Visualise 2D Support

Support you can rely on

Step-by-step guides:

making a purchase

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Select customer type and period of access required on this page then click on the
Purchase button. In this example, 'New Customer' and '30 Days' have been chosen.

Arriving at the Shopping Basket, insert a promotional code if you have one then decide your preferred method of payment. For invoicing prior to payment by cheque or BACS, click on the Checkout button. For paying online click on the PayPal button.

On the Checkout page, provide your details in the top half of the page.

In the bottom half of the Checkout page, make the necessary selections then click on the preferred method of payment.

In this example the button for paying by cheque has been selected. As soon as payment is received for the purchase, details for downloading and installing Visualise2D together with a Registration Code are provided within an e-mail. For returning customers an appropriate e-mail is provided.

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from having made payment to opening Visualise2D

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Having made payment, you will receive an e-mail asking you to proceed to the page below.

Clicking on the button will start the process.

A moment later you are given the opportunity to install Visualise2D from a secure server dedicated solely to providing the website and software, all of which is controlled and maintained by the owner company PlantPARTNER Ltd.

If there is an alternative box to the one displayed, then it will be because your firewall is blocking the download.

Click the Install button to begin the installation. Contrary to what the text displayed says, please wait and hold off clicking your mouse or keyboard keys even at the point where nothing appears to be happening.

If an alternative box to the one below is displayed, please call 07773 765 805 for assistance.

The software will partially open giving the opportunity to input your unique Registration Code provided in the e-mail mentioned at the start. Returning to this e-mail, highlight the code and copy it (right-click then select ‘Copy’), click your cursor in the input box as shown below, then paste in the code (right-click then select ‘Paste’).

Now click on the 'OK' button and Visualise2D will open.

Displayed within the screen is the Image Manager, ready to download images to your computer from Visualise2D's server to use in your scenes. This can be done at any time you have a connection to the internet. The images are held on the far left side.

Tools are at the top with easy-to-use keyboard commands in a list on the right. If closed, re-display from within 'Help'.

The single line of intuitive prompt text in orange & white is just below the tool bar.

Images are arranged in groups and are selected by clicking on the check boxes.

Do not download all the available images in one go, but only those of immediate interest.

When complete, close the Image Manager and then be sure to follow the prompt text.

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how to... take a scene from Google's Street View

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A step-by-step guide to getting a scene from Google's Street View for use as a background scene within Visualise2D

Click here to view

Result: background scene from Street View within Visualise2D

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opening Visualise2D to starting a scene

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Open Visualise2D to see the The Image Manager, ready to download images to your computer at any time you have an internet connection, from Visualise2D's server.

These are to use in your scenes and are stored on the far left side.

You can select and download any images of interest if not previously done so.

When complete, close the Image Manager and then be sure to follow the prompt text displayed just below the top tool bar.

Click on 'New' in the top left corner and choose your own background scene held on your computer.

A scene can be any image file which could have come from anywhere such as your digital camera or Google Street View.

Click on the Perspective button in the top tool bar and then pick 4 points to create 2 lines following actual or imaginery straight lines leading into the scene. Where they meet establishes a horizon line.

Add an image from the lefthand library and place in the scene, ideally next to an object with a known height (approximate is fine).

Adjust the slider below the scene to set the scale by eye (see later guides for a more accurate approach if required).

With all the library images set to the same scale, you're now free to start visualising.

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how to... create a structure within your scene

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A step-by-step guide to creating a planter within the street environment with after & before scenes below. In fact, you'll find this guide of help for many other situations.

Click here to view

After:

Before:

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We are committed to providing an ever increasing range of images for you to use. These can be downloaded from within Visualise2D at any time you have an internet connection. However, because the possibilities appear almost limitless, we recognise that we may not have the exact image you require at any particular point in time. So we have provided an Upload facility allowing you to add your own images.

Please refer to the FAQ page for details on what is involved in preparing images suitable for uploading.

Haven't got any of your own images but still wish to add some? There are a lot of good images available on the Web and so we have compiled a list of suppliers here for you. If you think one is not listed and it ought to be, please let us know.

Looking for images of particular products? Perhaps it's a piece of play equipment or street furniture? We'd be happy to work with your chosen supplier to produce the images you are after to include within your scheme. Please contact us for details.

The following sites offer a range of 2D image cut-outs of photo-quality ideally suited for use within Visualise2D:

The following may not offer quite photo-quality, but there's no reason why they still cannot be used:

PepiGraph

Firstly, what is an image cut-out?

In our case it is a subject within a digital photograph such as a person, where the rest of the photograph has been made transparent. This gives the appearance of the subject having been 'cut out'.

Just in case you were wondering, the reason why we use digital rather than computer-generated images is that the former is of photo-quality, as opposed to photo-realistic.

What is the offer?

If there is no equivalent image to be found on any of the sites listed on our Support page, you are free to try out this free offer.

We will provide image cut-outs from digital photographs submitted by customers. These cut-outs will be placed on the server ready for all customers to download and benefit from.

We will do our best to achieve a turnaround time of 10 days, that is, from confirmation of our acceptance of the images to their uploading onto the server. This is for a batch of around 5-10 number, although it rather does depend on the complexity of the individual image.

Why provide such an offer?

Although there is an ever-increasing range of images available within Visualise2D complimented by any image cut-outs you may individually upload to your own installation, the possibilities appear almost infinite! So what better way to achieve a greater range in the quickest time possible and let everyone share in the fun but to encourage the support from all our customers?

Full details of the offer can be found below.

What are the criteria for image preparation?

For the images to be accepted, they will need to be:

Of real life subjects, that is, not computer generated
In sharp focus and with adequate lighting displaying the subject without obstruction.
Of high enough quality. Although this can depend on how large the subject is in the picture, typically an image of 1280x960 pixels will be of sufficient size (the larger the better).
With minimal, if any, internal shadow.
Have a known origin which we would need to know, for example, image taken from your camera by you.

There may be more criteria for consideration depending on the subject matter, but we would be happy to discuss this assessment process with you by e-mail, or by telephone.

For any images used, we will keep a copy within our central library where it will only be used as a backup for the image cut-out in Visualise2D.

For images not used, all copies will be permanently deleted from our system.

What are the terms of this offer?

You just need to be aware that in providing us with your images, the terms and conditions in the User Agreement apply as well as the following:

We would have the final say as to whether or not they should be prepared under this free service.
We would be able to add them to Visualise2D for all other customers to use as mentioned above.
We cannot get involved in situations of restricted use or copyright, sorry. Please refer to the User Agreement which covers this subject.
This excludes images of a product range from a supplier. However, help is still at hand. Please refer to the section below entitled 'What about images from suppliers?'
Our turnaround time could be much greater than the 10 days mentioned above, so we cannot be held to any particular date for image completion whatever the situation.
There is no limit to the number you can submit, although we would ask that you follow the procedure outlined below.
We will be unable to provide payment for images received for this service, although we would be prepared to negotiate for a set of already prepared image cut-outs.
Image cut-outs would be for sole use within Visualise2D.
In case demand for this service becomes too great, we reserve the option to withdrawn and re-instate this offer over time at any time!

What about images from suppliers?

Suppliers of products such as play equipment may well have many images used in promotional material which would make ideal cut-outs. In such situations we would be more than happy to discuss the opportunity to include these within Visualise2D. Perhaps the benefit of having a product range instantly distributable to many users to include in their visualisations is sufficient enough encouragement for us to be contacted? However, a little push from users towards suppliers wouldn't go amiss!

What are the guidelines for taking images?

Hopefully the images within Visualise2D give you a good starting point. Ideally, they would need to be taken:

At a minimum setting of 3 mega pixels with a 'fine' setting if applicable (images come out at around 1.6MB).
At a height of 1.6 metres from ground level.
Stepped back a bit. Try not to get too close to a point where you're looking down on top of the subject.
On a bright but not too sunny day. Try to avoid a dull day.
With the sun at a relatively low angle behind you. This can help avoid or reduce internal shadow.
Where the subject is distinct as possible from its background.
(dare we mention a clean camera lens?!)

Don’t worry too much if your image does not meet one or two of the above as it may still be worthy of acceptance.

Remember also that for each subject, there could be two or more images. Since image cut-outs cannot be rotated within a scene, being 2D, sequential images having been obtained by walking around the subject can compensate for this. Armed with a series of image cut-outs then, it is likely that at least one will fit the orientation required in any given scene.

What is the procedure for submitting images?

Please email your image/s to support@visualise2d.com, making sure that you:

Only send us jpegs.
Please label the images with any relevant details if you can.
Attach individually and not grouped within a zipped file.
Include in your email your full name and unique id number found within your install of Visualise2D's Help section > My Account.

If we are unable to identify the sender as a registered user of Visualise2D, then we would be unable to proceed any further with the request.

For e-mails with a total file size of below 4MB, then please feel free to just send them through.

However, if the total file size is above 4MB, please either send in more than one e-mail to get below the 4MB limit or reduce the images to allow for their assessment in the first instance. This latter option could save tying up both our respective e-mail systems!

On examination, we will let you know by return e-mail of our decision. If one or more images are accepted, we will e-mail you again as soon as the work is complete in order to direct you to its location within the download facility.

Visualise 2D Support

Support...

Support you can rely on