A virtual tour is a simulation of a location, composed of a sequence of panoramic images. It may also use other multimedia elements such as information boxes, instructions, and widgets. In 2016, Voronezh State University’s administration decided to create a virtual tour of the university. The project was implemented by VSU’s Advertising Centre together with an online 3D guide service “Na vse 360”.
Thanks to the so called participation effect, anyone willing to take a closer look at VSU, no matter what their location is, can join a virtual tour of the university’s buildings and campus, using their computers. Unlike slide shows and videos, virtual tours are interactive.
As all the university’s buildings, dormitories, museums, the Botanical Garden, etc., are located in different parts of the city, they are all presented on the interactive map and marked with tags.
Users can also pick a faculty they want to learn more about, without having to enter the building. They will then be able to have a look at the faculty’s rooms, laboratories, lecture-halls, etc.
The tour not only shows how the university looks like both inside and out, but also presents some information about each location. The information points are marked with the i icon that you need to click to see the information box.
The navigation functions include zooming in/out, rotating the camera, and moving it upwards and downwards. One can also have a closer look at some details of the interior, as well as to open the general panoramic image. There is a help box with all the information about navigation. You can also use the Menu button to find a location or a certain panoramic image.
For international viewers, the tour is available in English on the English version of the university’s website.
The virtual tour of VSU, with its 157 panoramic images and 66 information points, is one of the largest 3D tours of an education institution in Russia.
