to create a text label to be placed on the image. The text you type here will appear when the cursor moves over the Hotspot.

Fig. 4t The use of this feature is mainly for labelling purposes. You may like to use this to identify or introduce a product or an item.


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Preview the Hotspots After inserting the Hotspots, you can preview them in the preview mode. Click on the ‘Preview’ button to switch to the preview mode.

Fig. 4u Clicking on the Hotspot icon will activate the link. If the Hotspot is linked to another scene, the linked scene will be displayed (Fig. 4v). After viewing the linked scene, you can go back to the original scene by clicking on the ‘Back to Previous Scene’ button . If the Hotspot is linked to an audio or video clip, it will launch the default player for the clip.


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Fig. 4v


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Scene & Hotspot Properties Reviewing the Scenes and Hotspots The Scenes and Hotspots can be reviewed by clicking on the minimize button which will minimize the present scene and display the scene list. The scene list displays all the scenes and their respective Hotspots. To review the scenes, click on the label itself. Clicking on the individual Hotspot labels will show you the location of the Hotspots.

Fig. 5a The Hotspots shown under Scene List also give you an idea of what type of Hotspots you have created. In Fig. 5a it has shown that a link-to-scene (Scene_Outdoor_Pdex) Hotspot has been created. If an audio Hotspot is created, it will show Audio_File_Name.


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From the Scene list, you have the option to add Hotspots, delete Scenes or Hotspots and edit their properties. The options are available by right clicking on the individual Scenes and Hotspots. Alternatively, you can access the option from the ‘Edit’ menu.

Fig. 5b Fig. 5c

Editing the properties Select the ‘Scene/Hotspot Properties…’ to edit the Scene or Hotspot properties. The following screens will appear respectively for both the Scene properties and Hotspot properties. Make the necessary changes and it will be reflected when you click on ‘OK ‘. Please note that you will not be able to change the destination scene when editing the Scene hotspot properties.

Fig. 5d


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Fig. 5e


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File Management File Types There are two categories of files in PixMaker 1.0, namely, project files and image files. Project Stitcher project file (*.pim) The stitcher project file records the information of a stitching session. It records the images that were snapped for stitching. Hotspot project (*.piw) The hotspot project file records the information of a hotspot session. It records all details of the hotspots in the particular session. Image Source Images PixMaker 1.0 accepts the following image format for stitching JPEG (.jpg) PhotoCD (.pcd) Bitmap (.bmp)

Scene images PixMaker 1.0 published 4 different types of scene images PixAround Scene (360°) PixAround Scene (Partial) PixAround Scene (Flat) PixAround Scene (Object view)


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Opening Files Stitcher project (*.pim) Opening a stitcher project file allows you to

Stitch the images using different settings Manipulate the images (E.g. adding images)

Hotspot project (*.piw) Opening a hotspot project file allows you to Add or remove hotspots Edit the scenes and hotspots properties Publish the scene using other options

Fig. 6a


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PixAround Scenes (*.jpg) Opening a PixAround Scene allows you to Publish using other options. (E.g. Publish as a PixAround™ Postcard) Create a PixAround World using hotspots* View the Scene Print the Scene

*Only for 360° and Partial Scene

Fig. 6b


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Appendix A: µPixScreen Java Features Runs on Java Virtual machine (JVM) 1.1. Any browser with properly implemented

JVM 1.1, e.g. Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and above and Netscape 4.0 and above, should be able to view the applet.

High quality 24-bit true color rendering with bilinear-filtering. Supports both 2D Viewing (very fast), and 3D Viewing (correctly warped). Small file size (about 17KB) Easy to use and configure. Tool panel, help dialog, tool tips provide on-line help. Open format. Loads JPEG files. Ability to render 360° and non-360° PixAround Scenes. Fast rendering. Built-in titling capability. Supports progressive downloading. Highly configurable with more than 15 options to customize µPixScreen applet to your

needs. See Options Methods µPixScreen provides the following methods for effective story-telling. You can write a story in html format, then synchronize the story with the µPixScreen Java applet using the following methods. µPixScreen enables loading of a new 360° PixAround Scene, and turning the current view to a specific point of interest. TransitTo( String strURL, // URL of new or current PixAround Scene. double dSrcYaw, // source yaw to turn to double dSrcPitch, // source pitch to turn to double dSrcFov, // source field-of-view to turn to double dTargetYaw, // target starting yaw double dTargetPitch, // target starting pitch double dTargetFov, // target starting field-of-view double dYawRange // target's total yaw angle int iAutoPan, // Autopan after loading? double dSpeed // turning speed ) Use TransitTo to load a new PixAround Scene, or to turn to a specific direction in the current PixAround Scene.


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Two scenarios can happen: If strURL is the current PixAround Scene, the current view changes direction gradually to dTargetYaw, dTargetPitch, and dTargetFov, at dSpeed velocity. If strURL is a not the current PixAround Scene, the view will first turn to dSrcYaw, dSrcPitch, and dSrcFov, load the strURL, and then face dTargetYaw, dTargetPitch, and dTargetFov. TransitTo( String strURL, double dTargetYaw, double dTargetPitch, double dTargetFov, double dYawRange, int iAutoPan, double dSpeed) This version of TransitTo is a convenient function that performs the full TransitTo (see above) ignoring dSrcYaw, dSrcPitch, and dSrcFov. If strURL is different from the current PixAround Scene, it loads strURL immediately, without turning. SetTitle(String strTitle, int iPos, int foreColor, int backColor, int borderColor) Sets the title within the applet to strTitle at position specified by iPos (see option for meaning iPos options). Colors for text, background, and border color are specified by foreColor, backColor, and borderColor respectively, in aarrggbb hexadecimal format. iPos, foreColor, backColor or borderColor will be ignored if set to -1. Options

Param Description Default Example code Should be uPixScreen.class.

NA code=uPixScreen.class

archive Should be uPixScreen.jar.

NA archive=uPixScreen.jar

width Width of the applet window.

400 width=500

height Height of the applet window

150 height=300

url Filename of the PixAround Scene. Include pathname if the file does not reside together with the HTML document

NA <param name=url value “sample.jpg”>

startYaw Starting yaw angle ranging from 0° to 360°.

0 Start at 10° <param name=startYaw value=10>

startPitch Starting pitch angle ranging from 0°to 89°.

0 Start at 10° <param name=startPitch value=10>

startFov Starting field of view (FOV). The range Max. For maximum FOV.


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Param Description Default Example on FOV is subject to the PixAround Scene to be viewed. Any value that goes out of range will be clipped. Hint: set this to 180° for max FOV.

FOV - 10°

<param name=startFov value=180>

partialStitch Indicate if the PixAround Scene is an image that is less than 360°. The values can be “yes” or “no”. If this value is “no” but horFov is not 360°, the viewer will still treat the PixAround Scene as a partial image.

no One-liner parameter for non 360 degrees PixAround Scene. The applet estimates the horFov. <param name=partialStitch value=”yes”>

horFov Indicate the field of view of the PixAround Scene. The value can range from 0 to 360°. If this value is omitted but partialStitch is “yes”, the viewer will automatically estimate the value of horFov.

360 Another one-liner for 180° PixAround Scene. <param name=horFov value= 180>

autoPan Option to pan automatically when first downloaded. The values can be “yes” or “no”.

yes To turn off autoPan <param name=autoPan value=”no”>

autoPanSpeed Speed of AutoPan 10 Slower autoPan <param name=autoPanSpeed value=2>

autoPanDelay µPixScreen politely sleeps for autoPanDelay milliseconds between frames, giving the rest of the html objects computational resources. Hint: If you are confident that no other objects in the HTML requires computational resources, you can safely set this value to 0, ensuring a smoother auto pan. In our experience, you can safely set this to 0 for Internet Explorer. Warning: Setting to a lower value may cause Netscape window event loss, resulting in improper Netscape repainting (e.g. Netscape button s becomes black).

50 Smoother (more selfish) autoPan, <param name=autoPanDelay value=0>

autoPanTimeout Stop auto panning after a time specified by autoPanTimeout (in minutes). Note: Prolonged autopan is known to cause Netscape to lose windows event. autoPanTimeout is created to prevent this Netscape problem.

3 Time out after 5 minutes. <param name=autoPanTimeout value=5>

maxFps Maximum frames per second. Should be less than or equal to 60. Note: Frame rate above 60 Hz is imperceptible by most people, and so it's generally pointless to be above 60 Hz. Most people perceive smooth

60 <param name=maxFps value=30>


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Param Description Default Example motion at 30 Hz. A fast machine ( e.g. Pentium III 450 Mhz) is able to produce roughly 55 Hz. By clamping the frame rate to 30 Hz, we relinquish some CPU resources, resulting in the following benefits (at the cost of appearing slightly jerky): Netscape in Linux responses better to mouse event. Other applets/html objects have more CPU resources.

hq 0 - Default normal quality viewing. 1 - Default high quality viewing. Note: High quality viewing has no effect on 2D view. Warning: Setting the default viewing to high quality may result in slow performance on slower computer (e.g. Pentium 100 Mhz).

0 <param name=hq value=1>

viewType Default viewing type. 1 - 3D view 2 - 2D view Hint: 2D view is very fast, even on a 486 computer! In addition, 2D view does not shimmer during panning. From our experience, some people cannot tell the difference between 3D view and 2D view (unless we show them side by side). 2D view works ok for outdoor scene. Thus, you may want to default to 2D view for certain scenes. You judge it yourself.

1 Start with 2D View. <param name=viewType value=2>

title Show a title. If title is "", then title will not be displayed.

"" <param name=title value=”My room”>

titlePos Title position. 0 – Place title on bottom left corner 1 – Place title on top left corner 2 – Place title on top right corner 3 – Place title on bottom right corner 4 – Place title beside the tool panel

0 Place title on the right bottom corner. <param name=titlePos value=3>

titleForegroundColor Color of title text in hexadecimal format aarrggbb.

ffffff Yellow foreground, <param name=titleForegroundColor value =ffff00>

titleBackgroundColor Color of title background in hexadecimal

888888

titleBorderColor Color of title Border in hexadecimal. Hint: set this to background color to turn off border.

666666

autoHide Display/hide the tool panel no Hide the tool panel <param name=autoHide value=”yes”>


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Appendix B: ObjPixScreen Java Features Runs on Java Virtual machine (JVM) 1.1. Any browser with properly implemented


High quality 24-bit true color rendering with bilinear-filtering. Small file size (< 13KB) Easy to use and configure. Tool panel, help dialog, tool tips provide on-line help. Open format. Loads JPEG files. Ability to render 360° and non-360° Object View Scene. Built-in titling capability. Supports progressive downloading with automatic rotation. Highly configurable with more than 15 options to customize ObjPixScreen applet to

your needs. See Options. Automatic configurable rotation.

Options

Param Description Default Example code Should be ObjPixScreen.class

NA code=ObjPixScreen.class

archive Should be ObjPixScreen.jar

NA archive=ObjPixScreen.jar

width Width of the applet window.

NA width=400

height Height of the applet window.

NA weight=200

url Filename of the PixAround Scene. Include pathname if the file does not reside together with the HTML document

NA <param name=url value="sample.jpg">

numFrames Number of frames in the image strip. Setting this correctly is important for proper viewing.

1

startFrame The initial frame to be displayed when first loaded. Typically, autoPan is switch to "no" when we set this. The applet does not switch to "no" automatically for you.

0

partialStitch Indicate if the PixAround Scene is an image that is less than 360°. The values can be “yes” or “no”.

No One-liner parameter for non 360 degrees PixAround Scene. <param name=partialStitch value=”yes”>


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Param Description Default Example autoPan Option to pan automatically when first

downloaded. The values can be “yes” or “no”.

Yes To turn off autoPan, <param name=autoPan value=”no”>

autoPanSpeed Speed of AutoPan in frames per second. Note that this differs from uPixScreen and PixScreen.

10 Slower autoPan, <param name=autoPanSpeed value=5>

autoPanDelay ObjPixScreen politely sleeps for autoPanDelay milliseconds between frames, giving the rest of the html objects computational resources. Hint: If you are confident that no other objects in the HTML requires computational resources, you can safely set this value to 0, ensuring a smoother auto pan. In our experience, you can safely set this to 0 for Internet Explorer. Warning: Setting to a lower value may cause Netscape window event loss, resulting in improper Netscape repainting (e.g. Netscape button s become black).




hq 0 - Default normal quality viewing. 1 - Default high quality viewing. Warning: Setting the default viewing to high quality may result in slow performance on slower computer (e.g. Pentium 100 Mhz).



"" <param name=title value=”My object”>



titleForegroundColor Color of title text in hexadecimal format aarrggbb.



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Param Description Default Example titleBackgroundColor Color of title background in

hexadecimal 888888

titleBorderColor Color of title Border in hexadecimal. Hint: set this to background color to turn off border.

666666



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Appendix C: PixScreen Java Features Scene Hotspot to transit between Cylindrical scenes, and Object View Scenes. URL Hotspot to transit to another web page. Text based world format, for easy editing, and dynamic generation of PixAround web

pages. Runs on Java Virtual machine (JVM) 1.1. Any browser with properly implemented


High quality 24-bit true color rendering with bilinear-filtering. Supports both 2D Viewing (very fast), and 3D Viewing (correctly warped), and object

view (the view you get if you walk around an object). Relatively small file size (about 27KB) Progressive downloading, for better response. Easy to use and configure. Tool panel, help dialog, tool tips provide on-line help. Open format. Loads JPEG files. Ability to render 360° and non-360° PixAround Scenes. Built-in titling capability. Supports progressive downloading in both Cylindrical Scene, and Object View Scene. Automatically removes PixAround strip for Cylindrical PixScene.

Methods PixScreen provides the following methods for effective story-telling. You can write a story in HTML format, then synchronize the story with the PixScreen Java applet using the following methods. PixScreen enables loading of a new 360° PixAround Scene, and turning the current view to a specific point of interest. TransitTo( String strURL, // URL of new or current PixAround Scene. double dSrcYaw, // source yaw to turn to double dSrcPitch, // source pitch to turn to double dSrcFov, // source field-of-view to turn to double dTargetYaw, // target starting yaw double dTargetPitch, // target starting pitch double dTargetFov, // target starting field-of-view int iAutoPan, // Autopan after loading? double dSpeed // turning speed )


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Use TransitTo to load a new PixAround Scene or to pan your PixAround Scene to the desired view. Two scenarios can happen: If strURL is the current PixAround Scene, the current view pans gradually to dTargetYaw, dTargetPitch, and dTargetFov, at dSpeed velocity. If strURL is not the current PixAround Scene, the view will first pan to dSrcYaw, dSrcPitch, and dSrcFov, load the strURL, and then stop at dTargetYaw, dTargetPitch, and dTargetFov. TransitTo( String strURL, double dTargetYaw, double dTargetPitch, double dTargetFov, int iAutoPan, double dSpeed) This version of TransitTo is a convenient function that performs the full TransitTo (see first example) ignoring dSrcYaw, dSrcPitch, and dSrcFov. If strURL is different from the current PixAround Scene, it loads strURL immediately without panning. TransitTo( String strURL, int iAutoPan) This version of TransitTo is a convenient function that loads the new URL and uses its default yaw, pitch, and fov. SetTitle( String strTitle, int iPos, int foreColor, int backColor, int borderColor) Sets the title within the applet to strTitle at position specified by iPos (see Options for title position options). Colors for text, background, and border color are specified by foreColor, backColor, and borderColor respectively, in aarrggbb hexadecimal format. iPos, foreColor, backColor or borderColor will be ignored if set to -1. Note: The parameters for this version of TransitTo() is different from that of the µPixScreen applet.


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Options

Param Description Default Example code Should be PixScreen.class NA code=PixScreen.class archive Should be PixScreen.jar NA archive=PixScreen.jar width Width of the applet window. NA width=400 height Height of the applet window. NA height=200 world World parameter is the heart of this

applet. The entire PixAround world is specified here. See world format in the next section.

NA See Appendix D

speed Yaw, pitch and zoom speed. We do NOT recommend changing speed so that your applet is consistent with other PixAround applets

1 Doubling the speed, <param name=speed value=2.0>

autoPan Option to pan automatically when first downloaded. The values can be “yes” or “no”.

Yes To turn off autoPan, <param name=autoPan value=”no”>

autoPanSpeed Speed of AutoPan 10 Slower autoPan, <param name=autoPanSpeed value=2>

autoPanDelay PixScreen politely sleeps for autoPanDelay milliseconds between frames, giving the rest of the HTML objects computational resources. Hint: If you are confident that no other objects in the HTML requires computational resources, you can safely set this value to 0, ensuring a smoother auto pan. In our experience, you can safely set this to 0 for Internet Explorer. Warning: Setting to a lower value may cause Netscape window event loss, resulting in improper Netscape repainting (e.g. Netscape buttons becomes black).




maxFps Maximum frames per second. Should be less than or equal to 60. Note: Frame rate above 60 Hz is imperceptible by most people, and so it's generally pointless to be above 60

60 <param name=maxFps value=30>


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Param Description Default Example Hz. Most people perceive smooth motion at 30 Hz. A fast machine (e.g. Pentium III 450 Mhz) is able to produce roughly 55 Hz. By clamping the frame rate to 30 Hz, we relinquish some CPU resources, resulting in the following benefits (at the cost of appearing slightly jerky): Netscape in Linux responses better to mouse event. Other applets/HTML objects have more CPU resources.

hq 0 - Default normal quality viewing. 1 - Default high quality viewing. Note: High quality viewing has no effect on 2D view. Warning: Setting the default viewing to high quality may result in slow performance on slower computer (e.g. Pentium 100 Mhz).



"" <param name=title value=”My world”>



titleForegroundColor Color of title text in hexadecimal. aarrggbb.


titleBackgroundColor Color of title background in hexadecimal

888888

titleBorderColor

Color of title Border in hexadecimal. Hint: set this to background color to turn off border.

666666

hsTransparency Setting to 0, turns off transparency Setting to 1, displays transparent hotspots.

0 Transparent hotspots <param name=hsTransparency value=1>



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Appendix D: PixAround World PixAround World consists of a list of PixAround Scenes (PixScene for short), and each PixScene, in turn, can have several Hotspots. The three different types of PixScene are: Cylindrical PixScene (switchable to Flat PixScene during run-time) Flat PixScene (switchable to Cylindrical PixScene during run-time) Object View PixScene. Each PixScene is basically a JPEG image with several parameters for PixScreen engine to properly warp or manipulate the image. In addition, Cylindrical PixScenes can have Hotspots. Hotspots are not available in Flat and Object View PixScenes yet. The available Hotspot types are: 1.Scene Hotspot, which loads another PixScene.

2.URL Hotspot, which loads another URL either in the current window or in a new window.

3.To differentiate the different forms of URL, we have Audio, Video, and E-mail Hotspots.

The easiest way to create a World is to use the PixAround PixMaker. PixMaker generates the World definition automatically in text format. If you wish, you can then edit it in your favourite text/HTML editor. The ease of creation and management of PixMaker, and the flexibility of a text -based format, provides a powerful tool to express your World in PixAround Web page. The scenes and hotspots are defined under the <param name=world value””> parameter. Syntax <param name=world value=” { CYL ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 0 ‘’

{ SCE ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 } { URL ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 } { AUD ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 } { VID ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 } { EML ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 } { LBL ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 } }

{ FLT ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 0 ‘’ } { OBV ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ 0 0 0 0 ‘’ }

“>


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Definitions Scene Cylindrical or Flat { CYL | FLT [name :string] [title :string] [filename :string] [yawRange :number >0 ] [startYaw :number] [startPitch :number] [startFov :number] [story :string] {hotspots definition}... {hotspots definition} // list of hotspots default: none } Note: Setting defaultFov to 180.0 always use the maximum fov. Setting defaultFov to -1 set it to maximum fov - 10 degrees. Object View { OBV [name :string] [title :string] [filename :string] [yawRange :number > 0] [numOfFrames :number > 0] [defaultFrame :number >= 0] [AutoPanSpeed :number] [story :string] } Hotspots 360°/Partial/Flat Scene

{ SCE [name :string] [label :string] [filename :string] [yaw :number] [pitch :number] [AutoSpinOnDestinationLoaded :1-yes, 0- no] [srcYaw :number] [srcPitch :number]


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[srcFov :number] [destYaw :number] [destPitch :number] [destFov :number] } Note: Setting srcYaw to -1 switch off src zoom, ignoring srcPitch, srcFov Setting destYaw to -1 switch off uses destination's default yaw, pitch, fov, ignoring destPitch, destFov Transiting to the Scene itself results in camera movement without changing Scenes. Object View Scene { OBV [name :string] [title :string] [filename :string] [yawRange :number > 0] [numOfFrames :number > 0] [defaultFrame :number >= 0] [AutoPanSpeed :number] [story :string] } URL/Audio/Video/Email/Label { URL | AUD | VID | EML | LBL [name :string] [label :string] [url :string] [yaw :number] [pitch :number] [0|1 : 0 - in place, 1- newWindow] Note: EML requires in-place } Example of definition A simple 360° Cylindrical PixScene name myimage, with starting yaw at 0°, starting

pitch at 0°, and starting field-of-view at 180°. It loads a JPEG file ‘myimage.jpg’, and its story is 'My Story'. The title is ‘My Story’

<APPLET NAME="pixscreen" CODE="PixScreen.class" ARCHIVE="PixScreen.jar" WIDTH= 500 HEIGHT= 200> <PARAM NAME=world VALUE=" { CYL 'myimage' 'My Story' 'myimage.jpg' 360 0 0 180 'My Story' } "> </APPLET>


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FAQ Q: What is a PixAround Scene? A: PixAround Scene refers to a partial or full 360° panoramic image. Q: What is a PixAround Webpage? A: A PixAround Webpage is a Web page that contains PixAround Scenes. Q: What is the difference between PixAround Scene and PixAround Webpage? A: A PixAround Scene is a partial or full 360° panoramic image. A PixAround Webpage contains PixAround Scenes. Q: What is a PixMaker stitcher project file (*.pim)? A: A PixMaker stitcher project file is a saved copy of your stitcher project. If you are working on a new PixMaker project but you have something to attend to before the work is completed, you can save your work as a PixMaker stitcher project file (*.pim), then return later to continue working on this file. In this way, you do not have to stitch your images all over again. Q: What is a PixMaker Hotspot project file (*.piw)? A: A PixMaker Hotspot project file is a saved copy of your Hotspot project. If you are working on a scene with Hotspots but you have something to attend to before the work is completed, you can save your work as a PixMaker Hotspot project file (*.piw), then return later to continue adding the Hotspots to the scene. In this way, you do not have to add Hotspots to your scene all over again. Q: How do I add Hotspots to a stitched image that was published as a Scene (.jpg)? A: Click on the ‘Snap’button to retrieve the published scene into PixMaker, ensure that the scene type is correct. For example, if the scene is a flat type, change the file type accordingly. Q: When I open the stitcher project file, the images do not appear in the window. Why? A: If PixMaker is unable to locate the images, it may be that they were moved to a directory that is different from the one in which you had originally saved your stitcher project file. To retrieve the “missing” images, move them back to the directory in which you have saved your stitcher project file. Q: What is the average loading speed of a PixAround Scene? A: The loading speed is dependent on the size and resolution of your PixAround Scene (image), the size of the Java applet, as well as the size of your HTML page and other graphics on the page. Q: What is the size of a typical PixAround Webpage? A: The PixAround Webpage includes the standard HTML text file, the JPEG image(s) used and the Java applet. The weight of the page depends very much on the quality of the image that you want. It can range from 350KB to 600KB.


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Q: Do I need a plug-in to view a PixAround Webpage? A: No. You don't need to download a plug-in or a separate application to view a PixAround Webpage. All you need is a browser with Java Virtual Machine (JVM) 1.1 and above (E.g. Netscape 4.0 & above and IE 4.0 & above). Q: What are the platforms that support PixMaker 1.0? A: PixMaker 1.0 is supported by the following operating systems: Windows® 95 Windows® 98 Windows® 2000 Windows® NT Q: What is the size of the JAVA applet when published to HTML? A: The JAVA applet size for ObjPixScreen - 11KB PixScreen - 27KB uPixScreen - 15KB Q: What is the resolution that PixMaker 1.0 is able to stitch? A: We have tried to stitch images with resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels and the program is able to work normally but we would recommend stitching of image with 800 x 600 pixels due to the resulting file size, loading time and stitching time required. Q: What are the steps to create a web page using Frontpage 2000? A: 1) Publish the stitched image to HTML and note the location of the 3 files generated, namely the html file (*.html), the image file (*.jpg) and the java applet (*.jar). 2) Open the published HTML for editing using Frontpage 2000. You will see the preview of the webpage that was generated by PixMaker 1.0. In addition, you will need to open your own html where you want the applet to be placed. 3) Using drag-and-drop function, drag the java applet indicated by a coffee cup logo to your own webpage. The image is viewed using the applet. 4) After drag-and-drop, save the HTML and preview the page using your web browser. Please ensure that the image (*.jpg) and applet (*.jar) are in the same directory as the HTML Q: How many images are required for a 360° scene? A: There is no fix number of images required to stitch the 360° scene. The average number of images is about 12 as it all depends on the FOV or the lens used. Q: How many images are required for an object view scene? A: There is no fix number of images required to stitch an object view. The average number of images we recommend will be around 24. The more images used will allow smoother image when viewed.


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Q: Why is it that my friends cannot retrieve the postcards from their ISP? A: The postcards are saved as EXE files and certain ISP, for security reasons, will remove the ‘.exe’ from the file name. To resolve this problem, type in the ‘.exe’ which was removed and the postcards will be able to be viewed. Q: Why my published stitched image cannot be viewed in Netscape? A: Netscape has difficulty viewing images that is more then 4080 pixels in length. Therefore to resolve this issue you will need to scale down the resolution of the image. Q: Can PixMaker 1.0 stitch images captured by a fish eye lens? A: PixMaker 1.0 is not able to stitch images taken with a fisheye lens at this point of time. Stitching images taken with a fisheye lens may have a certain degree of distortion as a result. Our main objective is to have simple software such that any end user is able to have a 360° view with a simple camera. However, we are currently looking into the possibility of developing a program that is able to stitch images taken by fisheye lens. Q: Why are there certain images that can be viewed on Netscape but not certain MSIE? A: There are certain servers that change the server code and require certain changes to java applets when viewed through MSIE. To resolve the problem with your applets, you'll need to add the full path to the codebase in the opening applet tag, as well as all image references within your applet. Q: Why is stitching so slow as compared to the sample files? A: This is probably due to large file size of the individual images. Try scaling down the image size and that should speeds up the stitching process.


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Glossary Applet A component that typically executes in a Web browser, but can execute in a variety of other applications or devices that support the applet programming model. Attachment A file such as a photography sent along with an e-mail message so it can be viewed or saved at the recipient’s end. Class In the Java(TM) programming language, a type that defines the implementation of a particular kind of object. A class definition defines instance and class variables and methods, as well as specifying the interfaces the class implements and the immediate superclass of the class. If the superclass is not explicitly specified, the superclass will implicitly be Object. HTML HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the set of "markup" symbols or codes inserted in a file intended for display on a World Wide Web browser. The markup tells the Web browser how to display a Web page's words and images for the user. The individual markup codes are referred to as elements (but many people also refer to them as tags) JAR Files (.jar) Java Archive. A file format used for aggregating many files into one. Java Java is a programming language expressly designed for use in the distributed environment of the Internet. JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group. An image file compression standard established by this group. It achieves tremendous compression at the cost of introducing distortions into the image which are almost always imperceptible. Megapixels An image or image sensor with over one million pixels. MPEG MPEG (pronounced EHM-pehg), the Moving Picture Experts Group, develops standards for digital video and digital audio compression. It operates under the auspices of the International Oganization for Standardization (ISO). The MPEG standards are an evolving series, each designed for a different purpose.


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MP3 MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3) is a standard technology and format for compressing a sound sequence into a very small file (about one-twelfth the size of the original file) while preserving the original level of sound quality when it is played Panorama A photograph with much wider horizontal coverage that a normal photograph, up to 360-degrees and more. Pixels The small picture elements that make up a digital photograph. Portrait orientation Turning the camera to take a vertically oriented photograph. QuickTime QuickTime is a multimedia development, storage, and playback technology from Apple. QuickTime files combine sound, text, animation, and video in a single file. Using a QuickTime player that either comes with a Web browser or can be downloaded from Apple or the browser company, you can view and control brief multimedia sequences. Resolution An indication of the sharpness of images on a printout or the display screen. It is based on the number and density of the pixels used. The more pixels used in an image, the more detail can be seen and the higher the image’s resolution. URL (Uniform Resource Locator) A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) (pronounced YU-AHR-EHL or, in some quarters, UHRL) is the address of a file (resource) accessible on the Internet. The type of resource depends on the Internet application protocol. Using the World Wide Web's protocol, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) , the resource can be an HTML page (like the one you're reading), an image file, a program such as a CGI application or Java applet, or any other file supported by HTTP. The URL contains the name of the protocol required to access the resource, a domain name that identifies a specific computer on the Internet, and a hierarchical description of a file location on the computer. Web site A Web site is a related collection of Web files that includes a beginning file called a home page. © 2000 PixAround.com Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. PixAround.com, PixAround, PixMaker and PixScreen are registered trademarks of PixAround.com Pte Ltd. PixAround's trademarks may be used publicly with permission only from PixAround. Fair use of PixAround’s trademarks in advertising and promotion of PixAround products requires proper acknowledgement. All other brands and names are the property of their respective owners

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PixMaker™ 1.0 User Guide - PixAroundpixaround.com/downloads/guide_pm10web.pdf · PixMaker 1.0 User Guide 10 In a nutshell…. PixAround provides fully integrated solutions that