Spherical Projector

thingiverse

Build your own personal Earth with this interactive spherical display! Despite virtual versions being five years away, one blogger has created an affordable 8-inch diameter Snow Globe, costing around $200, using a picoprojector and a fisheye lens through a frosted glass globe. The projector is a Microvision SHOWWX, but any non-laser alternatives may require constant focus adjustments. An Opteka 180° fisheye lens is used, designed for handheld camcorders, while the globe is from a lighting fixture. A 3D printer makes design and fabrication easier, with printed mounts attaching the lens to the projector at a 14.5° angle and brackets holding the globe in place on a GorillaPod. Calibration is simplified using a four-step process involving trigonometry, with results saved in a pickle file for future use. The blogger has also written a python script to transform equirectangular projected maps of the Earth into azimuthal equidistant projections calibrated for Snow Globe displays, available on GitHub alongside calibration and mount models. Stay tuned for upcoming posts exploring interactive real-time display options and touch input possibilities. Download from GitHub: git://github.com/nrpatel/SnowGlobe.git