CGTechniques.com 
Christian Bauer; 12/2003

Panorama tour builder for max/viz 4/5/6:

This script will generate spherical panorama images and all html files automaticaly.
It will connect the Panoramas, so you can create a complete tour.

 

Just think about a tour through your scene, you will not need any 3d hardware anymore and no special plugins.. everything you need is a webbrowser. With this script you can create a panorama tour with only few mouseclicks.


Here one of the first working panotours

Another Sample of the Kill Bill Project on CGarchitect

The Script uses a Helperobject to define hotspots (find "panonodes" in standard helper) and a macroscript to render all images and generate all Html files at once.

The script idea itself started as static imapbuilder for vray (which still is it). One sideeffect was the output of spherical Enviromentmaps ..and exacty here the script evoluted to a working Panotour builder. ..here i stopped working on it and Stephen Leger ( member from www.archidata.org ) started to think far beyond my expectations for that script. I can say he completly rewrote the htmloutput code to generate only one html file for the tour , which let you better integrate in existing webdesigns. Stephen also enhanced the Helperobject and the connect target code and many other fine details. ..I can only say ..WOW!!!

 

Have a look at this SWF-viewlet how it works (500kb)

 

Quick note: Following Howto is written for the 0.6x script. Newer scripts have the same workflow but few additonal features !

1. The "PanoNode" Helper:

Load your scene and start adding panoramanodes where you later want your standpoint.

Now you have all nodes in your scene, start configure them.

Start with renaming your nodes... give them a usefull name without special characters and without spaces!.
Then define for every node the hor. size in px. of the panorama image. Default is 1024 (x512) which is perfect for a webtour. You can also define higher sized images.. feel free..
The checkbox "render panorama" let you exclude nodes from processing ..just think of anchors to external webpages.

The next settings are for vrayusers: This script was primary a tool to generate a static GI and here you can see if that node is processed and you can set the gi processing mode for this node to incremental add, which is faster.

Next we have the settings how the node will be visible in panoramas:
"Visible Hotspot in Pano" means that the hotspot will be always visible, if it's unckecked the hotspot will only visible when the mouse rolls over the hotspot. You can also change the color of that hotspot.
Instead a circle you can define a textfield or description.. just type in some words... you have more than one line by seperate the line with "|" .

 

When everthing is done you can start connecting the nodes: ..please remember ,don't change the name of the nodes after connecting the nodes.

You only have to pick the nodes which are visible on the panoramas. That's all.

 

2. The "make pano/imap" Script:

When everything is done we can create the Panoramatour with all images and html files.

This part of the script is very render dependent and behave with every renderer different. It works with Vray, Brazil (thx Richard), Finalrender ,insight and the scanline renderer. ..finalrender uses a workaround now.. it sould work!

First you have to setup your render: the script will only change the size and pixelaspect , every other setting for AA or GI have to be set by your!
When you start the script by pressing the button "make Pano/imap" you will first be asked for the folder and the imagename. This is the folder of the html files too !. The imagetype have to be JPG, but you can also output to any other imagetype for the price to convert it later to jpg if you want to use it with the html tour. If you using the scanline renderer you can only use JPG, BMP or TIFF.

Next you will be ask if you want to use the nodenames for the imagename... say YES. If you say no, it will output to the filename you typed in before and will not work with the panoramatour.

Note for vray users:
Next you will be asked for the name of the imapfile. The script will generate a complete imap file for the nodes so that you can render without processing the imap. When the script is finished it will open the imapviewer and let you controll the imap.

Note for NON Vray, Brazil, Finalrender user:
The scanlinerenderer(any other render) will generate the panorama very different: it will render a cubic enviroment and stitch it together with ptsticher... don't be suprised when a cmdbox pops up ;) ...the six files are stored in a folder with the imagename.. so you can also compile a QTVR.

That's it ..now go for a coffee and wait until all panoramas are finished... maybe i can add a better progressbar..anyway.. you might know how long a image normaly take. When the imagegeneration is complete the script generates for every node an html file and an index.html which will pops up and let you test the tour and the panoramas which are outside the tour. Just grab the code for your page. here some samples: viz4 vray

I'm sure there is room for improvments, but i haven't time to do it by myself, so i can now say that this script works perfect for me and that this is the reason why this version (0.61) is the last version i will touch.. :) ..just contact me if YOU want to add something to the script.

 

If you have a permanent Panoramatour then let me know , because i will add your link here.

 

Download the script:


Panotour 0.76 (1.03.2005). (only the script and no support files)

install:
Drag the mzp file into any max/viz viewport.
Costumise your toolbar / menu where you will find the make pano script in the lightbox category.

Note:
The downloaded file includes also ptsticher, pano12.dll and ptviewer.jar which are distributed under the GNU license by Helmut Dersch!
The panotour maxscript itself is not Freeware, Publicdomain or opensource! ..read below!

If you get a red screen in your applet when trying to render with default renderer, then make sure pano12.dll and ptstitcher.exe is in the maxroot! If they are missing, then open the mzp file with winzip or winrar and copy both files into the maxroot.
If it's still not working then please try to copy pano12.dll into the windows/system32 folder.

Please honor my work with a postcard or a little donation (5-15euros);
This Script is at least postcardware ..it's not Freeware!

 

 

Additonal suggested downloads:


+ Panotools: Windows Version 2.6b1, includes Gimp plug-in (needed only for the scanlinerenderer; copyright H.Dersch)

+ Imapviewer for vray (needed only for vray; copyright: chaosgroup)


history:

0.76 : Rendersize override for all panos added , Brazil and Vray part bugfixed... everything should render fine now!
0.74 + 0.75 : fixed a bug on exporting nodes with whitespaces in the nodename , but there is still on *some* systems a bug when rendering with the default scanline renderer ...dunno why, but ptstitcher doesn't start to converting the six faces to a spherical panorma.
0.7: I don't know where to start i just want to name this version : Stephen Leger Build
( Stephen enhanced and changed a lot of thing on the original code so i only have to tested it on Viz4 to make it backward compatible.)

changes: HTML
Each tour is now in one single HTML page.
Set entry viewpoint according incoming direction.
Javascript to change the title of the page and keep Hotspot visibility settings.

Maxscript
Use matrix to retrieve relative hotspot position and setting camera position and rotation.
Add auto return link generation, also remove return link when doubleclick on list
Add a default visibility mode "" for hotspot.
Add URL override ability to handle external URL call
Add a node name as hotspot label option. (override label)
Take care if pano are linked and build specific page when alone.
Add a floater to easy link all panoramas with mouse only.
Take care of node relationship to build separate pages for eatch tour.

There is an issue with PanoNodes rename after link !
There is also a camera issue with brazil :
You have to create a Bcam and check far clipping, then destroy the camera.

0.62 Finalrender will work now...
0.61 the script will now generates also the htmlfiles
0.6 finetune html code!
0.56 fixes some vraycode and added the code to open the imapviewer for vray
0.55 added first fr code
0.54 fix for pixelaspect != 1 with ntsc or pal preset ..this is tony s bug ;)
0.53 added a different output filestructure for the default renderer
0.52 restructure loops to response to the dialogeboxes if canceled
correct the brazil code ... Richard, it was a pleasure to work with you :)
0.51 restructure the script for better support for other renderer
added brazil settings ..not tested yet, but should work..
0.5 added support for the default scanline renderer
0.45 added some parameters for the hotspot:
You can define the hotspot with text and color.
You also can turn the hotspot off, to make it nonvisible
0.4 added "is rendered" param to exclude nodes from rerendering
0.3 added the vrayhelper
script will ask for folder to save
0.2 changed to spherical mapping until someone else tell me that the
distortion is wrong ...like few releases before..

 

 

 

any questions: please ask in the lightbox

have fun with it!

 

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