Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Papywizard Universal Panoramic XML Generator

Papywizard XML Output Generator

Papywizard Universal Panoramic XML Generator

Title
GPS No. of Columns No. of Rows
Comment Focal Length FL Multiplier
Camera Time/Picture Bracketing # Images
Pano Start Time Panorama Type Row Zero Degree Point Top
Middle
Bottom
Pano End Time Camera Orientation Column Zero Degree Point Left
Center
Right
Picture Ordering
Scan Order Scan Direction Scan Starts
Calculation Options Overlap Percent
Epic 100
Angle Increments
Row Overlap %

Column Overlap %


Epic 100 FOV Yaw Angle Increment
Pitch Angle Increment


Generate XML

Notes:

You can use this XML generator in one of three ways:

  1. By using the column and row overlap in your images. There must be the same number of columns in each row.
  2. If you are using the Gigapan Epic 100, you can use the Epic 100 FOV reading instead of the overlap.
  3. You can use the actual change in angle made for each row and column. This is handy if you are using a manual panoramic head or a home made pano head, but there must be the same number of columns in each row and the angles must be constant.

1. To use the overlap from images in your panorama, do the following:

  • Pick two sets of adjacent images in the middle of your panorama, one for horizontal overlap and one for vertical overlap.
  • Measure the percent overlap for each set. The easiest way to measue the overlap is with a photo editor. Superimpose one image over the other, and line up the same features. Count the number of pixels that overlapped in the horizontal or vertical direction and divide by the total number of pixels in the image for that direction. Multiply that by 100 to get the percent overlap.
  • Enter the pecent overlap on the form. Ignore the entries for Epic 100 FOV and Yaw/Pitch angle increments.
  • Make sure to select the "Overlap Percent" radio button in the Calculation Options.
  • If your camera is not on the camera list, pick one with the same sensor size or one of the generic sensor options that match your camera.
  • The "Focal Length" entry should be the actual lens focal length, not the 35mm equivalent focal length that some compact cameras show on their screen.
  • After all the fields have been populated, click on the "Generate" button, copy the XML and paste it into a text file with an .xml extension.

2. To use the Epic 100 FOV reading, do the following:

Make sure the vertical FOV on your Epic 100 is set to one of the values available in this calculator. No intermediate values will work. You must record it for later use in this calculator.

When setting up a panorama on the Epic 100, just before setting the right hand corner make sure that the camera is at the midpoint of the last image by doing the following;

  • Record the indicated number of columns and rows. Pan the camera to the left so that the number of columns just changes to one less than the original indicated number and identify a landmark on the right edge of the image.
  • Pan the camera to the right so that the number of columns just changes to one more than the original indicated number and identify a second landmark on the right edge of the image.
  • Pan the camera back to the left until the right edge is at the midpoint between the two landmarks you identified.
  • Pan the camera up so that the number of rows just changes to one less than the original indicated number and identify a landmark on the bottom edge of the image.
  • Pan the camera down so that the number of rows just changes to one more than the original indicated number and identify a second landmark on the bottom edge of the image.
  • Pan the camera back up until the bottom edge is at the midpoint between the two landmarks you identified.
  • Click "OK" to finish defining the panorama range and take the panorama.
  • Select the "Epic 100" radio button  in the Calculation Options and select the FOV that was used on the Epic 100.
  • If your camera is not on the camera list, pick one with the same sensor size or one of the generic sensor options that match your camera.
  • The "Focal Length" entry should be the actual lens focal length, not the 35mm equivalent focal length that some compact cameras show on their screen.
  • After all the fields have been populated, click on the "Generate" button, copy the XML and paste it into a text file with an .xml extension.

3. To use the Angle Increment method, do the following:

  • At the time the panorama is created, you will need to record the angles used for the pitch and yaw angle increments or you must have a way to calculate them after the fact. They must be constant throughout the panorama.
  • Enter the pitch and yaw angle increments in the appropriate fields. You can ignore the column and row overlap percent and the Epic 100 FOV setting.
  • Make sure to select the "Angle Increments" radio button in the Calculation Options.
  • If your camera is not on the camera list, pick one with the same sensor size or one of the generic sensor options that match your camera.
  • The "Focal Length" entry should be the actual lens focal length, not the 35mm equivalent focal length that some compact cameras show on their screen.
  • After all the fields have been populated, click on the "Generate" button, copy the XML and paste it into a text file with an .xml extension.

Explanation of the data fields:

Title - Add your title here.

GPS - Insert the GPS coordinates of your panorama here. This is passed straight through to the XML output and is not used by the calculator.

Columns and Rows - If you didn't write these down when you took the panorama you will need to figure them out from your photos. This is critical information used by the XML calculator. An integer number.

Comment - Add your comment here.

Focal Length - The "Focal Length" entry should be the actual lens focal length, not the 35mm equivalent focal length that some compact cameras show on their screen. You may be able to find it in the Exif data.

FL Multiplier - Add the focal length multiplier if you used an extender (e.g., 1.4 or 1.6). If not, leave it at 1.0.

Camera - Several types of Canon and Nikon cameras are included along with some generic sensor sizes. This is used to compute the field of view.

Time/Picture - The pause time for each photo. This is passed straight through to the XML output and is not used by the calculator.

Bracketing # Images - If you are capturing multiple images at each location (e.g., HDR pano), enter the number of images taken at each location. If not, enter 1.

Pano Start and End Time - Use this format to enter the times the first and last photos were taken. This is passed straight through to the XML output and is not used by the calculator. The start time is also used for the timestamp for each image in the XML. Because of Javascript limitations, all images will end up with the same timestamp.

Pano Type - Pick "Mosaic" or "360". If you pick 360, the yaw angle for each image is computed by dividing 360 by the number of columns for the "Overlap Percent" and "Epic 100" options.

Row and Column Zero Degree Points - Leave this in the middle/center unless there's a reason to change it.

Picture Ordering - Pick the method your panoramic head (or you) used to scan the picture. If your pano head was mounted upside down, use the "Scan Starts" option to compensate by selecting the picture order from the camera's perspective.

Calculation Options - Pick one of the calculation options, see above for a description.

Column and Row Overlap Percent - If you use the "Overlap Percent" option you will need to fill these fields in. If not, you can ignore them.

Epic 100 Vertical Field of View (FOV) - Use this only if you select the "Epic 100" option. Recorded from the Epic 100 at the time the panorama is made. This is critical information used by the XML calculator. The amount the head moves between photos is determined by the Vertical FOV. It is not a linear function, however, so careful measurements were made and a lookup table created for 16 different FOV values using an Epic 100, firmware version F020100130.

Yaw and Pitch Angle Increment - Use this only if you selected the "Angle Increments" option.

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