Upcoming Special Events in the Planetarium

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Jason Fletcher

Image Source: A Slower Speed of Light

Einstein’s Playground

— Thursday, February 11 /// 7:15pm
— Admission $10
— Gerd Kortemeyer, PhD, associate professor of physics at Michigan State University

Have you ever wanted to experience the complete distortion of time and space as we know it? The Charles Hayden Planetarium has partnered with the MIT Game Lab to immerse you in a virtual special relativity playground where you’ll witness the laws of physics in a completely new way. Using the power of video games, we’ll turn Einstein’s most famous theory from an abstract concept into something you can encounter yourself right here at the Museum of Science. Experience the effects of movement, time, and space as you’ve never been able to before!

Tickets on sale beginning January 28 /// (January 26 for Museum members)

Image Source: Keith Ellenbogen

A World Underwater: The Reefs of Belize

— Thursday, March 24 / 7:00pm
— Admission Free
— Keith Ellenbogen, award-winning underwater photographer and 2015-16 CAST Visiting Artist at MIT | Allan Adams, PhD, theoretical physicist, associate professor of physics and member of the Creative Art Council at MIT

Take an underwater journey to Glover’s Reef Research Station in Belize and immerse yourself in coral reefs! With images and cutting-edge immersive video captured during their January 2016 expedition, Keith and Allan will tell the story of the Mesoamerican reef ecosystem, the researchers working hard to conserve it, and the innovative MIT course behind the expedition in which students from across the institute (chemists, civil engineers, historians, physicists, and poets) learned the art, technique, and technology of underwater conservation photography. Under the Planetarium’s fulldome expanse, experience the thrills, challenges, and serendipity of wildlife photography and explore the role of visual culture as a catalyst for positive social change on our tiny blue planet.

Advance registration beginning March 10 /// (March 8 for Museum members)

Image Source: NASA, ESA, CXC and the University of Potsdam, JPL-Caltech, and STScI

Stories Under the Stars

— Wednesday, April 20 / 7:30pm & 9:00pm
— Admission $12
— Ari Daniel, science reporter

Come to the Charles Hayden Planetarium for an evening of live storytelling, radio, and music under the stars. You’ll hear true stories, both personal and inspired by science, that explore the theme of “Light in the Dark,” all unfolding beneath the canopy of our cosmos. Join the search for light during the earliest moments of your life and from the outer reaches of our universe to the inner reaches of the human heart.

Tickets on sale beginning January 28 /// (January 26 for Museum members)
Hosted by science reporter Ari Daniel and co-produced by Ari and the Museum of Science as part of the Cambridge Science Festival.

Image Source: NASA

Space Station

— Thursday, April 21 / 7:30pm
— Admission $10
— Jared Sorensen, game designer

You wake up inside the cramped confines of a cryosleep chamber. You feel weak and dizzy from a prolonged period in cryonic suspension. What will you do next? Join game designer Jared Sorensen and the Charles Hayden Planetarium team as we break new ground in the Planetarium dome. Inspired by the text-parsing games of the ’80s, Space Station allows the entire audience to play a single character trying to survive a dangerous situation… in space! Give commands, explore rooms, examine objects, and try to escape the Space Station, if you can!

Check out the Parsely website for more information about their series of text-based adventure games.

Tickets on sale beginning January 28 /// (January 26 for Museum members)
Part of the Cambridge Science Festival.

Image Source: David Rabkin

Cosmic Loops

— Wednesday, May 18 / 7:15pm
— Admission $15
— Ian Ethan Case, acoustic double-neck guitars, fretless guitar, live looping | Stephanie Case, live sound design | Bertram Lehmann, percussion | Jeff Willet, gongs and percussion

As you soar through nebulas, galaxies, and star systems in the immersive space under the dome of the Charles Hayden Planetarium, live music with simple beginnings builds layer upon layer into an intricate universe of musical loops created by masters of an evocative style. Acoustic double-neck guitarist Ian Ethan fluidly combines a staggering variety of self-invented playing techniques necessitated by his multilayered compositions, further expanded using real-time live looping technology. Indulge in this rare quartet performance in which gongs and exotic percussion instruments from around the world take Ian’s latest compositions into new dimensions, with the Planetarium team’s transcendent visions overhead.

Tickets on sale beginning January 28 /// (January 26 for Museum members)

Using Real Pluto Imagery – From Dream to Discovery: Inside NASA

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

In producing From Dream to Discovery: Inside NASA we made the exciting but perilous decision to include the New Horizons mission within our story. So we made an early bet that the mission would be a success…

As you well know, New Horizons has given us an amazing close-up look at Pluto. And so we are excited to announce that we have updated the show to include the latest real images of Pluto and Charon!

Collection of 360° Video Rigs

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

360° video is growing by leaps and bounds. No doubt about it.

And it’s fascinating to see all the different approaches to capturing 360° video. So I surveyed the current 360° video rigs being offered and then organized every serious option into this epic listing. The results are telling…

If you’re new to 360 video, then you have much to wrap your mind around. I suggest checking out my blog post: 360 Video Fundamentals. Or to gain a comprehensive understanding check out the Making360 open source book.

Updated with latest 360° cameras on March 5, 2017

Comparison of 360° Video Rig Categories

There are many different types of 360° video rigs, but not all of them capture the full 360×180° field of view (FOV). And so I’ve placed each rig into a specific category. Sometimes you don’t need to capture absolutely everything. It all depends on how you’re going to use the footage.

For instance, if you’re using a tripod then perhaps you could ignore that footage zone (partial 360°). Maybe the main focus is happening along the horizon, then you might not need to capture the sky and immediate ground (cylindrical). Or maybe you just need to capture the events happening directly in front of you (fisheye). Or maybe you want the big challenge, capturing 3D depth (stereoscopic).

Below I’ve outlined the typical FOV coverage of each rig category: 360°, partial 360°, cylindrical, and fisheye. But these are just averaged examples of each category, sometimes there are outliers which have much higher or lower FOV.

Source Image by Andrey Salnikov: “Climbing Volcano Teide”

360° Map Projection

Equirectangular, LatLong, Spherical, 360°… All of these terms refer to the same exact format: the Equidistant Cylindrical Projection. It is currently the most widely used format for stitched 360° video.

So how does it work? This is a precise geometric method for converting a sphere into a flat image with a 2:1 ratio. So this format can be seamlessly wrapped onto a sphere and back again.

Earth-Tissot-Indicatrix_Wrapped-to-Sphere

360×180° is the standard for expressing a complete spherical capture. But why not 360×360°? Because we are measuring an arc for the latitude, not a complete circle.

360° Video Rigs: Multi Camera

These multi camera rigs capture monoscopic 360° video. A majority of producers are currently shooting with these type of rigs.

GoPro: Omni
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
— genlocked
— Tutorial: the full workflow
GoPro-Omni

Freedom360: Freedom360 Classic Mount
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
Freedom360-Freedom360-Mount

Freedom360: F360 Explorer
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
— all weather
Freedom360-F360-Explorer

360Rize: Uni360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 cameras (compatible with: GoPro Hero2, Hero3, Hero4, Hero5 Black, Hero5 Session, YI 4K Action Camera)
— all weather
360rize-uni360

360Rize: 360H6
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
— all weather
360heros-360h6-rig

WetHot360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro Hero Session cameras
— all weather

360Rize: PRO6
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
360Heros-Pro6

Varavon: VR-GH6
— full coverage: 360×180°, 8 GoPro cameras
varavon-vr-gh6

360Rize: PRO7
— full coverage: 360×180°, 7 GoPro cameras
360Heros-Pro7

360Rize: PRO10HD
— full coverage: 360×180°, 10 GoPro cameras
360Heros-H3Pro10HD

Varavon: VR-GH12
— full coverage: 360×180°, 16 GoPro cameras
varavon-vr-gh12-rig

SimplifyVR
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
— all weather option
SimplifyVR-Rigs

iZugar: Z2X
— full coverage: 360×180°, 2 GoPro cameras with custom 194° fisheye lens
izugar-z2x-armor

iZugar: Z3X
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 GoPro cameras with custom 185° fisheye lens
iZugar-Z3X

Freedom360: Freedom360 Trio
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 GoPro cameras with Back-Bone Ribcage to allow for custom fisheye lens
freedom360-broadcaster-3x

Radiant Images: VR 360 GoPro Periscope
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 modified GoPro cameras with 220° fisheye lens

iZugar: Z4XC
— full coverage: 360×180°, 4 GoPro cameras with custom 185° fisheye lens
izugar-z4x-armor

iZugar: Z4XL
— full coverage: 360×180°, 4 Z-Cam E1 cameras (with 220° fisheye lens)
izugar-z4xl

Back-Bone: 360 VR Mounts
— full coverage: 360×180°, GoPro cameras with Back-Bone Ribcage to allow for custom fisheye lens
BackBone-360-VR-Mounts

360 Designs: Mini EYE 4
— full coverage: 360×180°, 4 Blackmagic Micro Cinema cameras or Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with fisheye lens)
— can be genlocked
360-Designs_Mini-EYE-4

360 Designs: Mini EYE 3
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 Blackmagic Micro Cinema cameras or Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with fisheye lens)
— can be genlocked
360-Designs_Mini-EYE-3

Radiant Images: Blackmagic Micro VR 360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 Blackmagic Micro Cinema cameras or Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with fisheye lens)

360Rize: 360Helios 3
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 Blackmagic Micro Cinema cameras or Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with 190° fisheye lens)
— can be genlocked
360helios-3

360Rize: 360Helios 6
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 Blackmagic Micro Cinema cameras or Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with 190° fisheye lens)
— can be genlocked
360helios-6

360Rize: 360Helios 7
— full coverage: 360×180°, 7 Blackmagic Micro Cinema cameras or Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with 190° fisheye lens)
— can be genlocked
360helios-7

360Rize: 360Helios 8
— full coverage: 360×180°, 8 Blackmagic Micro Cinema cameras or Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with 190° fisheye lens)
— can be genlocked
360helios-8

Radiant Images: AXA 360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 10 digital cinema cameras

Radiant Images: Sense 9
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, 7 Canon C300 Mark II cameras (also supports many digital cinema cameras)

Mooovrig
— full coverage: 360×180°, 5 Canon mirrorless cameras (with 180° fisheye lens)

Rig 360 for A01
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, 7 Olympus Air A01 cameras (with fisheye lens)

Bonsai 360° / Cutlass 360° / Excalibur 360°
— full coverage: 360×180°, 4 DSLR or MILC cameras (with fisheye lens)

Kodak: PIXPRO SP360 4k – Dual Pro Pack
— full coverage: 360×180°, 2 Kodak PIXPRO SP360 4k cameras
Kodak-PIXPRO-SP360-4k-Dual-Pro-Pack

Elmo: QBiC Panorama
— full coverage: 360×180°, 4 Elmo QBiC MS-1 cameras
— all weather
Elmo-QBiC-Panorama

Freedom360: Elmo360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 4 Elmo QBiC MS-1 cameras
— all weather
Freedom360-Elmo360

Casio: Exilim EX-FR200 – (using the 360 mount: EAM-8)
— full coverage: 360×180°, 2 detachable lens modules (185° fisheye lens)
— all weather
Casio-Exilim-EX-FR200-360-rig-using-EAM8

Embrace Cinema Gear: VR 360° Camera Rigs
— full coverage: 360×180°, various camera rigs
embrace-cinema-gear_vr-360-camera-rigs

360° Video Rigs: Single Camera Body

These cameras capture monoscopic 360° video through the use of a single camera body with multiple sensors/lenses. Since it behaves as a single unit there are less problems that can arise. But they cannot currently obtain the same high resolution as a multi camera rig.

Sphericam 2
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 6 sensors
— global shutter, genlocked
sphericam-2-camera

Samsung: Gear 360
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (195° fisheye lens)
— underwater depth rating: 40m or 131ft (with case accessory)
Samsung-Gear-360

Samsung: Gear 360 (2017)
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 9 sensors (fisheye lenses)
— 4k resolution limited to 24fps

Nikon: KeyMission 360
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
— 4k & 1080 resolutions limited to 24fps
— underwater depth rating: 30m or 100ft
Nikon-KeyMission360

Kodak: PIXPRO Orbit360 4k
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (with lens covers: 235° & 155° fisheye lenses / without lens covers: 244° & 163° fisheye lenses)
— 4k resolution limited to 24fps
kodak-pixpro-orbit360-4k

GoPro: Fusion
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with 2 sensors

Ricoh: Theta S
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
— teardown of camera
Ricoh-Theta-S

Ricoh: R Development Kit
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
ricoh-r-development-kit

Ricoh: Theta SC
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
— limited to 5 minutes of video recording
ricoh-theta-sc

LG: 360 Cam
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (200° fisheye lens)
LG-360-Cam

Insta360: 4k
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (230° fisheye lens)
Insta360-4k

YI 360 VR Camera
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (220° fisheye lens)

Detu: Twin
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
detu-twin

Idealoeye: C2
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
idealoeye-c2

Luna
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
Luna-360-camera

Indiecam: nakedEYE
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
Indiecam-nakedEYE

Zmer: Sports Camera
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
zmer-sports-camera

Orah: 4i
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 4 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
— genlocked?
Orah-4i

Bublcam
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 4 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
Bublcam-Rig

Vantrix: PRO4-DUAL
—full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (182° panomorph lens)

GO6D: Trie
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 3 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
GO6D-Trie

Z-Cam S1
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 4 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
z-cam-s1

Z-Cam S1 Pro
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 4 sensors (FOV of MFT fisheye lens unknown)
z-cam-s1-pro

Idealoeye: C4
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 4 sensors (185° fisheye lens)
idealoeye-c4-camera

Detu: F4
— full coverage: 360×170°, single camera body with 4 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
detu-f4

Sphericam: Beast
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 4 sensors (190° fisheye lens)
— genlocked?
sphericam-beast

Absolute Zero
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 12 sensors
— genlocked
absolute-zero

SoniCam
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 9 sensors (fisheye lenses)

Insta360: Air
— full coverage: 360×180°, Android attachment with 2 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
insta360-air

Insta360: Nano
— full coverage: 360×180°, iPhone attachment with 2 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
Insta360-Nano-iPhone-attachment

Giroptic: iO
— full coverage: 360×180°, iPhone attachment with 2 sensors (195° fisheye lens)
giroptic-io

Dunkam
— full coverage: 360×180°, Android attachment with 2 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
dunkam

Zmer: Live
— full coverage: 360×180°, Android attachment with 2 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
zmer-live

360° Video Rigs: Stereoscopic

Stereoscopic rigs allow for 360° video to be captured for both your left and right eyes, so a true sense of depth can be achieved in VR. 360-3D is the ultimate dream, but there are many challenges that make it difficult to shoot in 360-3D and not give the viewer a very frustrating experience. (Example problems include: parallax error differences between eyes, exposure differences between eyes, genlocking cameras, getting complete stereo coverage without ignoring the poles, and such big headaches.) The terms stereoscopic, 3D, and S-3D can be used interchangeably.

Facebook: Surround 360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 17 Point Grey cameras (one 185° fisheye lens facing up and two 185° fisheye lenses facing down)
— global shutter, genlocked
— open source stitching software – more info

Facebook: Surround 360 x24 / Surround 360 x6
—full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 6 or 24 sensors

360Rize: 360Orb
— full coverage: 360×180°, 24 GoPro cameras
360Heros-360Orb

360Rize: 3DPRO12
— full coverage: 360×180°, 12 GoPro cameras
360Heros-3DH3Pro12

360Rize: 3DPRO12H
— full coverage: 360×180°, 12 GoPro cameras
360Heros-3DH3Pro12H

360Rize: 3DPRO14H
— full coverage: 360×180°, 14 GoPro cameras
360Heros-3DH3Pro14H

iZugar: Z6X3D
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras with custom 194° fisheye lens
iZugar-Z6X3D

NextVR
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, 6 EPIC-M RED Dragon cameras
— global shutter, can be genlocked
NextVR-Digital-Cinema-Camera

HypeVR
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, 14 EPIC-M RED Dragon cameras
— collects LiDAR data with the Velodyne HDL-32E
— global shutter, can be genlocked
HypeVR-Rig

Cinegears: Hex VR Rig
— coverage: FOV varies based on setup, 6 to 14 digital cinema cameras
cinegears-hex-vr-rig

Radiant Images: Codex ActionCam VR 360 Blossom
— full coverage: 360×180°, 17 Codex ActionCam cameras
— global shutter, genlocked?
Radiant-Images-Codex-ActionCam-VR-360-Blossom

360 Designs: EYE
— full coverage: 360×180°, 8 to 42 cameras depending on configuration: Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Camera (self-contained) or Blackmagic Design Micro Studio Camera 4k (wired operation)
— can be genlocked
360-Designs-EYE

WeMakeVR: Falcon VR Camera
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 14 sensors
WeMakeVR-Falcon-VR-Camera

Panocam3D: POD
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 18 sensors
Panocam-HMC

360° Video Rigs: Stereoscopic / Single Camera Body

These cameras capture stereoscopic 360° video through the use of a single camera body with multiple sensors/lenses. Since it behaves as a single unit there are less problems that can arise. Stereoscopic rigs allow for 360° video to be captured for both your left and right eyes, so a true sense of depth can be achieved in VR. 360-3D is the ultimate dream, but there are many challenges that make it difficult to shoot in 360-3D and not give the viewer a very frustrating experience. (Example problems include: parallax error differences between eyes, exposure differences between eyes, genlocking cameras, getting complete stereo coverage without ignoring the poles, and such big headaches.) The terms stereoscopic, 3D, and S-3D can be used interchangeably.

Jaunt: ONE – J1-24G
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 24 sensors
— 24G: global shutter, 24R: rolling shutter, genlocked
— The Cinematic VR Field Guide
Jaunt-ONE

Nokia: OZO+
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 8 sensors (195° fisheye lens)
— global shutter, genlocked
Nokia-OZO

Insta360: Pro
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 6 sensors (200° fisheye lens)
insta360-pro-camera

Vuze
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 8 sensors
vuze-camera-on-tripod

Samsung: Project Beyond
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 18 sensors

KanDao: Obsidian R / Obsidian S
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with 6 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
— genlocked?

Live Planet: Explore
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 16 sensors (180° fisheye lens)
— genlocked

Hubblo
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with 6 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
hubblo-camera

Z-Cam V1 Pro
—full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 9 sensors

Idealoeye: P21
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 21 sensors
idealoeye-p21

DKVision Aura
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with unknown amount of sensors

360° Video Rigs: Scuba

To take a 360° video rig underwater, you can’t simply put it within a glass box… The lens optics would be affected by the refraction of the water. So these rigs have built-in compensation and allow you to capture 360° without any problems.

360Rize: 360Abyss
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
— underwater depth rating: 1000m or 3280ft, negative/positive/neutral buoyancy (anodized or poly carbonate versions)
— overview of the v4 redesign
360Heros-360Abyss

Kolor: Abyss
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
— underwater depth rating: 150m or 492ft
Kolor-Abyss-Rig

Varavon: VR-MARINE 6
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras with Entaniya 220° fisheye lenses and Back-Bone Ribcage
— underwater depth rating: 300m or 984ft
varavon-vr-marine-6

360Rize: H3ScubaH6
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
— underwater depth rating: 61m or 200ft
360Heros-H3ScubaH6

360Rize: 360SeaDak
— full coverage: 360×180°, 2 Kodak PIXPRO SP360 4k cameras
— underwater depth rating: 130m or 426ft
360rize-360seadak

Boxfish 360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 Z-Cam E1 cameras (185° fisheye lens)
— underwater depth rating: 300m or 984ft
boxfish-360

Varavon: VR-MARINE 3
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 GoPro cameras with Entaniya 220° fisheye lenses and Back-Bone Ribcage
— underwater depth rating: 300m or 984ft
varavon-vr-marine-3

360bubble
— polycarbonate globe for suitable for Ricoh Theta S, Samsung Gear 360, Nikon Keymission 360, LG 360 CA
— underwater depth rating varies based on model: 4m (13ft) / 10m (33ft)
360bubble-underwater-housing

360° Video Rigs: Scuba Stereoscopic

Taking a 360° video rig underwater is a serious endeavor. And shooting in stereoscopic makes it even more difficult.

VRTUL 1
— full coverage: 360×180°, 9 Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with fisheye lens)
— underwater depth rating: 30m or 100ft, slightly positive buoyancy

VRTUL: AquaTerra
— full coverage: 360×180°, 30 GoPro cameras
— underwater depth rating: 40m or 131ft, neutral buoyancy
vrtul-aquaterra-rig-underwater

360° Video Rigs: Invisible Drone

Attaching a 360° video rig to a drone is easy. But allowing the drone itself to be hidden within the shot is a special trick.

3DR Solo Drone Quadcopter: 360 Mount for the Kodak PIXPRO SP360 4k
— full coverage: 360×180°, 2 PIXPRO SP360 4k cameras
3DR-Solo-Drone-Quadcopter-and-360-Mount-for-the-Kodak-PIXPRO-SP360-4k

Drone Volt: Drone Janus 360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 10 GoPro cameras
DroneVolt_Drone-Janus-360

360Rize: 360 Orb
— full coverage: 360×180°, 12 GoPro cameras
360Heros-360Orb

Spherie
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
Spherie-Drone

Queen B Robotics: Exo360
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 5 sensors (210° fisheye lens)
Queen-B-Robotics-Exo360

Flying EYE
— full coverage: 360×180°, 3 Blackmagic Micro Studio cameras (with fisheye lens)

Custom Drone Rigs
— Gimbal-Guard: Kodak 360 rig
— Fly 360°
— Helicopter 360 Rig
— Panono Drone
— Pictures Fabryc: Alta8 VR 360 Drone with stabilization
— NS VR Gimbal
— Ammergauer Alpen: 360 video drone – example footage
— Intel Realsense Drone
— VR-Eye Cam – Drone Camera
— Viooa – Drone Camera
— Thanics: Halo
— DJI Mavic Pro: Dual Gear 360 / DJI Mavic Pro: Gear 360 & Kodak SP360 4k

Stabilize 360 footage from a drone
— How to Stabilize 360 Drone Footage in After Effects using the SkyBox Studio plugin

360° Video Rigs: First-Person POV

To tell the story from a first-person point of view, you have to be within their head. These rigs allow you to see though the actors eyes and capture their body movements too.

Radiant Images: Mobius POV VR 360
— full coverage: 360×180°, 17 GoPro cameras
Radiant-Images-Mobius-POV-VR-360

Varavon: VR Helmet
— full coverage: 360×180°, 17 GoPro cameras
varavon-vr-helmet

ADAPA: Nimbus VR
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, amount of GoPro cameras unknown
adapa-nimbus-vr

ADAPA: Pulsar VR
— full coverage: 360×180°, 23 GoPro cameras
adapa-pulsar-vr

Panocam3D: HMC
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 24 sensors
— stereoscopic
Panocam3D-HMC

Custom Helmet Rigs
— 360 Video Helmet Rig
— Homemade Helmet Rig
— Making a POV 360 Camera Rig

360° Camera Motion: Remote Control Cars

By using an R/C car, you can be hidden from the shot and also capture smooth motion. These options specifically include 360 video rigs.

— Motion Impossible: Mantis 360° – in the field photos
— VRoomCam
— Fly Through Films: Freefly Tero R/C Car – video of rig
— Miami 360 VR: Freefly Tero R/C Car – photo of rig
— 360 Virtual Tourist: HPI Savage Flux HP R/C Car – photo of rig
— 10 Camera Canon Vixia – Freefly Tero R/C Car
— Dolly360
— RigRover – photo of rig

360° Camera Motion: Gyro Stabilization

Relying on a gyroscopic stabilizer is the best way to capture smooth motion while walking, driving, or flying. These active and passive stabilizers are specifically designed for 360 video rigs.

— Kenyon Gyro Stabilizer
— WenPod Tarzan-G & Tarzan-A – electronic stabilization demo
— Varavon Birdycam VR 360
— TG20 360VR Stabilizer Gimbal
— OwlDolly: Guru Air 360° Camera Stabilizer
— OwlDolly: Guru 360° Camera Stabilizer
— FeiyuTech G360 Panoramic Camera Gimbal
— SkyEdge 360: active stabilization system
— Ricoh Theta S and The Beholder gimbal rig – example footage
— Polar Effect: Philon 360 stabilized camera rig (working prototype) – video
— Custom rig for skiing
— Kodak PIXPRO Orbit360 gimball rig (Prototype)
— Zhiyun Smooth-II hack

360° Video Streaming Hardware

Streaming live 360 video is a tricky challenge and requires special hardware to make it reliable. But with these specialized boxes you can easily monitor the video feeds, stitch, and stream to the web.

Teradek: Sphere
— Monitoring and streaming solution for up to 8 GoPro cameras
teradek-sphere

Partial 360° Video Rigs

These rigs are definitely thought of as 360° video because they capture the entire sky and horizon, but the ground isn’t captured (often the tripod).

Freedom360: F360 Broadcaster
— partial coverage: 360×140°, 6 GoPro cameras
Freedom360-F360-Broadcaster

360Rize: PRO6L
— partial coverage: 360×120°, 6 GoPro cameras
360Heros-H3Pro6N

Radiant Images: Dark Corner
— partial coverage: 360×155°, 4 Sony A7S MKII cameras (180° fisheye lens)
radiant-images-dark-corner

Totavision: Fulldome Camera
— partial coverage: 360×110°, 11 Toshiba IK-HD1 cameras
— cameras are placed around a virtual center. This arrangement allows parallax-free image stitching of distances larger than ~3 meters.
Totavision-Fulldome-Camera

Sphericam 1
— partial coverage: 360×138°, single camera body with 4 sensors (170° fisheye lens)
Sphericam-1

Immersive Media: Hex
— partial coverage: 360×144°, single camera body with 6 sensors
— 15fps at full resolution / 25fps at half resolution
Immersive-Media-Hex

Giroptic: 360cam
— partial coverage: 360×150°, single camera body with 3 sensors (185° fisheye lens)
Giroptic-360-Cam

PanoptikonVR
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, 14 GoPro cameras
— stereoscopic

Partial 360° Video Rigs: Stereoscopic

These stereoscopic rigs are definitely thought of as 360° video because they capture the entire sky and horizon, but the ground isn’t captured (often the tripod).

YI HALO VR Camera
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, 17 YI 4k+ Action cameras

Varavon: VR-GS3D
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, 8 GoPro cameras
varavon-vr-gs3d

Cylindrical Video Rigs

These rigs only capture the horizon. So the sky and the ground are not captured. (But there are some tricks to fill in these empty areas, such as heavily blurring some of footage and stretching into this zone. Or taking a still photo prior to the shoot and patching it in later.)

360Rize: H3Pro7HD
— partial coverage: 360×120°, 7 GoPro cameras
360Heros-H3Pro7HD

Immersive Media: Quattro
— partial coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with 4 sensors
— 15fps max
Immersive-Media-Quattro

Fraunhofer HHI: OmniCam-360
— partial coverage: 360×60°, 10 Micro HD cameras
— global shutter, genlocked?
— cameras are placed around a virtual center. This arrangement allows parallax-free image stitching of distances larger than 1 meter.
Fraunhofer-HHI-OmniCam360

Totavision: Cylindrical Camera
— partial coverage: 360×37°, 8 Toshiba IK-HD1 cameras
— cameras are placed around a virtual center. This arrangement allows parallax-free image stitching of distances larger than ~3 meters.
Totavision-Cylindrical-Camera Palace of Versailles footage / making-of

Cylindrical Video Rigs: Stereoscopic

These rigs only capture the horizon in stereo. So the sky and the ground are not captured. This approach makes dealing with stereo challenges much easier to swallow.

GoPro: Odyssey / Google Jump
— partial coverage: 360×120°, 16 GoPro cameras
— genlocked
— custom stitching service in the Google cloud: The Assembler
GoPro-Odyssey_Google-Jump

Intel: Voke VR
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, 12 custom cameras
— global shutter? genlocked?
voke-vr-camera-rig

Fraunhofer HHI: 3D OmniCam-360
— partial coverage: 360×60°, 20 Micro HD cameras
— global shutter, genlocked?
— cameras are placed around a virtual center. This arrangement allows parallax-free image stitching of distances larger than 2 meters.
Fraunhofer-HHI-3D-OmniCam360

Cylindrical Video Rigs: Parabolic Mirror

This technique has been around for a while. Basically one camera is precisely aimed at a specially crafted parabolic mirror. And so the mirror warps the whole horizon into the camera lens. But the sky and the ground are not captured. Since it only uses one camera, your end resolution is limited… But you don’t have to do any stitching. (Other major problems include: dust magnet, mirror surface quality, irregularly warping of image, image sharpness, and flares.)

(sphere) Pro
— partial coverage: exact FOV unknown, lens for a digital cinema camera or DSLR
sphere-pro

VSN Mobil: V.360
— partial coverage: 360×60°, single camera body with 1 sensor
VSN-Mobil-V360

Pano Pro MKII
— partial coverage: 360×120°, lens for a DSLR
Pano-Pro-MKII

0-360 Panoramic Optic
— partial coverage: 360×115°, lens for a DSLR
0-360-Panoramic-Optic

Eye Mirror
— partial coverage: exact FOV unknown, lens for a DSLR
Eye-Mirror

GoPano: Plus
— partial coverage: 360×100°, lens for a DSLR
GoPano-Plus

Eye Mirror: Wet Lens
— partial coverage: exact FOV unknown, lens for a DSLR
— underwater depth rating unknown
eyemirror-wet-lens

ActionCam360
— partial coverage: 360×90°, attachment for GoPro housing
— all weather

Eye Mirror: GP 360
— partial coverage: exact FOV unknown, attachment for GoPro housing
— can go underwater up to 50m or 165ft
eye-mirror-gp360

Kogeto: Joey
— partial coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with 1 sensor
Kogeto-Jo

Kogeto: Lucy
— partial coverage: 360×100°, single camera body with 1 sensor
— in-depth experimentation
Kogeto-Lucy

Kogeto: Dot
— partial coverage: 360×63°, attachment for iPhone
Kogeto-Dot

BubbleScope
— partial coverage: 360×62°, attachment for iPhone

GoPano: Micro
— partial coverage: 360×82°, attachment for iPhone
GoPano-micro

Remote Reality: Hummingbird360
— partial coverage: 360×70°, attachment for PointGrey Flea3 or Grasshopper
Remote-Reality-Hummingbird360

Interesting Research
— Panoramic Stereo Videos Using a Single Camera and a 3D printed coffee-filter style mirror

360° Light Field Rigs

A 360° light field camera enables virtual views to be generated from any point, facing any direction, with any field of view. Meaning that you can experience Six Degrees of Freedom (6DoF), and you can actually lean into the shot and change your perspective. It is the holy grail of VR.

Lytro: Immerge
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, dense light field camera array
— presentation by Jon Karafin (Head of Light Field Video for Lytro)
Lytro-Immerge

Interesting Research
— OTOY 360 light field experiment
— Axial-Cones: Modeling Spherical Catadioptric Cameras for Wide-Angle Light Field Rendering

360° Photography Rigs

There are a bunch of techniques to capture a 360° photo. But here are some photography rigs which automate or simplify the process.

Panono
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 36 sensors
Panono

NCTech: LASiris VR
— full coverage: 360×150°, single camera body
— photo camera and LiDAR scanner

NCTech: iSTAR Fusion
— partial coverage: 360×137°, single camera body with 4 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
nctech-istar-fusion

NCTech: iris360 Pro
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with 4 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)

NCTech: iris360
— partial coverage: 360×137.5°, single camera body with 4 sensors (FOV of fisheye lens unknown)
NCTech-iris360

Tesseract: Methane
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with 1 sensor

Ocam: Staro
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 17 sensors
ocam-staro

PanoHero
— full coverage: 360×180°, 1 GoPro camera
— stereo version available
panohero-pro-h

Squito
— coverage: exact FOV unknown, single camera body with 3 sensors
Squito

GigaPan: Epic
— motorized drive which automatically captures multi-gigapixel panoramas
GigaPan-Epic

Roundshot: VR Drive
— motorized drive which automatically captures multi-gigapixel panoramas
Roundshot-VR-Drive

BubblePod
— motorized turntable for smartphones, optional clip-on 120° lens

Pivotsphere
— tripod mount for manually shooting 360 photos with smartphone
pivotsphere-tripod-mount

Lomography: Spinner 360° / Motorizer
— 35mm still film camera for slit-scan photography

Lomography: Fisheye One / Fisheye Submarine
— 35mm still film camera with built-in 170° fisheye lens (cropped fisheye image)
— underwater depth rating: 20m or 65ft
lomography-fisheye-one-camera

Fisheye lens attachments for iPhone/Android
— photo mode: partially cropped fisheye image
— video mode: mostly cropped fisheye image (video crop amount differs between iPhone & Android)
— lenses such as: Beastgrip, CamKix, iPro, iZZi Gadgets, Mobi-Lens, Olloclip, Optrix, Photojojo, Ztylus

And then there is this!
Guinness-2003-Worlds-Most-Useless-Invention

Fisheye Video Rigs

Shooting with a fisheye lens means that you’re capturing at least 180° and it’s being projected onto the camera sensor in a circular format. Fisheye footage can be projected directly into a dome and be instantly immersive. But the footage can easily be warped into the spherical format too.

Kodak: PIXPRO SP360 4k / PIXPRO SP360
— PIXPRO SP360 4k has built-in 235° fisheye lens
— PIXPRO SP360 has built-in 214° fisheye lens
— underwater depth rating: 60m or 197ft (with case accessory)
kodak-pixpro-sp360-4k-camera

360Fly 4k / 360Fly HD
— camera with built-in 240° fisheye lens
— 360Fly 4k – underwater depth rating: 10m or 33ft
— 360Fly HD – underwater depth rating: 50m or 165ft
360Fly-4k

iZugar: Z-Cam E1 using MKX22 Lens
— Z-Cam E1 with a 220° fisheye lens
izugar-zcam-e1-using-mkx22-lens

Vantrix: PRO25 / AQUA Horizontal / AQUA Vertical / PRO4
— camera with built-in 182° panomorph lens
— underwater version has depth rating: 100m or 328ft

Casio: Exilim EX-FR200
— camera with detachable 185° fisheye lens
— all weather
Casio-Exilim-EX-FR200

Dome3D: GP185
— GoPro camera with custom 185° fisheye lens
Dome3D-GP185

Beon
— camera with built-in fisheye lens (FOV unknown)
beon-wrist-camera

MySight360
— camera with built-in 240° fisheye lens
— all weather

CyclopsGear: Cyclops 360°
— camera with built-in 220° fisheye lens
— underwater depth rating: 50m or 165ft
cyclopsgear-cyclops360

Tamaggo
— camera with built-in 240° fisheye lens
Tamaggo-camera

Entaniya: Entapano C-01
— camera with built-in 183° fisheye lens
— all weather (with case accessory)
Entaniya-Entapano-C-01

Entaniya: Entapano2
— camera with built-in 250° fisheye lens
Entaniya-Entapano2

Camorama
— camera with built-in 230° fisheye lens

Detu: Sphere S / Sphere 800
— camera with built-in 236° fisheye lens
detu-sphere-s

Oncam Evolution-12 Outdoor
— camera with built-in 185° fisheye lens
— 12fps at 9.6MP / 30fps at 2MP
— all weather (typically used as a security camera)
Oncam-Evolution12-Outdoor

Digital Cinema Camera Options
— RED Scarlet with fisheye lens experiments: Paul Bourke & Home Run Pictures
— below is a slide from the presentation: “Seeking the Ideal Fulldome Camera” by Jim Arthurs – (IMERSA Summit 2013)

Cheap but Unproven Fisheye Cameras
— Eken H8 – 170° fisheye lens
— AMKOV AMK-100S – 220° fisheye lens / underwater depth rating: 30m or 100ft
— CUBE360 GVT100M – 190° fisheye lens / max 28fps
— Sunchip Panorama XDV360 – 220° fisheye lens
— HDKing V1 Pro – 220° fisheye lens
— X360 camera – 190° fisheye lens

Fisheye Video Rigs: Stereoscopic

Shooting with a fisheye lens means that you’re capturing at least 180° and it’s being projected onto the camera sensor in a circular format. But if you shoot with fisheye lenses that are higher than 180°, then you will see the lens itself within the edges of the shots. There are tricks to deal with this, but it’s an interesting challenge.

TwoEyes VR
— single camera body with 4 sensors (180° fisheye lens)
— Kickstarter project
twoeyes-vr

Lucid Cam
— single camera body with 2 sensors (180° fisheye lens)
— prototype adapter allows for 360° stereoscopic video
Lucid-Cam

IX Image: Omnipolar Camera Rig
— 3 cameras with fisheye lens
— custom stitching solution to enable stereo stitching without pole region issues
— potential to create 360° video (3 cams facing up, 3 cams facing down)
IX-Image-Omnipolar-Camera-Rig

Tutorial
— Building a 3D Camera: Wide-Angle Stereoscopic Video for Cinematic VR

Fisheye Lens: GoPro or MFT Cameras

360 video rigs can greatly benefit from using a fisheye lens to increase the amount of footage overlap, which allows the seams to be better hidden when stitched. A fisheye lens captures at least 180° and is projected onto the camera sensor in a circular format. Due to the necessary compact nature of 360 video rigs, only lenses which support GoPro cameras or MFT cameras (Micro Four Thirds) are listed below.

Entaniya: GoPro Fisheye Lenses
— 220°, 250°, 280° fisheye lenses for GoPro cameras using Back-Bone Ribcage
entaniya-gopro-fisheye-lenses

Entaniya: Fisheye HAL 250
— 250° fisheye lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras

iZugar: MKX22 Fisheye Lens for MFT Cameras
— 220° fisheye lens for Micro Four Thirds cameras
izugar-zcam-e1-using-mkx22-lens

iZugar: Fisheye Lenses for GoPro Cameras
— MKX13: 185° fisheye lens
— MKX19: 194° fisheye lens
izugar-rigs-using-mkx13-and-mkx19-fisheye-lenses

360° Video Rigs: Less than 30fps

For VR and domes, a capture rate of at least 30 frames per seconds is an absolute requirement. Anything less and it’s simply too hard of an experience for the viewer.

ALLie
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (188° fisheye lens)
— 20fps
allie_camera

Ricoh: Theta m15
— full coverage: 360×180°, single camera body with 2 sensors (180° fisheye lens)
— 15fps, 5 minutes max of video recording
— teardown of camera
Ricoh-Theta-m15

Point Grey: Ladybug5
— partial coverage: 360×162°, single camera body with 6 sensors
— 5fps uncompressed / 10fps compressed
— global shutter, genlocked?
— in-depth experimentation
Point-Grey-Ladybug5

Point Grey: Ladybug3
— partial coverage: 360×144°, single camera body with 6 sensors
— 6.5fps uncompressed / 16fps compressed
— global shutter, genlocked?
Point-Grey-Ladybug3

Point Grey: Ladybug2
— partial coverage: 360×135°, single camera body with 6 sensors
— 15fps uncompressed / 30fps compressed
— global shutter, genlocked?
Point-Grey-Ladybug2

VideoPanoramas
— partial coverage: 360×162°, single camera body with 3 sensors
— 10 FPS at 5MP / 15 FPS at 3MP / 30 FPS at 1.3MP

360° Video Rigs: Wild and Unique

In my research I’ve stumbled across many unique camera systems. Many of which are fascinating but are either not being used anymore, defy categorization, currently a prototype, or perhaps was a singular creation.

— Immersive Media: Mapping Presentation 2012
— Immersive Media: Dodeca 2360 – more info
— The original cube from Freedom360
— Elphel Eyesis4Pi
— Canon Vixia / 24 camera rig
— Overview One
— Panoptic Camera
— FullView Camera Rig
— The Mill – Custom Red Dragon Camera Rig
— FascinatE’s Omnicam ARRI Alexa M Rig
— IC720
— Social Animal: SA9
— Sensocto
— IPIX Media360
— Occam Omni Stereo
— Panasonic Dive
— Pentax Prototype
— Live Capture Using Panoramic Photography with One Camera
— 6 GoPro Cameras with six Entaniya fisheye lenses
— 360 video using five Canon M cameras
— Calibration of Omnidirectional Cameras in Practice
— TENGO2VR Q-1 Mark II
— Pi Of Sauron – 3D Printed, Raspberry Pi 360 Video Rig
— Making VR Video with the Kodak PIXPRO SP360
— Spherecam
— GoPro Session Rig
— Aposematic Jacket
— Nodal Ninja Multi-Cam Pano bracket system
— 3D printed Xiaomi Yi Rig
— GoPro Session: 3D printed rig
— Shooting 360° Video in 48K Using 12 Sony Xperia Z5 Smartphones
— Nikon Multi-Ball (prototype)
— Custom 3D 360 Rig using 13 Xiaomi Cameras
— 360 rig using six Flare 4KSDI cameras
— Tripletcam
— ALLie Go
— Genlocked GoPro Rig – tested with fast moving footage
— GoPro Omni announcement
— Handmade 360 rig using SJ400 cameras (x13)
— Brahma 360
— Fisheye lens rig
— Quantum Leap Pro
— Shuoying PDV3600
— GO6D: nine new 360 cameras planned
— Insta360 Nano – 360 camera attachment
— Handmade 360VR 2D/3D Rig
— Condition One Reveal ‘Bison’ Cinematic VR Camera
— The Open 360 Camera Hardware Repository
— Ricoh WG-M1: 360 rig
— Prototype Back-Bone GoPro with sensor & fisheye lens attached via ribbon cable extension
— Prototype iZugar GoPro rig with sensors & fisheye lens attached via ribbon cable extensions
— Using the iPhone front and rear cameras to capture 360 video (with fisheye lenses) – example footage
— Yezz announces Sfera smartphone with a 360-degree camera
— Android phone owners can record 360-degree VR video with NeoEye
— Visual Effects Society: VR Post Production (includes camera discussions) – p1, p2, p3
— Open-Source Panoramic Video: Bloggie + OpenFrameworks & Processing
— LV2 rocket 360 camera
— Bivrost 360 rig
— SmartPano 360
— Water cooled GoPro blocks for battery compartment
— UCVR Eye: 3D 180 video or fold camera to capture 360 video
— I-mmersive VEYE
— Nico360
— Orb VR
— TwoEyes VR
— Back-Bone Modulus Sensor Housing – enables you to use a sensor extension ribbon and place the image sensor away from the camera body
— Canon 360 rig using five ME200S-SH super35mm CMOS cameras
— Alcatel 360
— Yi Jump rig
— UW Guerrilla: Rigs 1 & Rigs 2
— Kodak SP360 4k with Entaniya 280° lens installed
— Google Jump rig using Xiaomi cameras
— GoPro Omni teardown and used to create a genlocked custom rig
— Go!PanoS1
— Briskeye
— Panasonic Prototype 360 Camera Rig
— Aleta S2
— Kandao Obsidian
— 360 light stick concept
— DKvision Aura: Cinematic VR Camera
— Hacking Samsung Gear 360 for 8K 360 timelapse
— Cinegears: Helius 6 – Intervideo: Helius rigs
— Drexel Digital Media Department: 360° Studio Camera Rig
— GoXtreme WVR20, VR27, WVR21, VR40 Live
— GoPro is developing a consumer spherical camera
— VantaVR – Red Epic Dragon 360 rig
— XL Catlin Seaview SVII camera
— Boxfish 360 rig with clever underwater lighting system
— PMast – rig using spherical lens with fiber-optic strands – more info
— iZugar Z8XL prototype
— Iliad Syncbox Dual GoPro Fisheye Rig
— Interesting combinations of 360 video cameras to enable dailies previewing
— Polaroid R360
— Occly – wearable personal safety device
— Ebeeii PE-1 & Ebeeii ME-1
— TE720
— Custom GoPro with sensor extension, fisheye lens, aluminum cooling faceplate, and genlock box
— Custom GoPro rig with sensor extensions and fisheye lens
— Kodak SP360 4k with custom 280° fisheye lens
— FirstLook360 – rescue operations camera
— Leica BLK360 – 360 LiDAR scanner
— Lighting ring for ZCAM S-Series
— Drivers perspective 360 rig – extremely unwise and dangerous
— Digital Domain’s proprietary 360 camera
— VERD A7 – combining Sony alpha 7 MKII and Ricoh THETA in the blind spot for preview

360° Video Rigs: DIY 3D Printing

So 360° video isn’t hard enough for you? You want to 3D print your own rig too?

— YI Build VR Camera
— Purple Pill VR – 3D models for 360 mono, 360 stereo, Google Jump
— Thingiverse: Cylindrical Stereo Mobius Rig – in-depth experimentation
— Thingiverse: Collection of 360 video rigs
— Thingiverse: search for 360 video rigs
— Shapeways: search for 360 video rigs
— Sumo360 Rig
— SJ4000 360 Rig
— IncreDesigns
— Cardboard 360 video rig
— Mirrored light bulb for super cheap cylindrical video capture

Custom Mounting Base for the Kodak PIXPRO SP360 4k rig
— Stereoscopic 360 Mounting Base
— Dual mounting base & bracket (includes USB & HDMI access port)
— Dual mounting base (includes USB & HDMI access port, tripod mount)
— SP360 to GoPro mount converter
— 3 Camera Mount for Underwater Housings

Unsuccessful Kickstarter Projects

Sadly these Kickstarter projects weren’t funded since they didn’t reach their goal. But they are unique and deserve to be recognized.

Blocks Camera
— modular camera rig with 4 sensors
Blocks-Camera

Centr Cam
— partial coverage: 360×56°, single camera body with 4 sensors
Centr-Cam

Shot
— iPhone attachment with dual 235° fisheye lenses
Shot-iPhone-attachment

Occube
— full coverage: 360×180°, 6 GoPro cameras
Occube

Lensbaby Circular 180+ for GoPro camera
— GoPro housing attachment with 185° fisheye lens
— plug and play (no camera modding required)
Lensbaby-Circular-180-for-GoPro-Camera

History of 360° Film

The concept of capturing a huge panoramic perspective isn’t a new one. There are been some fascinating projects early in film history. And only now is that dream being fully realized.

Early Cylindrical Film History
— Cinéorama (1900 Paris Exposition)
— Lumière Photorama (1902)
— Circarama (Disneyland)

Early 360° Video
— Page of Omnidirectional Vision
— Dynamic Surround Video
— Shooting 360-degree video with four GoPro HD Hero cameras
— Canon 5D Mark II fisheye rig

Spherecam
— Dual 35mm film fisheye rig – More info

360Heros-HungryShark
Photo Source

Blueprint to Blastoff: Free Engineering Materials for the Planetarium or Classroom

Posted on October 2, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

We are offering 3 distinct educational modules, focusing on aspects of spacecraft engineering, to anyone with a planetarium or classroom who would like to use them. They supplement, but are independent of our newest show From Dream to Discovery: Inside NASA and are being shared free of charge.

This article was written by Talia Sepersky. She currently works as a planetarium educator at the Charles Hayden Planetarium, Museum of Science, Boston.

SECTIONS
— Intro: Putting the “E” back in “STEM”
— Module 1: Fixing the Hubble Space Telescope
— Module 2: Gravity And Space Travel
— Module 3: Design a Mission
— The Guides
— 4k Downloads
— Teacher Bundles

Intro: Putting the “E” back in “STEM”

When it comes to STEM, planetarium shows tend to be very good at covering the science, technology, and even the math portions, but engineering often gets left out. To help fill this void, in 2013 we, the staff of the Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science, Boston, teamed up with NASA to make a planetarium show about spacecraft engineering. The result of this partnership is the show “From Dream to Discovery: Inside NASA,” which explores what it takes to design, test, build, and fly a successful space mission.

As much as we would have liked to, we could not talk in detail about every part of spacecraft engineering during the show. However, through the partnership with NASA, we were able to expand on a few engineering topics from the show in three separate, supplementary education modules. We are extremely pleased to be able to offer these modules to anyone who wants to use them completely free of charge.

The modules themselves have three very different lengths, styles, and topics, and are designed to be presented in different ways. They can be used on a planetarium dome, and a flatscreen version permits their use on a conventional screen as well. Although each goes into depth on topics that are raised in “From Dream to Discovery: Inside NASA,” they all stand on their own and require no knowledge of the show itself. The three modules are: “Fixing the Hubble Space Telescope”, “Gravity and Space Travel”, and “Design a Mission”.

Module 1: Fixing the Hubble Space Telescope

We’ve found that many people in our audiences know that there was something wrong with Hubble when it launched, and that it was eventually fixed. However, few people tend to be aware of the details. The first of our modules, “Fixing the Hubble Space Telescope,” goes into some of those details. It’s the most straightforward of the three modules, consisting of a single video approximately eight minutes long. Large portions of the narration are undertaken by Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman, a former astronaut who flew on the first Hubble servicing mission.

With this module we wanted to focus on a specific case of spacecraft engineering, and Hubble Servicing Mission 1 provides a fantastic real life example. We also wanted to bring in the idea that failures can be instructive.

This module starts by introducing Hubble in space, and then describing how astronomers realized the telescope had a flaw, using some of Hubble’s earliest observations to make the point. It then takes Hubble apart to show the primary mirror and allow Dr. Hoffman to describe exactly what went wrong with making it.

While still looking at a cutaway view of Hubble, Dr. Hoffman goes on to explain the “fix” designed by engineers to repair Hubble, describing the arrangement of mirrors that allowed light entering Hubble’s tube to be refocused before landing on the detection instruments. While he is providing the narration, the visuals show this in action, following a light path all the way through Hubble to the instruments.

The module then moves on to the installation of the new optics on Hubble, with Dr. Hoffman talking about the work on the shuttle mission. This is accompanied by visuals of Hubble and the space shuttle in space, as well as actual video clips from the mission. In one of our favorite parts of this module, Dr. Hoffman shares his story of receiving the phone call that let him know the fix had worked, as well as some thoughts on what it felt like to actually touch Hubble. Some of the visuals for this portion include Hubble images, comparing pictures of the same objects before and after the repair.

The module concludes with the idea that we can learn from failures like Hubble’s. To quote Dr. Hoffman at the module’s end, “The important thing, though, is if you do have a failure, you really need to be able to learn from it. To have a failure that you don’t learn anything from, that’s tragic.”

Module 2: Gravity And Space Travel

It turns out that describing what goes on during a gravity assist can be tricky business. This module introduces some of the mechanics of the momentum transfer that happens during a gravity assist maneuver through Earth-based and space-based examples, as well as describing some of the various ways gravity assists can be used in a space mission.

Since gravity assists can be a tough subject to teach and the depth a presenter goes into will vary widely with different audiences, we designed this module to be as flexible as possible. It is broken up into five segments, each about 1-2 minutes in length (for a total of about 7 minutes of video). Each segment can be presented independently of the others if the presenter only wants to use some but not all. They can also follow after each other, with each segment building on the one before.

We created this format with the idea of using live interpretations in between each of the segments, to reiterate or emphasize the content covered in the previous segment and set up for the next one. However—maximum flexibility!—they can also be strung together to create one unbroken video, depending on the presenter’s preferred style. The core ideas behind momentum transfer and gravity assists are presented in segments 2 and 3, so our recommendation is that at least these two be used.

Segment 1 is relatively straightforward. It starts with the idea that spacecraft travel is often not as easy as pointing the spacecraft at its destination and giving it a push. It introduces the terms “gravity assist” and “momentum transfer” and also defines the word “momentum.”

Segment 2’s purpose is to help the audience gain a better understand of the transfer of momentum using an Earth-based example. To this end, we enlisted the help of a local roller derby team. We wanted to emphasize the idea that gravity assists work not just because the planets are large (i.e. have a lot of gravity) but because they are also moving (i.e. have a lot of momentum).

For this, we had one skater (designated Skater One) hold still and whip her teammates around her as they approach. While her teammates’ paths change, their speed remains more or less the same. We then recreated the same scenario with Skater One also in motion. This time, when she whips her teammates around, their speed increases noticeably even as Skater One’s decreases, due to the momentum transfer between them.

Segment 3 builds on the Earth-based example with a space-based one, specifically the New Horizons gravity assist flyby of Jupiter in February 2007. It starts by looking at what would have happened if New Horizons had gone directly from Earth to Pluto, then looks at the Jupiter flyby. The visuals show an overhead view of New Horizons approaching Jupiter and then visibly increasing its speed as it flies past. This segment uses some actual numbers to get across how much momentum Jupiter has to spare and to emphasize the fact that the planet is, for all practical purposes, not actually affected by losing some. It ends by describing the changes in New Horizons’ speed and flight time as a result of the flyby.

Since Segment 3 presents how a gravity assist can be used to speed a spacecraft up, Segment 4 explores how one can be used to slow a spacecraft down. It shows how the angle at which a spacecraft approaches a planet determines whether the planet transfers momentum to the spacecraft (to speed the spacecraft up) or the spacecraft transfers momentum to the planet (to slow the spacecraft down). It also re-emphasizes the idea that, no matter what the spacecraft does, it will have no practical effect on the planet.

The final segment, Segment 5, brings up the use of multiple gravity assists in a single mission, requiring careful planning many years in advance. To conclude, it loops back to the idea raised in Segment 1 that many space missions are only possible with the use of gravity assists (showing some of the rather convoluted paths these missions took), and that by making clever use of them we have vastly expanded our knowledge of the Solar System.

Module 3: Design a Mission

The “Design a Mission” module is the most interactive of the three and requires a live presentation. In this activity the audience, using information provided to them by the presenter, designs a spacecraft to search for signs of water in the Solar System. They have to choose a destination and then, based on that destination, a power source and whether their spacecraft will be a lander or orbiter. If they design their spacecraft well to suit their destination, the mission will succeed. If they do not, the mission will fail (and how it fails depends on the spacecraft design).

The module itself is made up of thirteen video clips to incorporate all the possible outcomes of the audience’s decisions. In total, the video clips make up about 35 minutes of footage, but a presenter should only need a fraction of that during any given presentation.

The first clip represents the audience’s first decision: will their spacecraft travel to Mars or Saturn in search of evidence of water? The visual for this clip is fairly basic, with images of both of those planets on the screen.

Once they’ve chosen the destination, the second clip represents the audience’s next decision: will the spacecraft be an orbiter or a lander? The presenter may want to provide the audience with some of the benefits and disadvantages of each, or ask the audience to come up with some on their own. The visual is of the two different styles of spacecraft. The “lander” option is based roughly on Cassini with a Huygens-style lander attached to its side.

The third decision is whether to make the spacecraft solar or nuclear-powered, and there are two clips that can potentially be used depending on whether the audience chose an orbiter or a lander. If they chose “lander,” the corresponding clip shows two versions of the lander-style spacecraft, one with solar panels and one without (the nuclear reactor is visible on the bottom edge of the nuclear-powered spacecraft, but is small and not immediately obvious like the solar panels). If they chose “orbiter” the visual is the same, with the orbiter-style spacecraft instead. Again, the presenter may want to make sure the audience knows the benefits and drawbacks of each choice.

Now that they have designed their spacecraft, it’s time to send it to the chosen planet and see if it succeeds. There are eight different clips to represent the eight possible outcomes of the audience’s choices. All start with a liftoff from Earth and a view of the spacecraft moving towards its destination. What happens once it starts moving depends on how well the spacecraft was designed.

The four Mars scenarios (nuclear orbiter, nuclear lander, solar orbiter, and solar lander) all succeed. The two lander scenarios make use of the landing sequence of the Curiosity rover for visuals. The landers will find evidence for water in the form of “blueberries,” frost, and silica deposits. The orbiters will find evidence of water from seeing river channels, hydrogen deposits, and rampart craters.

It’s much harder to succeed at Saturn, and only one scenario, the nuclear-powered orbiter, will lead to success. If the audience chose a solar-powered spacecraft, then as it moves through space towards Saturn the picture will turn to static to represent the spacecraft losing power and shutting down. If they chose a nuclear-powered lander, they will see a rather stunning sequence of their lander entering the atmosphere, heating up, and exploding. If they chose a nuclear-powered orbiter, they will find evidence of water in the geysers on Enceladus and in Saturn’s E Ring.

Since not all of the mission designs succeed, the presenter may wish to talk about failure in spacecraft engineering. To this end, we wanted to show audiences that the professionals also sometimes don’t get it right. The final clip shows images from four real life failed missions from different countries, specifically the Vanguard rocket, the Mars Climate Orbiter, the Phobos-Grunt mission, and the Akatsuki mission. As with the end of the “Fixing Hubble” module, the idea is to emphasize that failures happen, and that the important thing is to learn from them when they do.

The Guides

Between them, these three modules present a lot of information, some of it very specific. To make them as easy as possible for a large variety of institutions to use, we’ve also created planetarian guides to go with each. Our hope is that a presenter with no background in any of these three topics can make an effective presentation on any or all of them using just the material found in the corresponding planetarian guide. In addition to the script for the module, a set of FAQs, and a glossary, each guide contains copious background information as well as some suggestions for presentation.

The “Fixing Hubble” guide includes a layout of Hubble’s optics, even more detail about the flaw and how it was fixed, a brief breakdown of each of NASA’s Hubble servicing missions, and a list of Hubble specifications.

The “Gravity and Space Travel” guide goes into greater detail about the mechanics of gravity assists, how momentum is transferred, and why the spacecraft’s trajectory changes. It also looks at the usefulness of gravity assists on specific missions and provides a list of missions that have made notable uses of gravity assists. In the script section, it provides some guidelines for live interpretation in between the video segments as well instructions on how to recreate the roller skater demo from Segment 2 in house, using either staff or audience members.

The “Design a Mission” guide includes specific descriptions of each of the visuals in the clips and what they are designed to represent. There is an outline for the progression of the module, with some guidelines for discussion, background information on the pros and cons of landers, orbiters, solar power, and nuclear power, and a description of why each mission succeeds or fails. There is also a list of all of the video clips included with this module.

Separate from the planetarian guides, there is a set of educator guides for teachers using the modules in a standard classroom setting. The educator guides are geared more towards using the modules as part of a lesson in a school environment rather than a presentation in a planetarium show, and the information they include is not as detailed as that in the planetarian guides. There are also educator guides for topics not included in the modules, including “Waves and Information Transfer” and “Infrared Astronomy,” which also expand a bit on topics raised in the show “From Dream to Discovery.”

4k Downloads

To ensure that many different institutions, classrooms, and other settings can make use of our modules, we are offering them in a variety of formats. The modules are all available in 1K, 2K, and 4K fulldome versions for planetarium domes. There are also flat versions available for use in standard classrooms or for anyone using a flatscreen projector (complete with captions).

4k domemaster downloads are available on the ESO Fulldome Archive.

Teacher Bundles

The Teacher Bundles for “Fixing Hubble” and “Gravity Assist” include the flatscreen captioned versions of the modules as well as the educator guides. The classroom version of “Design a Mission” is web-based, so the Teacher Bundle for that module includes the educator guide and link to the web-based activity. The modules page also includes a Teacher Bundle with the “Waves and Information Transfer” and “Infrared Astronomy” educator guides.

This material is based upon work supported by NASA under grant number NNX12AL19G. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Museum of Science, Boston and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

DJ Spooky: The Hidden Code – Performing in the Dome

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

My love for live music in the dome is undeniable. The idea is simple but powerful: Allow the synthesis of live performance and astronomy visuals to create a uniquely awe-inspiring experience.

Having thrown a series of live music events, each with its own custom dome visuals, we now have a collection of 4k dome material. So when DJ Spooky approached us with the idea of partnering to create a live fulldome show, it felt like a natural match. And the premiere of the show is just a few weeks away.

DJ Spooky: The Hidden Code — tickets
Performing at the Charles Hayden Planetarium, Museum of Science
Thursday, September 24, 2015 — 7:00–9:00 pm

Now Booking Dome Performances

After the premiere of the album and fulldome show is when things get interesting for you. DJ Spooky is looking for domes to perform in! For live bookings please contact Sozo.

We have also created a canned version of the show which is meant to compete with evening laser shows. If you’re interested in licensing the show, then please contact me.

4k Fulldome Show Options – fulldome trailer
— Live performance (visuals split by song)
— Canned show (45 minute show)

Flat Theater Options [16:9 ratio] – flat trailer
— Live performance (visuals split by song)
— Canned show (45 minute show)

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More Info About The Hidden Code Album

Imagine a visual odyssey through the cosmos, driven by lush musical compositions and inspired by complex themes of astronomy, engineering, biology, and psychology. The Hidden Code is the newest work by Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky. Commissioned by Dartmouth College’s Neukom Institute for Computational Science, Miller composed the album based on conversations with several of Dartmouth’s leading researchers.

The album features Dartmouth theoretical physicist and saxophonist Stephon Alexander; and Dartmouth physicist and author Marcelo Gleiser who reads his original poetry.

Check out the free online streaming of The Hidden Code album.

Savor this synthesis of emerging science, poetry, and melody with immersive visions overhead as The Hidden Code pushes art into science. Science into music. Music into art.

Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky, is a composer, music producer, performer, multimedia artist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer. He has collaborated with an array of recording artists, from Metallica and Chuck D to Steve Reich and Yoko Ono. He is the author of Imaginary App, Rhythm Science, Sound Unbound and Book of Ice.

Stephon Alexander is a theoretical physicist, tenor saxophonist and recording artist. He specializes in cosmology, particle physics and quantum gravity. He is the Ernest Everett Just 1907 Professor of Natural Sciences at Dartmouth and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

Marcelo Gleiser is a theoretical physicist specializing in particle cosmology. He is the author of The Island of Knowledge, A Tear at the Edge of Creation, The Prophet and the Astronomer, and The Dancing Universe. He is the founder of NPR’s blog 13.7 on science and culture. He is the Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth.

Press

— NPR – The Hidden Code: An Embrace Of Art And Science
— Sound of Boston – Interview
— Dartmouth – DJ Spooky Album Explores Universe With Dartmouth Scientists

Dome Screening at SIGGRAPH 2015

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

Our short fulldome film Waiting Far Away has been selected to be screened during SIGGRAPH 2015! So if you will be attending then please check it out.

Scheduled within the Art Reel: Part 1 sessions:
— Monday, Aug 10 /// 10:45am-11:00am
— Tuesday, Aug 11 /// 12:45pm-1:00pm
— Tuesday, Aug 11 /// 3:45pm-4:00pm
— Wednesday, Aug 12 /// 12:45pm-1:00pm
— Wednesday, Aug 12 /// 4:45pm-5:00pm
— Thursday, Aug 13 /// 12:45pm-1:00pm

The VR Village Dome will be in Exhibit Hall G in the South Building of the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Cycle – Fulldome Short

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

Cycle is a short fulldome piece which uses timelapse photography to reveal the majesty of Earth’s natural environments. It’s a subtle meditation on how a small shift in our perception of time can heighten our awareness of the intricate ecosystem surrounding us. The cycle emerges.

Prior to teaching the MassArt 2015 course, Eric wanted to get more in-depth experience with fulldome production. So he spent the summer camping and shot a bunch of beautiful timelapse photography with a fisheye lens. Then he selected the best timelapse shots, did some tests in the dome, composed the music in 5.1 surround, and edited together this stunning piece for the dome.

Eric Freeman is an electronic music producer, multi-instrumentalist, photographer and video artist. In his music production, Eric weaves together elements of world, electronic, and experimental sounds to create a sonic landscape accompanied by visuals. His recent video work is a combination of light painting photography and time lapse.

Shot with a Canon 6D, Canon 8-15mm lens, and a Kessler parallax motorized rail system.

Domemasters Freely Available

Available for planetarium use. Please contact me to obtain a download link.
4k domemaster frames, 30fps, 5.1 surround & stereo audio
2k MOV or MP4
1k MOV or MP4

Terms: permission to freely screen to the public in planetariums as you see fit. You must screen the short in full and unedited. Not to be used in other shows without permission.

Screenings

Conferences & Festivals
— Melbourne International Film Festival 2016 (Melbourne, Australia)
— Currents New Media Festival 2015, IAIA Dome (Santa Fe, NM)
— Further Fest 2017 (Nashville, TN)
— Bauhaus Exhibition 2017, Bauhaus University Weimar (Weimar, Germany)
— HUBweek 2017, Swissnex Dome (Boston, MA)

International Planetariums
— ESO Supernova planetarium (Garching, Germany)
— GEMS American Academy, Planetarium (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
— Hvězdárna a Planetárium Brno (Brno, Czech Republic)
— Stuttgart Planetarium (Stuttgart, Germany)
— Digital Mobile Planetarium Wenu Mapu (Rio Negro, Argentina)
— Anápolis Planetarium (Anápolis, Brazil)
— ARK Dome (Geneva, Switzerland)
— Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Planetarium (Mashhad, Iran)
— Baikonur Planetarium (Poland)
— StratoSphere Domes (Eastbourne, England)
— Roi-Et Planetarium, Science and Cultural Center for Education (Phitsanulok, Thailand)
— Portable Planetarium (Novosibirsk, Russia)
— Portable Planetarium (Zhoushan, China)
— Metaspace Planetarium (Seoul, Korea)
— Scitech Planetarium, Scitech Discovery Centre (West Perth, Australia)
— Planetarium and Observatory of Cà del Monte (Cecima, Italy)
— Herne Observatory (Herne, Germany)
— Esfera Espacial Planetarium (Chiapas, Mexico)
— NEST Dome (Québec, Canada)
— Yeongyang Firefly Astronomical Observatory (Yeongyang, South Korea)
— Agora Science Center (Debrecen, Hungary)
— Gyeongsangnamdo Institute of Science Education (Gyeongnam, South Korea)
— Adelaide Planetarium (Adelaide, Australia)
— Adventure Domes (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
— Interactive Science Museum, Newton Park (Krasnoyarsk, Russia)
— Portable Planetarium (Czech Republic)
— Gwacheon National Science Museum (Gwacheon, South Korea)
— Kiev Planetarium (Kiev, Ukraine)
— Ulsan Science Museum (Ulsan, South Korea)
— Zhejiang Science and Technology Museum, Planetarium (Hangzhou, China)
— National Youth Science Center (Dongil-myeon, South Korea)
— Association Andromede, Observatoire de Marseille (Marseille)
— Fundación ProyectaRSE, portable Dome (Bogotá, Colombia)
— Skyward Planetarium (Tamil Nadu, India)
— Çağ University, Space Observation & Research Center (Mersin, Turkey)
— Planet Crete (Crete, Greece)
— Novosibirsk Planetarium (Novosibirsk, Russia)
— Portable Planetarium (Athens, Greece)
— Planetario Malargüe (Mendoza, Argentina)
— JC Cinesferic (Madrid, Spain)
— Portable Planetarium (Huelva, Spain)
— Pro Planetario Movel (Curitiba, Brazil)
— Csillagszekér Planetarium (Hungary)
— Community Dome (North East England, UK)
— University of the Free State – Naval Hill Planetarium at the Centre for Earth & Space (Bloemfontein, South Africa)
— Portable Planetarium (Madrid, Spain)
— AL-Ma’arifa Foundation For Culture (Baghdad, Iraq)
— Astronomisches Rechen-Institut Planetarium (Heidelberg, Germany)
— imseCAVE, University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong)
— Eugenides Planetarium (Athens, Greece)
— Mark Rutherford School, Portable Planetarium (Bedford, UK)
— Portable Planetarium (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
— Planetário Divino Mestre (Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brazil)
— Museo Laberinto de las Ciencia y las Artes, Planetarium (San Luis Potosi, Mexico)
— Portable Planetarium (Argentina)
— National Kinmen Senior High School, Planetarium (Kinmen, Taiwan)

USA Planetariums
— Museum of Science, Charles Hayden Planetarium (Boston, MA)
— Adler Planetarium (Chicago, IL)
— IAIA: Institute of American Indian Arts, Digital Dome (Santa Fe, NM)
— Science Museum of Virginia, Planetarium (Richmond, VA)
— Glastonbury Planetarium (Glastonbury, CT)
— West Virginia University Planetarium (Morgantown, WV)
— Northside ISD Planetarium (San Antonio, TX)
— Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Planetarium (Fort Collins, CO)
— Sudekum Planetarium, Adventure Science Center (Nashville, TN)
— SMSU Planetarium (Marshall, MN)
— Neag Planetarium, Reading Public Museum (Reading, PA)
— East Village Planetarium, The Girls Club (New York, NY)
— University of Texas at Arlington Planetarium (Arlington, TX)
— Chapel of Sacred Mirrors [CoSM], Dome (Wappingers Falls, New York)
— Anchorage Museum Planetarium (Anchorage, AK)
— Gary E. Sampson Planetarium (Wauwatosa, WI)
— COSI Planetarium (Columbus, OH)
— Tombaugh Planetarium, New Mexico Museum of Space History (Alamogordo, NM)
— Acheson Planetarium, Cranbrook Institute of Science (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
— Illinois State University Planetarium (Normal, IL)
— SciTech Museum, Planetarium (Aurora, IL)
— Hatter Planetarium, Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, PA)
— Framingham State University Planetarium (Framingham, MA)
— Portable Planetarium (Centennial, CO)
— Collier County Public Schools, Portable Planetarium (Naples, FL)
— Dreyfuss Planetarium, Newark Museum (Newark, NJ)
— Show Me Miami (North Miami Beach, FL)
— Sam Houston State University Planetarium (Huntsville, TX)
— Wynwood Dome (Miami, FL)
— Manheim Township Planetarium (Lancaster, PA)
— Peterson Planetarium, Emporia State University (Emporia, KS)
— Southern Utah University, Portable Planetarium (Cedar City, UT)
— Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium (St Johnsbury, VT)
— Amber Dust Dome, Burning Man (Black Rock City, NV)
— Fredonia Observatory, State University of New York at Fredonia (Fredonia, NY)
— Wisdome (Los Angeles, CA)
— Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Prescott, Arizona)

Distributors
— ESO Fulldome Archive
— E&S Digistar Cloud Library
— Spitz: Scidome Network
— Dome Club (UK)
— British Fulldome Institute
— Metaspace
— Adventure Domes
— Kosmos Scientific de México

The Unknown Between – MassArt 2015: Fulldome Show

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

During the 2015 Spring semester at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, students explored the topic of hypnagogia. In less than 5 months these students collaborated on all aspects of storytelling, concept development, surround sound design, and 4k fulldome production to create an immersive experience which explores the moment between wakefulness and sleep.

It’s amazing that the students were able to complete a 4k show with 5.1 surround sound… within one semester!

Due to the success of the previous MassArt 2013 show, we decided to work again with MassArt to bring art students into the planetarium. This semester the course was taught by Eric Freeman with Nita Sturiale in an advisory role. Special thanks to Cole Wuilleumier as the TA. Together they did an incredible job of enabling the students to feel creative and comfortable within the often confusing fulldome technical requirements.

Students: Corinne Perreault, Katherine McGrath, Caleb Chase, Michael Degregorio, Michael Dunne, Emily Shapiro, John Steiner, Shannon Whalen, Molly Rennie, Sara Neary, Dan Callahan, Gabriel Golbfarb
Instructor: Eric Freeman
Teaching Assistant: Cole Wuilleumier
Advisor: Nita Sturiale
Special Thanks: Jason Fletcher, Toshi Hoo

Domemasters Freely Available

Available for planetarium use. Please contact me to obtain a download link.
4k domemaster frames, 30fps, 5.1 surround & stereo audio
2k MOV or MP4
1k MOV or MP4

Terms: permission to freely screen to the public in planetariums as you see fit. You must screen the short in full and unedited. Not to be used in other shows without permission.

Screenings

Conferences & Festivals
— Melbourne International Film Festival 2016 (Melbourne, Australia)
— Further Fest 2017 (Nashville, TN)
— HUBweek 2018, Immersive Dome (Boston, MA)

International Planetariums
— ESO Supernova planetarium (Garching, Germany)
— GEMS American Academy, Planetarium (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
— Stuttgart Planetarium (Stuttgart, Germany)
— Digital Mobile Planetarium Wenu Mapu (Rio Negro, Argentina)
— ARK Dome (Geneva, Switzerland)
— Baikonur Planetarium (Poland)
— StratoSphere Domes (Eastbourne, England)
— Portable Planetarium (Novosibirsk, Russia)
— Scitech Planetarium, Scitech Discovery Centre (West Perth, Australia)
— Herne Observatory (Herne, Germany)
— Nemesis Planetarium (Civitanova Marche, Italy)
— Zhejiang Science and Technology Museum, Planetarium (Hangzhou, China)
— Çağ University, Space Observation & Research Center (Mersin, Turkey)
— Planet Crete (Crete, Greece)
— Portable Planetarium (Athens, Greece)
— JC Cinesferic (Madrid, Spain)
— Portable Planetarium (Huelva, Spain)
— University of the Free State – Naval Hill Planetarium at the Centre for Earth & Space (Bloemfontein, South Africa)
— AL-Ma’arifa Foundation For Culture (Baghdad, Iraq)
— Spacedome (Uithoorn, Netherlands)
— imseCAVE, University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong)
— Eugenides Planetarium (Athens, Greece)
— Mark Rutherford School, Portable Planetarium (Bedford, UK)
— Portable Planetarium (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
— Iziko South African Museum, Iziko Planetarium (Cape Town, South Africa)
— Museo Laberinto de las Ciencia y las Artes, Planetarium (San Luis Potosi, Mexico)
— National Kinmen Senior High School, Planetarium (Kinmen, Taiwan)

USA Planetariums
— Museum of Science, Charles Hayden Planetarium (Boston, MA)
— IAIA: Institute of American Indian Arts, Digital Dome (Santa Fe, NM)
— Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Planetarium (Fort Collins, CO)
— Northside ISD Planetarium (San Antonio, TX)
— Science Museum of Virginia, Planetarium (Richmond, VA)
— John Carl Pogue Planetarium, Grand Prairie ISD (Grand Prairie, TX)
— SMSU Planetarium (Marshall, MN)
— Neag Planetarium, Reading Public Museum (Reading, PA)
— University of Texas at Arlington Planetarium (Arlington, TX)
— Chapel of Sacred Mirrors [CoSM], Dome (Wappingers Falls, New York)
— COSI Planetarium (Columbus, OH)
— Acheson Planetarium, Cranbrook Institute of Science (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
— Moorhead Planetarium, Minnesota State University (Mankato, MN)
— SciTech Museum, Planetarium (Aurora, IL)
— Framingham State University Planetarium (Framingham, MA)
— Collier County Public Schools, Portable Planetarium (Naples, FL)
— Manheim Township Planetarium (Lancaster, PA)
— Amber Dust Dome, Burning Man (Black Rock City, NV)

Distributors
— ESO Fulldome Archive
— Spitz: Scidome Network
— Dome Club (UK)
— British Fulldome Institute
— Kosmos Scientific de México

Sentient – MassArt 2013: Fulldome Show

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

During the 2013 Spring semester at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, students explored the topic of consciousness. In less than 5 months these students collaborated on all aspects of storytelling, concept development, sound design, and fulldome production to create an immersive experience which explores the creative, perceptive, and unexplored mind.

What they were able to accomplish in such a short time is pretty astonishing and I’m excited to share their work with you.

This project happened because MassArt Studio for Interrelated Media Professor Nita Sturiale approached us with the idea of having her students create work in the Planetarium. Special thanks also goes out to Lina Maria Giraldo, Karina Tovar, and Eric Freeman. Check out their behind the scenes blog to learn more.

Students: Nicole Barron, Jesslyn Boisclair, Jenna Calderara, Kerri Coburn, Megan Dauphinais, Lila Debas, Nicole Dube, Chip Dunn, Stephen Kelly, Esther Moon, Sam Okerstrom-Lang, Danielle Thibeault, Kelsey Trottier, Cole Wuilleumier, Alexandra Zanca
Instructor: Nita Sturiale
Project Manager: Lina Maria Giraldo
Teaching Assistant: Karina Tovar
Special Thanks: Jason Fletcher, Eric Freeman, Max Azanow, R. Berred Ouellette
Sound Source Material: Adam Blake, Jacob Bohlan, Tom Fahey, Brendan Smith

1k Quicktime Freely Available

Available for planetarium use. Please contact me to obtain a download link.
1k MOV or MP4

Terms: permission to freely screen to the public in planetariums as you see fit. You must screen the short in full and unedited. Not to be used in other shows without permission.

Screenings

Conferences & Festivals
— Melbourne International Film Festival 2014, Melbourne Planetarium (Melbourne, Australia)
— Further Fest 2017 (Nashville, TN)

USA Planetariums
— Museum of Science, Charles Hayden Planetarium (Boston, MA)
— IAIA: Institute of American Indian Arts, Digital Dome (Santa Fe, NM)
— Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, Planetarium (Fort Collins, CO)
— Sudekum Planetarium, Adventure Science Center (Nashville, TN)
— Taylor Planetarium, Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman, MT)
— Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium, Science City (Kansas City, MO)
— Northside ISD Planetarium (San Antonio, TX)
— Science Museum of Virginia, Planetarium (Richmond, VA)
— SMSU Planetarium (Marshall, MN)
— Neag Planetarium, Reading Public Museum (Reading, PA)
— University of Texas at Arlington Planetarium (Arlington, TX)
— Chapel of Sacred Mirrors [CoSM], Dome (Wappingers Falls, New York)
— COSI Planetarium (Columbus, OH)
— Acheson Planetarium, Cranbrook Institute of Science (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
— Tarleton State University, Planetarium (Stephenville, TX)
— SciTech Museum, Planetarium (Aurora, IL)
— Hatter Planetarium, Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, PA)
— Framingham State University Planetarium (Framingham, MA)
— Collier County Public Schools, Portable Planetarium (Naples, FL)
— Manheim Township Planetarium (Lancaster, PA)
— Amber Dust Dome, Burning Man (Black Rock City, NV)

Distributors
— ESO Fulldome Archive
— Dome Club (UK)
— British Fulldome Institute
— Kosmos Scientific de México

IX Symposium 2015 – Highlights

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Jason Fletcher

I recently attended the IX Symposium 2015 in Montreal, Canada. The Société des Arts Technologiques (SAT) is the perfect venue for such a completely unique event dedicated to immersion. And I am left with so much inspiration to act on! Each day had its own helpful theme to organize the screenings and presentations =
Day 1: Opening /// Day 2: Expansion – Shifting Horizons /// Day 3: Hybridization – Integration Techniques /// Day 4: Emergence – Re-cognizing Complexity /// Day 5: Transcaling – Beyond Boundaries.

The IX Symposium welcomes artists, researchers, educators, producers and distributors to share knowledge and experience about immersive and interactive technologies. It also welcomes broader audiences to world premieres of cutting edge digital works in Society for Arts and Technology’s dome, the Satosphere.

It is truly an open exchange platform through a series of keynotes, panels, demonstrations, performances and immersive productions. It also helps to democratize access to immersive spaces and to the tools and processes used for the creation of original contents. It’s important to foster a network facilitating the creation of a community and the circulation of people, ideas, and works. This will help rethink the models of production, the formats, the delivery systems, and the creative processes needed to maintain and nurture an international platform for strong artistic expressions and open innovation.

The Goals for IX 2015

Present state of the art practices and technologies in digital art, science, design and engineering.
Foster a critical discourse on immersion and experience.
Contribute to the creation of standards that ease the creation and distribution of groundbreaking works.
Set common goals to accelerate the expansion of this strongly experience-driven medium.
Gather an inspired and vibrant community.

Opening Ceremony at the Biosphere

Cocktails while listening to Allegra Fuller Snyder give the opening speech to commemorate the architect of the geodesic dome, Buckminster Fuller.

In the Dome

Various fulldome screenings, VJ’s, and performances.

Entropia Performance

A special performance of live immersive music, dome visuals, and a custom LED geodesic dome; which the musician performed from within. Every element was reactive to the music and was entrancing. Here is a video recording of the live performance. Also check out the french video interview or translated text interview.

Presentations & Talks

Various presentations, workshops, and interactives.