powerdome II powerdome Seit 2006, der Einführung von, befindet sich die Plattform für digitale Fulldome-Projektionen

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1 powerdome Seit 2006, der Einführung von, III befindet sich die Plattform für digitale Fulldome-Projektionen von Carl Zeiss meist in Kombination mit unseren optisch-mechanischen Planetariumsprojektoren in 56 Einrichtungen im täglichen Routineeinsatz. Wir passten powerdome im Lauf der Jahre immer an die jeweils verfügbare Rechnertechnik an und investierten ebenso in die Erweiterung und The idea of the Verbesserung modern planetarium der Software. was born Is this what planetarium visitors of today expect videos about orchids, virtual deep-sea a hundred years ago. During that time it has undergone several Mit powerdome changes. In the II stellen 1920 wir and ab Mitte diving 2012 sorties, visionary 3-D shapes moving to 1930s, planetariums unseren offered Kunden lectures neue Funktionen presented zur pop Verfügung, die expert weit with über the das aid Maß of üblicher Nevertheless, Updates what would a planetarium be music rhythms? All this is fine, no doubt. live by an astronomy the huge dumbbell hinausgehen. projector at the dome without stars and planets? Children as well center and a hand-held luminous pointer, as adults are curious to know what it is they whereas the 1970s and 1980s saw the production of multimedia shows employing an its changes and motions, and they bring their see on the night sky and eager to understand array of slide and special-effect projectors and questions about the structure of the universe powerdome II recorded narration. With the advent of digital fulldome projection at the turn of the millennium, pixel technology has begun to supersede gear mechanisms and to prepare the ground for novel shows under the world s planetarium domes, which had already been regarded as stale here and there. The star projector alone, if it can produce a bright and brilliant carpet of sparkling celestial bodies, is granted its accustomed place and allowed to compete with the colorful, computer-generated dome imagery. and our place therein. To satisfy this curiosity for the wonders of the cosmos has always been, and continues to be, the central mission of a planetarium. To accomplish this, industry not least, the ZEISS corporation has created varied means. Hardly anyone in the know will question that the best current technology consists in the combination of digital fulldome imagery with optical-mechanical star projection. No digital sky, whether 4k, 8k or 16k, whether produced with 2 000, or 8 Innovation Special Planetariums 10, 2014

2 lm per projector, can equal the emotional impact of the bright, pin-sharp stars projected by the classical planetarium projector. Most users have found out that the digital starball is a marketing slogan that does not live up to its claim. The realistic reproduction of the starry sky seen from the earth is a domain of ZEISS. Fiber optics, digital drive systems and flexible operation are distinctive features of all star projectors made by ZEISS. In addition, ZEISS offers the VELVET projector, which is optimized for digital planetarium projection in every respect. Equipped with a ZEISS star projector a n d VELVET, planetariums are enabled not merely to address the curiosity of their audiences but really to enthrall them. Now it is time, however, to take another step further. Either system, the optical-mechanical as well as the digital one, has its merits and its restrictions. Due to their different technologies, each needs a different control concept. The greater the desired flexibility, the more complex and variegated is its operation. Excessive complexity because of too many options may prove an obstacle to lively interaction with the audience. That is why we have been thinking, together with our partners and with users of our products, about ways to standardize and simplify the operation of our various systems, software versions and interfaces. Here is the result we wish to present to you: powerdome III. Innovation Special Planetariums 10,

3 powerdome III with New Look and Intelligent Control Ralf Hasse, Christian Schlager, R&D ZEISS Planetarium Division Hybrid of optical and digital planetarium At the IPS 2006 Conference in Melbourne we first presented the completely synchronous control system for our optical-mechanical and digital planetariums. With that system, you use the control panel to navigate through time or from one observation site to another: both systems will unconditionally follow your commands. You can have constellation figures or the ecliptic grid participate in sky motions, add digital tracks of analogously projected planets, or show how the nautical triangle changes with the time of day. The digital functions and the optical sky are always in perfect register, without any need for you to interfere, and they will remain so when you record or program your presentation. This is due to two control programs operating in the background your helpers in implementing the details of your show, each tailored to its respective projection system. This applies to the digital planetarium in powerdome with its terrestrial perspective, as well as for Uniview as a universal tool for visualizing cosmic phenomena. Of course, you can also combine all three tools for a planetarium show. powerdome Control your new command station Powerdome III not only comes with a fresh user interface. With powerdome Control you get a new, modern command station for all control functions. No matter whether you want to start the planetarium projector, fly to the Martian Grand Canyon, or intend to explain the details of the winter hexagon. Start each function by touching or clicking on a defined tile on your monitor, tablet computer or even smartphone, if you like. Nothing could be easier than that. With powerdome Control you have access to all tools for your planetarium shows, even to dome lighting and audio management if you desire so. With the intelligence of powerdome Control at the helm, you can concentrate on directing your presentation. The primary features of the powerdome Control desktop are buttons in the form of tiles. Behind each tile you will find a program, smaller or bigger in scope, which executes individual functions up to complex control procedures. Each tile is marked by an icon or symbol that lets you know its purpose right away. Pop-up hints help you assign tiles or offer facts related to the respective function. You can activate any number of tiles, arrange and group them to your liking, cancel them, and create and edit new tiles. Organize your very own cockpit, or, what is more, your own fleet of individual cockpits to suit the purpose and content of your show. Planetarium control from anywhere you like it With powerdome Control you have every freedom to arrange your shows. The software makes a vast number of functions available to you, with which you can adapt your command station to your requirements. Moreover, you are no longer tied down to a stationary operating panel. As powerdome Control can be opened and operated with any browser, you can run your show with a mobile device from anywhere in the planetarium. Even better, involve your audience in running the show! 10 Innovation Special Planetariums 10, 2014

4 Planetarium control the way you need it You can control your ZEISS system with a host of pages supplied. Very probably, you will rather design your own pages and, thus, your own user interface. If the winter night sky is your subject, you will specify place and time, thus positioning the stars. If you want to go into the constellation figures, arrange the respective figure tiles. For a quick tour to the Orion Nebula, place the tile with the short video next to that of the constellation figure. Insert a dome-filling image of the Pleiades with a click on the respective, conveniently placed tile. Eventually, get the diurnal rotation onto your winter sky page, and you have assembled the essential functions needed for live presentation with finger-tip control by mouse click or touch. Functions that you will need over and over again you will place on the main (top-level) pages. Arrange the tiles in a configuration and sequence that matches your intention best. Tiles with common functions should be grouped. Icons, color renderings, designationes and images allow you to quickly determine functions and settings. Link tiles into new pages if you need rarely used functions or want to branch out into another topic. There is no limit to the number of tiles you can create, arrange and link. Obviously, sometime or other, even the Establish your own tile collection best-tiled desktop may get confusing, New ZEISS fulldome systems will come or some function is hidden somewhere with powerdome Control and preproduced tiles containing appropriate you cannot remember. In this case, simply enter key words for a split-second functions and contents. Integrated search and filtering, to quickly find any aids such as introductory videos and seldom-used function. tutorials facilitate your entry to the new Example of control functions for constellations (associated with the Andromeda mythology). Innovation Special Planetariums 10,

5 Tiles for the control of 3D models. operating concept. Your licensed shows are provided on your powerdome Control interface, ready for play, as are the show trailers and fulldome videos from the powerdome Library. It goes without saying that the tiles for standard planetarium functions are readily provided no need for you to create these. If one function or other should not quite fit in you may need another date, a different color or the like simply adapt the existing tiles to your requirements. You can, of course, also create and use a tile with entirely new control functions. For this purpose, you work directly with the individual programs for controlling the optical-mechanical or the digital planetariums. Find a suitable icon or symbol for the new tile and place it in a suitable position on the powerdome Control interface. Many planetariums employ or engage several show presenters. They all have their own approaches and preferences related to live presentations and favor fast access to particular functions. Here, powerdome Control is helpful, too. Provide individual pages for every presenter, who can then design them as they see fit. Finally, you can establish your own tile collection in which you will store and find all your tiles, probably without any particular organizing scheme. Proceeding from this collection you can create new pages by selecting all the control elements you need for a new show. With powerdome Control, ZEISS offers a simple and straightforward operator interface that combines the specific control concepts. However, you can use the individual control systems of powerdome without restriction: Use the operating panel for live control of the star projector, or the user interface of Uniview for manipulating your travels through the virtual universe. The multifaceted character of the powerdome systems is completely retained. Edit and arrange the tiles in a configuration and sequence that matches your intention best (figure to the right). 12 Innovation Special Planetariums 10, 2014

6 Tiles to control fulldome clips (powerdome Library). Innovation Special Planetariums 10,