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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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Finally, we were allowed to enter the main control room behind the planetarium seating to check out how the real-time navigation works. Surprisingly, the controls for the Uniview program worked much like navigating through a game of Sins of the Solar Empire! We used the mouse to pan and rotate around, holding down Ctrl to alternate between orbiting and panning. The WASD keys functioned just like they would in any first-person shooter we've played, except this time, our actions were being projected on the biggest screen we've ever seen--essentially an IMAX-size screen wrapped around a 75-foot diameter dome. The Uniview program runs on OpenGL, and we were able to confirm that Quake would definitely work -- though the engineers wouldn't admit to actually running it.
In addition to desktop controls, the presenters can drive the system with a Xbox 360 controller (so rad!) or Windows Mobile-based PDAs to pilot while fielding questions from the audience. The software team is also working on an SDK that'll allow iPhone control, so you could fly around using either the multi-touch screen or accelerometer sensors!
Watching the show, examining the hardware, and actually getting hands-on with the software was an incredible experience. We want to thank Jon Britton and Ryan Wyatt for this behind-the-scenes opportunity, and want to encourage any Bay Area locals to check out the exhibit. PC computing doesn't get much more Maximum than this.
From this terminal, the planetarium's pilot can access controls for all three of the rendering systems using a combination of remote desktop and fancy fiber KVMs.When the show's running, the desk is lit with small red lights, which don't interfere with the show or destroy anyone's night vision.
This remote controls the transitions from one rendering system to another, as well as the planetarium's house lights.
In this scene, the blue highlights on the screen represent planets in our galaxy that we've discovered. To date, we've only found 322.
Originally posted: 2008-10-22 12:00:0
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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