QTVR
QTVR Online
Tutor Menu
- Capture
Approaches
QTVR Panoramas -
|
|
QTVR panoramas can be created using images captured with a variety of cameras, lenses, and films, or even from computer created environments. This flexibility, though, requires that you understand the dynamics and limitations of the capture approach you use. There are four main vehicles for creating source images for a panorama:
- Still Camera and Lens
- Video Camera
- Panoramic Camera
- Computer Generated Source Images
Using a Still Camera and Lens
The most common method of image capture for QTVR panoramas is to capture a series of source images around a single point of rotation, then digitize them into a set of Pict files. These Pict files are then stitched together using the QTVR tools to create a single QTVR panoramic Pict. The source images can be captured using nearly any type of lens and camera combination, from point and shoot 35mm film cameras to digital cameras to large format cameras.
The three main requirements for this approach are that a) the camera must rotate on an axis perpendicular to the axis of the lens, b) the camera must be corrected for parallax, and c) the lens must produce rectilinear images - that is, straight lines in the scene must appear as straight lines in the resulting image. Thus, wide angle "fish eye" type lenses which create noticable distortion are not suitable for QTVR image capture.
Using a Video Camera
Although normally used to capture images for movies, video cameras can also be used to capture the source images needed for QTVR panoramas. Single video frames can be captured around a pivot point and then digitized into a set of Pict files, similar to those captured with photographic cameras. These Pict files are stitched together just like those captured with still cameras.This approach is not widely used, however, owing to the generally lower quality of the source images that are produced. Lower quality images result in less zooming capability in the final QTVR panorama. However, for situations where only low resolution panoramas are desired, such as for world wide web pages, a video capture approach may be adequate. The requirements for capturing images with a video camera are identical to those of a still camera and lens, and have the same implications of the image capture approach (covered in next sub-section of this module).
 Prev Page |
 Panoramas Menu |
 Next Page |