VRMAG recently had an opportunity to test-drive the PixOrb when Peace River Studios kindly lent us the motorized head for a big project for the city of Milan, Italy (the project includes fullscreen panos of the Duomo and many of the city’s cathedrals and historical sites and will be featured in the next issue of VRMAG).

PRS founder John Borden responds to technical challenges by designing and building custom pieces of equipment, such as the PixOrb motorized head for panoramic and spherical photography. What was lacking in the existing motorized heads and what particular technical challenges does the PixOrb solve? Also, when was it released for commercial use?

The PixOrb is the natural outgrowth of tools we had already developed. In 1994 we began working with the Apple Technology Group on a computer-controlled camera system that photographs objects and creates virtual representations that can be rotated and examined on a computer screen. The principle of moving a camera along two axes and automating the process using software arose from our experience developing the ObjectMaker.

A year later we patented the 3Sixty Panoramic Camera Mount to simplify the precise recording of panoramic sequences, and we subsequently developed a camera mount for recording full spherical images. So many photographs need to be captured to create sphericals that it seemed natural to automate the process.

“The PixOrb allows you to shoot any number of increments at any angle,” John notes, “So in essence it allows you to take almost infinite resolution images – you can take as many images as the computer can hold. You just program the computer to do what you want, and since it’s all computer-controlled it’s repeatable. You can also use it to move a video or motion picture camera smoothly or do a time-lapse.”

Peace River Studios announced the PixOrb about a year ago, when we had our first prototype completed, and it was first used commercially about six months ago. Like all PRS tools, it will continue to evolve as we receive feedback and discover ways to make improvements. We are already at work on an even smaller version that could be easily backpacked into remote locations.

PixOrb has additional applications in special effects photography such as high dynamic range imaging, time-lapse photography, and film and video repeatable motion control

Multiple Uses:
• automatic two-axis indexing and image capturing for creating spherical and cylindrical panoramas and two-axis time-lapse movies.
• programmable for any number and size of pan and tilt increments
• repeatable two-axis moves for creating full-motion film or video
• can be mounted on our TrailRail linear dolly system for light-weight three-axis still and full motion image capturing.
Structure:
• two modular aluminum frames mounted on a circular 6" base
• an exterior fixed frame measuring up to 15" x 13"
• an interior tilt frame measuring up to 7" x 11" suspended within the fixed frame
• custom sizing and configurations available

Mounting:
• mounts on any tripod or leveling head (optional Manfrotto 410 leveling head available)
• overall maximum dimensions 16" x 13"
• camera bracket provides for easy front-to-back, side-to-side and up-down adjustments
• accommodates a wide range of small to medium-sized cameras and lenses in either the
landscape or the portrait position
• allows precise positioning of the nodal point at the center of vertical and horizontal rotation
• eliminates parallax discrepancies between adjacent images

Motors and Control:
• two precision provide smooth and accurate power in tilt and pan
• the control unit mounted on the upper base plate consists of:
• two stand-alone motor controllers allow the unit to operate independent of a computer
• four I/O ports for triggering a camera and accepting input signals, e.g., from an intervalometer, (available as an option) or a remote program pause switch (provided)
• forward and backward jog buttons and program start and stop buttons
• toggle switch to select between two pre-programmed sequences
• connectivity to a Macintosh™ computer for customizing the preprogrammed moves including start delay, bracketing options, and pauses using our Motion Control and Image Capturing software

Power:
• a single 36 volt rechargeable battery pack powers the whole system
• no cables interfere with any programmed moves
• two battery packs and an AC charger are provided to minimize down time

Read the Interview with Peace River Studios

Email: Molly@peaceriverstudios.com