Whoops…
My earlier post about QuickTime VR was based on some wrong information that I
had read in MacWeek several months ago. It turns out that it WON'T be free.
Here's the real info:
"APPLE DEBUTS QUICKTIME VR– Apple unveiled its QuickTime VR developer's tool
last week at the MILIA multimedia fair in Cannes, France. Version 1.0 is
expected to ship in March at a licensing fee of $2,000 per seat. Royalties for
developers using the QuickTime VR application for commercial use are between
$.40 and $.80 per unit. The authoring tool and application allow for the
creation of virtual reality environments using 360 degree photographic
technology. The process allows for inexpensive VR programming, although up and
down views are limited by the technology. A variety of companies have already
licensed QTVR for future applications, including Broderbund, Seismic
Entertainment and Xiphias."
It's still pretty cool, but pricey. I've got a friend-of-a-friend who may be
able to loan me his beta copy, so I'll let you know how well it integrates with
3ds. I imagine that the combination could produce some great Myst-style
interfaces.