Patent ID: 6968973

Claim:
In a computer system having a user interface comprising a display and user interface selection device, a process for presenting an interactive video tour of a tour site, comprising process actions for: inputting data associated with the video tour, said inputting comprising, inputting video data comprising a sequence of video frames each of which represents a panoramic view of the tour site from a particular location along said path, and inputting scene data, which given a viewing direction and optionally a user-specified direction of motion along the tour path, is used to determine which video frame and what part of that video frame is needed to render and display the next image of the video tour; displaying a viewing and navigation window on the display, wherein the window comprises a plurality of sectors for viewing and controlling the video tour; and implementing commands entered by a user directly via said selection device and via the user selecting displayed items within the viewing and navigation window sectors using said selection device, so as to give the user continuous control over both the viewing position along a path through the tour site and viewing direction at points on the path.