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