discovering the gale crater
TRANSCRIPT
Discovering Gale Crater
By: AJ Abell
First Things First• LA Times
– How can we tell VR Stories? Especially in 3D?
• Should users be guided through the crater or able to explore on their own? – Thought people wanted both
• Should we use text in the tour and, if yes, how much? – Long text is hard to read and hard to render in a 3-D scene. Kept it
short
• So how to deliver information about what is being viewed? – Decided to do narration using NASA's Fred Calef
Choosing A Platform
• App?– Unnecessary barriers of entry– Anyone with computer can use it• More immersive experience with Oculus/Cardboard
• All built with open Web source
Crater Facts
• Mars• Layered Mountains – 3 miles high• 96 miles in diameter• Can go into history – any water in there?
Bacteria?
Pictures • Digital elevation model of Gale Crater. Brighter
values are higher elevations.
Pictures
• Color image of the Gale Crater created by a combination of images from the Viking spacecraft and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Generating Terrain
• Digital Elevation Model & High Resolution Picture
• Convert to ENVI: 65,536 height values per pixel
• 60 fps
Controls
• Resolution: 300x285 for desktop– 200x190 for phones
• Fly controls for desktop– VR controls for phones
Collision Detection
• Can’t fly through ground• Use raycasting – geometry anyone?– Tests whether ray intersects with anything
• Invisible objects on the surface
Taking The Tour
• Create curves between two points as a route– Can’t just move the camera – move backwards
along route
• Or Free Explore – Tilt, move, fly
What’s Next?
• Future of journalism?– Maybe. Devices are expensive– Can be disorienting – slow movement
• But, lets you see almost anything