360-degree panoramic galleries of European cities

March 6, 2006 4:07 AM

Arounder has an ongoing collection of high-quality full screen Quicktime VR panoramas of European cities, focusing on famous artistic and cultural landmarks (in Rome, Florence, Köln, Barcelona, Cyprus), with interactive maps and travel information. A collaboration with national tourist offices by Swiss company Vrway Communication, which also publishes Vrmag, a bi-monthly review of panorama photography, and the FullscreenQTVR directory in collaboration with the well-known panoramas.dk (previously mentioned on metafilter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
posted by funambulist (5 comments total)

I really love the VR pictures - it really gives me a sense of 'being there'. More so than just a photograph or even a flat panorama.

Having created a few myself, I marvel at the skill these display - not just photography, but with stitching the pictures together and the nose for which areas would make a good pano.

The only thing that some of these are missing would be a sound loop taken in the area.
posted by unixrat at 6:21 AM on March 6, 2006

Santa Maria Maggiore - Pio IX is gorgeous. Really amazing. As unixrat has said, it really does have a sense of depth and clarity that I cant remember seeing in QTVR.
posted by thanatogenous at 6:44 AM on March 6, 2006

Ditto the appreciation for the Santa Maria Maggiore link. I spent a great deal of time in that square, ferrying hostel-goers to and from the Old Station bar.
posted by The White Hat at 7:49 AM on March 6, 2006

I thought this was neat, but I couldn't figure out how to get it to stop drifting. I'd click the cursor to make it hold still, then after about five seconds, it would start slowly drifting around the room. Annoyed me, since I sometimes like to look at something and take it in for more than five seconds! (Especially when I'm trying to read something). Darn thing assumes I have ADD or something...
posted by beth at 8:58 AM on March 6, 2006

I like it!
posted by taosbat at 7:34 PM on March 6, 2006