Take a 360° virtual tour through ITER
19 Dec 2016
-
ITER Communication
The ITER Organization has released a new tool on its website—the 360° virtual tour of ITER construction. Hosted on a powerful server and updated with new photos and drone videos four times a year, it's the next best thing to being on site.
The tool opens to a 360-degree screen where you can choose between the overall site plan, a more detailed schematic of the Tokamak Complex, selected drone videos, or a key to the building maps. The teardrop-shaped markers open photos and videos shot by drone from different vantage points on the construction site. (The latest data set dates from October 2016.)
From the various schematics of the construction platform offered in the opening interface, choose your point of entry: click on a red teardrop-shaped marker to follow a drone inside the buildings, a yellow marker for a tour at ground level, or a blue marker if you prefer to stay at bird's eye view.
The views captured by drone will bring you inside the Assembly Hall, down into the lowest basement level of the Tritium Building, and closer than you than you could ever imagine to the Tokamak "pit," where the first assembly activities will get underway in 2017.
Two versions of the tool are available—the 2D version that is useful for home viewing from your computer, and the complete virtual reality immersive view that will give you the impression that you are the drone that is flying in, out and over the buildings. Designed by Emmanuel Riche of Odyssee Communication, both versions represent a leap forward in the capacity of non-local ITER stakeholders to stay in touch with worksite progress. They will also be used at ITER for engineering discussions between the ITER Organization, Domestic Agencies and suppliers, and for educational purposes.
The blue teardrops take you high above the ITER worksite. Or, for a more earthbound experience, choose the yellow (ground-level) or red (interior view) teardrops.
Here are instructions for using the 2D version:
- Open the tool to navigate the 360-degree viewer interface. Scroll as desired to choose between site plans and a list of additional features.
- Each of the teardrop shapes represents a drone video. Blue corresponds to aerial videos, yellow to ground-level videos, and red to interior views.
- Click on a teardrop to open a drone video. Use your mouse to scroll and the (+) and (-) buttons to zoom in and out. To return to the home graphic, click on "Main Map" button in the upper right of the screen.
- Data sets are stored in the application for July 2016 and October 2016. Explore them both to see recent progress in ITER construction!
To use the virtual reality immersive version at highest resolution and with all the best features, you will need an Oculus Rift, Playstation VR, or similar equipment. At ITER conference and exhibit stands, the Oculus Rift station has become a popular attraction and a number of Domestic Agencies and other stakeholders are considering investing in their own copy.
From this location in the Tritium Building you can scroll for a 360-degree view.
But a large investment isn't necessary for your own immersive "wow" moment: any version of Google Cardboard or a similar low-tech 3D viewer will plug you into the drone videos. Just open the application from your cell phone and insert the cell phone (without casing) into the viewer. Click on the yellow viewer symbol "VR Mode."
For the price of only a few euros, you too can be the master of your own self-guided, behind-the-scenes tour of the ITER construction site. Take a closer look!
Click here to enter the 360° ITER virtual tour.
There is also a permanent button on the ITER homepage.