Abstract
Virtual reality systems are an excellent environment for stereo panorama displays. The acquisition and display methods
described here combine high-resolution photography with surround vision and full stereo view in an immersive
environment. This combination provides photographic stereo-panoramas for a variety of VR displays, including the
StarCAVE, NexCAVE, and CORNEA. The zero parallax point used in conventional panorama photography is also
the center of horizontal and vertical rotation when creating photographs for stereo panoramas. The two photographically
created images are displayed on a cylinder or a sphere. The radius from the viewer to the image is set at approximately
20 feet, or at the object of major interest.
A full stereo view is presented in all directions. The interocular distance, as seen from the viewer's perspective, displaces
the two spherical images horizontally. This presents correct stereo separation in whatever direction the viewer is looking,
even up and down. Objects at infinity will move with the viewer, contributing to an immersive experience. Stereo
panoramas created with this acquisition and display technique can be applied without modification to a large array of VR
devices having different screen arrangements and different VR libraries.