Author: Blancer

A Panorama is a picture or photograph displaying a wide view.

In this tutorial, we’ll create an Interactive Panorama Viewer using a third party application: JC Panorama Editor.

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Step 1: Brief Overview

We’ll create a panorama viewer using the JC Panorama Editor application and explore the many options and posibilities available.

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Step 2: What is JC Panorama Editor?

An excellent and clear description is available from the JC Panorama authors:

JC Panorama Viewer is a flash component that can be used to display several types of panoramic images: plain, cylindrical, spherical (equirectangular) and cubical. This flash panorama component supports hotspots (informative, web link and panorama), horizontal and vertical mouse movement, scroll zoom, transitions and virtual tours.

JC Panorama Editor is a very easy to use AIR application that allows you to create and edit panoramas to be loaded by JC Panorama Viewer as well as virtual tours directly on your desktop.

Step 3: Where to Get it

You can get two versions of JC Panorama.

A fully unlocked app for $99, and a trial (very usable) version with a few limitations:

• Logo watermark while preloading the panorama.
• Spherical/Equirectangular and Cubical panoramas disabled in the editor.

Both versions available at the component’s website.

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Step 4: Pros and Cons

There are always pros and cons when using third party components to develop your applications.

Pros:

• Fast and easy creation of panoramas
• AIR Application Compatible with most used Platforms
• Four panorama types available
• Customization through one click options

Cons:

• Paid version needed for spherical/equirectangular and cubical panoramas
• Sometimes it generates a shake/pixelated effect while moving the image

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Step 5: How it Works

JC Panorama uses an AIR based clean interface with several options to generate your panorama viewer.

The process is really simple, choose an image, the type of the panorama you want to create and choose between the several options to customize the resulting SWF file.

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Step 6: Simple Panorama

Go and check out the demo. It’s a simple panorama generated by the JC Panorama Editor app, I’ll walk you through the creation process in the next steps.

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Step 7: Choose an Image

The first thing you have to do is select the image you want to use in your panorama, I chose this Flickr image by Steve & Jemma Copley licensed under Creative Commons.

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Step 8: New Project

Open the JC Panorama Editor application and create a new project.

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Step 9: Choose Files

Another view will be presented in the app, press the "+" sign to add the image you chose before.

In this panel you will also asked to name your project and select the type of panorama you are creating.

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Step 10: Preview

Once you proceed, a new screen will be revealed where you will see the image being used and an options panel at the right. Press the Preview button in the top-right part of the window to see your panorama in action.

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Step 11: Properties

The Properties panel is located at the right part of the screen in the preview window, it shows the available options that you can choose to customize your panorama.

Let’s take a look at those properties:

• Type & Images: Choose between the available panorama categories and select the image(s) for it
• Autoplay: If true, starts moving the image in the selected direction
• Speed: The speed of the automatic movement
• Motion Speed: Speed of the induced movement
• Direction: Direction the panorama starts moving
• Mouse Control: Enables the panorama to be controled using the mouse
• Mouse Action: Sets the type of movement to apply when controled by the mouse
• Keyboard Control: Enables the panorama to be controled using the keyboard
• Zoom: Modifies the angle of view of the image
• Quality: Sets the quality 1 for lowest, 5 for highest
• Smooth: Prevents the image from pixelation
• Lock Pan: Prevents the panning from changing
• Lock Tilt: Prevents the tilting from changing

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Step 12: Hot Spots

The Hotspots are markers that are superposed in your panorama that can perform an action. There are three types of hotspots:

• Info: Shows a tooltip when enabled by the mouse
• Link: Navigates to a URL when Clicked
• Panorama: Calls another panorama and displays it

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Step 13: Panorama Types

Four types of panoramas can be created with JC Panorama Editor, two available in the trial version and four in the full version.

• Plain: Moves the image 180 degrees with no modification
• Cylindric: Creates a 360 degrees panorama
• Spheric: These are 360×180 degrees panoramas
• Cubic: Made by rendering six square images with a field of view of slightly over 90 degrees

Examples of the four types can be seen in the component’s website.

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Step 14: Virtual Tours

A Virtual Tour is a collection of panoramas displayed by a single swf. You can create a Virtual Tour by pressing the Make a virtual tour button in the new project screen and selecting the desired panoramas.

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Step 15: Save and Test

When you’re done, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the window, this will save your work. Now you’re ready to test and use your panorama viewer.

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Conclusion

You can see how easy it is to create a Panorama image viewer using JC Panorama, try out the different options and choices to create your own Panorama!

Thank you for reading!

3Ds Max author Ben Tate is back once again with the final part of this exclusive 3-part tutorial series covering all of the processes involved in creating ‘The Lantern’. After modelling the lantern in the first part and UVing in part 2, today Ben sets about adding the final textures to the lantern model. Let’s get started!

This tutorial is Day 3 in a series – Go to Day 1, and Day 2 now to see the modelling and UVing processes.

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In this tutorial we’ll go through the entire process of modelling, uvmapping, texturing, lighting and rendering an old lantern in 3d Studio Max. In the first part of the tutorial, we used poly modelling techniques for the majority of the model, but also took a look at how to use splines to create the more complex pieces.

With the modelling completed, we’ll now move on to the UV mapping – all of which will be done inside of 3ds Max using the many tools contained in the Unwrap UVW modifier, such as Flatten and Pelt Mapping. We’ll also discuss tips and tricks for UV mapping sub-divided geometry. With the mapping completed, we’ll scale the uv islands to the correct proportions and clean up our objects.

Finally we’ll pack and finalize our UV’s into a single layout, before moving into Photoshop to create the Diffuse, Bump and Specular Maps in the final part of the tutorial. We’ll also create procedural materials for the candle and flame inside Max, and finalize our scene lighting for the final render.

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Note: click the ‘Monitor’ icon to view tutorial in full-screen HD.

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Note: click the ‘Monitor’ icon to view tutorial in full-screen HD.

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This tutorial is Day 3 in a series – Go to Day 1, and Day 2 now to see the modelling and UVing processes.

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I like to swim. The rhythm of the stroke, the silence of the water, the regularity of breathing: they bring peace to an overactive mind that otherwise gets overwhelmed by things to do, while getting little done.

Recently, I expressed a desire to increase my lung capacity underwater. If I could come up less often for air, my stroke would be more efficient, and my lap time would be faster. The technique I was shown was fundamentally simple, but through it I discovered a way to overcome writer’s block.

As a writer, I’m painfully aware of how crippling the pressure of my own expectations can be to my work. My search for the perfect word or phrase often leads to paralysis rather than progress, leading to a compressed state of mind and body. In that state, my habit has been to abandon my work entirely, indulging instead into unnecessary distractions (reformatting old to-do lists, making new to-do lists, deciding that “right now” is the best time to try out that three-hour curry recipe or remove an ancient stain from a corner of the carpet). Giving in to anxiety at critical moments has not, so far, helped me to be more productive.

To increase my lung capacity, I had to learn to hold my breath underwater for longer. My first instinct was to think hard about holding my breath, gulp a huge lungful of air, go under for as long as I could, and come up when I thought I was going to collapse. Scratch that, I was told by my dive-master friend, it’s the same bad habit from work: building up expectation, creating unnecessary pressure and abandoning the exercise as soon as things got uncomfortable. Instead, I was told to think less about the process, take a moderate lungful of air, go under and just watch my mind. It sounded weird, but not so weird that I wasn’t willing to try it.

While we were talking, my friend suddenly turned to me and said,

“OK. Go.”

Before I had a chance to over-prepare or make a big deal of anything, I had taken a natural breath of air and was underwater. In the silence of the empty pool, I focused on stepping back to “watch my mind”. It was a strange sensation, like watching a movie: I saw my mind notice the blue tiles of the pool, a floating twig, the bubbles from the pool filter, my floating limbs, the coolness of the water against my skin. I saw it wander around, wanting to do something (even asking “Are we there yet?”), willing my body to resurface right now. I watched as it started to make a big fuss: You’re out of air. You’re about to burst. Your lungs are going to collapse any second now.

My mind was pushing every panic button it knew, and this time I chose to just observe it in silence. The less attention I paid to it, the less the imagined anxiety grew, and the less breathless I felt. In that moment I discovered magic reserves of air that allowed me to stay underwater longer, when previously I’d have resurfaced a long time ago. I watched my mind push the panic button twice more before I felt, with no anxiety, that now it was time to come up. When I resurfaced, I wasn’t gasping for air, but was breathing deeply, normally. I checked my time, and saw that I’d been underwater for five times longer than I’d expected.

In quiet observation, I saw my mind’s desire to believe an anxiety that didn’t really exist. In staying steady through discomfort, an imagined disaster disappeared. In the process of stepping back, I was relaxed enough to write this article in a fifth of the time it’d otherwise have taken me. In learning to hold my breath underwater, I found a spaciousness that allowed me to work more efficiently.

Lessons Learned

Through this process, I discovered the following tips to get more done with less stress:

I also learned that the next time writer’s block strikes, I’m going underwater to hold my breath.

Handling criticism – especially the constructive kind – is not the easiest thing to do. Yet we face it each day, whether in small doses or in large chunks. It pays to be adept at knowing what to do when someone criticizes you or your work — not how you handle can have a positive (or negative) impact on you. It can impact your livelihood, your perception of yourself and those around you and even the source of the criticism itself. As you can see, there are a number of factors to take into account when faced with handling criticism; these 3 tips should get you in the right mindset to deal with it accordingly.

Be more analytical

Jason Finnerty says you should listen carefully, think about it and discuss it.

“Consider the source, and then think through their suggestion. Is it something that you can possibly do? If you were to complete the task at hand in the way they are suggesting, would the final outcome be different?”

Don’t take it personally

Oleg Mokhov thinks you should externalize it:

“When you externalize criticism, you escape the defensiveness trap. You stop being self-conscious and take criticism objectively, which lets you reap the benefits of the helpful tips that the criticism contains.”

Don’t hide from it

In this interview, Gary Vaynerchuk says it’s work embracing:

“Approach all critical comments from the perspective of gratitude. They represent an opportunity to improve on an aspect of your job and will only help you in the long run. And even if you don’t agree with what’s being said, by being the bigger person you’ll still come out looking good.”

You know you could do a better job of handling criticism. I’m only saying this because I’m trying to help…

Germany has Leica, Zeiss, Voiglander and Rollei. Sweden has Hasselblad. Japan has Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony and Olympus. If you’re a photographer, you know these brands. You probably own cameras and lenses made by one or more of these companies. But there is a dark horse in the camera world, Russian and former Soviet countries also produced some great cameras, and some still do. It’s an intriguing story and a branch of photography that can yield some incredible value.

In this tutorial, I’ll present a brief history of Russian cameras, cover many of the major brands that are available, and talk about some of the great lenses that were made for these cameras!

The following image was made with a Zorki 4K. We’ll get to it, don’t worry!

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A Brief History

First, let me say that “Russian” is a catch all term for a variety cameras that were produced in Russia and the USSR, and then in the former Soviet states after 1991 when the USSR collapsed. I use the term “Russian” out of convenience, and I don’t want it to imply anything too specific.

That being said, the vast majority of the Russian camera industry came into being after World War II. Germany, a camera-making powerhouse, was split into sections. One of these was controlled by Russia. Also many German companies were forced to give up their patents and designs. So companies in Russia started producing copies or similar cameras and lenses to the famous German models. Some of these were great, others suffered from poor quality control.

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Benefits to Exploring Russian Cameras and Lenses

The first thing you’ll notice about Russian cameras, and the thing that initially draws most people to them, is the price. They are incredibly affordable. A Leica from the 1960s might cost you $600, a Zorki or Fed from the same period might cost $60. The same principle applies to the lenses.

Initially I just wanted to get a rangefinder camera. At the time, Leica, Contax, Zeiss, and even new Voigtlander cameras, were just too expensive. After browsing the internet, I stumbled across a huge number of cameras that I’d never even heard of. Thus began my journey. If you’ve read my previous tutorials, you’ll know that I’m always looking for a deal. And let me tell you, dollar for dollar, some Russian cameras are the best in the world. The following image was made with a Lomo LC-A.

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Brands

There are many brands and types of Russian cameras and lenses. For the record, these are film cameras. For those digital diehards out there, keep reading. Many people use Russian lenses with adapters on their digital cameras for their value and unique look. I’ll be covering brands in this tutorial to give you a tour of what’s our there.

Keep in mind that brands are different than companies. Several of the brands below are produced by the same company. Sometimes a single company produces a single brand. But that’s just something to keep in mind.

What’s important is that every major type of camera was produced in some form by a Russian company. If you’re looking for rangefinders, SLRs, modular medium format SLRs, folding cameras or TLR camera, they’re all here.

Zenit

Zenit is a 35mm SLR camera brand that most people have heard of. The Zenit was created by KMZ, which produced many different brands that I’ll be describing here. The brand was then produced by BelOMO. Information about the brand’s current status is hard to find in English, but it looks like they can still be purchased new from several websites.

The old Zenits have a strong legacy of being extremely heavy and extremely simply built. People say Russian manufacturing puts a large emphasis on easy repair rather than initial quality. I cannot speak for this personally, but in my research, I can say that the reliability of certain cameras is always a concern. Zenits can be found in many varieties, but the Zenit-E is one of the most famous with over 12 million being produced. Later Zenits used the Pentax-K mount for their lenses.

Zorki

The Zorki, specifically the 4K model, is my favorite Russian camera. It’s classic design and apparently great reliability make it a winner in my book. Zorki cameras were also produced by KMZ and were initially direct copies of the Leica II, due to the World War II situations I discussed earlier. But Zorki did go on to develop it’s own unique variations.

Like the Leica, they are rangefinder cameras. The original Zenit SLRs were just hacked Zorki cameras. Zorki is no longer produced, but models can be purchased online for as little as $30. They make a very unique sound when shot due to the rubber shutter, most cameras from this era had cloth shutters.

FED

The FED is also a rangefinder and again started out as a straight Leica II copy. But FED was its own company and did produce cameras before World War II. The history of the company is very interesting. It was based in modern-day Ukraine and, in the 1930s, even produced limited-edition cameras for Stalin’s secret police.

The FED and the Zorki both use the the M39 lens mount – also known as the Leica Thread Mount or LTM. In theory, early screwmount Leica cameras and the FED and Zorki could also use the same lenses. I say in theory because the quality control on the Russian cameras and lens were often so low that things didn’t always fit together in the same way.

Moskva

The Moskva was a KMZ camera as well. It is very different from the previous cameras because it shoots medium format film and uses the very early technology of bellows. This type of camera is a very enjoyable way to shoot medium format film. Many of the Moskva models have rangefinders and can shoot 6×9 cm negatives. This type of “folder” camera was produced by most camera companies at one stage, including the famous Zeiss Nettar and Kodak Autographic.

The biggest concern with these cameras is the bellows. Bellows are fragile no matter who made them. Heat, humidity and prolonged use just wear them out. You can check bellows with a flash light in a dark room to see if they have any holes or wears.

The Moskva is a very portable and easy to use, and some film shot in a 6×9 cm format can beat the resolution of many modern digital cameras. The folding camera format is my favorite way to shoot medium format.

Horizon

The Horizon camera is one of the few film cameras that does something digital cameras can only imitate, and they imitate it poorly. The Horizon is a swing-lens camera that has had many different models produced. It produces long, panoramic images by using a lens that moves and pans the scene. The results can be stunning.

There are over 120 versions of this camera, but KMZ still produces a couple of models. In the U.S., they are available as the Horizon Kompakt and the Horizon Perfekt. Older models were made of metal and had the same manufacturing qualities as other Russian cameras (emphasis on simplicity rather than quality). The current models are plastic, but seem to be more reliable.

Lomo

The Lomo company has enjoyed a recent surge in popularity due to the Lomographic Society, which sells a wide variety of cameras from all over the world. The original Lomo company is still in existence in St. Petersburg, but most produces military and medical optical equipment.

The Lomo branded cameras such as the LC-A are often produced in China by the Lomographic Society, which works closely with Lomo itself. The most popular vintage Lomo cameras are the LC-A compact point-and-shoot and the Lubitel Twin Lens Reflex camera. Both are still produced by the Lomographic Society.

In my opinion, the LC-A is fun, rugged and unique camera. The Lubitel is capable of very professional results, but a mainly plastic construction is worrisome.

Kiev

The Kiev brand of cameras is produced by the Arsenal Factory in Kiev, Ukraine. The factory was in business for 245 years, before it quietly closed in 2008. Cameras and lenses are still being sold through old distributor, but apparently these sales are coming from stockpiles instead of newly manufactured products.

There are three important Kiev cameras. First, the Kiev 88 is a medium format modular SLR modeled after the early Hasselblad. The Kiev 60 is also a medium format SLR, but looks like a big traditional SLR with a fixed back. Finally, the Kiev 4 is a 35mm rangefinder, but it’s a Contax copy rather than a Leica copy.

Kiev also produced a number of other 35mm SLRs and rangefinders. The Kiev 88 especially suffers from reports of horrible quality control, and is often sold pre-refurbished by companies for around $500 USD. It has been said that Kiev cameras are “pre-assembled kits” requiring a lot of work – not out-of-the-box consumer products like we’re used to.

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Lenses

There are more Russian lenses out there than one could ever possibly use. Almost every Russian camera company also produced it’s own lens brand. While these lenses are used by film enthusiasts, they are also purchased and mounted to digital SLRs using adapters. The cheap cost and sometime fantastic quality of the lenses makes them a great alternative to spending hundreds on expensive new lenses.

KMZ produced Jupiter lenses for their rangefinders, and the famous 50mm f/2 Jupiter 8. They also produced Helios lenses for the Zenit, and the incredible Helios 40 85mm f/1.5. FED produced Industar lenses. The Industar 22/50 is a collapsible lens that holds it own against rivals of the same period.

Finally, Arsat lenses are produced by Kiev and their 35mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift lens is an extremely inexpensive alternative to modern tilt-shift lenses. The following image was made with an Industar:

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Summary

I hope you’ve heard something today that is new to you. But as someone who loves Russian cameras, I’d like to ask that don’t tell your friends about them! I don’t want them all going online and driving the prices up…

Russian cameras were produced by companies with a very different set of priorities than most current camera manufacturers. When you find one that works, which happens more often than you think, it will work forever.

Even if you’ve abandoned film for digital, the lenses are incredible deals and, in the Russian tradition, you can take them apart and fix them yourself if you ever have a problem. Try doing that with your image stabilized 70-200mm f/2.8 lens!