The RealSpace Viewer

The RealSpace Viewer is both a plug-in for Web browsers and a standalone application. Both let you view and navigate environments created with Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) 2.0 (.wrl files) and the Realspace Image Worlds file extensions (.ivr files), and both are installed when you choose a typical installation. The plug-in works with Netscape Navigator 3.01, Netscape Communicator, and Microsoft® Internet Explorer 3.0 (Windows version only for Internet Explorer). The standalone application runs on Power Macintosh and Windows 95/NT.

System Requirements

This section describes the requirements for running the RealSpace Viewer on the Macintosh and Windows platforms.

Macintosh

• Power Macintosh
• System 7.5.5 or higher
• 16MB RAM (minimum)
• 10MB hard disk space

Windows

• 486/DX PC
• Windows 95 or NT 4.0
• 16MB RAM
• 10 MB hard disk space

NOTE: For best quality images, set your monitor resolution higher than 256 colors.

RealSpace Viewer Installation

This section describes how to install the RealSpace Viewer on the Macintosh and Windows platforms.

Macintosh

IMPORTANT: If you're behind a firewall, you'll need to edit the file Config.txt to add your proxy server information. The instructions are in the Config.txt file, which is located in your System folder at Preferences\Live Picture\RealSpace Viewer\Preferences.

1. Locate the RealSpace Viewer Installer icon:
   • If you download the Viewer from the Live Picture site, the file rsview2_mac.sea.hqx appears on your desktop. Depending on your system setup, this .hqx file automatically extracts into the RealSpace Viewer Installer file, which also appears on your desktop. If the .hqx file doesn't automatically extract the installer file, you'll need to use StuffIt Expander to extract it, which is available free from Aladdin Systems at www.aladdinsys.com.
2. Double-click the RealSpace Viewer Installer icon (either from the desktop or from the Viewer folder).
3. Follow the onscreen prompts in the Installer.
4. The Installer checks for other programs already installed, such as plug-ins or associated files. It won't overwrite these programs.
5. Select the plugins folder for your browser.
6. Continue following the prompts to complete the installation.

Windows

IMPORTANT: If you're behind a firewall, you'll need to edit the file Config.txt to add your proxy server information. The instructions are in the Config.txt file, which is located in your in your Windows system folder at Live Picture\RealSpaceViewer\Preferences.

1. Locate the appropriate RealSpace Viewer installation file:
   • If you download the Viewer from the Live Picture site, a file named rsview2_win.exe is saved to a directory you specify.
2. Double-click the appropriate installation file, either rsview2_win.exe or install.exe.
3. Follow the onscreen prompts to complete the installation.

NOTE: If choose to install only the plug-in Viewer (for example, from the Live Picture Web site), the first time you visit a Web site that contains .ivr or .wrl files, the Viewer downloads additional, necessary components from the Live Picture server before your browser displays the scene. If you choose a full Viewer installation, the components are automatically added during installation. Updating future versions of both the plug-in and standalone Viewers occurs automatically. See "Updating the RealSpace Viewer" for more information.

Using the RealSpace Viewer

If you're visiting Web sites that contain .ivr and .wrl files, the RealSpace Viewer plug-in automatically displays the scene within your browser. Visit the Gallery section of the Live Picture Web site at www.livepicture.com for a list of links to sites that use the RealSpace technology.

If you want to use the standalone RealSpace Viewer to view .ivr and .wrl files on your computer:

• Macintosh: Double-click the RealSpace Viewer icon in the RealSpace Viewer folder.
• Windows: Choose Programs|RealSpace Viewer from the Windows Start menu.

To navigate around a panorama in the plug-in or standalone Viewer:

• Click and hold down the mouse button while dragging the pointer around in the Viewer window to move around in the scene.
• Press Shift to zoom in and Ctrl to zoom out.
• Press the space bar to view "hot spots," areas in the scene that you click to cause an action onscreen, such as switching to another panorama.

IMPORTANT: On Macintosh, it's best to allocate as much memory as possible to your Web browser when using the RealSpace Viewer plug-in. To increase the memory of your browser, select its icon on your desktop, then choose File|Get Info. In the Preferred Size field, increase the memory requirement.

Updating the RealSpace Viewer

Periodically, the RealSpace Viewer needs to be updated to be able to view and navigate the latest technological advancements in .wrl and .ivr files. The RealSpace Viewer automatically detects when it is out of date by comparing the information in your computer's registry with the latest registry information on the Live Picture server. If the Viewer detects that it is out of date, it automatically begins to download the latest version from the Live Picture site. The comparison occurs automatically when you're connected to the Internet and is unnoticeable. However, if your version is out of date, you're prompted to begin a download operation. (You can delay the download a day at a time if downloading is inconvenient at the moment you're prompted.)

RealSpace Viewer Uninstall Instructions

This section describes how to remove the RealSpace Viewer from the Macintosh and Windows platforms.

Macintosh

Drag the following items to the trash:

• The RealSpace Viewer folder and all of its contents
• The RealSpace Plugin file from your browser's Plug-ins folder
• The RealSpace Viewer preferences folder in System Folder\Live Picture\Preferences

Windows

1. From the Start menu, choose Settings, then choose Control Panel. The Control Panel window appears.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs. The Add/Remove Programs Properties window appears.
3. Click the Install/Uninstall tab, then select RealSpace Viewer in the scroll list.
4. Click the Add/Remove button.
5. In the Confirm File Deletion message box, click Yes to remove the RealSpace Viewer from your hard drive. You're notified when the uninstall is complete.
6. Click OK, then close the Add/Remove Programs Properties window.