Using a spherical mirror for projection into immersive environments

Planetariums and smaller personal domes can provide an immersive environment for science education, virtual reality, and entertainment [Shaw 1998]. Digital projection into domes, called “full dome projection” in the industry, can be a technically challenging and expensive exercise, particularly so for installations with modest budgets. An alternative full dome digital projection system is presented based upon a single projector and a spherical mirror to scatter the light onto the dome surface. The approach offers many advantages over the fisheye lens alternatives, results in a similar quality result, but at a fraction of the cost. CR Categories: I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation – Display Algorithms; I.4.0 [Image Processing]: General – Image Displays.