Changing hotspots behavior on a map

[f-red]

Changing hotspots behavior on a map

by f-red » Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:16 am

Hello,

I'd like to change the behavior of hotspots used on a map.
Usually, the active hotspot flashes by changing size and scale.
I don't want it to be animated, I want something less intrusive : just changing shape or color.
In the xml generated by PTP, I've found how to change scaling or transparency.
But not how to change the color, or to link a different png ...
And I do not know where to find the appropriate command: is it a plug-in of KRPano?
Do I have to learn Krpano scripting langage ?
I can do it, it's just a bit time consuming

Thank you for your advices

[mediavets]

by mediavets » Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:49 pm

The animation effects on map hotspot graphics seem to be 'hard coded' in Panotour Pro - by a 'bling' action - by which I mean they are generated by PTP and the user is offered no control or choice.

Code: Select all

<!-- make map hotspots flash when selected (recursive action) -->
    <action name="bling">
    tween(plugin[%1].alpha, 0, 0.8, quadratic);
    tween(plugin[%1].scale, 1.5, 0.8, quadratic);
    tween(, , 0.8, , action(reset, %1);
    if(plugin[%1].blingCounter > 0, action(bling, %1);););
    </action>

You might like to make a feature request that future versions offer the user the ability to turn off, or choose from different, animation effects.

If you use a theme which supports colorising - that is most of the default themes, and potential custom themes - then you can choose the custom colour of your map hotspots on a per-hotspot basis - screenshot 1.

Alternatively you can select your own hotspot graphic - screenshot 2. The 'bling' animation effect will still be applied to it; and you'd need to check the implications of doing this if producing iDevice compatible tours.

Last edited by mediavets on Fri Feb 25, 2011 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[f-red]

by f-red » Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:07 am

Thank you for your advice Andrew
But it don't meet my needs, there will be too many colors.

I've found something that works…
Change the original code :

Code: Select all

<!-- faire clignoter les hotspots du plan sélectionné (récursif) -->
<action name="bling">
tween(plugin[%1].alpha, 0, 0.8, quadratic);
tween(plugin[%1].scale, 1.5, 0.8, quadratic);
tween(, , 0.8, , action(reset, %1);
if(plugin[%1].blingCounter > 0, action(bling, %1);););
</action>
<action name="reset">
set(plugin[%1].scale,1);
set(plugin[%1].alpha,1);
</action>

by this one :

Code: Select all

<action name="bling">
set(plugin[%1].url,"url/highlight_spot.png");
</action>
<action name="reset">
set(plugin[%1].url,"url/standard_spot.png");
</action>

You just have to change "url/standard_spot.png" by the url of your "standard" spot, and "url/highlight_spot.png" by the url of your highlighted spot.

But there's still a problem : when on the first pano of the tour, all spots of the map are on "standard" mode…

Hope this help

[mediavets]

by mediavets » Wed Mar 02, 2011 11:59 am

Thank you for your advice Andrew
But it don't meet my needs, there will be too many colors.

I've found something that works…
...........
But there's still a problem : when on the first pano of the tour, all spots of the map are on "standard" mode…

Hope this help

I think the better answer would be for Kolor to provide the user with much more control via the PT/PTP GUI over the behaviour and appearance of Map hotspots.

Perhaps you'd like to request something like that here:
http://www.autopano.net/forum/f38-panotour-future

Last edited by mediavets on Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Destiny]

by Destiny » Wed Mar 02, 2011 1:57 pm

This is easy to do.. I just tried it out.. You can change your hotspots on your map via the xml.. the default hotspots are really really yuck, but I made really nice ones.. I will try to upload a demo tomorrow for you to see... You can make any graphic you want, from single or animated.. They will also work on an iDevice too ...

D....

Hello,

I'd like to change the behavior of hotspots used on a map.
Usually, the active hotspot flashes by changing size and scale.
I don't want it to be animated, I want something less intrusive : just changing shape or color.
In the xml generated by PTP, I've found how to change scaling or transparency.
But not how to change the color, or to link a different png ...
And I do not know where to find the appropriate command: is it a plug-in of KRPano?
Do I have to learn Krpano scripting langage ?
I can do it, it's just a bit time consuming

Thank you for your advices

Last edited by Destiny on Wed Mar 02, 2011 1:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[f-red]

by f-red » Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:20 pm

I think the better answer would be for Kolor to provide the user with much more control via the PT/PTP GUI over the behaviour and appearance of Map hotspots.

Yes, I understand.
I've open a topic (in french, much easier for me ) on this subject and two others -> http://www.autopano.net/forum/t11427-retour-d-expa-rience-sur-les-tha-mes-et-le-plan

I will try to upload a demo tomorrow for you to see...

Oh thank you, I think it will be useful !
You can have a look on what i'm working on here http://theatre-du-soleil.wrimwramwrom.net/visvirt/soir.html

++

[Destiny]

by Destiny » Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:09 am

OK boys.. I have been really busy making up a demo for you… All ready for the launch of my New Enterprise…. ‘Destiny Pano Graphics’… No, not a get rich quick thing but who know, I might do ok.. So support me…

You will find a few different demo Hot Spot animations in the Bathroom just for fun and to show what is possible… I have also included common animated rings that lead to the main living area where there is another white animated rings set. This is to showcase the fact that they can be viewed on an iDevice too…

I have also including a nice new menu set in silver which I made from scratch.. It think it looks quite classy.. Also, I have included a dummy demo map just to show that you can have your own Map Hot Spots… They don’t have to be animated but normally only the area you are in will animate so no real problem for those who do not like animated Hot Spots… I have only put two panos up so only two Map Hot Spots…

The Thumbs drop down button is also a bit nicer, I can improve on them too.. Nadir graphic rings are also on the menu for those who do not know how to make them...

So, give it all a play and let me know who would like to kick start 'Destiny Pano Graphics’… All proceeds go to my little girl who has just turn 23 months.. So support her cleaver mummy….

http://members.westnet.com.au/dps/interactive/3/TESTHOT.html

D

Last edited by Destiny on Thu Mar 03, 2011 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.

[f-red]

by f-red » Thu Mar 03, 2011 1:12 pm

Hi Destiny,
Thank you for sharing in such moment !
If I understand well, you've set the same animated file (png) for all your spots on the map.
And APT stops them all, except the one corresponding to the current pano. Am I right ?

Well, I have to try anyway…

I wish you a successful activity, your photos are great !
I don't know if you have designed your menu for touch screens, but I think they have just the ideal size.
I've just noticed a small thing : on the top left of your pano, it's written "Desinty", not "Destiny"

++

[Destiny]

by Destiny » Thu Mar 03, 2011 9:17 pm

Hiiii... oh yes, you are right about the map... I only have an iPod but I think I forgot to set everything for iDevices in my hast to upload... I did not check.. I might have to do it again... I wish I had an iPad to view it on.. I think it would look so cool...

Thank you for such nice feed back.... and...... Oh silly me!!!!... I never noticed I spelt my name wrong.. I have used that graphic a few times.. I am such a crazy girl... I have to work today so I will change it as soon as I get home.... Thank you so much for take such care in checking it for me.... Did the little animated yellow MM guy:lol: look ok...

I do not think many will take up my offer to make content for them but some do not have time they just want to do their pano's and send their clients... They do not have time stuff around with the xml code or make graphics so I hope they might use me... ...

Thank you for such nice feedback and nice words...

D;)

Hi Destiny,
Thank you for sharing in such moment !
If I understand well, you've set the same animated file (png) for all your spots on the map.
And APT stops them all, except the one corresponding to the current pano. Am I right ?

Well, I have to try anyway…

I wish you a successful activity, your photos are great !
I don't know if you have designed your menu for touch screens, but I think they have just the ideal size.
I've just noticed a small thing : on the top left of your pano, it's written "Desinty", not "Destiny"

++

[Destiny]

by Destiny » Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:43 am

Check out my ? on .. Sooo:cool:

http://members.westnet.com.au/dps/interactive/3/TESTHOT.html

D

Last edited by Destiny on Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

[MikeMcFarlane]

by MikeMcFarlane » Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:36 pm

Hi
I got much nicer hotspots by editing the themes and producing graphics in Photoshop too. Really looks a lot better and once I understood the directory structure and the theme xml it was pretty straightforward.
At a minimum:
1. create a new xml template in the themes folder. I modded an existing (2d.xml) one and resaved it with a different name.
2. create a new folder in graphics for the new theme and copied the contents of 2D into the new folder.
3. created new graphics and saved them over the top of the files in this folder. I only created new graphics for the btn_.png and the hotspots folder. The help and menupreview pngs I just left as they were.
4. I left the files in the menu folder alone.
Hope this helps.
Mike

[Destiny]

by Destiny » Sat Mar 05, 2011 3:47 am

Well... I just wanted to see if a 3D animated hotspots worked on many frames.. and it does... I really love this kolor software.. It allows for so much flexibility... One thing I would like to see, and that the transition from the thumbs which looks nice to work the same on the map hot spots.. I will see if I can copy the code over to see if I can make it work the same...

http://members.westnet.com.au/dps/interactive/3/TESTHOT.html

Glad you worked it all out Mike.. easy when you know how.. thank goodness for photoshop...

D...

Last edited by Destiny on Sat Mar 05, 2011 3:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

[MikeMcFarlane]

by MikeMcFarlane » Sat Mar 05, 2011 3:29 pm

Well... I just wanted to see if a 3D animated hotspots worked on many frames.. and it does... I really love this kolor software.. It allows for so much flexibility... One thing I would like to see, and that the transition from the thumbs which looks nice to work the same on the map hot spots.. I will see if I can copy the code over to see if I can make it work the same...

http://members.westnet.com.au/dps/interactive/3/TESTHOT.html

Glad you worked it all out Mike.. easy when you know how.. thank goodness for photoshop...

D...

Hi D

The aggro smiley made me laugh. I can see a more serious use for animating pano objects. For example in your pano that towel could be an animated hotspot that rippled gently in the breeze (from the window) but that hotspot might be a link to relevant info. Slightly banal example, but I hope you get the idea. I did see one nice application in the galleries where someone had animated light in slot canyons in this way. More for visual effect than anything else, but useful none the less.

Yes, I love PS too.

Kind regards

Mike

[Destiny]

by Destiny » Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:54 am

Thank you Mike.. yes.. I am thinking wild stuff too... These examples are just for demo to see how well they work with no real purpose, just to see how well they work.. I animated water coming out of the shower as someone suggested but it wasn't real enough for me so I dumped it.... the problem in animating hot spot is their xyz location in 3D space.. There is a certain amount of realism when animating certain things giving the illusion of depth of filed. But by putting an animation on a rectangle you can give greater control like embedding a movie clip... Problem with that is they do not work on iDevices but they might in the future... The towel would be a good one for that.. I have Poser so I dropped a naked women into my bathroom that was slightly animated into my pano just to see.. The file size was a bit high but oh wow.. she looked so cool.... I love taking software out of the boundaries it was created for... just to provide something different... I remember a few years back where i worked for hours and hours trying to put swf into Microsoft products and I finally did it using the Active X... but then the silly people that made the Active X made changes due to the fact that Microsoft was up to its normal tricks and stea..... ...borrowing someone else's efforts... so that project died but oh boy that created a storm of ''how the hell did you manage that!!''

I put my demo pano up to show what might be possible to show others that, hey... what if.... and to provide me with feedback and perhaps some more ideas... It was 'mediavets, Andrew' who gave me the idea that my skills might have a value in providing a service for this kind of stuff... My husband said why the hell not, good idea... Funny really, I did not even know how to use this software just a few weeks ago and I only learnt how to create and edit a hotspot in kolor software last week... Now I have all these crazy wild ideas I want to try out... that might lead to a serious use....It does help however to have a firm foundation knowledge of multimedia software.. I have already been approached by a large Kindergarten group who might have a need for me to create panos with animated content within the pano... This company have many Kindergarten places all over the place.. So.. who knows.... Not sure if my price was too hight or not.. I quoted $100AUS$ Per Pano.... which I thought was reasonable.... but since I am just starting out in this area, I had no idea what to charge.. All I know is, real estate agents look at me as if I am trying to con them...

Well.... back to experimenting with this great kolor software...!! If you have any ideas, let me know and I will try it if I can do it... I am currently working on steam emanating from a pan on the stove... and even a fire animating in the fire place... that is very easy to do....... I have Maya 2011 which has many great dynamics and particle emitters to create great real looking fire effects... Hot spots will be great for that since they have a depth of field as you pan round.. All I have to do is attach a minium amount of fire to each hotspot and then put many hotspots into a single group area... that way the file size will be low since they are all using the same png in the graphic folder.. I can then make a hotspot into smoke and again put many of them into the same scene above and in the fire area... I think 3D in a pano can look really cool.. or in the case of fire, really HOT..

D

Hi D

The aggro smiley made me laugh. I can see a more serious use for animating pano objects. For example in your pano that towel could be an animated hotspot that rippled gently in the breeze (from the window) but that hotspot might be a link to relevant info. Slightly banal example, but I hope you get the idea. I did see one nice application in the galleries where someone had animated light in slot canyons in this way. More for visual effect than anything else, but useful none the less.

Yes, I love PS too.

Kind regards

Mike

[Destiny]

by Destiny » Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:09 am

Well.. I started a fire in the hallway... haha..... and the link to the living area still works...

http://members.westnet.com.au/dps/interactive/3/TESTHOT.html

Crazy girl I am.... I just wanted to see if it fired up!!.... If I put a few hotspots in the same area it would look better... I think there might be a limit to the file size with a hotspot... it takes a second or two to load... but never know.. there might be a use for it one day... I might make a VR in an old castle with burning lamps etc... That would look soooo cool.... I will do it properly with a nice fire place and burning logs... Even that would look great in an old castle... it would certainly give a winter VR home a sense of realism... even an outside VR I could put the odd animated butterfly etc... fluttering by.... There are even ways to make water on a pond ripple... The mind boggles.... Well.. mine does but I have a boggerly mind... I won DUX in during my multimedia course, the only one ever to achieve it and the only one since.. that was a few years ago... Probably due to thinking up crazy things...

D...

Last edited by Destiny on Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.