Panorama Conference Hyperlinks

IPC International Panorama Council www.panoramapainting.com

BV Panorama Mesdag www.panorama-mesdag.com

Innovate  http://www.innovatecentre.co.uk/other/16thIPC.asp

Michael Punt (Faculty of Technology) web links

http://www.leonardo.info/

http://www.trans-techresearch.net/wiki/read/Home

Jeff Morgan’s Panorama links

http://www.jeffmorgangallery.com.au/

http://www.jeffmorgangallery.com.au/ipc/

http://www.jeffmorgangallery.com.au/hawker/panorama/picture/

Alpenpano

http://www.musee-suisse.ch/d/schwyz/exhibition/alpenpano/d/ausstellung.html

Sattlers Salzburg-Panorama 1829

http://www.smca.at/sattler/data.html

Jerusalem Panorama http://www.panorama-altoetting.de/

Camera Obscura www.camera-obscura-muelheim.de

http://www.camera-obscura-muelheim.de/cms/das_museum1.html

Sara Velas www.panoramaonview.org

Mike Phillips www.i-dat.org

www.nascent-research.net

www.arch-os.com

www.liquidpress.net

Podcasts

I've been playing with some Perl scripts to automate the downloading of Podcasts. I find software such as iPodder or iTunes really limiting in how they can handle files and wanted to find a flexible simple solution.

Eventually I found this script w98Podfetch which allows you to completley customise how podcasts get downloaded, where they get stored on my computer and also the filename used. The only problem is that I can't yet get this to work fully on a Windows system - "works out of the box" on linux.

If anyone else has any sucess in downloading mp3 files which aren't mangled up (sounds like the Darleks are invading on the ones I got) then let me know.

Producing Panoramics

Notes from a workshop I attended at the IPC Conference yesterday...

Presenters:
Ian Wood - www.azurevision.co.uk
Aldo Hoeben - www.fieldofview.com

Perspective Types:

• rectilinear - ie. normal lens
• fisheye - practical horizontal limit 180 degrees/ vertical 360 degrees
• cylindrical - practical horizontal limit 360 degrees/ vertical 120 degrees
• equirectangular - practical horizontal limit 360 degrees/ vertical 180 degrees - covers whole sphere of vision (used in Immersive Vision Theatre)

Methods of Capture:

• stitching multiple (high quality) photos
  
• do-able on ordinary digital cameras

• scanning/panoramic camera
• lens is a slit = v.shallow field of view producing curves
• expensive

• one shot systems (mirror attachment for lens)
• single photo = low quality
• no problem with moving objects
• never 360 x 180 degrees

Shooting:

• turn off all auto functions - switch to manual
• lock everything

unfortunately I got a bit lost at this point but they have promised to publish their presentation in the next couple of weeks! Ian also said to email him if you had any queries!

Panoheads - rotating tripods (which can be operated by remote control...)

• Aldo uses a Nodal Ninja (approx. $150)
  
• Ian built his own and uses his mobile phone to operate it if tripod is raised high (see LEGO Mindstorms NXT)

To stitch photos together...

• Ian used PTGui.com (panotools graphical user interface) - and 70mm lens
• This generates control points for all images
• Optimise - then tweak control points as necessary
• Create panorama :o)

They then demonstrated how to convert the panoramic's perspective, therefore creating different effects, using a plug in for Photoshop - Flaming Pear's Flexify 2

Thanks Tom for emailing me thew link to (free) Anamorph Me software which also converts images - cool!

Finally panoramics were viewed using QuickTime VR Viewer

Other cool panoramics:-

V. detailed hand drawn panorama of the river at Rotterdam at www.panographia.com
Lapses in Light - Timelapse video of Plymouth by PCAD graduate, Ollie Larkin - v cool indeed!

That's my notes written up - now to start creating... :o)

16th IPC (International Panoramic Conference)

I attended the final day of this very inspiring conference yesterday. It was organised through INNOVATE - The Centre for Creative Industries at the University of Plymouth.

Presentations included a fascinating 'panomorfosis table' - an art installation based on anamorphic art where a distorted image (in this case, video) becomes clear through viewing it on a reflective tube. (Aldo Hoeben from fieldOfView) Anotherof his installations consisted of an illuminated tent with a projected panoramic image.

Martin Woolner from Innovate presented 'Project Imago' - a panoramic collections viewer/ cms system enabling curators to show little seen museum collections, complete with text and audio information. Ideas - a tablet PC fitted with a motion sensor (already in Wii and iphone) could be combined with a map for directions (fieldtrips?) and information about exhibits.

Michael Punt (Faculty of Technology) talked about 'Panoramas of Time: Cinema, Phantom Rides (shot as though seeing through actor's eyes) and Hale's Tours (similar to Phantom Rides but with more sensory - eg. cool breeze on ankles). He showed an extract of 'Letter from an Unknown Woman' which illustrated a fairground attraction - the view from a train window changes courtesy of an old man cycling...