Welcome to Apple's QuickTime VR Showcase CD-ROM. This CD is a complete guide to Apple's ground-breaking QuickTime VR technology. On the CD, you will find demonstrations of QuickTime VR 2.0, a gallery of 3rd party QuickTime VR examples, a directory of 3rd party VR tools, products and services, and all the software required to run QuickTime VR on your MacOS computer. An Integrated Internet feature allows direct connection to the World Wide Web from within the Showcase application (web browser & Internet connection required).
Getting Started
If you already have QuickTime 2.5 and the QuickTime VR 2.0 extension installed on your computer, you may wish to skip the Installer process altogether. You may launch the QuickTime VR Showcase right away by just double-clicking on the Showcase icon on the CD-ROM. Otherwise, you must run the Showcase Installer in order to run the CD-ROM successfully. Non-PowerMacintosh users should use the installer to install a copy of
the Showcase on their hard drive for optimum performance.
On the CD-ROM, you will find:
• Showcase Installer - for installing the Showcase program & QuickTime on you computer
• Showcase application - this copy of the interactive program can run from the CD-ROM
• 'Read Me First!' - you're reading it!
• 'License' - you must read & agree to Apple's software license before using the CD-ROM
• Netscape 3.01 - the latest version of Navigator and the QuickTime Plugin, required for connecting from the CD-ROM to the Web and viewing QuickTime VR on-line.
• Gallery - a collection of QuickTime VR examples
• 3rd Parties - a folder full of software demos, more QuickTime VR, and information on 3rd party products
• 2.0 Examples - beta demonstrations of QuickTime VR 2.0 features
• Support Software - useful applications & system software for use with QuickTime VR
Minimum System Requirements
For normal performance of this CD, you should ensure that your computer set-up meets the following minimum specifications.
'040 processor or better
System 7.5 or higher
Double speed CD-ROM drive (300Kb/sec) or faster
640x480 display 256 colors or better
At least 8Mb of free application RAM
QuickTime 2.5 or later (supplied on this CD)
Netscape 2.0 or later (3.01 supplied on this CD)
Modem or network internet connection
Hard Disk Space Required for Installation
5.5Mb of free hard disk space for the Showcase installation
(Showcase application, QuickTime 2.5, QuickTime VR 2.0 & other files)
12Mb of free hard disk space for the Showcase & full Netscape installation
For Best Performance
For optimal performance of this CD, the following is recommended:
PowerMacintosh
24Mb of free application RAM
Quad speed (4x) CD-ROM drive or faster
Thousands of colors (16 bit) display
Turn off any extensions other than those required by the Showcase application, including File Sharing. Turn off Virtual Memory if it is running. QuickTime video performance can be greatly affected by unnecessary extensions and control panels being active.
The Showcase application will check to see if you have the required version of QuickTime installed before commencing. For best video results, switch your monitor to thousands of colours (16 bit), if available, before you start.
Memory Requirements for QuickTime VR
The Showcase program contains many examples of QuickTime VR, some of which are very large. As a result, you will require at least the minimum of 8Mb of free RAM to use the application and view the VR successfully. If you experience difficulty displaying some of the larger QuickTime VR movies, or get the message 'QTVR unable to display this pano', try quitting the program, turning off any extensions and control panels that are not required by the Showcase and accompanying software, and restarting. As with any multimedia application, the more RAM and faster processor the better.
Installing the Software
This CD features an installer that places the required application, system extensions, controls panels, and documentation on your hard disk; you will require 4Mb of available hard disk space for the install. You may also wish to install Netscape Navigator 3.01 which is supplied on the CD-ROM - this requires an additional 8Mb of free space, and uses its own installer found on the CD.
The installer will not overwrite items in your System that are newer than those on the CD. To install:
1) Temporarily turn off any anti-virus utilities you may have installed
2) Double click on the Installer icon to launch the installer
3) At the splash screen, click 'Continue'
4) Read the last minute notes and license agreement, then click 'Accept'
5) Click 'Install' for the full installation of
The Showcase application
QuickTime 2.5
QuickTime VR 2.0ß2 extension
QTVR.lib
SoundManager 3.21
SoundSprocket Filter
SoundSprocketLib
Read Me First! & License documents
6) After installation is complete, click 'Restart'
7) When rebooted, open the 'Showcase' folder found at the root level of your hard disk, and double-click on the QuickTime VR Showcase icon.
Memory Requirements with Multiple Open Applications
The interactive Showcase program enables you to open other applications at the same time; these include third party demos and your web browser. Opening multiple programs simultaneously requires more RAM than usual; launching the Showcase program, a third party demo and Netscape Navigator all together may need up to 24Mb of available RAM. The Showcase program checks to see if you have enough RAM available to open applications when you try to launch them. If you do not have enough, it will ask you to try quitting the Showcase program and running them from the CD-ROM.
QuickTime VR 2.0 Examples
The QuickTime VR Showcase application features demonstrations of QuickTime VR 1.0 features, and 3rd party examples also using QuickTime VR 1.0. The CD-ROM carries a folder called '2.0 Examples' in which can be found pre-release examples of some features found only in QuickTime VR 2.0. Please note that these demonstrations are beta and are supplied 'AS IS'. Such software may contain errors that could cause failures or loss of data, and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. By running the 2.0 examples, you expressly acknowledge and agree that the use of the beta software is at your own risk.
Integrated Internet
The QuickTime VR Showcase application features a method of connecting directly with the Web by launching a web browser and pointing to a specific URL. In order to use this feature, you must either already have a web browser installed on your computer, or install Netscape Navigator 3.01 (supplied on the CD-ROM). From within the Showcase application, clicking on the 'Web' button in the Menu bar will initiate a connection to the web. If the program cannot locate your web browser, a dialog box will appear asking you to find it; you only have to do this once as the program will remember your browser's location in future.
At any time, clicking on the QuickTime VR logo in the upper right hand corner of the screen will connect you to Apple's QuickTime VR web site at http://quicktimevr.apple.com.
Clicking on the 'Web' button when it appears will take you to the appropriate web site for the product or service you have selected.
**NOTE: You need to quit Netscape Navigator, or your own web browser, before returning to the Showcase program. If you leave the browser open, the Showcase program will not be able
to pass a new URL to it next time you initiate a connection.**
In order to use the URL chasing feature of QuickTime VR, you will need to install the QuickTime Plugin 1.1 and QuickTime VR Components into your Netscape Plugins folder; these can be found in the Netscape folder on the CD-ROM. Please read the accompanying 'Read Me-v1.1' for installation and support information. Please note that the QuickTime Plugin supplied on this CD-ROM replaces the version of the QuickTIme Plugin that ships with Netscape 3.0.
News & Updates
Apple Computer is in the process of upgrading QuickTime VR technology. As a result, you will find new and improved demonstrations and information posted regularly on the QuickTime VR web site. You are encouraged to check the site for news of the latest releases by using the Integrated Internet feature on the CD-ROM to connect to http://quicktimevr.apple.com/showcase.
Submissions
We are constantly looking for new examples of real-world QuickTime VR applications. If you have created QuickTime VR examples, demonstrations or products, please let us know; we might include them on future editions of the Showcase CD-ROM. Just visit the web site for more information, and to download a Submission Form.
