Virtual Tours

What is a Virtual Tour?

Virtual reality (VR) is an interactive computer-generated experience taking place within a simulated environment. It incorporates mainly auditory and visual feedback, but may also allow other types of sensory feedback. This immersive environment can be similar to the real world or it can be fantastical.

Current VR technology most commonly uses virtual reality headsets or multi-projected environments, sometimes in combination with physical environments or props, to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that simulate a user's physical presence in a virtual or imaginary environment. A person using virtual reality equipment is able to "look around" the artificial world, move around in it, and interact with virtual features or items. The effect is commonly created by VR headsets consisting of a head-mounted display with a small screen in front of the eyes, but can also be created through specially designed rooms with multiple large screens. Other forms of VR include augmented reality and mixed reality systems.

VR systems that include transmission of vibrations and other sensations to the user through a controller or other devices are known as haptic systems. This tactile information is generally known as force feedback in medical, video gaming, and military training applications.

Virtual Reality in Tourism

Introduction

History of VR

VR in Tourism

VR Theory

VR Technologies

Google Cardboard

Use simple VR with your smartphone

360 Cameras

Special equipment is needed to create virtual content

Advanced Headsets

VR equipment is not showing up everywhere, from arcades to museums

360 Image Formats and Tricks

Spherical / Equirectangular

The equirectangular projection (also called the equidistant cylindrical projection, geographic projection, or la carte parallélogrammatique projection, and which includes the special case of the plate carrée projection or geographic projection) is a simple map projection attributed to Marinus of Tyre, who Ptolemy claims invented the projection about AD 100.[1] The projection maps meridians to vertical straight lines of constant spacing (for meridional intervals of constant spacing), and circles of latitude to horizontal straight lines of constant spacing (for constant intervals of parallels). The projection is neither equal area nor conformal. Because of the distortions introduced by this projection, it has little use in navigation or cadastral mapping and finds its main use in thematic mapping. In particular, the plate carrée has become a standard for global raster datasets, such as Celestia and NASA World Wind, because of the particularly simple relationship between the position of an image pixel on the map and its corresponding geographic location on Earth.

Little Planet

Tiny Planet

How to make a Tiny Planet videoTutorial with the Ricoh Theta 360 camera

Reverse Tiny Planet

Panorama Tricks

This is a simple a fun trick you can do with a smartphone camera. You can shoot the same person or object in a panorama shot by slowing panning when you shoot your panorama.

Stereoscopic images

Create a VR Tour

My Hometown Project

Introducing the Project

As seen on TED

Project Website

Explore the lesser traveled path through the eyes of someone who grew up in these places. Hearing personal experiences from hometowns all over the world.

Tourism may be changed forever due to a health pandemic. But that won't stop humans from seeking human connection in the world. Using immersive technology like augmented and virtual reality, we can explore the world in a different way. Perhaps it is not the same as traditional travel, but there are some forms of travel that might be better than before. This project seeks to connect humans with virtual travel.