FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about Virtual Tours

What is a Virtual Tour?: It is an interactive, cylindrical panoramic image that can be viewed on a web-site or CD-ROM that offers the viewer a panoramic field of view at 360 degrees. The viewer can control this image by clicking on it with their mouse and dragging in the direction that they wish to look: see some examples in our project portfolio

How large are Virtual Tour Files?: The final tour is available in a variety of sizes and formats but typically the tours are about 100-300 Kilobytes in size, which is small enough to load quickly even for users with slower modem connections.

Will the virtual tours work in all browsers?: simulation360 provides tours in Flash Player formats, 98% of browsers have the Flash Player plugin, or they can download it free.

Are there any royalties associated with the final images?: No. We provide all the final images of your shoot on a CD-ROM (or you may elect to download them from our web server) they become your property - there are no royalties associated and you may reuse the images as many times as you wish and in any format you wish.

I've noticed a logo at the bottom of your tours - must it be there?: When taking these 360° images it is virtually impossible to remove all traces of the tripod used to steady the camera. A 'tripod cap' image is used to cover the remnants of the tripod in the image. You may choose to omit this, or add an image of your own for this cap rather then our standard logo.

What about other formats, like QuicktimeVR or Java?: The main drawback to these two formats is the loading time. In general, both are quite resource intensive and users are left with a blank white space where the virtual tour should be, leading them to close the page thinking there is a problem. With Flash, users instantly see action. Our custom preloaders are fun and easily keep users attention.

What are Hot-Spots?: Hot-Spots (or nodes) are areas within the 360° image where more information can be displayed, the user can click to be re-directed to another 360 or web page, or a sound can be played.

How long does it take?: On average, it takes about 10 minutes to photograph a room - assuming the room is ready when we arive. An average 4 room shoot therefore, takes about one hour. We then require about one week to create the completed tours.


What if I only have a listing and not a web site?: simulation360 offers virtual tour hosting services for customers who do not have their own web site for a small annual fee. See our rates & packages page for details.

How far do you travel?: Apart from local travel within the island of Bali, travel expences are the responsibility of the client.