Spherical Projection
System
...This was a study done by Steve Hines with contributions from Bob Buck, both fourth year School of Design students at NCSU. One, two and three-point perspective systems were well known. Cylindrical perspective was heavily promoted at the time by one of the professors, Duncan Stuart; however, had the limitation of not being able to record the scene above and below. Steve and Bob set out to extend the capabilities of perspective systems by developing a camera and projection system which would record and play back the entire surrounding space in front, to the sides, above, below and behind the viewer.
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| ....A 16mm movie camera photographs reflections from hemispherical reflector. The three support ribs are turned radially outward to minimize their image on the film. | ....The reflected image captures the entire surrounding space. The top half of the space is visible in the central portion of the reflection. The lower half of the scene, from the horizon down, is visible in the outer rim. |
....The reflection in a hemisphere shows the entire surrounding scene. Even though only one half of the spherical reflector is visible, the entire surrounding space is visible in the reflection from the hemisphere which is visible. The upper hemisphere of the scene is captured in the central 70% of the reflector. The bottom hemisphere of the scene is captured in the outer 30%. The only hidden portion in the scene is in the shadow below the reflector (later occupied by the viewer standing in the screen) and the reflection of the camera (later occupied by the hole for the projector lens).
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| ....The viewer steps into the bottom of the dome screen so that their head is just below the hemispherical reflector, which is borrowed from the camera rig and held by a rod from above. The projector's image is projected down around the support rod, onto the hemispherical reflector and is reflected out to the screen where the surrounding space is reconstructed in the original relationship. | ....Successive frames show changes as the camera is moved out of a building. |
....Steve Hines, left, holds the brace used to support the dome projection screen. .Bob Buck, center, with spars used to hold screen's shape. .Right: the dome screen and 16mm movie projector mounted to the top of a classroom wall.