Panorama with Physical camera?

[conceptdesign]

It is possible to create a panorama using the physical camera? What software have you found best for doing panoramas? Gocubic?

Mike

[Clifton Santiago]

You can't use the physical camera in conjunction with the spherical camera settings in the vray: camera rollout. You are limited to real-world type panoramics situations. You could take a few wide angle shots from a central point and stitch them like you would with photographs.

I just use the Max camera, use color mapping to adjust the exposure, and then use the spherical camera with 360 FOV, which creates an equirectangular image. Then convert to QTVR or Flash panorama in Pano2QTVR.

[BBullo]

Clifton,
I'm trying to create a panorama using the WF you talk about (spherical max cam at 360 deg) I can't see any spherical option on the MAX camera. I couldn't even see it referenced in the help files. Is this something that was removed from MAX in the the 2009 release?, or am I just going about it wrong? I thought it used to be accessible under the modify tab while camera is selected.

[Clifton Santiago]

Just Go to Vray:Camera tab in your render settings. Select Type:Spherical. Click Override FOV and type in 360. As long as you render a Max camera it will work. If you try it with a Vray camera I think it ignores the settings (at least in SP1).

[stevesideas]

Why does it ignore it ? Surely that should be an integrated part of the camera..

Also, if I can only use the standard max camera does that mean I basically have to setup my entire scene again in terms of lighting, as the standard camera does not take the exposure components into account ?

[Clifton Santiago]

No. Use your colour mapping settings to control your exposure. Same way you controlled exposure in Vray for several years before the vray physical camera was created.

As the name implies, the Vray Physical camera is mimicking a physical DSLR camera. You cannot create a 360 degree panorama with a DSLR in one shot.

This question has been addressed multiple times when 1.5 came out, if you were to search.

[stevesideas]

I didnt realise that the vray physical camera was specifically reproducing the qualities found in a DSLR camera and not taking into consideration the fact that it is possible for the user to change his lens. Fisheye for example is achievable by any DSLR.

And by the way, it is possible to take a 360 degree image in a single shot if you have the correct lens or equipment. That is mainly the reason I was confused by the fact the options are in the vray rollout and yet not implemented for the vray physical camera.

In my opinion the vray camera rollout in the render options should work with the vray physical camera.

[Clifton Santiago]

Actually, you effectively change your lens every time you make significant changes in your focal length or subject matter with your vray physical camera, as compared with a real-life camera

How can you shoot a 360 degree panorama with one shot using a 35mm format DSLR?

[stevesideas]

No, I got that wrong. You cant take a single shot panorma. But If you have an extreme fisheye lens you can take a 360 shot.

My point being though that maybe vray should have the vray camera setup as a camera body and then maybe a set of stock lenses should be able to be selected.

Maybe similar to the way the IES lights are setup. A set of figures that determine the properties of the lens.

I would find that a little more "physically correct" than having a feature in the vray rollout that I cannot use with the physical camera.