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Exclusive: Behind the Scenes at the World's Most Technologically Advanced Planetarium!
Posted 12/25/08 at 08:00:00 AM by Norman Chan
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After being thoroughly stunned by the presentation, we were taken back stage by Jon Britton, the Academy's Senior Systems Engineer, to take a look at the computers that actually power the show. Deep in the basement of the facility, we were shown the server room, which houses three separate playback systems that play different roles in bringing the stars to life.
The first is DigitalSky, a software system developed by a company called Sky-Skan. This is the more traditional constellation projection system, which usually plays as visitors are getting seated before the show. Astronomical bodies can be highlighted and zoomed into view with a press of a button, and presenters can use a joystick or mouse to navigate around the stars in real-time. When projected onto the dome, DigitalSky can effectively replace the night sky -- astronomy professors have used it on foggy nights to teach students.
The second software system is called Global Immersion, which is the hardware that powers the main presentation playback. The video is stored in a proprietary Pixar format, and packs the 30fps video over a string of files that require significant hardware muscle to process. They're not just playing a large AVI file here. A combination of software and hardware blending is also required to align the six projectors so that the video is perfectly synced and aspected to look like one giant display.
Finally, the last system is the Uniview cluster, which runs the real-time 3D software developed by a Swedish company called SCISS AB. This is the most important computer system in the facility, as it's the software platform where main presentations can be scripted, pre-visualized, recorded, rendered, or played back in real time. It essentially is a computer gaming environment, and can actually be navigated with an Xbox 360 controller.
Each of these playback systems is powered by seven computers, one for each projector channel in addition to a master system. The Uniview cluster is run on HP XW8600 workstations, each running dual-core Xeons and Nvidia Quadro FX5600 video cards.
All of the video is funneled through dual-link DVI cables into a Black Diamond DVI matrix, which then feeds through the network to the six projectors surrounding the dome. A fiber-based ThinkLogical KVM is also used so engineers can access any of the systems remotely from the planetarium's main control area.
DigitalSky's control panel. Zooming into Jupiter or labeling it in sky can be done with one click.
Yep, the planetarium software all runs on Windows XP, with no plans to upgrade to Vista.
All of the high-resolution video is fed through this Black Diamond DVI Matrix
The academy staff is hooked up to a 10Gbit fiber network that retrieves scientific data from other institutions and research facilities to incorporate into the presentations.
The HP workstations that run the show in real-time. Note that there are six of each machines, one for each projector and another that syncs them up.
We're glad to know that with the real computation work, the engineers here turn to PCs. All of the other exhibits in the Academy are actually run on Mac Minis
Next, we scrutinize the actual dome, projectors, and sound system
I want to see crysis on that
Submitted by vistageek on Thu, 12/25/2008 - 11:17am
I want to see crysis on that screen. (OK, I don't care if it only does openGL, just get those cards doing directX or hook up 3DTX 280 XXX's to each projector) That would be most cool thing ever!!! Oh, and while we are at it, let's enable stereo 3D with the glasses. (The best experiance ever even on a 24 inch monitor) I think I will have to put that experiance on my christmas wish list!!!
Missing links
Submitted by lewishaus on Thu, 11/13/2008 - 3:19pm
Went to planetarium this week - WOW!!! - and was looking forward to your article - but:
The 'stellar cartography lab' link <http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u17625/voyager_astrometrics_cut_0.jpg> leads to a blank page.
The 2nd phograph is blank. The link <http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u17625/planetarium_cut_sm.jpg> leads to a blank page.
The 'Star Trek's astrometrics lab' link <http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u17625/voyager_astrometrics.jpg> leads to a blank page.
Since no one else has mentioned these issues, I thought it was me, but I tried 3 different computers and encountered the same problems on all. What are chance of getting the links in this story fixed, please. Thanks.
Submitted by jbkirkpatrick on Wed, 11/12/2008 - 11:02am
What does that caption on page 4 (I think) mean that says "softwad and hardware blending"?
It sounds vaguely dirty....
(and I liked it and that scared me):)
Submitted by V-Lad on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 10:53am
I've been to the planetarium, it is something everyone should see!
Submitted by lemony on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 1:47pm
"If at any time during tonight's presentation you feel dizzy, just simply close your eyes and the sensation will soon pass."
I had to do this three times while reading the article.
Submitted by dgrmouse on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 8:28am
Reading this article, along with the "Load Letter" that heralded it, made me picture Norman's portrait replacing the "actual stock photograph" of the writer in the last issue's piece suggesting that we should write blogs for $10 a pop.
The second software system is called Global Immersion, which is the
hardware that powers the main presentation playback. The video is
stored in a proprietary Pixar format, and packs the 30fps video over a
string of files that require significant hardware muscle to process.
They're not just playing a large AVI file here. A combination of
software and hardware blending is also required to align the six
projectors so that the video is perfectly synced and aspected to look
like one giant display.
Classic! Way to go, Normie - you earned your $10 today!
Awesome and awe-inspiring!
Submitted by Number Six on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 5:42am
This was a great website feature! I love computers as well as astronomy, so was very interested in the new Morrison Planetarium and the hardware that runs it. Thanks MPC!!!
P.S. Please fix the cut-through image-- it's a bad link.
This reminds me of the IMAX
Submitted by Moneyless on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 8:24pm
This reminds me of the IMAX dome / OMNIMAX theater at the Ontario Science Center where I live, in Toronto Canada. :) The theater room is exacly the same on the inside.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OMNIMAX
Submitted by Queenof1 on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 1:51pm
If this planetarium was a dude, it would be my 2nd husband.
I think that I just
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 12:13pm
I think that I just experienced premature ejaculation.
LMFAO KEITH That thing
Submitted by s3th on Tue, 11/04/2008 - 11:23am
LMFAO KEITH
- That thing looks like its packing some pretty technical and phenomenal hardware. I wonder if they use regular HDD's or is their some other method of storage, I can just see an array of like 100 TB Velociraptors in RAID 0 or some shit.
- Also playing a game on that thing or doing anything, watching a movie on the worlds biggest projector, can you even imagine... With a little 2 x 4 mouse and a 6x 10 keyboard, your controlling a screen thats in like 100000x 100000 resolution, playing Crysis on that bay would need like 600 GPU'S.
Submitted by xs0u1x on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 12:19pm
for some reason i cant help but think that this would be badass to watch porn on. hahahah
Submitted by jtroll on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 10:06am
Mmmmm... nanoseams. So when are you guys going to be playing MoH II on this baby? You know you want to, Norm.
I brought my copy of Sins of
Submitted by willsmith on Wed, 10/22/2008 - 11:14am
I brought my copy of Sins of a Solar Empire, but we decided not to try playing on it.
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