Computer Graphics for Large-Scale Immersive Theaters

Computer Graphics for Large-Scale Immersive Theaters

Computer Graphics for Large-Scale
Immersive Theaters
8:30 am 5:00 pm
Course #31
Course Organizer
Ed Lantz - Spitz, Inc.
Computer Graphics for LargeScale Immersive Theaters
Presentors:
Ed Lantz - Spitz, Inc.
Ben Shedd - Princeton University, Shedd Productions
Brad Thompson - Spitz, Inc.
Carter Emmart - American Museum of Natural
History
Martin Ratcliffe - Exploration Place
Syllabus - Course #31
a.m. 8:30 Introduction (Lantz)
9:15 Principles of Immersive Imagery (Shedd)
10:00 Break
10:15 Spherical Image Gen. and Projection (Lantz)
11:00 Immersive Rendering Basics I (Thompson)
p.m. 12:00 Lunch
1:30 Immersive Rendering Basics II (Thompson)
2:00 New York’s Hayden Planetarium (Emmart)
3:00 Break
3:15 Boeing Cyber Dome (Ratcliffe)
4:00 Immersive Rendering Demonstrations
Computer Graphics for LargeScale Immersive Theaters
Introduction
Ed Lantz
Product Development Manager
Spitz, Inc.
elantz@spitzinc.com
The Quest for Visual Immersion
A Brief History...
30,000 B.C.E.
2001 A.D.
Visual Communication was used by
prehistoric humans over 30,0000 years ago as
evidenced by cave paintings Chauvet,
Verona and others...
These caves were immersive environments...
…Were they perhaps prehistoric “cathedrals”
designed to invoke a sense of awe?
Ancient Architects created Massive
Immersive Environments...
Temple of Amon, Egypt
1500 B.C.
Photos Courtesy Prof. Hugh Lester, Tulane University
Renaissance Artists Created Ornate
Immersive Spaces in the 16th Century...
Sistine Chapel
Photos Courtesy Prof. Hugh Lester, Tulane University
St. Peter’s
Cathedral
Scottish Painter Robert Barker Exhibited 18 m
Diameter Panoramic Paintings in Edinburgh in
1788. Larger Panoramas followed...
Robert Mitchell, Barkers Panorama at Leicester Square, courtesy The British Museum, London
Daguerre and Others Created Diorama
Theaters Using Large Paintings in the Early
19th Century...
Arrowsmith’s Diorama
Patent
L. J. M. Daguerre, 1826
Images © copyright R. Derek Wood, 2000 - used with permission
Early 20th Century... Film Emerges as
Powerful, Dynamic Storytelling Medium
Lumière Cinématographe et. al 1895
Images Courtesy Stephen Herbert, PROJECTION BOX : http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~s-herbert/ProjectionBox.htm
Film Evolves into Widescreen and more
Immersive Formats...
1897 Raoul Brimion-Sanson’s “Cineorama” - France
10 Projectors on 30m Diameter Screen...
1939 Fred Waller’s “Cinerama” - NY World’s Fair
11 Synchronized Projectors - reduced to 3 in 1952
1953 20th Century Fox’s Cinemascope
2.35:1 Anamorphic with Surround Sound
1955 Mike Todd’s Todd-AO
5-perf, 70mm, 30fps format
1970 Imax Corp’s IMAX
15-perf 70-mm horizontal film format
See MEGASYSTEMS Large Format Film History - www.870.com/lfhis.htm
American Widescreen Museum http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/intro.htm
Immersive Spherical Formats Also Evolve...
1926 Carl Zeiss’s “Model 1” Planetarium - Munich
World’s first modern planetarium
1946 Armand Spitz’s “Model A” Planetarium - Philadelphia
Planetaria for the Masses
1962 World’s Fair introduces “Spacarium” - Seattle, WA
35mm fisheye cinema
1972 Imax’s IMAX Dome (Omnimax) - San Diego
5-perf, 70mm, 30fps format
1983 Evan’s & Sutherland’s Digistar
Hemispheric vector graphics video projector
Graphics Design and Production for Hemispheric Projection, SIGGRAPH 95
…Culminating in the Ultimate
Immersive Experience...
Spherorama
Truncated
icosahedron
with B&W
photographic
prints from
custom pinhole
camera...
Courtesy Michael Miranda, Spherorama, 1991
Large Scale Immersive Theaters
Partial Dome Theater
Full Dome Theater
Visual Immersion
Walk-In Immersive Display - Visual Display
with Simultaneous High Resolution and
Wide Field-of- View
• Creates a Sense of Presence within a Virtual
Environment
• Invokes Opto-Vestibular Response in Brain
•Thrill-ride or cybersickness possible
• Horizontal FOV >140º, Vertical FOV >40º
Large Scale Immersive Theaters
Primary
Applications
Omni Large-Format
Film Theatres
Simulator
Rides
Planetaria
Simulator Rides
• Partial and Full-Dome Systems
• Specialty Film for Maximum Realism
•Large-format film
•High frame rates
•3D Stereoscopic Systems
• Motion Platform
• Spatial Sound
• Multi-Sensory Effects
•Wind, rain, snow, fog, vibration
Simulator Rides
• Applications
•Theme parks & LBE
•Museums, science centers
•Micro-attractions, arcades
• Example Installations
•Race for Atlantis - Caesars, Las Vegas
•Star Trek the Experience - Hilton, Las Vegas
•Back to the Future - Universal Studios
•California Dreaming - Disneyland
Planetaria
• Hemispheric Projection Screen
• Starfield Projector
•High-resolution astronomical simulation
• Hemispheric Slide Projection
• Narrow Field Video
• Laser Graphics
• Combination Large-Format Film, Planetarium
• Total Annual Attendance Worldwide: 87,400,000
Planetarium Facts*
Planetarium
Worldwide
% of
Classification
# of Theaters
Total
School/District
999
36%
University/College
397
14%
Museum/Science Center
375
14%
Observatory/Other
201
7%
Unclassified
782
28%
TOTAL
2754
* Courtesy The LNP Planetarium Compendium, Loch Ness Productions, 2000
Planetarium Facts*
Dome Size (m)
# of Theaters
# Tilted Domes
3-6
766
2
6-9
696
3
9 - 12
463
9
12 - 15
191
23
15 - 18
98
17
18 - 21
102
34
21 - 27
80
40
Portable
774
* Courtesy The LNP Planetarium Compendium, Loch Ness Productions, 2000
Omni Film Theaters
• Hemispheric Projection Screen
•Tilted 30º typically
• Large-Format Film
•15-perf, 70mm (original IMAX® format)
•8-perf, 70mm
• Dome Diameters from 15m to 28m+
• 254 LF Theaters Worldwide - Half are Domes*
• 175 Large-Format Films Released*
* From White Oak Associates, Inc. Inventory of Large Format Theaters, 1998 edition
Large Scale “Digital Dome” Theaters
• Full Dome or Partial Dome Video Projection
• Multiple Edge-Blended Projectors
• 26 Existing/Planned Theaters by 5 Manufacturers
• Most Use Pre-Rendered, Pre-Recorded Shows
•Digital video server technologies
•Hi-resolution systems emerging
• Several Theaters Pioneering Realtime Interactivity
• Most are Planetaria - Others Include Corporate
Theaters, Visitor Centers, and Theme Parks
Digital Dome Manufacturers
• Evans & Sutherland - Salt Lake City, UT
• GOTO Optical - Japan
• Spitz, Inc. - Chadds Ford, PA
• Sky-Skan - Nashua, NH
• Trimension, Inc. - Burgess Hill, UK
Digital planetarium system also announced by:
• Silicon Graphics/Zeiss/Schneider
Digital Dome Theaters...
• AMNH/Hayden Planetarium - New York City
• Bibliotheca Alexandria - Alexandria, Egypt
• Burke Baker Planetarium - Houston, Texas
• Exploration Place - Wichita, Kansas
• National Space Centre - Leicester, UK
• LodeStar Planetarium - Albuquerque, NM
• Madame Tussaud’s - New York City
• Northern Lights Centre - Watson Lake, Yukon
• Volkswagen’s Autostadt - Wolfsburg, Germany
Compelling Spherical Icons...
Volkswagen Autostadt
Wolfsburg, Germany
Bibliotheca Alexandria
Alexandria, Egypt
Powerful Immersive Environments...
LodeStar Planetarium
Albuquerque, NM
Volkswagen Autostadt
Wolfsburg, Germany
Engaging Content...
The Birth of a New Medium...
Immersing the World
Special Thanks to:
Spitz, Inc.
Evans & Sutherland
National Space Centre, Leicester, UK