Using a Java applet to display 360 degree panorama pictures

[TomKa]

To build a gallery with 360 degree panorama pictures I have to display these pictures inside a Java applet. Anybody can give me some hint where I have to put the following code for the applet? Inside of one of the parameters is the name of the file which will be called by the applet. Is this possible with EE ?

Thomas

Code to display the panorama picture:

[Pekka]

You can use EE's "panorama" property to display this applet only when panorama's are viewed on photo.php. Currently panorama info is used on list page only but this is a great use for it.

I'll post you a modified photo.php for EE 1.3RC today - it will use the applet for panorama images.

[Pekka]

Ok, here's the new photo.php which supports PTViewer for EE 1.3RC:

http://photography-on-the.net/ee/pt_photo.zip

In around line 1350 you set up if you want to use PTviewer for panoramas and/or for flat images

$use_pt_pano = "1";
$use_pt_flat = "0";

Some lines below that you have different settings for flat file (plain image) viewer and for panorama viewer. Don't touch flat file viewer, and in panorama viewer there is also PHP code to insert image size to applet parameters.

Only JPEG (JPG) panoramas are supported by EE so far.

I will add a setting for applet usage into database and misc settings, for next version of EE.

Flat file viewer has zoom in/out capability.
shift+mouse = zoom in
ctrl+mouse = zoom out

NOTE: it seems that the applet accepts only images from the same server EE is in so this will restrict size path usage to SAME SERVER EE IS IN. Must be Java security treat. If you try to open an image from external server you will get a long delay in photo loading and eventyally a red plane instead of the photo.

NOTE2: Windows XP has no Java Machine installed by default. You must install it separately from http://java.sun.com/getjava/index.html - maybe it is a good idea to mention this on photo page.

PTViewer is and will not be included in EE installation, you must get it separately from http://www.path.unimelb.edu.au/~dersch/

[TomKa]

Thank you Pekka. I'm going through the options of EE, seems I have to learn something about PHP, 8-)

Ben Kreunen has developed a FilemakerPro database to author PTViewer applet code, don't know if this could be useful to integrate the parameters.
http://www.path.unimelb.edu.au/~bernardk/tutorials/360/fm2ptv/index.html

Beside the possiblity with the java applet there is also the Zoomify Viewer. From Photoshop you save into a special sliced fileformat to zoom into the picture or the panorama.
http://www.zoomify.com/zoomifyer/
http://www.zoomify.com/support/zoomifyer/parameters.asp

Other possibilities are Quicktime, Active-X or Flash to display images. Scripting support for different needs would be great if it is not too difficult to integrate into EE, only the java applet would be also ok.

BTW, jpg files can be crypted with the PTCrypt component from the PTViewer, available from the file section of the PanoTools group at Yahoogroups.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PanoTools/

[Pekka]

It is quite easy to place any type of viewer in photo page, so I may do a general set of image variables and some simple scheme to add new viewer code to photo.php.

[Pekka]

TomKa wrote:I have found the EE "panorama" property in the Picture Editor. The modified version will have a feature to insert the parameter for the applet?

Yes, it will see if photo is tagged as "panorama" and use the applet viewer for those if
$use_pt_pano = "1";

[TomKa]

Setting a gallery with panorama pictures and the PTViewer applet I can see my panorama picture without problems in IE 5.5, the applet is loading and after that the picture.
In Opera 7.11 the applet is loading, and after searching about one minute for jpg file i will get a red square, normally an indication that PTViewer is unable to find the panorama image.

Any hints why I can see the pano in IE but not with Opera 7.11 ? The link is the same. Hmmm.... ??

Answer: Seems to be a bug in Opera 7.11.
With Mozilla Firebird 0.6 the panorama image is loading without problems.

Thomas