# The PanoramIX Authoring Tool

## Version 0.1.4.92, February 26, 1998

## 3. The File Menu

The File Menu provides the following entries:

1. New
2. Open
3. Save
4. Save As
5. Import Images
6. Import Link Maps
7. Import Depth Maps
8. Load Edit List
9. Save Edit List
10. Save Sides
11. Save Panorama
12. Recently Used Files
13. Exit

### 3.1 The New Function

The New function deletes all information about the current panorama and prepares for creation of a new panorama starting from a clean slate. This is equivalent to exiting from the PanoramIX Authoring Tool and restarting. The resulting state is equivalent to that established when the Authoring Tool is started.

Beware: There is no reminder to save your work before performing this function. Any unsaved work on the current panorama will be lost. Be sure to save the raw panorama, edit list, and finished panorama before selecting this item.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.2 The Open Function

The Open function is used to select a raw panorama control file which identifies the images and camera properties for a panoramic scene. A raw panorama control file is similar to an ordinary panorama control file, except that adjacent images may overlap one another instead of abutting one another. A raw panorama control file may be created using the Save or Save As functions from the File menu. A raw panorama control file may also be created "by hand" using any ASCII text editor, in which case one must learn the rules for composing a PanoramIX control file.

Instead of trying to create a raw panorama control file "by hand", it is better to use the Import Image and Camera properties dialogs to identify the files comprising a panorama, and then to use the Save or Save As functions to generate a raw panorama control file.

The five most recently opened raw panorama control files are indicated at the bottom of the File menu, above the Exit entry. Selecting one of the files in the list of recently opened files is equivalent to selecting the Open function and then selecting the indicated control file.

Beware: If there is a panorama already open in this session, it will be erased as if the New function were selected. There is no reminder to save your work before performing this function. Any unsaved work on the current panorama will be lost. Be sure to save the raw panorama, edit list, and finished panorama before selecting this item, if another panorama is already open.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.3 The Save Function

The Save function creates a raw panorama control file based on the currently selected set of images and camera properties. The resulting file may be used to resume working on the current panorama in a subsequent session with the PanoramIX Authoring Tool. For example, you may wish to stop working on the current panorama for now, but return later to refine the alignment of images, add new hot spots or sprites, or to change the properties of any existing hot spots or sprites. This function also provides protection in case the current session is interrupted unexpectedly due to a power failure, operating system failure, or, heaven forbid, a failure of the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

This operation differs from the Save Sides and Save Panorama functions in that this function saves a raw panorama control file based on the original (raw) unedited images used to represent the panoramic scene. The Save Sides function and Save Panorama functions generate finished panorama control files based on new images defined by the image alignment properties established using the PanoramIX Authoring Tool. These new images may discard portions of the original images not needed for the finished panorama. It is possible to resume operating on a panoramic scene defined by a finished panorama, but the discarded information cannot be recovered. In order to resume operating on a previously created panorama, it is better to go back to the original images, and this is possible only from the results of the Save and Save As functions.

If the current panorama was established using the Open function, then the resulting raw panorama control file will overwrite (update) the previous version of this file. If the current panorama was established by means of Import Image functions, then this function becomes equivalent to the Save As function which requests a name for the new control file.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.4 The Save As Function

The Save As function is equivalent to the Save function, except that you are always prompted for a new name for the resulting raw panorama control file. If the current panorama was not established by using the Open function, then the Save and Save As funtions are equivalent.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.5 Importing Images

The Import Images entry in the File menu may be used to identify the raw images to be used to compose a panoramic scene. These images may include a number of flat side images or a cylindrical panoramic image. These images may also include a top image, a bottom image, or sprite images.

Selecting this entry opens a second menu allowing one to choose the type of image to be selected. The first image in any panorama must be either a flat side image of a cylindrical panoramic image. After selecting the side images of panoramic image, it becomes possible to add a top image, a bottom image, or one or more sprite images.

The horizontal center line of each side image or panoramic image should correspond to a view direction perpendicular to the vertical axis of the panorama. The center point of a top image or a bottom image should correspond to view directions coincident with the vertical axis of the panorama.

After selecting the type of image to be imported (Side, Panorama, Top, Bottom, or Sprite), a File Open dialog is opened, allowing one to select the appropriate image files from your computer's file system. The image files may be TIFF, GIF, or JPEG formats, but the TIFF format is recommended for the raw image data because this supports 24-bit truecolor images with lossless compression. These images are the master copies used to drive the panorama creation process, so these should be as accurate as possible. The final images created by the authoring process, such as those generated by the Save Panorama function, may be converted to more compact JPEG format without sacrificing the quality of the master images.

A panorama may have any number of flat Side images, although at least three flat Side images are required to create a complete 360 degree panorama. A panorama may have at most one Panoramic image. Panoramic images and flat Side images are mutually exclusive. In addition, a panorama may have at most one Top image, at most one Bottom image, and up to sixteen Sprites.

In the case of Side images, the images may be selected one at a time, or multiple images can be selected simultaneously from the File Open dialog. This process may be slightly different on the Macintosh version. When multiple images are selected together, the selected images may be placed in the edit list in an unexpected ordering. If so, the ordering may be corrected by selecting the Thumbnails entry in the Windows menu.

In the case of Panoramic images, Top images, and Bottom images, if another image of the same type has already been selected, importing a new image of the same type will replace the previously selected image. When importing Sprites, the images may be selected one at a time, or multiple Sprite images may be selected together.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.6 Importing Link Maps

A link map is an array of data values indicating the locations of "hot spots" in a panorama, and the type of response to be taken when a hot spot is selected. Each link map is represented externally by a conventional image file in which the red color value of each pixel specifies an index into a table of link actions. A link map value of zero is reserved for cold areas. Link map values of 1 through 255 may be used to identify hot spots.

This function is not enabled until a Panoramic image or at least one side image has been selected using either the Open function or the Import Images function. Selecting this entry opens a second menu allowing one to choose the type of link map to be selected (Side, Panorama, Top, Bottom, or Sprite).

There are three ways to create link maps. The easiest method is to open the Hot Spots and Link Actions dialog from the Edit menu, then click on New Link, specify the type of response to be associated with the hot spot, and then select the Quick Link button. This allows one to to add a rectangular hot spot to the current Edit Image. If the EditImage window is not open, it will be opened for you.

If you need a round or irregular shape for a hot spot, you can use the Copy Link Map and Paste Link Map buttons in the Hot Spots and Link Actions dialog to use any image processing application to identify create a link map.

The third method does not require the use of the PanoramIX Authoring Tool. In this case, you can prepare a link map by opening a color image with an image processing utility such as Adobe PhotoShop, stripping away all of the red intensity values, painting hot spots in various levels of red, and saving the resulting image under a new name. Be careful not to overwrite the original color image.

The dimensions of a link map image may be set independently of the dimensions of the corresponding color images. In most scenes, the resolution of the link map does not need to be as fine as the color image. The height and width of the link map may be reduced by a factor ot 2 to 4 relative to the corresponding dimensions of the color image, allowing factors of 4 to 16 in data compression.

A link map image file may use any standard image file format such as TIFF, GIF, or JPEG, but the lossy compression algorithm employed by JPEG images is likely to scramble the data values stored in the image, so JPEG files are not very good for holding link maps. There can also be difficulties using GIF images or palette-color TIFF files because palette constraints and palette optimization may force the data values associated with a hot spot to be replaced by nearby values or a dithered pattern of two or more nearby palette entries. If possible, select the red values from a predetermined palette and suppress all palette optimization to preserve link data when saving a link map in a GIF or palette-color TIFF file. Saving a link map in a true color TIFF file with lossless (LZW) compression is not as compact as the corresponding GIF or JPEG image files, but if the height and width have been reduced by factors of 4 with respect to the color image, the resulting image file will be sufficiently small compared to the color image that the size of this file is not a problem.

Link maps can be associated with side images or panoramic images. The authoring tool also allows link maps to be associated with top images, bottom images, and sprites, but these link maps are not yet supported by PanoramIX. browser or Netscape Navigator plug-in. If a panorama is defined be a set of flat sides, the link map may be given as an equal number of flat side images, or as a single panoramic image. The latter option is convenient in cases where the link map is hot everywhere without regard to the details visible in the color image.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.7 Importing Depth Maps

A depth map is an array of data values indicating the distance from the center point of the panorama to the object responsible for color of each pixel in the color image. The values stored in this array actually specify 1/Z, where "Z" is the distance from the axis of the cylinder to the object seen at each pixel. Consequently, a value of zero in a depth map indicates an infinite distance from the axis of the corresponding pixel. A value of 255 represents the closest possible distance of a pixel from the center of the panorama.

A depth map allows animated sprites to be hidden by elements of the panoramic scene which are closer to the center of the panorama. Each animated sprite may be flat or depth-mapped. The depth values for a flat sprite are determined by the depth value assigned to the sprite. This value can be set using the Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.8 Load Edit List

The Load Edit List function allows one to restore the set of panorama editing parameters saved previously using the Save Edit List function. This may be used to restore the set of panorama adjustments after reloading a previously saved raw panorama.

In order to load an edit list file, the edit list file must be compatible with the curretnly open panorama. This requires that the edit list to be opened must be based on the same set of images used to define the currently open panorama. If the names of the image files used to create the edit list file do not match the names of the images in the currently open panorama, warning messages will be displayed.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.9 Save Edit List

The Save Edit List function allows one to save the current set of image adjustment parameter values to a disk file. This file can be reloaded later using the Load Edit List function. This function should be used before exiting from the PanoramIX Authoring Tool to allow one to resume work on the current panorama, such as refining the alignment of adjacent images, adding hot spots, or adding animated overlays (sprites). This also allows one to resume work on the current panorama in case the authoring process is interrupted unexpectedly due to a system failure or power failure.

The Save Edit List function can be invoked at any time and the panorama editing information can be saved to a new file or one may overwrite older edit list files.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.10 Save Sides

The Save Sides function creates a new panorama control file and set of image files for the current finished panoramic scene. If the panorama has been composed from a set of flat side images, this function will generate a set of new flat side images derived from the original set, clipped so the adjacent images abut as seen in the main window, and with exposure balance corrections. These images will not reflect the blending option or panorama resolution changes.

If the panorama has been composed from a raw panoramic image, this function will create a new panoramic image clipped and skewed so the ends meet as seen in the main window.

If the panorama includes a top or bottom image, new top and/or bottom images will be generated based on the top and bottom image clipping parameters. These images will also include exposure corrections.

You will be prompted to specify file names for the new panorama control file and each of the new images generated. The resulting control file will include all sprites, link actions, link maps, and depth maps used to compose the current panorama. All new images are currently generated as uncompressed TIFF files.

The resulting panorama control file and images will be ready to read for the browser, Netscape plug-in, and ActiveX control. The sizes of the image files generated by this function can be reduced by using any image processing utility to convert them to JPEG format. Such a conversion entails a loss of information, so this should only be done when the panorama composition and authoring steps are completed.

This function is most useful for saving a panorama defined by a set of computer generated images. If the panorama is based on a set of photographs, the Save Panorama function provides a better alternative means of saving the finished panorama.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.11 Save Panorama

The Save Panorama function creates a new panorama control file and set of image files for the current finished panoramic scene. If the panorama has been composed from a set of flat side images, this function will generate a panoramic image defined by stitching the flat side images together as seen in the main window. This image will reflect the exposure corrections, resolution changes, and blending option currently in effect. This is the only way to save a panorama determined by blending the original images together.

If the panorama has been composed from a raw panoramic image, this function will create a new panoramic image clipped and skewed so the ends meet as seen in the main window.

If the panorama includes a top or bottom image, new top and/or bottom images will be generated based on the top and bottom image clipping parameters. These images will also include exposure corrections.

You will be prompted to specify file names for the new panorama control file and each of the new images generated. The resulting control file will include all sprites, link actions, link maps, and depth maps used to compose the current panorama. All new images are currently generated as uncompressed TIFF files.

The resulting panorama control file and images will be ready to read for the browser, Netscape plug-in, and ActiveX control. The sizes of the image files generated by this function can be reduced by using any image processing utility to convert them to JPEG format. Such a conversion entails a loss of information, so this should only be done when the panorama composition and authoring steps are completed.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.12 Recently Used Files

The ten most recently opened raw panorama control files are indicated at the bottom of the File menu, above the Exit entry. Selecting one of the files in the list of recently opened files is equivalent to selecting the Open function and then selecting the indicated control file.

Beware: If there is a panorama already open in this session, it will be erased as if the New function were selected. There is no reminder to save your work before performing this function. Any unsaved work on the current panorama will be lost. Be sure to save the raw panorama, edit list, and finished panorama before selecting this item, if another panorama is already open.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

### 3.13 Exit

The Exit function terminates the operation of the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

Beware: There is no reminder to save your work before exiting. Any unsaved work on the current panorama will be lost. Be sure to save the raw panorama, edit list, and finished panorama before selecting this item.

Back to the File Menu.

Back to the PanoramIX Authoring Tool.

Last modified February 27, 1998.
wluken@watson.ibm.com