Using ThingLink with ClassVR

We are excited to share that ThingLink and ClassVR have announced a partnership to support flexible and affordable VR creation and exploration in classrooms. This means that educators, including free ThingLink teacher account holders, can now curate and share their own ThingLink experiences directly onto the ClassVR portal and headsets. 

What new opportunities does this integration offer for educators?

Downloading ThingLink content to ClassVR headsets

How does the integration work? See the video below made by our friends at ClassVR.

Step-by-step instructions

1.  In your ClassVR account, find 'ThingLink' in the list of subscriptions
2. Download the latest version of the ThingLink viewer to your ClassVR headset by dragging the icon into the 'Playlist' pane and clicking the 'Download' button
3. Go to your ThingLink account and copy the link to the 360° image or 360° video that you'd like to download. You can find the link by clicking the 'Share' button, opening the 'Share link' tab, and copying the link.
4. Switch back to the ClassVR portal, select the ThingLink subscription, then paste the link you've copied into the empty search box field in the upper-right corner. Click the 'Search' button. If the link is compatible, you will see your scene appear as a new track.
5. Drag the new track onto the playlist pane and send it to your headsets.

Once the media has been downloaded, you can interact with the hotspots using the action buttons on your headsets. Please note that similarly to ThingLink's native VR player, 3rd party embed tags (e.g. YouTube videos and Google Maps) are not supported. 

Compatible content

Note that if a scene does not show a VR icon in the bottom right corner, then it is not compatible with ClassVR:

All content created with ThingLink's old editor does not support VR.

Updating ThingLink scenes on ClassVR headsets

If you've updated an image or video that has already been added to your ClassVR portal, you will need to clear the cache on your devices and download the scene again. Please see this article to learn how to clear the cache on your headsets.

Alternatively, you could create a clone of the scene and save the clone as a separate track in the ClassVR playlist.

Do I need a paid subscription to use ThingLink with ClassVR?

A free 60-day trial teacher account gives you full access to the ThingLink editor and allows you to download your 360° images to ClassVR headsets during the trial. Once the trial is over, you will need to purchase an individual or school-level subscription to continue sharing your content. Please see this page for more information about free teacher trial accounts.

Please note that using 360 videos requires a paid School & District subscription. Reach out to our team here to set up a trial or go over ThingLink product offering.  

Can I download 360 experiences and tours created by other users?

Yes, if this user has made their content available for others. If a 360 image or a tour created by another user is publicly available, you can first clone and edit it on ThingLink, and then download it similarly to how you'd download your own creation - by pasting a link.

Limitations

1. Scenarios are not supported yet.
2. Link buttons and embedded content (such as YouTube videos) are not supported.
3. Poll tags are not supported.
4. 3D models and PDF files uploaded to text & media tags are not supported. Animated images will be displayed as static images.
5. If a text & media tag contains multiple images or videos, only the first file will be displayed.
6. Conditional transitions are not supported. The viewer will be able to navigate to the next scene(s) without answering the question. 

My question is not answered here. Where can I get more help?

If you cannot find an answer to your question from ThingLink or ClassVR support centers, or you suspect that you have found an issue with the integration, please contact us.