Open Forum

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Hi Leslie,

Check out what you can do with a company/software called Matterport: (click the image of the 3D model on this homepage):
https://hmane.harvard.edu/

It's pretty amazing. The ability to load the extra content that you are describing directly into the 360 degree images is fantastic. it includes video, audio clips, 3D models, external links to other content, and text boxes (for gallery text  or anything else). The great part is that once you have the model, your museum staff is in control of whatever you want to add into the hotspots! You do it yourself in-house, and it goes live in real time.

I'm in the Education Department and have been using this model since the beginning of the pandemic to teach loads of guided programs to so many different audiences. We have run live, interactive virtual programs for schoolgroups, retirement communities, summer camps, the general public, members, the visually impaired community, and more.

I can't say enough about how much use we've gotten from this digital tool!

Hope this helps,
Andy

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Thank you Andy! The interactive features on your site are incredible.

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:01 AM
From: Andrew Majewski
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hi Leslie,

Check out what you can do with a company/software called Matterport: (click the image of the 3D model on this homepage):
https://hmane.harvard.edu/

It's pretty amazing. The ability to load the extra content that you are describing directly into the 360 degree images is fantastic. it includes video, audio clips, 3D models, external links to other content, and text boxes (for gallery text  or anything else). The great part is that once you have the model, your museum staff is in control of whatever you want to add into the hotspots! You do it yourself in-house, and it goes live in real time.

I'm in the Education Department and have been using this model since the beginning of the pandemic to teach loads of guided programs to so many different audiences. We have run live, interactive virtual programs for schoolgroups, retirement communities, summer camps, the general public, members, the visually impaired community, and more.

I can't say enough about how much use we've gotten from this digital tool!

Hope this helps,
Andy

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

You are welcome. But just to clarify, I was not involved with the model's creation. That was the Museum Director, Dr. Peter Manuelian, and the project was managed by Rus Gant from Harvard's Visualization Lab, with the hot-spot content added by museum staff Adam Middleton.

Want to make sure credit goes where credit is due!

I just have the benefit of being able to teach with this awesome tool.

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:12 AM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Thank you Andy! The interactive features on your site are incredible.

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:01 AM
From: Andrew Majewski
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hi Leslie,

Check out what you can do with a company/software called Matterport: (click the image of the 3D model on this homepage):
https://hmane.harvard.edu/

It's pretty amazing. The ability to load the extra content that you are describing directly into the 360 degree images is fantastic. it includes video, audio clips, 3D models, external links to other content, and text boxes (for gallery text  or anything else). The great part is that once you have the model, your museum staff is in control of whatever you want to add into the hotspots! You do it yourself in-house, and it goes live in real time.

I'm in the Education Department and have been using this model since the beginning of the pandemic to teach loads of guided programs to so many different audiences. We have run live, interactive virtual programs for schoolgroups, retirement communities, summer camps, the general public, members, the visually impaired community, and more.

I can't say enough about how much use we've gotten from this digital tool!

Hope this helps,
Andy

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

...and want to add that Dr. Adam Aja created much of the additional embedded content.

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:59 AM
From: Andrew Majewski
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

You are welcome. But just to clarify, I was not involved with the model's creation. That was the Museum Director, Dr. Peter Manuelian, and the project was managed by Rus Gant from Harvard's Visualization Lab, with the hot-spot content added by museum staff Adam Middleton.

Want to make sure credit goes where credit is due!

I just have the benefit of being able to teach with this awesome tool.

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:12 AM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Thank you Andy! The interactive features on your site are incredible.

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:01 AM
From: Andrew Majewski
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hi Leslie,

Check out what you can do with a company/software called Matterport: (click the image of the 3D model on this homepage):
https://hmane.harvard.edu/

It's pretty amazing. The ability to load the extra content that you are describing directly into the 360 degree images is fantastic. it includes video, audio clips, 3D models, external links to other content, and text boxes (for gallery text  or anything else). The great part is that once you have the model, your museum staff is in control of whatever you want to add into the hotspots! You do it yourself in-house, and it goes live in real time.

I'm in the Education Department and have been using this model since the beginning of the pandemic to teach loads of guided programs to so many different audiences. We have run live, interactive virtual programs for schoolgroups, retirement communities, summer camps, the general public, members, the visually impaired community, and more.

I can't say enough about how much use we've gotten from this digital tool!

Hope this helps,
Andy

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Genial.ly, it's the easiest to navigate and it's free.

https://www.genial.ly/

------------------------------
Leslie Wagner
Historian
Dawes Arboretum
Newark OH
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:12 AM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Thank you Andy! The interactive features on your site are incredible.

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:01 AM
From: Andrew Majewski
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hi Leslie,

Check out what you can do with a company/software called Matterport: (click the image of the 3D model on this homepage):
https://hmane.harvard.edu/

It's pretty amazing. The ability to load the extra content that you are describing directly into the 360 degree images is fantastic. it includes video, audio clips, 3D models, external links to other content, and text boxes (for gallery text  or anything else). The great part is that once you have the model, your museum staff is in control of whatever you want to add into the hotspots! You do it yourself in-house, and it goes live in real time.

I'm in the Education Department and have been using this model since the beginning of the pandemic to teach loads of guided programs to so many different audiences. We have run live, interactive virtual programs for schoolgroups, retirement communities, summer camps, the general public, members, the visually impaired community, and more.

I can't say enough about how much use we've gotten from this digital tool!

Hope this helps,
Andy

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Thank you for the recommendations! This is very helpful.

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-12-2021 07:43 AM
From: Leslie Wagner
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Genial.ly, it's the easiest to navigate and it's free.

https://www.genial.ly/

------------------------------
Leslie Wagner
Historian
Dawes Arboretum
Newark OH

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:12 AM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Thank you Andy! The interactive features on your site are incredible.

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:01 AM
From: Andrew Majewski
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hi Leslie,

Check out what you can do with a company/software called Matterport: (click the image of the 3D model on this homepage):
https://hmane.harvard.edu/

It's pretty amazing. The ability to load the extra content that you are describing directly into the 360 degree images is fantastic. it includes video, audio clips, 3D models, external links to other content, and text boxes (for gallery text  or anything else). The great part is that once you have the model, your museum staff is in control of whatever you want to add into the hotspots! You do it yourself in-house, and it goes live in real time.

I'm in the Education Department and have been using this model since the beginning of the pandemic to teach loads of guided programs to so many different audiences. We have run live, interactive virtual programs for schoolgroups, retirement communities, summer camps, the general public, members, the visually impaired community, and more.

I can't say enough about how much use we've gotten from this digital tool!

Hope this helps,
Andy

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Wow, an incredible model!

------------------------------
Matthew Isble
Exhibit Designer & Founder of MuseumTrade.org
Crocker Art Museum
Sacramento CA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-11-2021 10:01 AM
From: Andrew Majewski
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hi Leslie,

Check out what you can do with a company/software called Matterport: (click the image of the 3D model on this homepage):
https://hmane.harvard.edu/

It's pretty amazing. The ability to load the extra content that you are describing directly into the 360 degree images is fantastic. it includes video, audio clips, 3D models, external links to other content, and text boxes (for gallery text  or anything else). The great part is that once you have the model, your museum staff is in control of whatever you want to add into the hotspots! You do it yourself in-house, and it goes live in real time.

I'm in the Education Department and have been using this model since the beginning of the pandemic to teach loads of guided programs to so many different audiences. We have run live, interactive virtual programs for schoolgroups, retirement communities, summer camps, the general public, members, the visually impaired community, and more.

I can't say enough about how much use we've gotten from this digital tool!

Hope this helps,
Andy

------------------------------
Andrew Majewski
Peabody Museum Education Specialist
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
Cambridge MA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 2/10/2021 4:23:00 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Hi Lesley - we've also been using Matterport, and using an add on service called MP/embed that allows us to customize the look of the tours far more than the original service. There is a cost associated with Matterport: you can choose your level of camera to use, but must pay a monthly subscription to host the tours. There is no easy way to host them elsewhere. It trades some flexibility for convenience. 

You can see some of our tours here:
https://jsma.uoregon.edu/virtualtours

Jonathan


------------------------------
Jonathan Smith
Museum Photographer/Collection
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art - University of Oregon
Eugene OR
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Hello Lesley,

I've been exploring the new methods of building immersive tours using traditional CAD tools like Blender.  With that free program and a basic DLSR camera, you can make true VR tours.  The following is an R&D effort into creating a video game style tour of an art gallery.  This tour would be placed on a VR headset (e.g., Oculus Quest) and checked out or rented by patrons as a new revenue stream for immersive content.  

This is the desktop/mobile variant, but do try it out in a headset if you have one.  It took two hours to photograph and about 4 besides that to process/assemble:

https://visualconstruction.com/MSV/

Good Luck!

Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer/Artist

------------------------------
Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer
USA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 2/15/2021 9:17:00 AM
From: Loren Ybarrondo
Subject: RE: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hello Lesley,

I've been exploring the new methods of building immersive tours using traditional CAD tools like Blender.  With that free program and a basic DLSR camera, you can make true VR tours.  The following is an R&D effort into creating a video game style tour of an art gallery.  This tour would be placed on a VR headset (e.g., Oculus Quest) and checked out or rented by patrons as a new revenue stream for immersive content.  

This is the desktop/mobile variant, but do try it out in a headset if you have one.  It took two hours to photograph and about 4 besides that to process/assemble:

https://visualconstruction.com/MSV/

Good Luck!

Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer/Artist

------------------------------
Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer
USA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Thanks Vivian,

It's a work in progress as the rooms are not connected yet.  The distortions and 'tears' in the imagery will be corrected in a final step.  Just playing around with embedding interactive media into this 3D space for now.  Going to add a virtual docent next using green screen video.  Very engaging and personalized experience to have a curator standing next to the exhibit ready to explain away.  

I recently taught an 8-week workshop on creating virtual tours from scratch to a small class of educators from the University of Hawaii and Pacific American Foundation.  Here is the 'capstone' project from one of my students, which has grown considerably since the class and is now used in schools system in Hawaii. It's a tangible example of how 'mere mortals' can not only get it, but have their workflows transformed by the empowerment this new form of storytelling brings.  

https://www.vr.thepaf.org/C2C/tour.html

R,

Loren Ybarrondo
Ybarrondo.com
(401) 207-2026

------------------------------
Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer
USA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-16-2021 06:57 AM
From: Vivian Zoë
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Wow!  this is fabulous and a beautiful exhibition...  How difficult do you think it would be for mere mortals?  Thank you.  Vivian

Vivian F. Zoë, Director
Slater Memorial Museum
108 Crescent Street, Norwich CT 06360
860-425-5560 vox
860-885-0379 fax

"Inspiration is for amateurs - the rest of us just show up and get to work," Chuck Close, 2003

Please note:  The information contained in this email and any attachments hereto is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the designated recipients.  If the reader/recipient of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this email and all attachments hereto in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this email or any of its attachments is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by email and destroy the original message received.  Thank You.

Original Message:
Sent: 2/15/2021 9:17:00 AM
From: Loren Ybarrondo
Subject: RE: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hello Lesley,

I've been exploring the new methods of building immersive tours using traditional CAD tools like Blender.  With that free program and a basic DLSR camera, you can make true VR tours.  The following is an R&D effort into creating a video game style tour of an art gallery.  This tour would be placed on a VR headset (e.g., Oculus Quest) and checked out or rented by patrons as a new revenue stream for immersive content.

This is the desktop/mobile variant, but do try it out in a headset if you have one.  It took two hours to photograph and about 4 besides that to process/assemble:

https://visualconstruction.com/MSV/

Good Luck!

Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer/Artist

------------------------------
Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer
USA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 2/16/2021 8:01:00 AM
From: Loren Ybarrondo
Subject: RE: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Thanks Vivian,

It's a work in progress as the rooms are not connected yet.  The distortions and 'tears' in the imagery will be corrected in a final step.  Just playing around with embedding interactive media into this 3D space for now.  Going to add a virtual docent next using green screen video.  Very engaging and personalized experience to have a curator standing next to the exhibit ready to explain away.  

I recently taught an 8-week workshop on creating virtual tours from scratch to a small class of educators from the University of Hawaii and Pacific American Foundation.  Here is the 'capstone' project from one of my students, which has grown considerably since the class and is now used in schools system in Hawaii. It's a tangible example of how 'mere mortals' can not only get it, but have their workflows transformed by the empowerment this new form of storytelling brings.  

https://www.vr.thepaf.org/C2C/tour.html

R,

Loren Ybarrondo
Ybarrondo.com
(401) 207-2026

------------------------------
Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer
USA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-16-2021 06:57 AM
From: Vivian Zoë
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Wow!  this is fabulous and a beautiful exhibition...  How difficult do you think it would be for mere mortals?  Thank you.  Vivian

Vivian F. Zoë, Director
Slater Memorial Museum
108 Crescent Street, Norwich CT 06360
860-425-5560 vox
860-885-0379 fax

"Inspiration is for amateurs - the rest of us just show up and get to work," Chuck Close, 2003

Please note:  The information contained in this email and any attachments hereto is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the designated recipients.  If the reader/recipient of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this email and all attachments hereto in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this email or any of its attachments is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by email and destroy the original message received.  Thank You.

Original Message:
Sent: 2/15/2021 9:17:00 AM
From: Loren Ybarrondo
Subject: RE: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Hello Lesley,

I've been exploring the new methods of building immersive tours using traditional CAD tools like Blender.  With that free program and a basic DLSR camera, you can make true VR tours.  The following is an R&D effort into creating a video game style tour of an art gallery.  This tour would be placed on a VR headset (e.g., Oculus Quest) and checked out or rented by patrons as a new revenue stream for immersive content.

This is the desktop/mobile variant, but do try it out in a headset if you have one.  It took two hours to photograph and about 4 besides that to process/assemble:

https://visualconstruction.com/MSV/

Good Luck!

Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer/Artist

------------------------------
Loren Ybarrondo
Engineer
USA

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------

After researching a variety of tour software and even testing a couple, we chose to go with Theasys.  It offered a large variety of customization and options.  I also thought it was fairly easy to learn and build with compared to some others.  You can check out our tour at https://ths.li/tdsTRJ .  With our tour I tried creating a great deal of interaction with our website, past magazine articles, collections, audio/video, and various social media links.

If you want to learn more about 360 tour options available, I would check out this pretty good video from Ben Claremont, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKkQQ0aHRSc .  You may also want to consider looking at Panoskin and 3dvista.  Panoskin allowed you to upload your tour to Google Streetview and looked very nice.  3dvista is the Cadillac of tour software, offering more features than I would probably know how to use.  I liked both, but I thought the user interface of Theasys was easier to use for me.  https://www.panoskin.com/explore  https://www.3dvista.com/en/samples 

Matterport is well known for their dollhouse effect and popular with the real estate industry.  Personally I was not a large fan of it and it didn't work well for our needs.  Matterport wants you to take all of your photos with their app onsite and then upload them to the cloud so that they can be processed into a tour.  Problem is that I had already taken my photos over a period of time and from what I had heard wouldn't be able to manually upload them.  Beyond the dollhouse effect I think Matterport looks rather bland; always the same interface and circle hotspots, very little customization.  I hate how they always blur out the nadir at the bottom and the zenith at the top.  My museum also did not like how you lose your tour if you quit paying them and the price goes up dramatically if you build more than 5 tours, Theasys didn't limit the number of tours and allows you to download your tour and host it yourself if you ever quit paying them. 

If you don't plan to stitch together the photos from a DSLR, you may want to look for a high quality 360 camera.  The Ricoh Theta Z1 or the SC2 on the budget end, are the best consumer cameras for tour photography.  The Insta360 One R or X2 are decent cameras if you want to take photos and record videos.  I built our tour using my old Theta S which looks ok, but 360 camera's have improved a fair bit in the last 5 years.

------------------------------
Cody Cook
Interpretation Specialist
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
Kalamazoo MI
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 02-10-2021 04:23 PM
From: Lesley Marchessault
Subject: Seeking Virtual Exhibition Software Recommendations

Our museum has decided to begin offering virtual exhibitions, and I'm wondering if there are recommendations for companies that offer this software. We'd like to do walk-throughs of the exhibitions, but be able to include links to pertinent educational content and archives. Thank you!

------------------------------
Lesley Marchessault
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown MA
------------------------------