Molecularium™ is an award-winning, groundbreaking Digital-Dome animation that takes audiences on an unforgettable adventure into the nanoscale universe of molecules with an ensemble cast of animated atoms. This National Science Foundation funded project was co-written and produced by Kurt Przybilla, long time BFI member, student of Synergetics and inventor of Tetra Tops™.

The Molecularium™ Project's premiere attraction, Riding Snowflakes, is a science lesson, a thrilling ride, a musical cartoon and a magical journey into the world of atoms and molecules. Aboard the Molecularium™, audiences join an ensemble cast of atomic characters on an immersive and unforgettable adventure into the nanoscale universe. Explore billions and trillions of molecules with Oxy, a precocious young oxygen atom, and Hydro and Hydra, her hydrogen sidekicks. Fly through the structure of a snowflake in the most fantastic ship in the Universe at a digital planetarium dome near you soon.

The Molecularium™ Project is an entirely new way to learn. It is committed to promoting science literacy and awareness for children of all ages. Our goal is to create a series of unique vehicles using engaging atomic characters to fulfill this commitment.

Molecularium™ is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between scientists and artists, educators and entertainers. The first show of its kind, Molecularium™ presents accurate molecular simulations within a musical cartoon adventure. The crew of Molecularium™ draws from the talents of over 100 people from a wide range of disciplines: scientists, molecular simulators, computer animators, story and song writers, character creators, singers, actors, musicians, teachers, students, software developers, audio and video engineers, and many more.

Molecularium™ is the flagship outreach and informal education effort of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's National Science Foundation funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures.

TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION OF THE MOLECULARIUM^™

Omnidirectional Projection Systems: The development of digital dome projection systems for planetaria is a recent one. Digital dome is an emerging medium that allows us to use the dome to visualize much more than space and stars. Most well known large planetaria have already installed multiple projector digital systems, but the development of single projector systems with an omnifocus lens has radically reduced cost and complexity, and created a rapidly growing number of small digital dome systems worldwide.
Omnidirectional Fisheye Lens: Molecularium^™ was developed in a digital dome with a single lens projection system. Inspired by this innovation, the Molecularium^™ team developed its counterpart: an omnidirectional fisheye lens for a virtual camera. The omnidirectional camera captures an entire immersive world in a single frame, instead of using multiple shots from different camera angles that are later stitched together, as is commonly done. This is a radical innovation, as it allows for the streamlining, ease of use, and democratization of the digital dome medium.



Molecular Simulation: The many molecular environments in "Riding Snowflakes" are derived from accurate theoretical simulations (circa 2005). Generating the molecular worlds described in the screenplay entailed a wide range of challenges in statistical mechanics, molecular modeling, and simulation. To create a truly immersive portal into the nanoscale universe, required simulations of a massive scale and complexity, an entirely unusual request for the chemical and biological engineers and scientists involved in the project. Additionally, the creation of a believable, dynamic, and cinematic molecular landscape that visualizes the plot twists and dramatic tension of the story, posed a host of new creative challenges for the collaborating scientists. Their involvement in this work has brought about insights that will hopefully spark a breakthrough in the very real worlds of energy, environment, and health.
Data Driven Animation: Translating the vast amount scientific simulation data posed unique challenges for Molecularium's^™ CG animation team. The gigantic data sets generated by the incredible numbers of atoms in most scenes required innovative procedural animation techniques to enable the computers to process and render through an omnidirectional fisheye world-view. As a result of this new hybrid of simulation and animation, we see the atomic structures of the universe as never before. Atoms and molecules are rendered with reflections, refractions, texture, color, lighting, motion blur, and atmospheric volume. They are rendered to be as believable and real as the objects that they constitute.

Be sure to check out the trailer and have fun building molecules in the Molecularium™ Project's interactive kid's website.

» Click here to visit molecularium.com



Click on the images above to check out the TetraTops™ kits in our on-line store.

See also:
» domefest.org/
» sciss.se/
» scalingtheuniverse.com/
» fulldome.org
» visualbandwidth.com
» elumenati.com
» e-planetarium.com