BLACK HELMET. The black helmet is displayed with QuickTimeVR, the Rolls Royce choice for turnoramas. QuickTime is extremely versatile and powerful. There are numerous tools and tricks that allow me to make QuickTime images rich viewer experinces. The bad news is that a plugin is required for browsers. The good news is that the plugin is present in about 70% of all browsers and it is free. This turn is made from 36 photos and you can choose to see small or large.

BLUE HELMET: The blue helmet uses another technology, javascripting. Javascripting is not the same as Java. Turnoramas using javascript can be seen on every browser known to man. This turn is made up of only eight highly compressed images to speed the download time.

RED HELMET: Made with the same javascript technology as the blue helmet, only this time there are 24 images that are compressed at only 30%.

A simple animated GIF

This antique stereoscope was rendered as an animated GIF with only 8 frames, and is a speedy download at only 22k. No plugin is necessary for this kind of image, but not all images are suitable for animated GIFs which flatten colors and obliterate detail. In addition, animated GIFS cannot be controlled with the mouse.

Multi-row turnoramas show the product from the side and above

Bettie Page, a legendary glamour model of the early 1950s worked for men's magazines, calendars, and camera clubs. This is a turnorama, shot from the side and four other rows moving 15 degrees above her. It is from the catalog of Playboy.com.

Turnoramas with backgrounds

This ceramic replica of the Chicago Harbor Lighthouse was set against a photo of the real thing on a misty day. As you spin it, watch for a surprise!

Javascript turnoramas

99% of all browsers have javascript enabled and these turnoramas operate with javascripts. No slow to load java applet, no plugins. These are each made up of 13 images. And no, the handkerchief was not my choice. The client is always right. Right?

Roundabouts

Henry Moore's enormous "Nuclear Sculpture" stands on the spot on the University of Chicago campus where scientists conducted the first controlled nuclear reaction. This event lead to an era of wonders and horrors alternately depicted in Moore's remarkable work. From one side it is a helmet, from another a skull, from another like a simian, from another like a human. The next best thing to being there is a turnorama.

Panoramas

Panoramas put the viewer right smack dab in the middle and allow them to fly around your virtual world with a mouse.

Cylindrical panos are great for landscapes

The view from Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas National Park is breathtaking. Spinography puts you right there. You can practically smell the salt air and hear the mating cry of the sooty tern.

Paintings

This view of the vineyards in Carneros in southern Napa Valley has been extensively handworked to create a romantic, misty, handpainted look. This technique can be used to produce labels for bottles or cans.

Link panos to 2D pictures and text

The Beverage Testing Institute is world famous for its Consumer Reports-type reviews of wine, beer, and spirits. Here is a panorama of one of their panels hard at work with hotspots linked to details about their methodology and info about their famous judges. It's a dirty job...

A must for restaurants and realtors

The Herbfarm, a superb restaurant near Seattle, is on all the top 10 restaurants in the US. What a great way to sell your ambiance. Realtors, imagine the time savings and gas savings by being able to have your clients take virtual tours, eliminating homes (or offices, or factories) that won't work, and home in on the best prospects. Virtual tours are especially useful to people or businesses moving from out of town.

Inside tight spots

The wine cellar at Cornell University's famed School of Hotel Administrationis tightly packed with rarities given by alums. Professor Mutkoski of the Beverage Management program invites you in.

Pseudo panoramas

We can even create a panorama by stitching together separate images creating a pseudo-panorama as you can see in this job we shot for Playboy.com.

Cubic panoramas are totally Immersive

Virtual Tour Plus

Visit the new home of the Tony award winning Goodman Theatre in Chicago and pick your seats. The technology used is Cubic QuickTimeVR. (Photos by Dennis Biela)

Java applet spherical panoramas need no plug-in

The Chicago Wineschool is the place to learn about wine and part of its ambiance is the artwork and posters on the walls and ceiling. A photobubble shows it off beautifully. Like cubics, a photobubble allows you to look all around and above and below. Best of all, no plug-in download is necessary. It runs on a java applet.