The full 360 degree panoramas of the BioPond area are made possible thanks to the use of Quicktime Virtual Reality technology, or QTVR for short. In addition to QTVR, the tour utilizes Macromedia Flash version 7 for navigation around the pond area, as well as for information about various sites. Because of the technology involved in making this tour work, it is necessary for you to have a current version of the Quicktime and Flash programs installed, along with a supported web browser.
Here is the list of requirements which you must meet to go on the tour:
- Flash version 7 or higher plugin
- Quicktime 4.0 or higher
- A current version of Safari, Mozilla, Internet Explorer, or Netscape as a web browser
- A screen resolution of at least 800x600 (1024x768 preferred).
Please note that as of May, 2004, the Mozilla Firefox and Opera web browsers are not supported.
If you do not meet these requirements, please take a moment to install the appropriate plugins or update your browser. Here are some useful links:
The tour is made up of individual sites called "nodes", which have been placed at key areas around the pond and garden. In each node, it is possible to spin around a full 360 degrees, zoom in and out, and click an area to go to a corresponding node.
In order to look around, simply place the mouse cursor inside the QTVR, then click and drag in the direction in which you would like to spin.
If you would like to zoom in, hold down the SHIFT key. If you would like to zoom out, hold down the CONTROL (CTRL) key.
There are two ways to move between nodes. The first way is to use the map. Each faded white circle on the map represents one node which you could go to, while the single red circle represents the node at which you are presently located. To go to another node, move to mouse cursor over to one of the faded white circles (you will notice that the circle turns solid white when the cursor moves over it), and then click. You will be transported to the node.
The second way to move between nodes is to click on hotspots inside the QTVR itself. Hotspots are areas within the QTVR which, when clicked, will trigger the tour to move to the node which is in the direction of the place which was clicked. You will know when you are at a hotspot by the shape of a cursor. If the cursor is shaped like a finger pointing at a globe, then you can click there once to move to another node.
Please consult this guide if you are having problems with the tour.
Download the latest version of Quicktime here:
Use a supported browser: Safari, Mozilla, Netscape, or Internet Explorer. If you are using one of the supported browsers, make sure that it is upgraded to the current version.
Download the latest version of the Flash plugin here:
You must click and drag in the direction you want to look. If you click, and immediately let go of the mouse button, this will trigger a hotspot and you will go to new node.
You can control how fast it spins by how far in each direction you move your mouse. if you want to move slowly, push your mouse only slightly in the direction in which you would like to look.
|