World’s first ‘high dynamic range’ 3D virtual tour

Will Carey discusses his world first project – a 360 degree stereoscopic virtual tour of the Hurd Library.

Guest article

Technologies such as Nvidia’s 3D Vision system have opened up a realm of possibilities for computer users to access and enjoy 3D content on the web. YouTube has a rapidly expanding database of stereoscopic content and companies such as Stereografix are getting in on the ground floor of this emerging market. The World’s First High Dynamic Range Full 360 Degree Stereoscopic Virtual Tour is an early jaunt into the realm of 3D on the web. Visitors to the website of the historic Hurd Library are able to take a virtual trip back in time.

The virtual tour took over 200 hours to create and involved stitching together 480 high resolution images to create the 360 degree panoramas. Panoramic images have long plagued the stereographer due to the inability to rotate upon the nodal point of the camera.

The desire to take high dynamic range (HDR) exposures, required the use of a DSLR camera, two of which would have been too large to secure the cameras with the appropriate interaxial separation, in this case 85mm. As a result the MK.9 was built to accurately and consistently measure the distance between the stereo exposures.

The MK.9 is very simple in its design. The lightweight aluminium motion plate attaches to the camera using the standard ¾ inch tripod thread. The motion plate then attaches to the MK.9 body which secures it, while still allowing it up to 90mm of travel. The device also has a built in spirit level. The design plans for the MK.9 are available to use and modify freely.

The virtual tour is just one example of how 3D can expand and enhance the online experience. As viewing technologies evolve, online users will likely see an increased prevalence in 3D web applications.
I don’t think we’ll be seeing a ubiquitous 3D web anytime soon, but the 3D tour project page is also a sort of how-to guide and I’ve been getting some great responses from people who now creating their own 3D web projects, so who knows what the future holds!”

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