Announced today, Photoscape 3D 2nd Edition is a significant enhancement to this 3D virtual landscape software for PCs. Covering the whole of England and Wales, this is the ultimate software to view and explore the landscape in 3D. New features include interface tweaks, improved navigation and GPS compatibility. A 'Professional' version with multi-region access is also available allowing the software to be networked for multiple users. Screenshots can be captured and used for presentations-the perfect tool for site reports and job pricing.
Launched initially as a consumer product with 47 regions, the product has impressed professionals with the quality of the viewing experience and countrywide coverage not possible without a significant investment in both software and data. With Photoscape 3D Professional, £500 buys access to all 47 regions, effectively the whole of England and Wales, and a single user licence. Ten regions can be purchased for £250, with an additional five regions for £100. Multiple user licensing is via a hardware key or 'dongle', simply plug into a network node and the software is enabled for the number of licensed users.
New enhancements to the software include a more intuitive user interface; enhanced navigation, 'rotate and roam' target points and panoramic fly throughs. GPS compatibility means that it is possible to plot waypoints, add names and comments and export to a GPS device. Similarly, routes can be recorded with comments on a GPS device in the field and imported into Photoscape 3D.
Unlike a flight simulator, Photoscape 3D immerses the user directly into the region of choice there are no take-offs or landings, just enter a grid reference or GPS route or use the built in gazetteer. The game-like controls allow the user to choose the height and speed at which they travel over the landscape, whilst arrow buttons or a joystick controls the direction. A compass aids navigation and an adjacent dial controls the angle of vertical view, allowing vertical, bird's eye or 3D perspective views. A thumbnail relief map of each region provides a visual approximation of the real-time location; simply clicking within this area will move the view to that location. The current region and place name are displayed and updated as the user moves over the landscape. Simply clicking in the viewing pane lets the user know the precise location and the nearest gazetteer reference.
Notes to Editors
Photoscape 3D is the result of close collaboration between four companies: Getmapping, who supplied the aerial imagery; Intermap Technologies, who supplied the terrain data; aerial photography partner BlueSky, the publisher responsible for packaging and channel marketing; and McCarthy Taylor Systems who provided the 3D engine and software development. Photoscape 3D delivers the ultimate sense of reality by using the most up-to-date, high-resolution nationwide imagery and elevation data to deliver a 'real-world' 3D experience.
Editorial enquiries, contact William Allbrook on tel. 01666 826641
Please fax colour sep. requests to Robert Peel on fax 01666 824668
All reader enquiries to BlueSky sales on 01530 518562
About The Photoscape 3D Partners
Getmapping's Millennium Map, is the first ever complete seamless aerial photographic image of Britain. Getmapping vertical aerial photography is also available at higher resolutions for professional business users such as civil engineers, architects and developers. Through www.getmapping.com, any area of England, Wales and lowland Scotland can be viewed and downloaded or e-mailed as a jpeg file. Super high-resolution photography of Britain's major towns and cities is also available.
Intermap's NEXTMap Britain has been one of the world's most ambitious mapping projects. Using advanced airborne radar, the entire British Isles has been mapped electronically in 3D. With a specially equipped Learjet flying at night at an altitude of up to 28,000 ft, the data was captured every 5 metres with an impressive sub-metre vertical accuracy. The result of this effort is a remarkable offering: an extensive, accurate, cost-effective method of modelling terrain across the whole of Great Britain. www.intermap.com
BlueSky is a specialist aerial photography company and is a Getmapping reseller for offline sales. As well as supplying aerial photography off the shelf BlueSky offers a complete range of associated professional services including flying to order, film processing, photogrammetry and large format printing. Through its Wildgoose brand BlueSky supplies a huge range of educational resources from maps and globes to site centred aerial photography. BlueSky is now part of the Ordnance Survey's 'OS Options' scheme and is able to supply a large range of customised mapping solutions. www.bluesky-world.com
McCarthy Taylor Systems Ltd is an independent software house specialising in 3D terrain modelling software. Its main product, called LSS, is used across a wide range of industries and applications ranging from mineral extraction, land surveying, hydrographic design and surveying, civil engineering, construction, landscape architecture, consultancy, to air and traffic accident investigation, geotechnical engineering, waste management and archaeology. www.mccarthytaylor.com
Minimum Photoscape 3D System Requirements
Pentium 1Ghz processor
Windows XP, 2000, ME or 98 operating system
256 MB Ram
3D Graphics card with at least 32MB of Video Ram
32bit desktop colour setting
DVD-Rom Drive