Some initial results from our test lab! In Flash mode, WebRotate 360 Product Viewer 3.0 Beta loads 3 times faster than our previous version - 2.5.3. The difference is quite dramatic, especially when you think of wait times when these 360 views are embedded on e-commerce websites, where this is a very sensitive subject. Check it out by clicking the links below:

• 2.5.3 (OLD) - this link is no longer available
• 3.0.0 (BETA) - udated Beta v3 (latest release on March 2d, 2012) 

Average loading speed for the test 360 degree product view on our end was ~13.9s with the old 2.5.3 viewer and just ~4.62s with the new beta!

Download this beta module (only Flash swf in this drop for now) using the link below and just replace imagerotator.swf under the imagerotator folder in your 360 packages. Any feedback would be awesome!

In the next few days we will post another beta with a new high resolution mode where high-rez images can be configured separately (same xml file) and are only loaded on demand on zoom. Stay tuned!

Download our latest 360 photo software here

So far the only place where we mentioned about our new 2.5.3 release was Facebook and Twitter. We love both of the social networks for the interactivity and quick feedback they provide but we shouldn't forget about our neat little blog...

Without further ado, we're announcing here the release of WebRotate 360 Product Viewer 2.5.3! This an important release for us as it provides an extensive ground work for launching cool new features in the upcoming v3.0 (more on this later).

I think the most important update in 2.5.3 is the release of the revamped SpotEditor utility. Now it's finally possible to edit pretty much any configuration setting available in our 360 degree product viewer using our simple user interface and then preview your 360 degree product view in your default browser or even publish it to your hard-drive with everything needed for a quick deployment on your website.

Couple of screenshots of the updated utility:

I hope you will also find it handy that we supplied 5 integration samples with the free viewer package that show how easy it is to create 360 product views with dynamic or static hot-spots using either Flash or the new html5 360 viewer mode and integrate them in a variety of ways on your web pages.

Not to mention our new website that is dedicated to showcasing the types of samples that can be created with our free 360 degree product viewer - http://www.360-product-views.com/

Full list of updates in 2.5.3:

• [+] Revamped SpotEditor tool; added support for all configuration settings as well as Preview / Publish function
• [+] Added five new samples (Basic, Color, JS, Popup, Phone)
• [+] Added support for loading image / hotspot assets from locations separate from xml config (for CDN, etc)
• [+] Added API for in-place viewer reload using different xml configuration
• [+] Added API setting (flybyJsMenuFix) to fix an issue where Flash may overlap dynamic JavaScript menus
• [+] Added new type of hotspot indicator that pulsates constantly
• [+] Added urlTarget (xml) setting to allow specifying URL open mode on click inside hotspot (_blank, _self)
• [+] Added xml setting (bounce) for viewing when full set of 360 images is not available (e.g., 180-degree rotation)
• [+] Added two xml settings for configuring color of progress animation
• [+] Allowed hotspot popups to close on mouse click
• [+] Removed dimming of product images when activating hotspot popups
• [+] Enabled hotspot disable (xml) setting to also apply in JavaScript mode
• [+] Enabled toolbarBackAlpha (xml) setting to also apply in JavaScript mode
• [+] Enabled disableMouseControl (xml) setting to also apply in JavaScript mode
• [+] Added support for checking viewer version via Firebug
• [!] Fixed static hotspots to prevent browse action when no URL is assigned
• [!] Fixed IE security issue specific to Free edition (presented itself as a jQuery access error in IE statusbar)
• [!] Fixed issue in Webkit browsers where mouse cursor would sometimes change into selection mode on click
• [!] Fixed issue in JavaScript mode where viewer was skipping on a single image during rotation via mouse dragging
• [!] Fixed issue where JavaScript mode was not letting more than one static hotspot
• [!] Updated End-User License Agreement (License.PDF)
• [!] Launched our new website 360-product-views.com with a quick tour of the key product features

Download your free 360 product viewer HERE and join us on Twitter or Facebook for realtime news, updates, and a live dialog!

Here's a quick tip on how to work around one of those issues that we often have to deal with when photographing reflective products, which is especially applicable to our 360 product photography.

If we take a cell phone or an iPad or a similar product with a reflective screen and place it on our turntable "as-is", and then try to shoot it straight such that our camera points straight towards the screen, we will notice immediately that our 360 photography turntable can be distinctively seen as a white curvy reflection on the product screen. The table reflection will stay there on the screen on pretty much all 360 product shots where the screen is visible as light from our lighting will bounce of the turntable and will reflect straight to our camera via reflective surfaces on the product.

This is pretty much impossible to avoid as we still need plenty of light around our product and any kind of a bounce or reflective card we would use to block the light may not let us to eliminate the reflection completely. Not to mention the time required to properly adjust the bounce card for 10-15 images, which is a daunting task on its own.

The answer to this problem is pretty straightforward - we just need to raise the product above our turntable just enough to hide the reflection for our chosen camera angle. It may require some additional work as mounting a product above the table will often require building a custom base that has to fit and hold the product in a desired configuration. We have been using solid wooden blocks that we would cut into different shapes and that worked great. With wood though you have to be sure to wrap it up in some sort of white tape or white paper to ensure that it doesn't produce a yellowish cast on your product images.

Recently we started using Styrofoam and it works much better as it's easier to cut and we don't need to worry about the color cast as it's pretty much neutral light Grey. You can get various shapes and sizes of Styrofoam blocks in your local arts and crafts store or order online.

Of course if you have 360 product photography equipment that allows you to mount and rotate a product from the top, this is not an issue. From our experience though most of electronics with reflective surfaces and similar products have to be shot upright mounted on a turntable one way or another.

Here's a few images to better illustrate the problem and our solution:

The curvy glass frame is sitting right on the turntable and we can clearly see its reflection:

Let's now cut a Styrofoam stand with a narrow platform just enough to hold the thin glass frame:

Now the table reflection is gone on all 360 degree images:

Even from these "tough" angles it still look reasonably well:

Not long ago we published a post on how to build a simple DIY turntable for 360 product photography sing a couple of rounded plywood sheets and a Lazy Susan bearing. Many of our blog readers used the guide and actually built it for their own 360 photography projects! But our DIY turntable was missing an important feature - automation. You have to rotate it manually by aligning marks on the top and the bottom of the table for each 360 degree product photo. This can still be useful when you work on a single and complex product where you need to quickly asses your lighting setup and product positioning, but when you work on a bunch of uniform items the manual rotation becomes an issue.

Here is a guest post by TINYenormous on how to go one step further and build a fully automated table using off-the-shelf microcontroller board, stepper motor, and an EasyDriver stepper motor driver.

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I have wanted to build a rotary turntable for quite a while. With it I can shoot 360 degree product photos, I can set the camera up on it and shoot panoramas. I can use it with my timelapse setup to put motion into a long shot. I also have an idea about trying to use it to build a masterlock picker!

There is a stepper motor connected to a sparkfun easydriver via an arduino (not shown) The motor has something like 1.5 degrees per step and it is geared down heavily via the rubber belt, so it is very precise.

I used a table saw to cut this notch. Not something that I would recommend for the faint of heart.

Here is the easy driver on the breadboard.

This shot shows the bottom of the board. I used a “lazy susan” bearing from Home Depot to keep the turntable rolling smoothly. One thing I did wrong is that it was mounted several times while I was sanding or grinding and I definitely got a bit of grit in the bearings.

Here is a new thing I have been doing to make adjustable feet. It is a furniture nut pressed into the wood with a 1/4 x 20 bolt and wingnut poking out. It is cheap, adjustable, and keeps me from having to do any more woodworking.

With the easy driver the arduino code couldn’t be easier. I think I based it off of the “blink” example code. You need to enable two pins to set the stepping mode, a pin for direction, and a pin for step. It is that easy. I also have it connected to a converted pc power supply to give the motors 12v. I’m not sure how much I’ll use this, but it has been in my head for forever, so it’s good to let it out!

Please check out TINYenormous Blog to read about his other cool ideas and DIY projects that utilize microcontroller, programming, cameras, lasers, and all things technology!

Have you already captured 360 degree images of your products? To publish them on your website use our interactive 360 Degree Product Viewer. Windows and Mac software is also included to make creation of your 360 product views as simple as possible.

If you plan to work on 360 degree spins often and rather prefer to use a specialized commercial 360 product photography turntable with robotic control, check out our new 360 photography equipment store where we offer a variety of sturdy turntables built to simplify the process and save time.