Extended Capabilities of QuickTime VR Applied to the Presentation of Gross Anatomical Specimens

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1999

Abstract

The typical QuickTime VR (QTVR) object is a photo-based image of a real 3-dimensional object that can be spun on two axes via a cursor drag. In our application of QTVR to gross anatomy instruction, we have altered the standard QTVR metaphor so that different actions occur when the user drags the cursor. As an example, one dimension of QTVR control can be used to show deepening layers of dissection in a prosection while the other dimension Œspins‚ the object. Intrinsic movement within a specimen (eg. a knee joint flexing and extending) can also be controlled by the user as a QTVR dimension. Complex interactivity can be provided by linking various media elements together within QTVR Œscenes‚. Scenes are composed of two or more QTVR objects, panoramas, linear movies, still pictures, or sound tracks. The user navigates through scenes using either clickable hotspots or QTVR positional information. We have used QTVR scenes to construct mini-applications entirely within the QuickTime format that demonstrate anatomical structures and concepts. QTVR scene-based applications can also be built into more complex authored applications while retaining their intrinsic properties. Hotspots in QTVR scenes can also execute html code controlling access to Internet-based data within a web browser. This feature was used to construct web pages containing QTVR objects and text frames whose content is controlled by the users interaction with the QTVR object. QTVR objects and scenes have proven useful in gross anatomy lecture presentations and as a resource for students outside the dissection lab.

Comments

Presented at the 16th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, Iowa City, IA.

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