Pittsburgh, PA - June 9, 2003--Smoky City Design, LLC today released version 3.0 of The Panorama Factory, its industry leading software product for creating panoramic images. Version 3.0 adds new features for creating web-based virtual tours, including image "hotspots" to navigate from image to image and web page creation from templates. Image processing time has been decreased by up to 40%. New features include onscreen zoom, support for digital SLRs, correction for barrel distortion, correction for brightness falloff and better interactive controls.

Pricing and availability

A 30-day trial of The Panorama Factory version 3.0 may be downloaded from www.panoramafactory.com. Purchasing a registration key at The Panorama Factory web site converts the trial version to the full version. Single copies of The Panorama Factory may be purchased for $59.95. Current customers who own a registration key for V2.4 may upgrade for $24.95.

New Virtual Tour Creation Tools

The foremost enhancements offered with version 3.0 of The Panorama Factory are designed for creating web-based virtual tours. These new features make it possible to add hotspots to panoramic images and to create and update web pages and thumbnail indexes.

Hotspots are used to link panoramas together. For example, a set of panoramas showing rooms in a house can be linked together so that clicking on a doorway moves from one room to another.

Users can automatically create web pages and thumbnail indexes when the panoramic images are saved. The web pages and thumbnail indexes are created from templates. Some predefined templates are supplied with The Panorama Factory V3.0, and users can create their own templates.

Improvements to the Stitching Engine

The stitching engine in Version 3.0 has been significantly improved.

Images can be zoomed in the onscreen display from 10% to 1000%. Users can zoom out to see the entire panorama or zoom in to examine the smallest detail.

Digital SLRs are now supported in the digital camera library and add-on wide angle and tele converters are supported for point-and-shoot cameras.

Version 3.0 optionally corrects for barrel distortion and for brightness falloff, two problems that are common to many digital cameras. These problems can be corrected automatically and, if necessary, the user can adjust the corrections interactively. Automatic image alignment and focal length detection can also be adjusted interactively.

About The Panorama Factory

The Panorama Factory creates high-quality panoramas in a highly automated fashion from a set of overlapping digital images. The Panorama Factory transforms (warps) the images in order to join them seamlessly into panoramas whose fields of view can range up to 360 degrees. The software also corrects for lens-induced distortions and creates either cylindrical or spherical image projections.

The Panorama Factory creates images that rival those made by expensive rotational and swing-lens panoramic cameras. Not only can The Panorama Factory facilitate creation of immersive VR worlds, it also provides features for the fine-art panoramic photographer who wishes to work from ordinary 35mm images or images captured with a digital camera.

System requirements

Windows 95, 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000 or XP; 64 MB RAM, more for better performance; 166 MHz processor, faster for better performance, 800 x 600 display minimum; High color (16 bit) minimum, true color (24 or 32 bit) recommended; Installed web browser for online help; 15 MB free disk space for installation.

For Additional Information

For additional information about The Panorama Factory, visit www.panoramafactory.com.

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