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✨ Hotspots: Adding Interactivity

Hotspots are interactive elements you can place within your 3D scene in StorySplat. They allow viewers to engage with specific points of interest by clicking or hovering, revealing additional information, media, or links.

What Can Hotspots Do?

  • Display Information: Show titles and detailed text descriptions in a popup or integrated UI element.
  • Show Images: Display images when activated.
  • Embed Content: Embed external websites or applications using iframes.
  • Link Externally: Direct users to external websites or resources.
  • Play Media (Planes Only): Trigger video or animated GIF playback on image/video/gif plane type hotspots.
  • Trigger Actions (Future): Potential for custom script execution upon interaction.

Creating and Managing Hotspots

  1. Open Hotspot Menu: Click the Hotspots button (🎯 icon) in the vertical toolbar on the left side of the editor.
  2. Add Hotspot: Click the "Add Hotspot" button within the Hotspots panel. A new default hotspot (usually a red sphere) will appear in the scene, typically in front of your current camera view.
  3. Select Hotspot:
    • Click on the hotspot mesh directly in the 3D view.
    • Click on the hotspot's name in the list within the Hotspots panel.
    • The selected hotspot will be highlighted (usually green), and the transform gizmos will appear.
  4. Position, Rotate, Scale:
    • Use the Transform Gizmos (activated via the bottom toolbar buttons 1, 2, 3 or keys G, R, S) to precisely move, rotate, and scale the selected hotspot in the 3D view.
    • The Transform Panel (below the scene list) can also be used for fine-tuning with numerical inputs.
  5. Edit Properties: When a hotspot is selected and you click its "Edit" button (or it's newly created), its properties panel appears below the list in the Hotspots Menu. Configure its appearance, content, and behavior here.
  6. Save Changes: Click the "Save Changes" button (which replaces the "Edit" button) for the selected hotspot to apply your property modifications. Remember to save before deselecting or editing another hotspot.
  7. Delete Hotspot: Select the hotspot you wish to remove and click the "Delete" button (red trash can icon) next to its "Save/Edit" button in the properties panel.

Hotspot Properties Deep Dive

Basic Settings

  • Title: The main name/label for the hotspot, displayed prominently.
  • Hotspot Type: Determines the 3D visual representation in the scene:
    • Sphere: A simple colored sphere. Use the Sphere Color picker below to change its color.
    • Image Plane: A flat plane textured with an image. Requires an Image URL or file upload.
    • Video Plane: A flat plane that plays a video. Requires a Video URL or file upload. Supports primary and backup video sources.
    • GIF Plane: A flat plane that displays an animated GIF. Requires a GIF URL or file upload.
  • Billboard: (Checkbox) If checked, the hotspot (especially planes) will always rotate to face the camera.

Activation & Content

  • Activation Mode: How the user triggers the hotspot's content:
    • Click: User must click the hotspot. If Content Display Type is Image or iFrame, this typically opens content in a fullscreen overlay.
    • Hover: Content appears when the user hovers their mouse over the hotspot (usually in a smaller, non-fullscreen popup).
    • None: Disables direct interaction for triggering content (useful if controlled by other means, though currently less common).
  • Content Display Type: (Applies when Activation Mode is Click or Hover)
    • Image: Displays an image in the popup/overlay. Requires Display Image (Info) URL or file upload.
    • iFrame: Embeds external content. Requires iFrame URL.
  • Description: Text content displayed below the title in the popup/overlay. Supports basic text.

Media Plane Settings (Image/Video/GIF Types)

  • Image/Video/GIF URL: Direct URL to the media file OR use the upload button.
  • Upload Button: Upload your own image, video, or GIF file directly. It will be stored and a URL automatically generated. Note: Uploaded media counts towards your storage quota.
  • Use Unlit Shader: (Checkbox) If checked, the plane's texture will not be affected by scene lighting, appearing exactly as the source file. If unchecked, it will react to scene lights.
  • Video Backup URL / Upload: (Video Type Only) Provide a secondary video URL (e.g., H.265 for iOS compatibility) or upload a backup file. The browser will attempt to play the primary source first, then the backup if needed.
  • Media Trigger Mode: (Video/GIF Types Only) How the media playback starts:
    • Autoplay: Media starts playing automatically as soon as it's loaded and visible (respects Visibility Range).
    • Click: Media plays/pauses when the hotspot plane is clicked. A '▶️' overlay appears on paused videos.
    • Proximity: Media plays when the camera gets within the specified Proximity Distance, pauses when the camera moves away.
    • Scroll: Media plays when the hotspot becomes visible based on its Visibility Range settings, pauses when it becomes invisible.
  • Proximity Distance: (Used with Proximity trigger mode) The distance (in scene units) from the camera at which the media starts playing.
  • Video Loop: (Video Type Only) If checked, the video will loop automatically.
  • Video Muted: (Video Type Only) If checked, the video will start muted.

Visibility Range

Control when the hotspot is visible based on the camera's path progress: * Type: * Percentage: Define visibility based on the percentage scrolled along the camera path (0% to 100%). * Waypoint: Define visibility based on the waypoint index range (e.g., visible from Waypoint 2 to Waypoint 5). * Start/End: Set the starting and ending percentage or waypoint index for visibility.

  • Background Color: Color of the popup/overlay background.
  • Text Color: Color of the title and description text.
  • Font Size (px): Size of the text in pixels.
  • Font Family: Choose from standard web fonts.
  • Close Button Color: (Click Mode Only) Color of the "Close" button in the fullscreen overlay.
  • Add External Link: (Checkbox) Enable to add a button linking to an external URL.
  • External URL: The website address to link to (e.g., https://example.com).
  • Button Text: Text displayed on the link button (e.g., "Learn More").
  • URL Button Color: Customize the color of the external link button.

Performance & Best Practices

  • Use Sparingly: While powerful, too many complex hotspots (especially videos or high-res images) can impact performance.
  • Optimize Media: Use compressed image/video formats where possible.
  • Clear Titles: Use descriptive titles for easy identification in the editor list.
  • Test Interactions: Preview your scene to ensure activation modes and triggers work as expected.
  • Visibility Ranges: Use visibility ranges effectively to declutter the view and manage loading, especially for media hotspots.

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