Historical:PanoLink
PanoLink (archive.org link) is a program for linking Quicktime cubic movies into virtual tours. It works under all Windows versions. Although it's small (executable is about 20 KB in size) it's selfcontaining - you don't need any other programs/libriaries to run it. The program has no GUI and works in the following way:
- First you drag and drop your movie onto the program icon/shortcut - it splits the movie onto six cube faces;
- Next you need to create the script explaining location of hotspots and links properties:
- If you need just rectangular hotspots all work is done through the script only;
- If you need free shape hotspots you paint them with an external image editor and supply just links properties to the script;
- Finally just drag and drop the script onto the program icon/shortcut to get a hotspotted QuickTime movie.
With PanoLink you can:
- create up to 255 hotspots on any cube faces;
- create three types of hotspots;
- create rectangular hotspots with built-in painter (quick way);
- create free form hotspots with external image editor (slower);
- preserve all source movie's user data.
PanoLink may not work with:
- movies compressed other than with JPEG;
- cylindrical movies;
- cubic Projection movies with split tiles;
- movies with embedded sprites or sounds.
PanoLink was:
- very small and quick (it creates and paints large hotspot tiles quicker than any image editor can open them).
- the only Windows program to create 100% PTViewer (Java) compatible hotspots - you could view the same QuickTime movie with QuickTime or Java.
- distributed under a "Single User License" at the introductory price of $25.00 US.