Environment tutorial

Welcome to the environment. Please read the information below to help you get the most from your interactive, online, 3D experience.

The environment is built to accommodate 3D web based delivery. This requires a balance of maintaining as much realism as possible without generating a prohibitive download size for a wide variety of user hardware and Internet connection possibilities.

To ensure that we make the information as widely available to as many parties as possible yet maintaining a true experiential visit, we have selected the Unity3D application which requires only a small browser plug-in to deliver a fully featured virtual online experience.

In order to enter the environment, you will need to download this plug-in. Once installed on the computer you wish to use to browse the environment, you will not need to repeat this exercise on future visits. It is less than 3mb and dependant on your connection, it should not take more than a couple of minutes to download.

If for some reason you are not given permission to install browser plug-ins talk to your internal IT manager. Please note that to enjoy the full benefits of the environment, you will need to be connected to the Internet in order to download PDFs or link to participants websites etc. This is because the environment is an interface to lots of information from the environment. Files, such as PDFs and video are all located on the internet.

We recommend that you have the latest versions of PDF reader and Flash player installed for best performance and features.

Once you have read this tutorial, please follow the instructions on the homepage.

How to navigate around the environment

You have 4 options and can use any combination at any time throughout your visit:

1. Navigation Wheel - When you roll the mouse over the circular navigation graphic. Click mouse and hold in the direction you wish to move.

2. Keyboard - Press directional arrow keys on your keyboard towards the area you wish to see.

3. Point, click and hyper jump - Place mouse cursor to where you wish to move on the floor of the environment. If in range a footprint or eye symbol will appear. Click and you will jump or walk, depending on the distance, to this spot.

4. Map - Double click on the small map to the top right of the screen. This will enlarge and you have 3 ways to navigate: -

a) Click on the area within map to jump where highlighted
b) Click on the arrow on the right of any selected listed place and jump to that destination
c) Use text based search to find information, then click to go

Trouble-shooter

Getting started:

#	Symptom	Probable cause	Solution
1	Nothing happens when I click the the environment link.	The Unity plug-in which allows you to view the the environment in 3D, may not be installed properly.	Please complete Step 2, or go to http://unity3d.com/unity-web-player-2.x.html and follow the instructions. It is less than 3mb and dependant on your connection, it should not take more than a couple of minutes to download.
2	Unity tries to install but cannot finish properly.	Some companies have a policy to prevent you from downloading plug-ins.	Contact your company IT administrator.
3	Unity appears to have installed but it just sits at the little box logo screen.	You could be experiencing slow internet connection.	The the environment is an 12mb+ file and needs to download before it appears. If you are on a slow connection or on a dial up connection it can take up to 7 minutes to appear. This will only happen the first time and is worth the wait!
4	The the environment ‘jerks’ as it runs.	You could be running it on an older computer.	The environment has been designed for computers less than 3 years old but will still run on lower specification machines. Ideally your machine will have a 3D graphics card or chip built in, but it will still run without it although will not provide optimum performance.
5	The the environment does not fit on my screen.	Your monitor resolution may be set too low.	The environment is optimized for 1024 x768 pixels which is the accepted current industry standard.
6	The the environment ‘looks’ corrupted.	You may need to upgrade to a later version of browser.	The environment is tested to run on IE 6 and 7 on XP and Vista, Firefox 3 on Vista and XP, Safari 3.2.1 and Firefox 3 on the MAC.

Inside the environment:

#	Symptom	Probable cause	Solution
1	Nothing happens when I click a download button.	Your browser could be blocking pop-ups.	Set your browser to allow pop-ups. (This function is typically found in your browser’s toolbar - please note that some browsers require you to exit the the environment to activate - this should be automatic). Or please contact us directly to request a copy be sent to you.
2	The PDF does not open automatically.	You might not have the latest Acrobat Reader.	You can still save the PDF to your desktop or should you prefer please go to http://get.adobe.com/reader/ and install upgrade. (Note: this may take a while to download as it is 41mb)
3	I can’t view a video.	You might not have the latest Flash Player.	If you were not prompted for an automatic download, please go to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ and install upgrade.
4	The video plays slowly or stops and starts.	You could be experiencing slow internet connection.	Consider upgrading your bandwidth.