CubicNavigator - Tutorial

CubicConverter is an authoring tool which converts various types of panoramic images into of cubic format QuickTime VR movies. It can also modify existing QuickTime VR movies and extract their image content.

What sort of images can it convert?

Equirectangular, cylindrical, individual cube faces, and mirror ball images.

What can these be converted to?

All types of images can be converted into cube faces, either as plain images or as cubic format QuickTime VR movies. Existing cube faces (including those in existing QuickTime VR movies) can be converted into equirectangular images.

What else can be done during conversion?

The image can be rotated or resized.

Can the cube faces be edited separately in Photoshop then reassembled into the QTVR movie?

Yes.

Why would I convert a cylindrical format QTVR movie into a cubic format one?

To take advantage of the more efficient storages for images with a large field of view, to include them with newer movies which use the cubic format, eg, in authoring tools such as CubicConnector which only works with cubic format movie, or to edit the tops and bottoms to give a more complete view.

Why would I convert cube faces into equirectangular format?

To use existing VR content with other VR playback technologies such as PTViewer Java which works optimally with the equirectangular format.

What is a "mirror ball?"

Mirror balls are spheres with a mirrored surface which reflect the scene around them. They have the interesting optical property of reflecting almost all of a 360° scene apart from a hole directly opposite the camera.

Note: "mirror ball" in this context is not the same as a disco ball, which is also sometimes called a mirror ball because it has lots of tiny mirrors stuck to it to reflect light at stimulating angles. Disco balls are of little use to panoramic photographers, except perhaps for recreational purposes.

Where else can cube faces be used?

As background scenes in VRML scenes, as texture maps in 3D games, and in 3D rendering apps.

Can CubicConverter stitch separate images into a seamless panorama?

No. CubicConverter converts existing panoramic images into other forms, with an emphasis on cubic format QuickTime VR movies. To join your raw photographic images into a seamless panorama, you need a stitcher such as PTMac or Realviz Stitcher.

Where can I find these stitchers?

At the following links:

I want to do one shot VR photography, what do you recommend?

The 360 One VR:
http://www.kaidan.com/Detail.bok?no=101

What about other stitchers, including the QuickTime VR Authoring Studio?

Other stitchers are can be used and are discussed on this page:
http://www.clickheredesign.com.au/software/stitcher-suggestions.html

Why would I need to buy CubicConverter when Apple's free MakeCubic tool does the same thing?

You don't need to, unless you want the extra interactive control that CubicConverter offers during movie creation.

Why would I need to buy CubicConverter when my stitcher can create QuickTime VR movies?

You don't need to, unless you want the extra interactive control that CubicConverter offers during movie creation.

What do I need to run CubicConverter?

The current version (2.0) requires either Mac OS 9.1 or later, or Mac OS X 10.2 or later. Both require QuickTime 6.x. Newer versions will require Mac OS X 10.3 Panther or later.

Is there a Windows version?

Not yet. Currently, the Windows version costs $548 and comes with a free Mac mini.

Can I buy a boxed version of CubicConverter from a shop?

No. Purchasing is done purely online from:
http://www.clickheredesign.com.au/pricelist/

You download the software and receive a license and serial number by email which activates the functions not available in the trial.

2. Using CubicConverter

How do I get started?

A comprehensive set of tutorials is available online at:
http://www.clickheredesign.com.au/cubicconverter/tutorials/

These tutorials include both a step-by-step written guide accompanied by illustrations, and a video showing the tutorial steps being performed.

What subjects are covered?

I don't see a tutorial for "Batch Mode." How do I use it?

It's very simple. Set up your conversion settings, perhaps by doing one movie manually. Then drag a bunch of images/movies to convert into the batch list and click start. The existing settings will be applied to each of them.

Can I save settings from one session to another?

No. However, if you have an existing movie which you want the same settings for, you can drop this movie into the conversion window (or onto CubicConverter's dock icon) and these settings will be loaded.

I've converted an equirectangular image, but it comes out distorted. What's wrong?

Check the equirectangular image has dimensions that are exactly 2:1. By definition, equirects have a width which is exactly twice their height, and must have these proportions (to the pixel) to be correctly identified as equirectangular panoramas.

If I open a QTVR movie in CubicConverter and change a tilt parameter and then save again, will CubicConverter re-compress the file?

No, in this case it simply "re-assembles" the existing media with the new constraints. The happens very quickly so often the preview movie doesn't look like it's changed but it has and the new setting will take effect.

Re-compressing will take place when either the codec is changed, eg, JPEG-High changed to JPEG-Med, the tile size is changed, eg 1200x1200 to 800x800, or the media itself is changed, eg, dragging a cube face out, altering it in Photoshop then dragging back in.

What do the "motion" and "static" quality refer to?

Whether the QuickTime VR rendering engine spends more time anti-aliasing the image as it is panned. The defaults (Motion 75%, Static 100%) mean that while you are panning the movie, the image is not anti-aliased (ie, left as lower quality), while when stopped it is. The other main choice is max quality (Motion 100%, Static 100%) which will present a better image while panning at the expense of speed on a slow machine. The compromise is up to you. There is no practial benefit to using anything lower than either of these two settings.

When should I use tiling?

When embedding the movie in a web page and you want parts of the cube faces to appear before the whole cube face is finished downloading.

When should I use a FastStart preview?

When embedding the movie in a web page and you want a blurry "sneak preview" of the movie to appear before the actual high resolution image comes through. However, some people don't like blurry previews and prefer to wait for the actual image so they don't start squinting.

What cube face size should I use?

It depends on the size of your source image, the physical data size you want the movie, and how large it will be on the screen. The larger the cube face size, the sharper the movie will appear, but the more space it will take. Many spectacular high resolution movies on the web use aound 1200 x 1200, but smaller sizes are also effective and load faster.

What is the maximum cube face size I should use?

In earlier versions of QuickTime VR, there was an informal limit of 2000 x 2000, or else "strange things" might happen, and CubicConverter enforced a limit here. This is relaxed in current versions, but going over this size on an average screen, especially when using for web purposes, is probably wasting bandwidth and the viewer's time.

I think the direction movies rotate is wrong. Why don't you change it?

It is a QuickTime VR convention. CubicConverter works with QTVR and therefore follows its conventions.

The cube faces on the control are wrong too. Can you change them?

Yes. Go to Preferences > Environment and select the checkbox "Switch Left and Right On Control Cube."

I'm having difficulty constraining the horizontal pan settings. Any tips?

The pan limits constrain the edge of the media that QuickTime VR will display, not the current pan value (which is the center of the current view).

The center of the view displayed at any given time is the part of the image represented by the current pan value. To constrain panning to amounts either side of it requires adding and subtracting the degree amounts. A procedure to do this could involve:

drag & zoom to choose the correct default view, then click Set.
expand the min/max settings triangle
drag the movie left so that the right edge comes into approximately the center of the movie
see what this is in the "Current" pan value and enter this in the LEFT min/max Pan box
fine-tune it by incrementing/decrementing the value and testing by dragging the movie
drag the movie right so the left edge comes into view and do the same steps with the RIGHT Pan box
click "Default" to go back to the default view and test.

I've imported a TIFF file from Realviz Stitcher but CubicConverter won't recognise it. What's wrong?

CubicConverter uses the QuickTime Image Importer and can read most types of images, including TIFF. However, there seems to be a slight irregularity with the TIFF images that Realviz Stitcher writes and consequently the image importer has a problem reading them. As a workaround, you can open the Realviz TIFF in Photoshop then save it again as a TIFF (yes, again as a TIFF). This will create a readable TIFF image that you can drop into CubicConverter.

I've dropped a set of cube face images into CubicConverter, but they are appearing on the wrong faces. What's wrong?

Most likely, a certain character combination (perhaps an underscore) in the filenames is causing them all to be mistakenly assigned. You could try replacing the character(s) with dashes.

How can I tell which numbers / names should go on which cube face?

Take an existing cubic format QTVR movie (eg, one of the samples) and drag the folder icon from the Conversion area onto your desktop and look at the names of the six files. The convention used can be set in the preferences.

I want to re-order and optimize the contents of my movies. Can you recommend a tool?

Yes, DeliVRator:
http://www.vrtools.com/index.html

To use the Shockwave 3D template, do I need Director?

Yes.

Where can I buy a mirror ball?

There a few different types of mirror balls available. The most common and cheapest are the garden ornament types sold at garden accessory shops (often in the departments that deal with water features or other ornamentation). These come in several different sizes and usually start at around $5.

There are acrylic hemispherical mirrors used in buildings for security etc. These are available from suppliers such as McMaster-Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com/ (search for "dome mirror").

It is also possible to use a large (2" diameter) stainless steel ball bearing. These are available from an industrial supply house, or a supplier such as King Bearing (Watsonville, CA, (831) 722-0243).

Where can I learn more about using mirror balls for VR?

Here is a description by someone who built their own homemade one-shot rig:
http://www.designwizardry.com/oneshotvr/

The PanoTools discussion group has members who are familiar with using them and can offer advice:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PanoTools/

I've found a bug. Do you want to know about it?

Certainly. Please email bug reports to bugs@clickheredesign.com.au

If possible, include a list of steps that reproduce the bug.

I'd like to see feature XYZ in CubicConverter, how do I get it there?

Please email info@clickheredesign.com.au where we maintain a Requested Features list for future versions.

Is CubicConverter a Universal Binary?

Version 2.x of CubicConverter is not a Universal Binary. Version 3.0, currently under development, is a complete rewrite in Apple Xcode and will be released as a Universal Binary.

Does version 2.x run on an Intel Mac?

Yes. Rosetta (the PowerPC emulation environment built into Mac OS X for Intel) emulates the AltiVec (G4) routines in CubicConverter quite well and the app is fully usable on an Intel Mac.

I've recently installed the Mac OS X 10.4.11 update and CubicConverter is crashing every time I start a conversion. Help!

An anomaly was introduced with the 10.4.11 update which affected the use of Apple 'vecLib' accelerated math functions in CFM applications built with CodeWarrior when run on certain processors.

If the crashes persist, go to CubicConverter > Preferences > Environment and un-check the option: Velocity Engine.

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