Presentation Information
[O8-04]A Simple Guide to Creating a Full-Dome Short Clips Suitable for Astronomy Education Using Free Software
*Kouhei Mitamura1 (1. Osaka Science Museum (Japan))
Keywords:
Scientific Visualization,In-house Creation,Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram,Astronomy Education
When commentary is provided at planetariums, full-dome material is sometimes used. In such cases, the first approach is to utilize the facility's equipment (such as digital planetariums and space engines). The second is to search for existing short clips made available by organizations like ESO. The third is to commission production (in Japan, this sequence is the basic approach). However, this does not necessarily guarantee obtaining the wanted footage.Therefore, I propose creating simple full-dome short clips using Blender.Blender is a free software that supports full-dome output and Python input, making it easier to create visuals using astronomical data.Using publicly available data, for example, if you obtain the 3D models and planetary textures released by NASA, you can create any scene within the solar system you wish.Alternatively, using data from galaxy collision simulations, you can capture footage from any wished angle.Furthermore, large language models have seen remarkable development in recent years and now support Python coding. Even if you're not proficient in Python, you can improve your Python skills using ChatGPT and Gemini (Be mindful of legal matters).Making studio-quality films takes both time and money (though it's not impossible with Blender if you have the time and skill), but when you lack the technical expertise and need to create visuals that match your vision quickly, this method is convenient.Our Osaka Science Museum produces original programs and uses short clips created in-house within those programs.This time, using the Hipparcos catalog, I created a video that seamlessly transitions from the actual star positions to an HR diagram.The time required to create such scenes, except for rendering, is a few days.