The Image

Make and Display VR Panoramas

Posted on 10. Feb, 2009 by Beate in Feature, What the f#&%?

It’s kind of cool to view interactive panoramic scenes, but how to make them and what tools are needed? Here is a short summary for you who want to get started with that and a list of the tools I use:

The Hardware

A source for sharp very wide angle pictures, as this obviously reduces the number of images that has to be taken:

• DSLR (D40x)
• Fisheye lens (Nikkor 10.5)
• Support (light tripod with ball head, or much light, steady hands and some guesswork)

The Software

• Stiching Program (PTGui)
• Authoring Program (Pano2VR for cool and easy to handle flash movies that can contain advanced features for good virtual tours)

The Procedure

• Make the images that cover the whole scene, do not forget the sky and the spot where you or the tripod are standing (nadir image). PTGui is that good nowadays that too careful measurements aren’t needed, just take enough images that cover all you want to include, with some overlap. These overlapping areas have to include some easily identifiable features, landmarks in them to help with the stitching process. Using raw helps with getting the exposure right, or use manual exposure and careful planning for the whole scene.
• Upload the raw images onto your computer and open them, batch edit obvious problems, like spots, overall contrast, whitebalance, etc. and export them for opening in your stitching application.
• Stich them, remember to use exposure correction feature to get rid of seams and export a biiig jpeg file as source for the movies.
• Fix the panorama image for poblems, if you don’t have a nadir image you might want to use a photoshop action that makes a nice mirror ball.
• Fire up your authoring program, load the panorama file, add background music if you wish, and export the flash movie, upload it to your site and share it with us!
• Refine the procedure and tools. There is a long to do list, from an automated panorama head (the expensive version, which is lighning fast for panorama time lapse! or the home made one if you like playing with the Lego Mindstorm Invention kit) to advanced features like making good nadir images (of the spot where you or the tripod is standing) and guided virtual tours with hotspots.

Have fun!

Tags: flash, guide, how-to, panorama, tutorial, virtual tour, VR