QTVR
QTVR Online
Tutor Menu
- Capture
Implications
QTVR Panoramas - Implications
|
|
Leveling the Camera
The fact that a QTVR panorama is based on a cylindrical view of 3D space has significant implications for how the source images must be captured. To ensure the best possible panorama, the camera must rotate on an axis that is perpendicular to the axis of the view through the camera's lens.
| This doesn't mean that the camera must be level with the horizon! |
The QTVR development process works beautifully with images captured at an angle, for example, looking up or down a staircase. In these situations you must realize that if you are looking downward at one position in the panorama, you will be looking upward at the point 180 degrees around the panorama.
Panorama captured on an angle
However, you cannot simply mount a camera on a typical tripod and tilt the camera on a down- or up-facing angle. If you did so, as you rotated the camera to capture the individual images, you would capture images that would equate to a conic, not cylindrical shape.
Camera tilted on a typical tripod produces a conic shape
Instead, two pan/tilt heads mounted together are recommended for capturing images for QTVR panoramas. The lower head is used to provide a level or tilted surface, while the upper head is used for the rotation of the camera.
Lower head for level or tilted angles, upper head for rotation
| You can acquire this type of off-the-shelf equipment from many professional photography stores. In addition, there are 3rd party suppliers who offer a line of specialty QTVR camera rig products. |
 Prev Page |
 Panoramas Menu |
 Next Page |