Creating a 360 Pano for work using Mavic

[cmcarman15]

Hello everyone. I am writing this post as I'm looking for advice about working with 360 degree panoramas.

I know how to shoot them, either manually, or by using the Litchi app. My question is regarding what program can I use to stitch them together into a panoramic sphere, thus creating a 360 environment that I can then take my mouse (or finger on mobile/tablet) and pan around inside the image? And is there a type of program or file format that will allow me to view these panoramic spheres on my computer? Or do I have to be connected to a browser for it?

I'm trying to use this for work to document a job site. I want to be able to save these image (panoramic sphere) files for later inspection just as I would save a photo or a video into a case file.

Thank you for your help/assistance.

 

[Davidr]

I use ptgui. Files can be kept on your pc and viewed in a browser like explorer or chrome

Sent from my SM-T805Y using Tapatalk

 

[cmcarman15]

I use ptgui. Files can be kept on your pc and viewed in a browser like explorer or chrome

Sent from my SM-T805Y using Tapatalk

So you can keep the files on your computer or hard drive, then when you load them up, it opens them up in a web browser (which you can then pan around inside the sphere)?

 

[John Shaw]

Michael Kincaid has an excellent video that covers this from beginning to end. its on youtube and has just been recently posted. If this link doesn't work a quick search should do it.

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[cmcarman15]

Michael Kincaid has an excellent video that covers this from beginning to end. its on youtube and has just been recently posted. If this link doesn't work a quick search should do it.

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Thank you John for sharing that video. While that is a great option for sharing to Facebook, I'm looking to keep these files/spherical images on my computer for future reference and viewing on my own computer. However, you were spot on with the type of spherical image that I was talking about.

 

[Davidr]

So you can keep the files on your computer or hard drive, then when you load them up, it opens them up in a web browser (which you can then pan around inside the sphere)?

Yep

Example this was a first try. give it time to load.

Panorama

 

[cmcarman15]

Yep

Example this was a first try. give it time to load.

Panorama

The website address that is using, do you have to create an account for that, or is it randomly generated?

 

[John Shaw]

Thank you John for sharing that video. While that is a great option for sharing to Facebook, I'm looking to keep these files/spherical images on my computer for future reference and viewing on my own computer. However, you were spot on with the type of spherical image that I was talking about.

I agree with your comment regarding facebook, but... the process would be the same until very near the end. You would then adjust to fit your needs. I would be interested in what you find works as my interest are also more than facebook.

 

[cmcarman15]

Michael Kincaid has an excellent video that covers this from beginning to end. its on youtube and has just been recently posted. If this link doesn't work a quick search should do it.

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Funny, here is another video with the exact same work flow once the photos were taken.

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[halley]

Also look into Hugin, an open-source app built on some of the same core math libraries as PTGui.

Michael Kincaid has an excellent video that covers this from beginning to end.

I kinda wish that his step-by-step would explain the reason for several of his actions. The reason he expanded the final image canvas was to make the image fit exactly twice as wide as high; this is because many pano photo viewers automatically associate a 2:1 image with being a full 360ºx180º spherical image. The reason he changed the photo properties to make it seem like the camera used was a RICOH THETA S is because this popular camera generates 2:1 spherical images and there are freely available web viewers that would give the friendly pan/zoom controls automatically for those images.

 

[Logger]

Good thread fellas. I am after a solution too. No problems creating the 360 pano way of Litchi and Microsoft ICE. But getting it to display so I can pan aorund it is the missing link for me atm. Have no interest in Facebook and don't use that. MS have their Photosynth site but it is end of life and closing down. I tried the free FSPViewer but it does not render the 360 pano properly.

Davidr your ptgui image looks great. that software does a reallyt good job and the interface works well. But it pretty expensive software for occasional use. You are hosting that image on our website is that correct?

Had a quick look at Hugin and was wondering how one views the output. This being my stumbling block for me atm. The Microsoft ICE tool is super easy so ideally I would like something to view its output locally + someway of sharing it online like at Google photos.

 

[John Shaw]

Also look into Hugin, an open-source app built on some of the same core math libraries as PTGui.



I kinda wish that his step-by-step would explain the reason for several of his actions. The reason he expanded the final image canvas was to make the image fit exactly twice as wide as high; this is because many pano photo viewers automatically associate a 2:1 image with being a full 360ºx180º spherical image. The reason he changed the photo properties to make it seem like the camera used was a RICOH THETA S is because this popular camera generates 2:1 spherical images and there are freely available web viewers that would give the friendly pan/zoom controls automatically for those images.

Thanks for the info, I was wondering about the RICOH etc.

 

[halley]

But getting it to display so I can pan aorund it is the missing link for me atm.

Kolor | Download GoPro VR Player - Mac or Windows or Linux. Supports images or videos stitched from whatever camera or software. Lots of options.

 

[Davidr]

The website address that is using, do you have to create an account for that, or is it randomly generated?

It is on a website I look after from our club. Just makes it easy to share but also works fine when stored locally.

 

[cmcarman15]

It is on a website I look after from our club. Just makes it easy to share but also works fine when stored locally.

Do you know what file type the PTGui program exports the 360 spherical images into?

 

[halley]

It renders the result into any plain old image format, such as JPG. Here's an example:

The key is to open it with a program that knows how to distort that into a sphere and let you pan and zoom around in it.

 

[Logger]

Halley thanks for the link to GoPro VR Player. Simple to use and does the job. Perfect.

 

[halley]

Halley thanks for the link to GoPro VR Player. Simple to use and does the job. Perfect.

Yeah it was made by another company and re-branded by GoPro. Best viewer I have found on desktops.

 

[cmcarman15]

Yeah it was made by another company and re-branded by GoPro. Best viewer I have found on desktops.

Is it free?

 

[halley]

Is it free?

Zero money. Free as in free beer. Not open source.