Step 5:  When you have defined the hotspot region, it is time to set the properties.  You can access the hotspot properties by Right+clicking on the region and selecting properties, or by going to Edit>Properties.

Step 6:  There are several types of hotspots that can be created.  The most basic hotspot is a link to a different html document or webpage.  With this kind of a link, you will need to indicate the complete address to the new location.  In this example, since I will be linking to a page on a different location, I have placed the entire address the box.

If you wanted to link to a document (or other QuickTime VR) in the same folder as the current file, you would select Other.  If you had a download you could point to a FTP site, or if you wanted the end user to provide feedback, you could use the mailto: option to launch the email application.

You should enter a description for each of your hotspots so the user knows what the link will do or where it will take them to next.

Finally, set the target for the action.  While it isn’t labeled target in the properties window, this option acts just like the target= command in the html environment.  In this example, I have set the target to New Window (in other words target=blank).

TIP:  What if you haven’t created the linking files yet?  For example, you may be creating a VR world, but haven’t created the linking QTVR yet.  In this case, enter the name of the file you will be creating in the future, and just remember to save your linking files with the same name.

Step 7:  When you are finished defining and setting the properties for all of the hotspots in your environment, render the file, upload it to your server, and let your visitors enjoy their interactive tour through your Virtual Reality environment.

--Stephen Schleicher