Wrapping Up the VR Tour Project for Rouge Lounge, The Event Space

The test shots for Rouge Lounge, The Event Space were done during their renovation. There were areas with strong colour lights (leftover from previous business). Therefore, lighting was not ideal but shooting bracketed multiple exposure was the right call.
There were three areas. The main entrance area, the upper area (dance floor), and a separate room. Hence, there were 3 sets of photos. The VR tour will connect these 3 sets together so the users will be able to go from one area to another.

Here is the workflow:

1. Convert raw (NEF) files to TIFF format with Nikon NX2 (with rotation).
2. Bracketed multiple exposed shots were processed with Photomatix Pro.
3. HDR photos were stitched Kolor AutopanGiga Pro.
4. Convert stitched HDR panoramic photos to VR tour movie (Adobe Flash) using Autopano Tour.

Two different sets of HDR photos were produced. This was done to see which version would look sharper / higher definition. The black and white set is definitely sharper / higher definition compared to the colour version.

  

Black & White HDR

  

Colour HDR

Stitched Photos:

Entrance Area

Dance Floor

Separate Room

Here is the final virtual tour. When it is first loaded, it is in the second room, the dance floor. This area has enough photos to generate a nice cubic / spherical VR. The area where the main entrance is did not have enough photos to stitch a proper ceiling. Hence, the curved floor. One of the walls in the third area does not have enough features for the stitching / VR software to merge with one of its neighbour (the door way).

Lessons Learned:

• Add lens correction (using software like DxO Optics Pro) after the raw to TIFF conversion. This would reduce the number of stitching issues (i.e, alignment issues) caused by the curvature of the lens.
• Ensure camera data in the file's meta data are kept every step of the way, up to stitching. This is because good stitching software can use the information the to help in stitching the photos.
• If the VR tour is cubic or spherical, ensure there are enough photos to cover the top.
• Correct exposure is very important in the stitching process. Most stitching software would have a hard time stitching under and over exposed photos. Hence, HDR processing is best done prior to stitching.
• Don't shot a blank wall because the stitching software would not have any features to create "control points" to match up with neighbouring photos. Stitching software relies on features or variations to align neighbouring photos. If necessary, put big plant there and "Photoshop" it out after it has been stitched.