GROOVY ASSIGNMENT: Immersive Dome Projection Media

Abstract

In this Groovy Assignment submission, we present an Immersive Dome Projection Assignment that challenges students to create immersive media content designed and formatted for full dome projection experiences. For this assignment, students create immersive media content through video acquisition, computer imagery renderings and or use of an interactive game engine. The finished media must be in polar, fulldome projection format. The assignment is designed to inspire and motivate creative thinking by challenging students to work within the limitations of dome projection formats, including perspective distortion, projection mapping, and light spill to name a few. While the opportunity to display students work in a full scale projection dome can increase student interest and motivation due to the nontraditional nature of the format, the assignment can be easily scaled and utilized without access to a dome projection facility through the use of virtual dome software, or simulations in rendering software or game engines. Assignment complexity is also scalable, as some approaches to completion involved very little in the way of specialized technical skills (i.e. conversion of immersive photos or video into dome projection format), while more complicated, group project scenarios are also possible by increasing scope and or complexity of content requirements (i.e. computer generated animation, procedural effects, etc.)