3D IPIX?

[P3D Larry Berlin <lberlin@xxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: 	Wed, 15 Oct 1997
>From: P3D Greg Erker writes:
>
>http://www.ipix.com/
>
>  Ipix (Interactive Pictures Corporation) makes
>a very neat plug-in that allows you to view a
>360 degree horizontal and vertical image.
>
>  They do it by taking two photos, 180 degrees
>apart, using an 8 mm circular fisheye lens. They
>.................
>  So this makes me wonder how it could be
>done in 3D. ..........two cameras would "see" eachother
>due to the 180 degree field of view.

******  The solution to this problem is to take each image at a separate
time in which the other camera is NOT present. 

>
>  Perhaps the best thing would be to
>spin an RBT (with say 28 mm lenses) and take
>say 6 photos to cover 360 degrees horizontal.
>(there wouldn't be any vertical panning
>allowed beyond the vertical height of the
>image). Hopefully the edge distortion would
>be low enough that you could (relatively)
>seamlessly pan across image boundaries without
>painfull 3D (or 2d) distortions.

****  This is the best idea, though I saw a software package recently that
offered something similar with a recommendation to use 12 images. It had a
comment however that the program didn't *stitch* the images together nor was
it optimized for smooth scrolling of the image. I think it was something
similar to VRML in effect. I didn't see the effect, just read about the
software. It wasn't interesting enough to download... There should be the
potential to use it in stereo with a bit of work.


>
>  For moving subjects the best might be an
>array of cameras pointed in different compass
>directions. Eg. 4 in a square, or 6 in a hexagon
>or 8 in an octagon, depending on the horizontal
>coverage of the cameras. Again the images would
>have to be digitally merged into one horizontal
>panoramic view.

*****  It might be fun to try. As long as the views from each camera overlap
sufficiently to edit out possible distortions that could affect the blending
process.

>
>  A 3D version of the Ipix system and plugin
>might do wonders for getting the 2d masses to
>want 3d on their computers.

*****  Not likely until the Ipix system itself becomes more than a
curiosity. I have very little interest in Ipix as it is now, but would be
mildly curious about a stereoscopic version. I guess I haven't visualized a
practical or fun use that would provide motivation for me to want to work
with the inherently difficult format. Still it's interesting.

Larry Berlin

Email: lberlin@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.sonic.net/~lberlin/
http://3dzine.simplenet.com/


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