Announcing New Perseus Virtual Reality Content

Perseus Integrates 3D Computer Models and Virtual Reality Presentations with Digital Collections and Web Atlas

March 25, 2002

The Perseus Project is pleased to announce the tandem release of new virtual reality content and a new Perseus Virtual Reality Interface purpose-built for the content's display. The Perseus Digital Library now offers digitally rendered

• Still images,
• QuickTime movie, object, and panorama environments,
• Virtual Reality Modeling Language worlds, and
• Computer-Aided Design models.

Using the Perseus standard interface. The virtual reality content can be displayed using Perseus' established tools for viewing images. For example, a search for "King William Street" using the Perseus Lookup Tool provides a list of the related content contained in the Perseus Digital Library. Links to the various types of virtual reality media are included in this list. The virtual still images are accessible from the Images group, and can be displayed by selecting an image directly from the list or by selecting an image from the Perseus Image Browser via the Thumbnails button. The image file appears together with the customary image links and the appropriate collection frame (that of "The Bolles Collection on the History of London" in the example of King William Street). Likewise, selecting any of the other virtual reality media, such as "King William Street, London" from the QuickTime panorama group, will display the file with the same familiar format.

Using the Perseus Virtual Reality Interface. The Perseus Virtual Reality Interface is a graphic interface designed for manipulating the virtual reality content exclusively. It is available through the Tools link appearing at the top of every page in the Perseus Digital Library. The interface employs a custom search tool and "index card" display format to permit the rapid retrieval and switching of different virtual reality presentations of the same subject. The Perseus Virtual Reality Interface also expands the functionality of the Perseus standard interface. In addition to the customary image links to the Perseus Lookup Tool and a thumbnail browser (Browse images), the Perseus Virtual Reality Interface offers a context-sensitive link to related texts (Find related texts). The Perseus Virtual Reality Interface also offers context-sensitive links to Perseus Virtual Reality Help (Help) and the Perseus Web Atlas (Plot Site). Using these links, one can retrieve supplementary information, get appropriate assistance, and plot locations on a world atlas. A link for downloading Computer-Aided Design models and their documentation (Download File) will be added soon.

Updated! The Perseus London Atlas has been updated to display the locations of QuickTime environments. Querying a QuickTime location in the Atlas will display the virtual reality file using the Perseus Virtual Reality Interface.

For additional information, see either "Virtual Reality Collection Help" in the Perseus Help and Information Center or the "Help Tab" of the Perseus Virtual Reality Interface.

Funding for this work has been provided by the Digital Libraries Initiative Phase 2. We welcome your feedback and comments on these resources.

Please report any problems to the Perseus webmaster.

Document last updated 25-Mar-2002, TLM