• See an object from multiple angles
  
• Interact with the objects via the mouse
  
• Save the images as either SpinImage™ (no plug-in required) or QuickTime™ VR
  
• Download the images quickly, thanks to small file size
  

• Capture full-motion video from your digital video camera directly into your computer
• Enable you to optimize your captured images for maximum quality and minimum file size
• Create, name, and save your 3-D image files

• create SpinImage output which is stable and requires no plug-in
• create QuickTime VR output, one of the standards for interactive Web content
• select the spin speed of your object
• select the image resolution you choose, subject to the limitations of your camera
• use live video from the camera, or pre-recorded (from tape or computer file)
• select any number of frames and any degree of compression
• export frames in a variety of file formats, including lossless formats, for easy re-purposing of images
• select turntable speed, to allow use with any continuous-motion turntable

• Pentium III 600 MHz processor
• FireWire™ (iEEE1394)-enabled (On-board, PCI card or PCMCIA)
• Windows 98SE or later
• 128 MB RAM

• SpinImage DV Software Installer
• SpinImage DV User's Manual
• Example SpinImages™
• README file for SpinImage DV

Figure 1 Connecting the FireWire cable to your DV Camera.

Figure 2 Connecting the FireWire cable to your computer.

Figure 3 4-pin(left) and 6-pin(right) FireWire connectors

• Connect the FireWire cable to your camera's FireWire port
• Connect the other end of the cable to the FireWire port on your computer.

• Set up your turntable and object.
• Start up your computer.
• Turn on your FireWire digital video camera.
• Double-click the SpinImage DV software icon on the desktop to launch the application.

1. Locate the file sample_train.mov on the CD-ROM.
2. Drag-and-drop this file onto the SpinImageDV icon on the desktop of your computer.
3. If your camera is not connected, you will see a warning message, alerting you to that fact. Click "OK."
4. You will see the video of a toy train in the "Playback Window." Although there are editing options available in this window, they are not essential for this quick tutorial.
5. Click the "Generate VR Preview" button. The software will then pull our separate frames from the video file, rather than displaying a continuous movie. This allows the final output files to be far smaller than a movie file, while retaining the sense of rotation.
6. Select the number of frames and quality you would like to use. Each of these will affect the file size and the visual appeal of your final output.
7. a. To save a SpinImage (no plug-in; a series of JPEGs controlled by JavaScript), click the "Create SpinImage.." button, with "Normal" selected.
   b. To save a QuickTime VR (requires the QuickTime plug-in; allows zooming in and out), click the "Create QTVR" button, with "Normal" selected.
8. Choose where on your computer you would like to save your image, and its name.
9. To view your image, double-click the folder that you just saved, then double-click on the "index.html" file within that folder.

1. Preparing background, lighting, camera and turntable
2. Capturing and editing video
3. Creating a VR preview
4. Saving a VR image as a SpinImage or QTVR (QuickTime VR)
5. Publishing the files to your Web site or CD

• Ensure the lighting is correct.
• Zoom camera to white background (or white piece of paper) making sure that it fills the camera's viewfinder.
• Execute white balancing procedures as defined in your camera's user manual.
• After the white balancing procedure is completed, zoom the camera back out and refocus on the object.

Figure 4. The Preferences Window. Note the "Video Capture" area in the lower left, which allows you to select the duration of capture, and the resolution of the image you will use.

Note: The software assumes you will be using a turntable that rotates counterclockwise (as seen from above). If this is not the case, the interaction by the end user may be awkward.

Figure 5 Capturing video through the SpinImage DV Software.

Note: It is very important that you do not have other applications running while trying to capture video. Capturing video is processor and memory intensive and may fail if you attempt it while running other applications. As a result, your computer might crash, or it might generate a dangerously large temporary file.

• Connect the camera to the computer via FireWire just as you would in order to capture live video.
• Put the camera in VCR mode (the mode that will allow you to view video from the tape in your camera's viewfinder -- see your camera's user manual for details). You will be able to see a video feed in the software's Capture Window of the video that is being played back from the camera's tape.
• Launch the SpinImage DV Pro software
• Use the buttons on your camera to control the play functions until you locate the portion of video from the tape that you want to capture.
• As the video is being played back from the camera's tape, click on the Capture Video button in the software.

• Select the Generate Normal radio button below the "Create QTVR" button. Then, click the Create SpinImage button.
• A dialog box will appear, in which you will type the filename to save your 3-D image (for example brasslamp).
• Select a location to store the folder.
• Click Save to save the files.
• The application will then create a folder with the name "brasslamp" to the working directory for the application and place a series of JPEG image files and an HTML file called "index.html" into that directory.
• The working directory location of the application can be changed in the Preferences window. For more details, see the "Preferences Settings" section.
• To view the VR in a Web browser, double-click the HTML file in the image folder or drag the "index.html" file on to the icon for your Web browser.

• Select the Generate Normal radio button below the "Create QTVR" button. Then, click the Create QTVR button.
• A dialog box will appear, in which you will type the filename to save your 3-D image (for example brasslamp).
• Select a location to store the folder.
• Click Save to save the files.
• The "QTVR Export Settings" window will appear, allowing you to define certain parameters of the QuickTime VR object movie that you export. Please see the "QTVR Export Settings" section for more details.
• The application will then create a folder with the name "brasslamp" to the working directory for the application and place a QuickTime movie file and an HTML file called "index.html" into that directory.
• The working directory location of the application can be changed in the Preferences window. For more details, see the "Preferences Settings" section.
• To view the VR in a Web browser, double-click the HTML file in the image folder or drag the "index.html" file on to the icon for your Web browser.

• Select the Generate for Online Auction radio button below the "Create QTVR" button. Then, click the appropriate render button (Create SpinImage or Create QTVR).
• A dialog box will appear, in which you will type the filename to save your 3-D.
• Type in the filename to save (for example desklamp). The application will then create a folder with the name "desklamp" to the working directory for the application and place either a series of JPEG image files or QTVR movie, depending on your render selection, and an HTML file called "index.html" into that directory.
• After naming the file and choosing your saving preferences, the software will prompt you for an address (URL) at which your images will be hosted (in a window titled "Where will you store the images for online auction?"). This address is the EXACT location (including subfolders) to which you will need to upload the folder for viewing online. For example, http://www.your_internet_access_service.com/~you/ SAVE THIS LOCATION FOR LATER USE. The online auction site will ask you for this information later in their "selling an item" process.
• Before you can view the VR in a Web browser, you will need to upload the folder to the URL that you designated in the previous dialogue box.
• You will want to make sure that you have uploaded the folder (that contains the .jpg files) to the EXACT directory that you had specified in the dialogue window requesting a URL. After the folder has been uploaded, you can double-click the HTML file in the image folder.

Figure 13 The QTVR Export Settings window lets you choose settings for your exported object movie. A. VR spins automatically when loaded. B. Set the speed at which your object spins. C. Cause object to rotate back and forth instead of in one direction. D. Clicking and dragging is still recognized outside of VR window. E. Enables the ability to zoom using toolbar or hot keys. F. Enables the QTVR view to be scaled like a normal window. G. Sets the play sequence of the VR to forward or backward. H. Changes cursor style for the QTVR object. I. Reverts all settings to defaults.

• Animate Object: When checked, this causes the QTVR to begin spinning as soon as it is loaded, rather than waiting for the viewer to click the "play" button.
• Speed: Sets the speed, in frames per second, at which the QTVR will play. The goal is to have the object automatically rotate at a realistic speed. Since 15 seconds is the total capture time for one rotation: Dialup, having 8 frames, is about .5fps; Broadband, having 16 frames, is about 1 fps; CD having 24 frames, is about 1.5 fps. By increasing or decreasing the speed setting, you can make the object appear to rotate faster or slower. While these settings reflect the real-time rotational speed of the turntable, they may not make every object appear to be rotating smoothly. Approximately 2 fps is the minimum speed that produces natural-looking motion; experiment to see what setting you prefer. Note that using a negative value in the Speed box will cause the QTVR to play backwards. So using a negative number will give the same results as using a positive number and using a "Panning direction" set to Reverse. Note that Speed is only an option when "Animate Object" has been checked.
• Looping (palindrome): Clicking the "Back and forth (palindrome)" checkbox will auto-animate your QTVR movie to play through entirely forward (first frame to last frame) and then in reverse (last frame to first frame) in a continuous loop. With a spinning object, this will cause the object to appear to spin clockwise for one rotation, then reverse itself and spin counterclockwise for one rotation, then spin clockwise again, etc. This may appear strange with many objects, but in some cases, it produces a nice effect. Note that Looping is only an option when "Animate Object" has been checked.
• View can wrap: Essential for watching a spinning object, checking this box allows the movie to "loop" so that while playing or while clicking and dragging, the rotation starts again from the beginning once the viewer reaches the end. If this were not allowed, you could only watch your object spin through a single rotation, unless you press the "play" button or click and drag on the image again.
• View can zoom: Checking this box will enable the zoom feature in your QTVR movie. When viewing your object, you will be able to "zoom" in on details of the object using the QuickTime VR player's zoom tool. The resolution of the image is not increased, so the image appears to get "blockier" as it is enlarged. However, it can make it easier to see some of the smaller details of the object.
• View can translate: Enables the final QTVR movie window to be resized by dragging the lower-right corner of the player.
• Panning direction: Using these buttons, you can choose to have the frames play in forward or reverse order. For a rotating object, this will mean that you will change the apparent direction of rotation from clockwise to counterclockwise. Note that this function is exactly the same as the "Reverse Playback" checkbox. (See the "Playback Mode" section of this manual.) If you set the desired sense of rotation in that earlier window, then you should leave the panning direction at "Normal."
• Cursors: This menu allows you to set different cursor types for which your viewers will use to manipulate the object movie.
• Video Compression: This button pops up a window that will allow you to define the compression and codec used to compress your QTVR movie. The defaults are recommended and unless you are familiar with how to use codecs, you should not change the compression settings of your final QTVR.

• Play around with the lighting, camera, turntable, and application. Spending time learning what everything does and how all of the elements work together will save you a great deal of time when shooting, and will make it easier for you to produce better results.
• Whenever possible, use manual settings on your camera.
• Use the video feed on your computer monitor, not what you see in viewfinder/LCD display, to tell you what looks best. Some things can change, or be deceptive, unless you're looking at the computer monitor.

• Use a white cover for the turntable. Note that generally, it is best to use the same material for cover as is used for the background. The end goal is to match the color of the turntable to that of the background as closely as possible.
• Adjust your lighting to reduce shadows as much as possible. You may have to move the lighting a bit before you are satisfied with the results.
• Once your lighting is in position, set the white balance of your digital video camera as described in the section of this manual entitled "White Balancing." Use a piece of white paper placed in front of the object to set your white balance.
• When your camera is white balanced, look at your monitor so that you can adjust the rest of your camera settings properly.
• You may have to increase the exposure to hide shadows even more. Be careful not to over or under expose your image. You will notice that as you increase the exposure, the white background seems to dissolve to a flat white color. Remember: the goal is to be able to produce images in which the object appears to float on a pure white background.
• When you are satisfied with the image in your monitor, click the Capture Video button.
• After the capture is complete, review it in the playback window to ensure that the background appears uniformly white throughout the duration of the rotation.
• If necessary, adjust your camera settings to compensate for any inconsistencies and reshoot the object.

• If your background is black, you may want to cover the turntable with something black. The best solution would be to use the same material from which the background is made (e.g. paper, cloth, etc.). The end goal is to closely match the color of the material on the turntable to that of the background.
• Adjust your lighting to illuminate the object, and have less light on the background and the turntable. Also keep the rest of the room reasonably dark, so that you have better control over the lighting and the black areas appear darker. You may have to move the lighting a bit before you are satisfied with the results.
• Once your lighting is in position, set the white balance of your digital video camera as described in the section of this manual entitled "White Balancing." Use a piece of white paper placed in front of the object to set your white balance.
• When your camera is white balanced, look at your monitor so that you can adjust your camera properly.
• You may have to increase or decrease the exposure to bring your object to the correct light level while keeping the background and turntable black. Be careful not to over or under expose your image. You will notice that as you increase the exposure, your object will become lighter. While you are adjusting the exposure, be sure that the background and turntable do not lighten as a result or they will not appear as pure black in the final image. Remember: the goal is to be able to produce images in which nothing but the object appears on a pure black background.
• When you are satisfied with the image in your monitor, click the Capture Video button.
• After the capture is complete, review it in the playback window to ensure that the background appears uniformly black throughout the duration of the rotation.
• If necessary, adjust your camera settings to compensate for any inconsistencies and reshoot the object.

• Save two SpinImages in "Online Auction" format, using the "Rollover Method" for both. NOTE: you cannot have more than one SpinImage on a page using the "Interactive Method."
• Go into the Finder, select all of the frames from your first SpinImage, and drag them all into the folder for your second SpinImage.
• Open up both of the "index.html" files in a text editing program (for example, Notepad).
• Copy the entire contents of the first index.html file, and paste it at the end of the second index.html file.
• Save the newly modified index.html file.
• View your new index.html file by dragging the file icon onto the icon for your Web browser (or by using File>Open from within your Web browser). It should show both SpinImages. If it does not, review the steps above.
• If you want to put even more SpinImages on the same page, use whatever new SpinImage as the "first SpinImage" in the instructions above, and your modified folder as the "second SpinImage" in the instructions above.

• Is the camera on?
• Is the camera in Stand By Mode?
• Is the FireWire cable connected to the camera and the computer?
  The Digital Video camera may not be plugged in properly, or may have powered itself down. Quit the software, check all connections from the camera to the computer. In order to be sure that the computer recognizes a camera is connected, you can: 1. Double-click on "My Computer" 2. Double-click on "Control Panel" 3. Double-click on "System" 4. Select the "Device Manager" tab. Your FireWire card should be listed under "1394 Bus Controller" and the camera should be listed under "Imaging Device." Once you are sure your camera is working properly, make sure it is in the "ON" position, then re-launch the application.
  
  
• Are you using a Web cam?
  Web cams are not recognized as a valid video source in SpinImage DV. However, you can capture video with another application and import it into SpinImage DV. Please see the "Importing Movie Files" section for more information.
  
  

• Is there more than one camera plugged into the computer's FireWire ports?
  Disconnect or turn off the camera you are not using.
• Is the camera in proper working condition?
  Check that your camera and/or FireWire port are not damaged. Consult your camera's user manual for further assistance.

• "The DV video camera is not available; either it is not on or it is plugged in improperly. You will not be able to capture new video, but you will be able to render VR from previous captures."
• "The DV video camera is not available; either it is not on or it is plugged in improperly. Please check your camera and connection then restart."
  The Digital Video camera may not be plugged in properly, or may have shut itself off. Quit the software, and check all FireWire cable connections from the camera to the computer. Make sure camera is in the "ON" position, has power (battery or AC adapter), and is not "asleep." Re-launch the application. NOTE: some cameras default to a power-saving mode when there is a tape in the camera.
  
  It is also possible that the FireWire cables and connectors are damaged. Check to make sure that the connectors and the cable are intact. Note that damage is often difficult to detect visually. Quit the software, insert a different FireWire cable into your camera and computer, and re-launch the application.
  
  
• "DirectX has become confused and can't properly initialize the camera. Restart the app or, failing that, reboot the computer."
  There was an error opening the live video feed, due to DirectX. Follow the instructions in the error message. If that fails to solve the problem, check which version of DirectX you are using.
  
  

• "The current serial number is invalid for this version of SpinImage DV. Please try entering the number again or contact Roundabout Technologies for a new serial number."
  If this is your first time running SpinImage DV, you will get this message. Please type in the serial number, which is located on the back of your CD case. NOTE: be sure to enter the numbers in the correct text fields (everything before the first dash goes in the first field, everything between the dashes goes in the second field, etc.). Additionally, be sure to capitalize all of the letters: if you use lower case, the serial number will not be recognized.
  
  
• "You do not have a valid serial number to use this product! Please reinstall with a valid serial number."
• "The current serial number is invalid for this version of SpinImage DV. Please try entering the number again or contact Roundabout Technologies for a new serial number."
  You may have input an invalid serial number when you first used SpinImage DV, or you may be using the serial number from an older version of SpinImage DV. Uninstall SpinImage DV and install the newer version. Then type in the correct serial number, found on the back of your CD case.
  
  
• "Please enter the serial number that came with your purchased copy of SpinImageDV."
  There is no serial number stored on your computer. You may have accidentally deleted it. Please type in the serial number, which you will find on the back of your CD case.
  
  

• "SpinImage-DV is already running"
  Another copy of SpinImage DV is running. Click on SpinImage DV in the taskbar to open it.
  
  
• "The preferences file is corrupted. Select Edit->Preferences to rectify the situation."
  SpinImage DV was unable to load your preferences file. Follow the instructions in the message. Once you've entered the new preferences, be sure to hit the Save Prefs button.
  
  
• "I couldn't find the cropping bars, and must now die."
  The file "Slider.bmp" could not be found: it may have been moved, deleted, or corrupted. Reinstall SpinImage DV.
  
  

• "Capture interrupted!! Please check your camera and its cable."
  An error occurred while capturing video. Your camera may have gone into "sleep" mode while capturing, or the FireWire cable may have come loose. Please see the "Camera-Related" error messages above.
  
  
• "IMediaEvent query failed"
• "NotifyEvent stuff failed"
  There was an error while importing the AVI file. Please confirm that the movie file is not corrupted (view it in Windows Media Player to look for problems), and try again.
  
  

• "Failed to GetCurrentImage."
  This is a freak error, possibly caused by running too many programs simultaneously with the SpinImage DV software."
  
  
• "Not enough memory to GlobalAlloc a DIB"
• "failed to get current image during generation of VR"
  An error occurred while preparing the video preview. This is most likely due to your system being low on memory or system resources. Quit all open applications and re-launch SpinImage DV.
  
  
• "Found problems while scanning JPEG header."
  When entering VR Preview mode, an error occurred while examining the frames of the preview. Quit SpimImage DV, restart it, and try again.
  
  
• " IBasicVideo failed "
• "IMedia position failed during generation"
  SpinImage DV was unable to generate a preview for editing. Quit SpinImage DV and all other open applications, restart SpinImage DV, and try again.
  
  
• "IVideoWindow failed!"
  An error occurred while setting the video window properties. If you encounter this problem frequently, re-install SpinImage DV.
  
  

• "Invalid Folder"
• "This path does not exist. Do you want to create it?"
• "Could not create folder: FOLDER_PATH"
• "Could not open PATH frame FRAME_NUM.jpg"
  Note: PATH, FOLDER_PATH and FRAME_NUM are placeholders for file-specific values.
  There was an error saving rendered VR images. The folder where you are trying to save may not exist. Select a different folder and try again.
  
  
• "Switch to Preview mode before rendering to HTML."
• "Switch to Preview mode before rendering to QTVR."
  The file menu items to save your 360-degree images will not work properly unless you are in Preview mode. Click the Generate VR Preview button and try again.
  
  
• "You've cropped the entire image away. Cannot render HTML."
• "You've cropped the entire image away."
  The cropping bars are so close together that no image exists to render into a 360-degree image. Drag the cropping bars so that the desired sections of the image are visible.
  
  
• "Creating the QuickTime VR movie failed."
• "Creating the QuickTime VR movie failed with error number ERROR_NUMBER"
  Note: ERROR_NUMBER is a placeholder for the error value.
  An error occurred while creating your QTVR. Try saving your files again. If that fails, quit and restart SpinImage DV. If the problem persists, download and install the most recent version of QuickTime. At the time of this writing, QuickTime 4.1 is the latest version.
  
  
• "Creating the QuickTime VR movie failed with error number ERROR_NUMBER."
• "Creating the QuickTime VR movie failed."
  Note: ERROR_NUMBER is a placeholder for error value.
  An error occurred while setting the QTVR compression settings from the "QTVR Export Settings" window. Try saving your files again. If that fails, quit and restart SpinImage DV. If the problem persists, download and install the most recent version of QuickTime.
  
  
• "Didn't open the HTML file properly"
  An error occurred while trying to write the index.html file when saving in SpinImage format. Try saving the file again. If it continues to fail, quit and restart SpinImage DV. If you continue to encounter this problem, reinstall SpinImage DV.
  
  
• "Didn't open the Javascript file properly"
  An error occurred while trying to write the javascript.js file when saving in SpinImage format. Try saving the file again. If it continues to fail, quit and restart SpinImage DV. If you continue to encounter this problem, reinstall SpinImage DV.
  
  

• Is the computer monitor turned on?
• Is the video cable from the monitor secured firmly to the computer's video port?
• Is the computer monitor's power cord plugged into an electrical outlet?

• Read and followed the instructions provided in the users guide for the SpinImage DV software, turntable and your camera?
• Reviewed the Troubleshooting section?
• Visited http://www.spinimagedv.com for updated troubleshooting information?