Are there more examples of implementations?

[DonJuane]

Hi! First post. I just purchased FPP and started work on trying to publish a pano that I had previously created as SWF in Pano2QTVR.

First thing I noticed were the very large control buttons, but from what I understand, these can be abbreviated with a PNG editor. That led me to search for some common templates but I am not finding any. Am I missing some? I would love more documentation and examples. Not finding many, this led me to wonder if everyone is kind of "on their own" and moving in their own direction with controls and other customizations?

Searching, I did find links to a lot of FPP sites but unfortunately I didn't see any example code to go along with those sites. Of particular interest to me, is a more unobtrusive control panel, perhaps with a way to hide it like a small button in the cornder. I also liked the audio concept with the speaker that could be clicked, but I would want to start with no audio as unrequested audio can run some away from your site.

Thank you.

[DonJuane]

How do you create the semi-transparent control buttons I see on some sites?

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

Most people using FPP are artists in the field of panorama making, and they customize their control buttons and other visual things.... it is not well seen when one's own designed buttons appear on other people's panos...

Even example codes are hard to come by... and those have also raised angry voices when someone's hard handcoded works have been copied by other users... so one has to tread lightly.

A safe way to get things going, is to use Flashificator (the full version) where you have a few sets of basic buttons (but it's still recommendable to use one's own designs)... adding "alpha" to the buttons, will make them go transparent.

Sound can be added, and prevented from auto-starting.

You can try out the free version of Flashificator and see if it is something for you... the full version has a lot more to offer, but is not free.

Link found in my signature.

[DonJuane]

Sounds like I am in luck. I noticed you said "artist" and not "skilled artist" so there is hope for me in this field. ;-)

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

There are absolutely skilled artists amongst the FPP users as well... so you are in good company!

[aiwetir]

you can specify the opacity and size of the buttons in the xml. no reason change artwork or buy anything.

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

no reason change artwork or buy anything.

Correct. But if one wants something different, one has to do it differently. If one wants to save time, one can also get the tools that save time.

Considering that time is the most valuable asset in our lives, saved time means more life. Personally, I'd rather spend my life with my family, than spending it on handcoding. .... but that's just my biased opinion :)

[aiwetir]

Correct. But if one wants something different, one has to do it differently. If one wants to save time, one can also get the tools that save time.

Considering that time is the most valuable asset in our lives, saved time means more life. Personally, I'd rather spend my life with my family, than spending it on handcoding. .... but that's just my biased opinion :)

that is your opinion and i was only offering an alternative to paying hard earned cash. some people have more time than money and maybe the op is in that situation, i wouldn't know without more information.

i probably spent under an hour making my own images and coding them into my site, i bill my scripting time at $60 usd thus cheaper than purchasing flashificator alone, nevermind the cost of the flash and air applications needed to use with flashificator (unless i misread your site)

the op is welcome to come 'rip off' my xml if they like (http://pdxvr.com). they can even use the images if they can figure out how to get to them, i just took some off of google images and made them png's

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

Of course that was my opinion (even a biased one... as I stated) :)

The flash and air applications needed to use with Flashificator, are free, so there are no hidden "extras" there. The plugins that come with Flashificator are also free of cost for the users, and it's even possible for users to request additional functionalities/plugins... at no additional cost.

Of course there are people with more time than money, I know that all to well from my own life, and there is nothing wrong in doing hand coded works... much of FPP's existing works are based on hand coding, but it's not an easy starting position for beginners.

$60 per scripting hour is quite good to get... If you are professional on every day basis, using hand coding, you can earn good money, if you find enough clients. If it takes you one hour (give or take a few minutes) to make tour of ... say... 4 panos, including videos, music, navigation buttons, links between panos in the tour, map with clickable links to panos in the tour etc, it would be very nicely done timewise. You could do the same in Flashificator in 15 minutes, and use the remaining 45 minutes to get new clients.
... or enjoy life for the remaining 45 minutes, and still sell your project at the same "$60 pr hour" ... since your clients don't know/don't care if you are hand-scripting or doing it in a different manner.

... a win-win situation.

Personally, I have chosen to be blind towards code, haven't produced a single pano with FPP alone, and am happy with that to be my choice. I must also say that I am very impressed by many hand-coded works, but the same impression is found in many FFC created works.

... but then again, that's only my opinion.

[aiwetir]

well i (generally) don't produce tours for other people just my own vr projects and i try to get clients to do their own sites unless they are going to pay me to write theirs. (which they usually aren't) ;) i prefer php scripting and the associated challenges more than writing someone else's virtual tour site.
i know a strange little quirk of mine - shooting and publishing vr's and making websites, but not liking to make other people's vr websites. i guess i just prefer to remain the photographer when i am photographing and keep the web development separate else my brain gets overloaded, if that makes any sense.

anyway i would, and have, considered flashificator, but i'm really watching krpano quite closely now and have actually already coded my site for it so i only have to change the word 'fpp' to 'krp' in a config file.

until i actually need to produce more than a few 'tours' hand coding works for me. :D