PictureCloud is squarely aimed at competing with the monolithic QuickTime VR by allowing users to easily create 3D “picture clouds.” For many businesses and sellers, PictureCloud is an inexpensive and easy way to create draggable 3D media for the web.

I got to speak with the founder of PictureCloud at the SF New Tech Meetup (which is a great event for any web tech junkie), and he showed me just how easy it is to create a PictureCloud. All anyone needs is a digital camera and a steady hand. You simply take pictures in sequence around the object of your choice, and use their drag-and-drop interface to upload all your photos at once.

After that, you can paste the code on your website, blog, forum, or eBay listing, and your visitors will have instant access to a 3D draggable interface via Flash. And, you’ll have avoided the learning curve and expense of dealing with QuickTime’s software. For any user or business that can’t hire a QuickTime graphics guru, PictureCloud is a great alternative.

In terms of hosting, PictureCloud offers free storage for one year on their site, or 3 years on a premium subscription plan. They have various levels of subscription plans which include features like multiple PictureCloud sizes and the ability to download your PictureCloud and keep it forever.

PictureCloud has the potential to appeal to many types of users, from restaurants looking to show off their new decor to internet sellers wanting to post a 3D view of their wares. I could also see creative uses for PictureCloud, like displaying a sequence of photos that are panned, rather than rotated, allowing users to scan across a large image. You could even do short animations which allow users to control the speed of the animation by dragging. PictureCloud is really just a container of photos that can be dragged in sequence. The only thing they’re missing is the ability to pan up and down, as well as left and right. For that, you’re still stuck with using QuickTime.

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