Introductory Materials

Introductory Materials About Immersive Digital Dome media ("Fulldome")

A Planetarian's Primer for Fulldome by Mark C. Petersen

• ABSTRACT
  At Loch Ness Productions, we don’t sell hardware; we’re show producers. We’ve been producing classic planetarium shows more than 30 years, so many people know us from that. So we have a classic planetarian’s perspective when it comes to fulldome, and we provide that perspective when we get calls and emails from our colleagues. They ask all kinds of questions, most of which don’t involve our shows, but do pertain to the projectors and the technology in general… and they ask our recommendations. I will say we try to be “vendor neutral” and play nice with everyone. This talk is basically a summary of information and answers to many of the questions that are often received about this medium. 

A Survey of Large-Scale Immersive Displays by Ed Lantz

• ABSTRACT
  Immersive displays generally fall within three categories: small-scale, single-user displays (head-mounted displays and desktop stereoscopic displays); medium-scale displays designed for small numbers of collaborative users (CAVEs, reality centres and power walls); and large-scale displays designed for group immersion experiences (IMAX, simulator rides, domes). Small- and medium-scale displays have received by far the most attention from researchers, perhaps due to their smaller size, lower cost and easy accessibility. Large-scale immersive displays present unique technical challenges largely met by niche manufacturers offering proprietary solutions. The rapidly growing number of largescale displays in planetariums, science centers and  universities worldwide (275 theaters to date), coupled with recent trends towards more open, extensible systems and mature software tools, offer greater accessibility to these environments for research, interactive science/art application development, and visualization of complex databases for both student and public audiences. An industry-wide survey of leading-edge largescale immersive displays and manufacturers is provided with the goal of fostering industry/academic collaborations. Research needs include advancements in immersive display design, real-time spherical rendering, real-time group interactive technologies and applications, and methods for aggregating and navigating extremely large scientific databases with imbedded physical/astrophysical simulations.

All-Digital Fulldome Immersive Theater - Technical and Cost Considerations by Global Immersion

• ABSTRACT
  A business plan covers all aspects of the immersive digital theater, with revenue and costs being featured prominently. Revenue projections are just that, projections, there are a lot of factors that will have an impact on actual results whereas the area of cost can be more predictable. What drives the cost is in the area of technical choice. Recognize the technology chosen must support the content and use of the facility. It all starts with the mission, goals and objectives of the organization ... what will make your Immersive Theater special? Obviously an iconic facility will attract attention and have visitors come for a first time; however, it is the visitor experience, the content that will keep the visitors coming back. We do not recommend using exotic technology as a drawing card, as it does not inherently attract repeat customers.
  
  There are as many technical scenarios are there are organizations. Each facility is different in ownership, Board of Directors, mission, audience, and visitor experience, so it is expected that each facility will be unique. The following summary will outline technical considerations and ultimately impact costs.

• Exploding the Frame: Ben Shedd (with permission)

• Fulldome 101 (Dan Neafus, DMNS, with permission)

• White paper: All-Digital Fulldome Immersive Theater Technical & Cost Considerations (Alan Caskey, with permission)

• "Safe" viewing areas in the dome Ka Chun Yu (used with permission)

• Digital Dome Production (Mike Murray, Clark Planetarium - with permission)