Large-format immersive digital display for dome theaters—fulldome—is a young, powerful and rapidly diffusing medium for public education and entertainment, art presentation and research science. Fulldome covers dome screens in high-resolution (~4Kx4K) imagery presented as immersive 'films' and/or interactive real-time presentations. Large fulldome theaters employ multiple tiled projectors and a cluster of PCs to achieve resolution, brightness and performance needs.
In 1999, UNM developed one of the first fulldome venues and established itself as a leader in fulldome education, production and research. Since then, fulldome has surpassed the number of IMAX™ screens and the rate of adaptation increases annually. ARTS Lab created the gDome, a small research fulldome theater in 2005 to augment and expand its fulldome programs.
Technical Specifications:
The gDome is based in a DigitalSky2 system by Sky-Skan, Inc. which employs a cluster of eight PCs powering six video projectors, sound, and control/interface. The PCs are 3.45GHz Windows XP machines with 512MB ATI graphics cards. Projection is 2k x 2k via six Plus U5 DLP projectors on the 15-foot diameter dome. A 5.1 sound system and control console complete the system which synchronizes MPEG2 video for playback. In real-time mode, the DirectX based system uses .x models and tabulated data tables for 3D modeling and interaction as well as a wide variety of 2D image and video formats all of which are geometrically corrected, parsed and synchronized on the dome and controlled by the operator. UNM collaborated with Sky-Skan in opening the architecture of the DigitalSky software allowing for real-time applications to run within the planetarium software. Early work at ARTS Lab using this system has included a fulldome fractal generator and the first simple two-player game to run in DigitalSky: Dome Pong.
New in 2007, the gDome now also has a MacPro system for research in visualization and interactivity. Using 16GB of shared memory on eight 3GHz cores and four Nvidia 8700 graphics cards, the MacPro system is allowing OpenGL-based research into real-time volume rendering, game design and imaging/compositing as well as Bluetooth-based interactivity devices such as Wii™ motes.
Together, these two systems give ARTS Lab the ability to create software and content that can serve fulldome theaters around the world by porting into DigitalSky as well as creating a new, more streamlined system for OpenGL-based researchers and a new generation of fulldome theaters not tied to the planetarium community.
Current programs include:
Arrow to the Sun
An in-house production of a show based on the classic children’s book by Gerald McDermott. The Pueblo Indian story is being retold in 3D animation and extended to include astronomy education. “Arrow to the Sun” will be distributed internationally and funded in part by The McCune Foundation.
Maya Skies
A collaborative, National Science Foundation funded, project to produce a public education show on Mayan astronomy. Chichen Itza is being recreated based in the laser scanning, photogrammetry and HDRI light fields and textures by collaborators at INSIGHT, data-based astronomical imagery by Chabot Space & Science Center, and mythological sequences by ARTS Lab artists.
DomeFest
The annual and global fulldome festival gathers the world’s best and boldest producers for a juried show, premieres and workshops on fulldome production, technology and storytelling. The ARTS Lab-produced festival is made possible with the support of Sky-Skan, Inc, and Sony Corp.
Fulldome 101
The world’s only university course dedicated to the design and production for fulldome. The course cross-pollinates art, engineering, film and computer science students to create original works for the dome.
Nascent Research Endeavors in Fulldome
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