FAQs

These are the latest FAQs for version 2.0 of Photoscape 3D. If you are running an earlier version then please download the latest version - you could be missing out on substantial improvements.

Problems running Photoscape 3D

Operation

Data

Licence

Q: Is the product copy protected?

A: Yes. Installing a region simply copies it from the DVD on to a hard disk, however when Photoscape 3D is run, each region is checked for being a properly registered copy. If no registration details are found then you will be requested to register the region online (or use it in a limited trial period). The registration effectively ties the installed copy of the region to your computer and in particular to the hard disk.

You therefore need to be aware that changing the hard disk or the main processor will be considered as a change of computer and thereby cancel the registration of any regions. The price to replace (or move) a region has been set a lot lower than the initial registration of the region – please see Payment below.

Q: Can I copy the Photoscape 3D DVDs and pass them onto friends?

A: No. You are not allowed to copy the DVDs or the data contained on them. The data is protected under copyright law and remains the property of its respective owners.

Q: Can I use the imagery / height data in other programs?

A: No. You are only licensed to use the data within Photoscape 3D.

Q: Can I use Photoscape 3D in my work?

A: Not if you have purchased a Personal version. For details of the Professional product please see www.photoscape3d.com.

Payment

Q: What are the various costs involved?

A: The standard Personal purchase price provides you with the pack of 3 DVDs as well as the registration of one region (from the 47 regions on the 3 DVDs).

To install and register any further region(s) then you will be charged a registration fee for each additional new region. The cost of each additional region will vary depending on the product type purchased.

Re-registering a region on another computer will incur a charge. For the standard Personal product this should be a charge of £2.49. As long as the Computer ID has not changed you should be able to re-register on the same computer free of charge.

All registration payments must be made online.

The various Professional versions of Photoscape 3D are protected by a hardware security device (called a Dongle). Further details and prices for these versions can be found on www.photoscape3d.com.

There are also Dongle protected Personal versions of Photoscape 3D that may be of interest to serious users. Again details and prices can be found on the website.

Q: Are online payments secure?

A: Payment is taken via the WorldPay system which is wholly owned by The Royal Bank of Scotland group. They have gone to great lengths to make their system secure.

Computer

Q: Can I use this software on a Mac?

A: No. Photoscape 3D will only work on PC computers with the Windows XP, 2000, ME or 98 operating systems.

Q: What are Photoscape 3D's PC system requirements?

A: We would recommend the following as the minimum specification to obtain a reasonably smooth fly-through:

A 1Ghz PC running Windows XP or 2000 with 256MB RAM.
3D graphics card with 32MB of Video RAM.
During the install a DVD drive is required.
Regions are installed on to a hard disk – regions vary in size from 200MB up to 800MB.

Obviously if the hardware exceeds these minimums then the loading of data should be faster and the fly-through smoother.

Registration requires access to an Internet connection - ideally on the PC that Photoscape 3D is being installed on. If this is not available then any other Internet connected PC can be used but you will need to type in the codes manually.

Q: What sort of graphics card do I need?

A: It must be a 3D graphics card such as the nVidia GeForce or the ATI Radeon ranges. It also should have at least 32MB of Video RAM.

Q: How can I find out if I have 3D graphics capability?

A: Surprisingly there is no simple way in Windows to check the 3D graphics capability of a PC. The best way we have found is to Start / Run / DXDIAG and view the Display information reported. If the Device name contains nVidia GeForce or ATI Radeon and the memory is 32MB or greater then the 3D graphics aspect should be satisfied. We have received feedback that the Intel 915 (with 128MB of shared memory) also performs satisfactory. For other Devices, if either the DirectDraw Acceleration or Direct3D Acceleration are not enabled then it is unlikely your PC has the 3D graphics functionality required by Photoscape 3D. Even if both these settings are enabled we still can not guarantee Photoscape 3D will perform satisfactorily.

We strongly recommend that you trial the first region installed on a PC before registering the region. This is the surest way to determine that a PC is up to the task.

Feedback from anyone knowing a better way to determine 3D graphics functionality would be much appreciated.

It is intended to add to the Photoscape 3D website a list of graphic chipsets that are acceptable (or not). Again, feedback from users would be appreciated.

Q: What screen resolution can I run the software on?

A: The minimum resolution is 1024x768. We strongly recommend 32bit colour on the desktop. The installation program will tell you if your computer is not running at 32bit colour – to change the setting go to Start / Settings / Control Panel / Display / Settings. 16bit colour works but the end result is a very poor image.

Q: Do I need a DVD drive?

A: Yes, but only during the install of a region.

Q: Can I replace my hard disk?

A: No. The security system used by Photoscape 3D ties the registered region(s) to the hard disk (as well as other components). If you replace your hard disk you will have to re-install the region(s) and pay the re-registration fee(s) – see Payment above.

Q: Can I re-format my hard disk?

A: Yes. If the disk contents are not backed up / restored then you will lose the Photoscape 3D program / data and therefore you will have to re-install and re-register each region. If you have saved the registration codes then simply provide them when requested otherwise you will have to go online and request the codes. As long as the main computer details have not changed then you should not incur any charges.

Q: Can I re-install Windows?

A: Yes. If you happen to lose the Photoscape 3D program or the data for the region(s) then please follow the instructions for the previous question.

Q: Can I update Windows with a service pack or to a later version?

A: This should be OK, however it may be best to check this question in the latest FAQs on the website to see if any problems have been identified.

Q: What sort of Internet connection do I need?

A: Any Internet connection set up correctly on your computer should be recognised and used successfully by Photoscape 3D.

Installation

Q: Can I install Photoscape 3D on more than one computer?

A: Any region can be installed on any PC under your control. There is no restriction to the number of regions you install - as long as the online payment is made for each additional region registered! The second, and subsequent, registration of a region will be made at the reduced replacement or re-registration price – see Payment above.

Q: How does Photoscape 3D know that a region has already been registered?

A: The registration details are recorded in our database that is held on a secure website. The key is the code within the DVD case and therefore it is essential that you retain the case and code safely - if you lose or destroy the code then you will not be able to make any further registrations. We would recommend retaining a copy of the code with other valuable information / documents you may already store in a safe, locked draw, etc.

Q: What happens if I do lose the code?

A: We are not able to replace lost codes.

Q: How do I add more regions?

A: Simply load the DVD containing the region of your choice and install the new region. The next time you run Photoscape 3D it will check the registration. The purchase price for Photoscape 3D includes the first region you install from one of the three supplied DVDs. All following ones have to be paid for online using a credit or debit card.

Q: Do regions have to be contiguous / adjoining?

A: No. They can be scattered all over England and Wales. The Gazetteer will recognise all the installed regions and present you with a list of the regions as well as list all the places in those regions. Selecting a place name will move the view to that location.

Q: How much disk space would I need to load an extra region?

A: This depends on the region. For instance the largest, North Yorkshire, requires 800MB while Bedfordshire only needs 200MB. An entire installation of all the regions of England & Wales would require around 15GB of disk space.

Q: I want to try out a region before buying it. Is this possible?

A: Yes. By installing that region from the supplied DVDs you can fly-around the region for a trial period to prove the install worked successfully and that your hardware is up to the task. After this trial period you won’t be able to open up the region until you have paid for it online with your credit or debit card.

Tip: Only install and test one trial region at a time. If you install many trial regions then the next time you run Photoscape 3D will count as a trial run for all the regions.

Q: Does installing extra regions slow down Photoscape 3D?

A: Not at all. Photoscape 3D is concerned with the data that lies within and around the field of view and therefore the number of installed regions is not a significant overhead. A great deal of care went into the development of the program to efficiently handle the huge quantities of data that can be involved.

Q: Can I run Photoscape 3D straight off the DVD without installing it?

A: No. A DVD drive would not be able to load the data quickly enough to keep up with the demands of real-time fly-throughs.

Q: What if I want to remove a trial region from my hard disk?

A: Use the Options command and use the Delete Region option.

Q: Can I transfer a region from one computer to another?

A: No. One of the terms of the licence agreement is that a region is installed onto one PC and can be used for the life of that PC as long as the hard disk remains unchanged - see licence above. If you want to have Photoscape 3D on another PC then you will have to pay for the registration at the much reduced additional / replacement price – see Payment above.

Q: Can I move Photoscape or its data somewhere else on my computer?

A: You can’t move Photoscape 3D or a region to another disk. We would not recommend moving the location of the Photoscape 3D directory within your hard disk as this would result in the entry in the Start / Program and Windows registry having the wrong program address.

Problems running Photoscape 3D

The following covers the main support / trouble-shooting issues. If you have encountered a problem which is not fully resolved or explained by this section then please contact us via the support page on www.photoscape3d.com. It would help us greatly if you could provide the System Information Report - click "show me how to do this" on the web page for instructions.

Q: The software runs slowly or jerkily, what can I do?

A: Photoscape 3D aims to create 20 frames per second to give a reasonably smooth result. The occasional jump may occur due to the demands made on and by the application but they should not impinge on the enjoyment of the result. If the jerkiness is continuous, even at slow speed when moving forward, then the following may explain why:

Are you sure you have a 3D graphics card? If not then there isn’t much that can be done to improve matters other than to replace the graphics card.
Are you sure you have at least 32MB of Video RAM? If not then performance will suffer.
Are you running an Anti-virus program? If so then turning it off entirely or stopping the checking of *.RST and *.LVL files may improve matters.
Are any other programs running? These may be taking up cpu time / memory.
Ensure that you have full hardware acceleration set on. Check this via Start / Settings / Control Panel / Display / Settings / Advanced / Troubleshooting.
Is the hard disk active excessively (i.e. the hard disk light is on almost continuously)? If this is the case, especially if the loading bar is empty, then you have insufficient memory / RAM.
Try loading the latest drivers for your 3D graphics card.
Ensure you are running the latest version of the Photoscape 3D program. See www.photoscape3d.com for the latest download information.

If none of the above answers your problem then please contact support via www.photoscape3d.com. It would help greatly if you could include all the details of your PC, the nature of the problem, estimated frame rate and any other information you think is relevant.

Q: How do I check for 3D graphics on a PC?

A: Surprisingly there is no simple way in Windows to check the 3D graphics capability of a PC. The best way we have found is to Start / Run / DXDIAG and view the Display information reported. If the Device name contains nVidia GeForce or ATI Radeon and the memory is 32MB or greater then the 3D graphics aspect should be satisfied. We have received feedback that the Intel 915 (with 128MB of shared memory) also performs satisfactory. For other Devices, if either the DirectDraw Acceleration or Direct3D Acceleration are not enabled then it is unlikely your PC has the 3D graphics functionality required by Photoscape 3D. Even if both these settings are enabled we still can't guarantee Photoscape 3D will perform satisfactorily.

We strongly recommend that you trial the first region installed on a PC before registering the region. This is the surest way to determine that a PC is up to the task.

Feedback from anyone knowing a better way to determine 3D graphics functionality would be much appreciated.

It is intended to add to the Photoscape 3D website a list of graphic chipsets that are acceptable (or not). Again, feedback from users would be appreciated.

Q: Photoscape 3D runs smoothly until the Loading finishes then intermittently pauses and jumps. Why?

A: This seems to be caused by Windows managing / re-arranging memory once there is no read activity. The solution is to set Windows to give higher priority to background services than the program. This may seem odd at first but less so once you realize that most of the graphics work is being performed by the hardware and their drivers and not the actual program. The setting can be found in Control Panel / System / Advance / Performance Settings / Advance / Processing schedule. The exact route varies slightly from one version of Windows to another. This setting will apply to other programs - adversely or beneficially - so changing this setting has to be at your discretion / risk.

Q: Photoscape 3D runs fine but when I jump to a distant location the program crashes. Why?

A: This was reported by a user once he updated from Photoscape 3D version 1 to version 2 on a PC with Intel 915 graphics. The exact reason for the problem is unknown but the good news is that changing the background services setting as per the previous question resolved the problem.

Q: The Controls do not appear as expected. What's wrong?

A: Follow the instructions for the previous question. If the appearance is still wrong then please contact Support. It would help greatly if you could include a screen shot showing the discrepancy.

Q: Photoscape 3D crashes before the 3D image appears (or after a few images).

A: The Photoscape 3D graphics are based on software that has been developed and fine-tuned over a number of years and has proved to be very reliable. Where crashes occur regularly then loading the latest drivers for the 3D graphics card normally resolves the problem. If you have installed the latest drivers, you are running the latest Photoscape 3D program and still the crashes occur too regularly then please contact support. Please provide all of the details of your PC, the nature of the problem, etc.

Q: I have a new computer - surely the drivers are up to date?

A: No! The drivers installed with new computers are often months out of date. If you encounter problems with Photoscape 3D it is essential that you ensure you are on the very latest drivers.

Q: Why are the place and region names in the top control bar unclear?

A: This is down to a Windows setting that can give small text a rough edge. You can solve this problem through Start / Settings / Control Panel / Display / Effects and ensure that ‘Smooth edges of screen fonts’ is On or, on some versions of Windows, set to either Standard or Clear Type.

Q: Photoscape 3D works fine for a long period and then ‘hangs’. Why?

A: This is a common problem with Windows 98 and ME due to how the operating system handles ‘resources’. The resource handling within Windows XP and 2000 is far superior and during the many hours of testing that we have carried out they have not suffered from this type of failure. Unfortunately with Windows 95 and ME there is nothing that can be done to improve matters - it can’t be resolved by increasing memory, freeing disk space or reducing the amount of data or regions – it is simply the way resources are handled. If you encounter this problem you should be able to re-start Photoscape 3D though sometimes you may need to shutdown the computer and re-boot to clear its memory of any residue.

Q: When moving through a region the picture is coarse & fuzzy, yet when stationary the image becomes clearer in stages. Why?

A: Don’t worry this is normal. To reduce the amount of data read the program is initially reading a coarse image to cover the area of view and then it will read finer and finer images. The time for this process depends on the movement taking place as well as the speed of the computer - the loading bar at the top of the screen gives an indication of progress. The process is complicated by the fact that the data on disk is highly compressed and needs to be expanded back into the required resolutions – the 15GB of data for England and Wales when expanded exceeds 150GB!

Q: Looking straight down from a low level produces a fuzzy image. Why?

A: This is due to the resolution of the photography - each pixel in the image covers 2x2m on the ground so don't expect to read car number plates! At higher altitudes the image will appear sharp but once a pixel on the screen covers less than 2x2m on the ground then the image will become cloudy or fuzzy. There is a minimum height restriction of 100m but we would expect the tilt to be near horizontal rather than straight down - this allows you get reasonably close to the ground and look along valleys, etc.

Q: Who can I telephone for support?

A: There is no telephone support for this product. All communications have to be via the Photoscape website at www.photoscape3d.com.

Operation

Q: How do I find places of interest?

A: The Gazetteer holds a list of place names in alphabetical order – cities, towns and villages. It does not hold the location of individual buildings, properties, etc.

Q: How do I move to a known grid point?

A: Use the Move to icon and key in the OS (Ordnance Survey) grid co-ordinate. This takes the form of a 2 letter sheet code and two 3 digit ordinates, e.g. SE271683 or two six digit ordinates separated by a comma, e.g. 123456,123456. Note the first form of grid position is only accurate to 100m so don't be surprised if the resultant view is not centred on the expected building. The view will be looking straight down similar to the Gazetteer function.

Q: Moving to a place name stops any movement and looks straight down at the new location. Why?

A: During development we found that maintaining the previous angle of view, movement, etc was likely to result in the selected place quickly disappearing out of sight or not even appearing in the view in the first place! Under some circumstances it was even possible to mistake a neighbouring village for the selected one. Another problem was that the Gazetteer may hold the location for the centre of a parish with the village itself near the edge of the parish – if the viewpoint is too low all you may see is an area of fields. With all this in mind, we decided that a high overhead view (with North up the screen) made most sense and allows one to easily re-orient oneself.

Q: Are there any special procedures to fly from one region to another?

A: You need not be concerned about moving from one region to its neighbour as Photoscape 3D handles adjacent regions seamlessly. However you won’t be able to fly between widely separated regions if there is a gap in excess of 10kms. This is the maximum viewing distance used within Photoscape 3D and by stopping when there is nothing in view it avoids flying into empty space and becoming completely lost. You should be able to rotate to regain a view of the current region or move to another region / location via the Gazetteer.

Q: Photoscape 3D is full screen and hides the Taskbar - how can I change to another running program?

A: Simply hold down the Alt key and press the Tab key until the required program is selected within the Windows Task Manager window. Releasing the keys will then activate the selected item.

Q: How do I place a view into a document?

A: You can capture the screen image by pressing the Print Screen (or PrtScrn) key on the keyboard. This saves the screen image into the Windows memory called the Clipboard. You can then add the Clipboard image into a document within your word processor or paint program by using the Paste command (normally under Edit on the menu) or simply use the keyboard by pressing the Ctrl-V or Shift-Ins combinations.

Q: Can I print a view?

A: Not directly. You will need to place the view into a document (see previous question) and then print the document from your word processor or paint program.

Q: Why are the regions based on counties?

A: It breaks the country into reasonably sized areas that people can identify with.

Q: I live near the edge of a region and do not see all the surrounding area. Is this reasonable?

A: We had to break the country up into a number of areas and whichever method is used will result in some people being close to a boundary. We have allowed a small overlap between regions but this could only be a kilometre or so otherwise the additional area would have meant exceeding the capacity of the 3 DVDs. If you wish to view the whole of the surrounding area then all we can advise is to install the adjacent region(s) - it’s a lot cheaper than moving house to the middle of a region!

Q: Can I have ‘hands on’ control of the fly-around?

A: If you have a joystick / games pad then Photoscape 3D should recognise its existence. To program the buttons for particular tasks please use the Joystick / Game Pad control within the Options command. Please see Controls for full details.

Q: Can I save a video of my flights?

A: There is no such option within the program.

Q: Can I set up a flight path?

A: Yes. Simply use the GPX functions (accessed via the right mouse button) to create a route and then Follow Route will give you an effective flight path. If you do not want the Route to be visible then use the GPX Display functions within the Options command.

Q: Can I import GPS data to display?

A: This version of Photoscape 3D allows you to view or create GPX files. Please view the help file for full details.

Q: Can I import vector mapping data?

A: Not at present. We would expect future versions to be enhanced to incorporate such data.

Q: I have a proposed development I would like to see ‘in-situ’ – is this possible?

A: Not with the current version of Photoscape 3D.

There are other software packages offering this type of function but they tend to be aimed at professional user who wish to see a building or project within the immediate surrounding area. As the photography and height data would need to be purchased, as well as the software, it may not be worthwhile for the average home user.

McCarthy Taylor Systems Ltd, the authors of Photoscape 3D, have another package called LSS which is able to accomplish 3-D fly-throughs of a site. It also accomplishes many other tasks such as process land survey data, volume calculations, design, visual analysis as well as including buildings, trees, etc, within the 3-D Views. As this is a commercial package, aimed at a small market, the annual cost is £500 or £750. See www.mccarthytaylor.com for further details.

Data

Q: Where does the height data come from?

A: The height data has been provided by Intermap Technologies Inc. Further details of the company and height gathering process can be found at www.intermaptechnologies.com.

Q: When was the height data created?

A: Intermap acquired height data of England and Wales between February and July 2002.

Q: What resolution is the data?

A: The height data used by Photoscape 3D is based on a 20m grid of levels.

Q: Where does the photography come from?

A: The aerial photography has been provided by Getmapping PLC. Further details of the company and the data gathering process can be found at www.getmapping.com.

Q: When was the photography taken?

A: England and Wales were photographed in the ‘flying season’ - generally May through August - in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001. Approximately a third of the area was flown each year.

Q: What resolution is the imagery?

A: The resolution is 2m, i.e. each pixel in the picture covers an area 2m x 2m on the ground.

Q: Can higher resolution imagery / height data be purchased?

A: Getmapping can provide imagery at 25cm resolution for the whole of England and Wales as well as parts of Central Scotland. They also offer some cities at 12cm resolution. Intermap can provide the height data at 5m and 10m grid intervals for the whole of England and Wales as well as Scotland.

Bluesky International Ltd distributes the various datasets from both companies - details can be found at www.bluesky-world.com.

Q: Can Photoscape 3D handle higher resolution data?

A: Not with this version of the program. This matter was still being considered when the product was finalised - please see www.photoscape3d.com to obtain the latest information.