General Creating/Editing Objects Actions & Conditions Viewing/App Publishing/Embedding User/Group Management
General
Best Practice: Determine how you are going to deploy prior to building.
Will viewers access via a smartphone and VR goggles, from a server, from LMS? What smartphones? Their own devices? How much RAM is available? Will you distribute goggles? These types of questions will help determine video size and overall content size and design.
Best Practice: I don't know where to begin. What should I do first?
Design your scenario OUTSIDE of CenarioVR. How many scenes will you have? How will it flow? What selections will I want the viewer to have to navigate? Will it be scored? What question will I need to ask? Etc. Then gather all of the needed media assets you'll need.
Best Practice: Recording 360 video
Remember, there is nowhere "behind the camera". Set the camera at about eye level, ideally on a monopod stand. Walking video is unsteady and feels unnatural.
Best Practice: When adding audio or 2D video to a scene
Remember to provide a way to start the media (or use Autoplay), and a way to Stop the media.
Best Practice: When Showing a Question Card, Info Card, or Video
When using a Show action to reveal a previously not visible element, consider also adding a "Pan to Object" action. That way if the viewer is looking in the other direction, it will bring the object into view. Otherwise, they may never know it's there! (Unless discovery is the goal.)
Best Practice: Include an "escape"
Within each scene, include a Link action to go back to the previous scene (if appropriate), Pause the scene, restart the scene (Link to the current scene), restart the scenario (Link to scene 1), and/or exit the scenario.
What is required to create new scenario?
You must have at least one scene. It must be a 360 video or equirectangular image.
Can I develop a scenario using my iPad?
iPad development is not supported. CenarioVR was designed for development on a computer.
What browsers can I use for developing CenarioVR?
Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
What does CenarioVR cost?
Free for viewer or trial author. $89/month (paid annually) for the starter plan, $179/ month for the Pro plan. Contact Sales for Enterprise licensing.
See https://cenariovr.com/app/#/plans
What comes with each plan package?
Trials have content and publishing restrictions. For paid account's the difference is in a number of authors, assigned viewers, and included analytics.
See https://cenariovr.com/app/#/plans
Can I include a CenarioVR scenario in my Lectora course?
Yes. Publish it to HTML5 and embedded it in a Web Window object.
What type of camera is recommended for recording 360 videos?
A Ricoh Theta camera is recommended, but any camera that takes 360 photospheres should work well with CenarioVR.
How can I refresh/restart/replay the current scene?
Select the Link action and choose the current scene. (Note that the score will not be reset. You may need to Set the Score to a specific value.)
In BranchTrack scenarios there is a PATH variable that can be used to determine the selections the learner made. How can I do that in CenarioVR?
The included analytics in CenarioVR will show interactions by each viewer.
How do I calculate a score for the scenario?
CenarioVR will automatically score the scenario (number correct/total questions).
I cannot access my scenario. I get the message 'Scenario is Locked by ". What does that mean?
When a scenario is shared with another author, only one author can be working in it at a time (to avoid conflicts). If you need to access a locked scenario, ask the other author to close it. If that author is not available, wait for the system to timeout for him/her.
Is CenarioVR 508/WCAG compliant?
No it's not. The only way to select a Hotspot, for example, is to mouse select, or through the goggles "gaze" at it. Which means even if all the info cards were visible (which is cluttered) and assuming a screen reader could even read them (which they currently cannot), you still would not be able to change scenes without some sort of selection, and that is not possible in any way besides gazing or clicking.
Creating/Editing
Best Practice: I don't want my Hotspot to appear initially in the scene.
Turn off the "Visible" slider on the object's properties.
How do I move from one scene to another?
Add a "Link" to scene action to a Hotspot, Question choice, or timed action.
How can I make an Info Card selectable (like a Hotspot)?
Overlay the Info Card with a Transparent Hotspot. Or use an image that includes the text.
How can I start a scene at a different place in the video?
Add a timed action at the beginning of the scene to immediately Jump to Time further in the scene.
How can I start a scene from a different point of view on the image or in the video?
Add a transparent Hotspot or image to the scene at the desired focal point. Then add a timed action at the beginning of the scene to immediately Pan to the object.
Can I copy/paste in CenarioVR?
You can use right-click menu to select or use standard keyboard commands (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V) to copy/paste objects within a scene, or an entire scene.
How can I precisely align objects or size objects?
Use the automatic smart guides. You cannot identify a specific X, Y, Z coordinate at this time.
What does Duration do?
Duration is the length of the video or the length of time you want to establish a timeline for timed actions on an image-based scene.
Objects
What audio and video file formats are supported?
MP3 audio, MP4 video (360 or standard 2D), JPEG/PNG/GIF images. (Note: Animated GIF not supported.)
What can be used for Hotspots?
Hotspots can be transparent, an image or one of the stock resources.
Hotspots all have a spinning circle when they are hovered/selected. How can I turn that off?
This feature cannot be disabled at this time. The outer ring is actually a countdown timer that shows the VR viewer how much time remains until the hotspot actions are fired.
Can I adjust the amount of time a hotspot the learner has gazed before selection?
Holding gaze for approximately 3/4 second will trigger the hotspot actions. This cannot currently be changed.
How can I make a Hotspot transparent?
On the Hotspot properties, set the "Transparent" slider on.
How can I adjust the volume of my audio/video?
Once in CenarioVR the media cannot be changed. You will need to adjust the volume in the original file using a media editor such as Audacity, Camtasia, or the Lectora audio or video editor.
How can I fade in/out my audio or video?
Once in CenarioVR the media cannot be changed. You will need to adjust the fade in the original file using a media editor such as Audacity, Camtasia, or the Lectora audio or video editor.
How can I get an audio file to play persistently/continuously across scenes (aka background audio)?
Persistent audio is not available at this time.
Can I add streaming media (e.g., YouTube)?
Streaming media is not supported. You should convert and download the media to MP3 audio or MP4 video. There are free services available online such as https://mpgun.com/
Can I put a 360 video inside a scene?
No. If you accidentally insert a 360 video inside a scene, CenarioVR thinks you want to replace the current scene's video or image with this new one.
How can I precisely align objects?
Use the automatic smart guides. You cannot identify a specific X, Y coordinate at this time.
How can I change my Question Card choices from alphabetic to numeric?
This cannot be changed at this time.
How many choices can I have on a Question Card?
Options are limitless however keep in mind best practices with showing too much text in a scenario.
Can I use my company's custom fonts in Question Cards or Info Cards?
At this time, custom fonts are not supported.
What is Duration on a Show action?
Duration on a Show action sets the length of time the object will appear before automatically hiding itself.
The text on my Info Cards or Question Cards is wrapping oddly, leaving an orphan text. How can I change this?
All text is center justified, and the card size (and therefore wrapping) is automatically determined based on the font and Small, Medium, or Large text size selected. At this time there is no ability to edit the text appearance or manipulate the size of the Card.
I can't find my audio file in my scenario? Where did it go?
Audio is not a visible object in the scene. To edit the audio properties, select the object in the scene list on the left.
I can't find an object in my scenario? Where did it go?
Check the Edit mode visibility. In Preview mode check the object visibility. If you still don't see it, select the object in the scene list to bring it into view. (It might be "behind you" in the scene.)
Is there a text limit on Info Cards?
It is essentially unlimited. However, depending on the size and font selected there is only so much text that can be included and still be readable.
Actions & Conditions
How do I move from one scene to another?
Add a "Link" to scene action to a Hotspot, Question choice, or timed action.
What actions are available in CenarioVR? For example, I don't see like in Lectora.
CenarioVR is a simplified, experiential VR creation tool. It is not designed to have all of the actions you are used to seeing in Lectora. In CenarioVR: Within the current scene you can Pan to another object, Hide objects, Show Objects, Play or Stop audio or video, Pause the scene, Play (continue) the scene after it is paused, Jump ahead in the timeline of the scene, Add to the Score, or Set a new value for the Score. You can also Link to another scene (for branching), or mark the scenario as Complete (for LMS reporting). Other actions may be added in future releases.
What does the Complete Scenario action do?
Use this action when you want to report to the Learning Management System (in a SCORM publish) that the viewer has completed the scenario. This will pass "completed" to the LMS along with the viewer's score (if any).
In other products when I click on an object it will disappear (toggle off). How can I do that in CenarioVR?
Instead of using a straight image, instead make the image a Hotspot. You can then add an action to the image/Hotspot to Hide it when selected. Alternatively, cover the image with a transparent Hotspot with the action to Hide the image.
What is the purpose of the Add to Score action?
This action disables automatic scoring and allows you to use the Score value for your own counting purpose.
I see that I can Add to Score. Can I Subtract from the score?
Yes. Choose to Add to Score and enter a negative value (e.g., -20).
How can I display the Score in the scenario?
Within the text of an Info Card (or Question Card), include %SCORE% (all uppercase). Note that this will show the score as of the time the text is displayed. It is not continually refreshed/updated.
How can I refresh/update the displayed score?
To update the displayed score, Hide the Info Card (or Question Card) then Show it again.
The Pan to Object action is a little fast. How can I control the speed?
The speed of the Pan to Object action is preset and cannot be changed at this time.
How do I add a condition to an action?
When you add an action, select the Condition button to the right of the action. Then select the object and condition.
How do I add multiple conditions to an action?
Select the condition button again for that action. An additional condition line is added. Select the object and the next condition. Continue this until all conditions have been added.
Viewing/App
Can I view a scenario on my iPad?
Yes. It will be the same experience as on a computer.
Is there a limit on the number of viewers if I download a scenario to HTML5 or SCORM and put it on my server or LMS?
The viewer limit is based on access through CenarioVR Live and the mobile app. Anyone registered through your LMS or possessing the server URL will be able to view the scenario (online or using goggles).
How can viewers access my published scenarios?
Assign them (using email address) as viewers, or make the content Public on CenarioVR Live. Assigned and Public can use the App. You can also publish to SCORM and put the scenario on your LMS, xAPI and put it on your LRS, or HTML5 and include it in your Lectora course or put on your server. If on your server you can distribute the direct URL.
Can I use the CenarioVR App on any smartphone?
Apps are available for iOS and Android platforms. The Apps are compatible with: iOS 10+, Android 7+. In order to use VR features on tablets and phones, the devices must have an accelerometer. To view in VR, a Google Cardboard Compatible headset is required. The CenarioVR App requires ~45MB space on the phone. (Plus available space to download the desired content.)
On what headsets can I view scenarios?
CenarioVR is currently supported on Google "Cardboard" headsets. (Cardboard is the type, not the material.) You can order these online (e.g., Amazon, etc.) or through retailers such as Best Buy and Office Depot. Scenarios can be viewed using Google Daydream and Oculus Go through a browser only, not the CenarioVR app. Native support for these is coming in a future release.
Publishing/Embedding
Can I publish to ReviewLink?
There is not a Publish to ReviewLink option. However ReviewLink accepts SCORM content so yes, you can publish to SCORM and upload the zip file to ReviewLink.
How can I distribute my scenario?
Publish your content to CenarioVR Live and assign viewers (Private content) or for Public viewing, both using the App. You can also publish to SCORM and put the scenario on your LMS, xAPI and put it on your LRS, or HTML5 and include it in your Lectora course or put on your server. If on your server you can distribute the direct URL.
Can I include a CenarioVR scenario in my Lectora course?
Yes. Publish it to HTML5 and embedded it in a Web Window object as "Local Web-based Content".
User/Group Management
How can I change an author's or viewer's password?
Anyone can change their own passwords using the "Forgot Password" link on the login screen. Authorized users in an Admin or Admin Org role can change a user's password by selecting "Users" on the CenarioVR dashboard, then selecting the ellipses (three dots ...) on the right side of the screen next to the user's name. Then choose Edit.
How can I add/change my avatar picture?
Click the current image and select "My Account", then select the Avatar line.
What is a Group and why would I create one?
Groups enable you to quicly assign scenarios to a number of viewers at the same time.
This article last reviewed Nov, 2020. The software may have changed since the last review.