A Trip To McHenry Dam in Moraine Hills State Park

With all of the rain we've been receiving this spring, we finally had a day or two of sunny weather.  So, I decided to take a drive out to Moraine Hills State Park.  Even though I figured the hiking trails would be muddy and a mess from the rain, it was too nice of a day to not get away from the big city for awhile and shoots some photos with my new 360 camera.

McHenry Dam is on the Fox River which runs through Moraine Hills State Park.  The Park is located in Northeast Illinois in McHenry County.  It's only about a 2 hour drive from home, so it makes for a nice day trip.  For more details, check out the Moraine Hills State Park website.  Just north of Moraine Hills is also Chain-o-Lakes State Park.  That whole area in northeast Illinois has several lakes which is known as the Chain-o-Lakes, since they all interconnect with one another.  Back in days when my older brother and I were kids, my dad use to take us fishing out there fairly often.

Since it was a weekday, the traffic wasn't too bad so it was a nice leisurely trek driving out to the park.  As I approach the bridge crossing over the Fox River, I could see how high the water level was due to all of the rain, not to mention how muddy the river looked.  I would have like to have taken some photos from the bridge, but there wasn't any convenient place to park without the chance of getting run over. LOL

Unfortunately, the trails were to wet and muddy, so there weren't too many good photo opportunities that day.  Although, I did get some nice shots of the area where some folks were fishing.  With the river being so high, you could barely see the water flowing over the dam.  Some of the trees further down stream were partially under water too.

The following video and photos were all taken on a Insta360 One X camera.

A couple of cool "Tiny Planet" views which can only be taken with a 360 degree camera.

Bait & Tackle Shop located in the park.

The river is so high that part of the dock is underwater.

Down stream, some trees are partially underwater too.

Below is an interactive 360 photo, so you can use your mouse/trackpad to move around within the photo.  I'm currently using VeeR to host some of my 360/180 VR photos and videos.

Hopefully, the next time I'm out that way, the river will be back to its normal level and the hiking trails will be walkable again.

Virtual Reality & 360/180VR Photography: My New Hobbies?

Virtual Reality: A brief background...

I've read about Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D media/gaming for several years and have always been fascinated with the technology.  Although, inexpensive VR headsets were not available until around mid-2014 when Google introduced their Google Cardboard VR headset which only cost around $20 or less.  It is powered by your Android smartphone or an iPhone and the cardboard headset basically houses a pair of VR lenses that allow one to view 3D media projected by the mobile phone from websites such as YouTube and a few other sites that supports 3D/VR content.

Google Cardboard VR Headset

Having tried out the Google Cardboard with an iPhone back in 2014, I was not very impressed with the hardware and the VR content that was available at the time.  However, it did introduce me to what 3D/VR could offer, as the technology would surely improve down the road.  Google Cardboard, as well as similar inexpensive headsets were also frustrating to use.  You had limited control of your smarphone when placed in the headset, so one would be removing/replacing their smartphones in the viewer quite often in order to select other content or to use your phone for answering calls/messages, for example.  It was even worse for those of us who wore prescription glasses, since the headsets weren't designed to be worn over glasses so they were cumbersome to wear.

In 2013 (a year before Google Cardboard), the Oculus Rift DK1 (DK1 is developers kit 1) was also introduced which was funded through Kickstart.  The Rift is also known as PCVR, since it is tethered to and powered by a high-end gaming computer.  The Rift and its accessories (external tracking sensors, VR hand controllers, and a high-end gaming computer) were big investments for those considering getting into PCVR.  Due to the cost, it's something that I really didn't want to invest in at the time. It was also questionable whether it would gain enough popularity in order to grow this new industry, since without a large users base, content developers would be hesitant in creating games and media for the Rift and other VR headsets that might follow.

Oculus Rift DK1 (left) and DK2 (right)

As Oculus made improvements to the Rift DK1, they introduced the second generation DK2 ca. mid-2014, then the company was sold to Facebook.  Later,  the consumer version called the Rift CV1 was finally introduced ca. 2015 at a more affordable price which targeted a larger consumer base. 

Oculus CV1 Headset with 2 External Sensors, and 2 Touch Controlers

Now that Oculus is owned by Facebook, they have plenty of funding to produce more advanced VR headsets at lower prices and have targeted the mass market with the introduction of the Oculus GO in 2018.  A new mobile headset called the Oculus Quest and an updated version of the Rift CV1 which is now called the Rift S are currently on pre-sale, so they should be available sometime around late May 2019 or thereabouts.

There are also other companies who have been developing and manufacturing VR headsets such as HTC, Samsung, Leveno, HP, Valve, Sony, just to name a few.  Headsets based on Microsoft's Mixed Reality also competes with the Rift and other PCVR headsets, as well as with Sony's VR headset that works with their PlayStation 4.  So, the marketplace for virtual reality has been growing and is also not limited to the VR gaming/media community.  VR is starting to enter the business workplace too.  For more information, Google is your friend, so just do a search on "Virtual Reality" and 'Windows Mixed Reality" and you'll be amazed at all of the content that's out there.

How I got into VR...

It all started with that first Google Cardboard headset in 2014, but I really didn't get "Wowed" by VR until a friend gave me a demo of his Oculus Rift CV1 back in 2017.  The VR experience is hard to explain, if you've never experience it for yourself.  It's nothing like the 3D movies that you may have seen at the theaters using those plastic 3D glasses.  With a high quality VR headset, you are fully immersed in the environment of the game or VR media.  If the content developer has made the media/game interactive, you can actually walk around in the environment in 6-DOF (6 degree of freedom) which is where you can look up/down, left/right, walk around, pick up objects, and interact with the environment.  It's really amazing!

One of the first VR apps that my friend showed me was Google Earth VR.  It's currently only available on PCVR using a Rift or a HTC Vive headset, since it requires a high-end computer to create the virtual world.  With Google Earth VR, you can take a virtual tour of any country or place in the world from the comfort of your home.  

If you think the 2D version of Google Earth or Street View that you can access on your computer or smartphone is impressive, then you really need to experience it in VR!  It's literally mind-blowing.  You fly around the world like Superman!  That one app alone made me want to go out and buy a PCVR headset and I did just that.  I purchased a Rift CV1 later that year when Oculus was offering a special price during the Christmas season.  Since I already owned a Windows PC that would work with the Rift, I was all set.  Unfortunately, Apple is behind the times and doesn't yet support the current VR headsets on the Mac.  It's too bad, since I prefer Macs over Windows PCs.

Some Favorite VR Apps, VR Games, Etc...

In my younger days, I use to be into PC gaming, but lost interest as I got older and discovered other hobbies.  Today, I don't consider myself a real "gamer", but I do enjoy playing some of the new VR games as a past-time.  I'm more into 360 and 180VR media which is why Google Earth VR is one of my favorites on the Rift.  It's also a free app from Google which makes it even better.

My Rift also came bundled with several VR games that were downloadable from the Oculus website.  Some of my favorite gaming titles so far are Dead & Buried, Robo Recall, Lucky's Tale, Beat Sabre, just to name a few.  There are VR media apps that provide some good free content such as VeeR, Amaze, Within, YouTube VR, Facebook 360, RedBull TV, as well as many others.  If you have a Netflix or Hulu subscription, they have apps which allow you to watch their content from within your headset.  You can also purchase some popular 3D movie titles from the Oculus store, as well as a variety of apps and games.

A popular 3rd party gaming site called Steam which is owned by a company called Valve is also compatible with PCVR, Windows Mixed Reality, Sony VR, as well as conventional PC gaming.  Their site is free to join and they have lots of content, both free and for purchase.

VR For the Masses...

In late 2018, I had the chance to check out the new Oculus GO which is a mobile VR headset that doesn't require being tethered to a computer or the use of a mobile phone to power the headset.  It's a self contained unit that is powered by the same mobile processor that you'll find in some Android smartphones.

Although unlike the Rift and other high-end headsets, it only offers 3-DOF (3 degree of freedom).  You can only look left/right, up/down, and walk around in the VR environment, but you can't pick up objects and interact within the environment like with 6-DOF.  However, the Oculus GO is great for viewing VR media, both 3D-180 and 360 photos and videos, as well as for playing games which are designed for the GO.  You can even watch regular movies and videos with the GO on a huge virtual screen like in a movie theater.  The GO is basically an entry level VR headset starting at $200 for the 32GB version which makes it accessible to more people.  

Also for those who are into 3D-180VR and 360 photography/videography, owning an Oculus GO or any of the PCVR headsets is a great asset for viewing your work.  Speaking of which, that's my next topic I'll be getting into in the next section.

360/180VR Photography and Videography

Photography has always been a hobby of mine, since I was a little kid.  I think I caught the photo bug when my dad first let me use his 35mm SLR (under his supervision, of course ...LOL) to shoot some photos when we were on our family vacation.  That interest continues today, but when the film SLR started becoming obsolete, I sold my 2 Nikon SLRs (I had a Nikon F4s and a Nikon N90s) and used the proceeds to go digital.  Today, many of the high-end smartphone camera also rivals a lot of standalone digital camera on the market.  Personally, I've found the cameras on my iPhone X to fit my current needs, so I've been shooting most of my vacation photos/videos on an iPhone X and also on a GoPro Hero 4.  

Although this past year, I sorta expanded my hobby when I discovered the 360 and 180VR cameras.  I found out about them when I started seeing 360 photos popping up in my Facebook timeline which peaked my interest, so I started doing some research.  I discovered a community of 360 photographers who post there work on Instagram and on YouTube, as well as posting camera reviews and instructional videos on how to shoot /edit 360 and 180VR content.

So, What Is 360 and 180VR?

Simply put, a 360 degree camera like the Insta360 One X can literally capture everything around you in one shot including the front, the back, the sky above, and the ground below you!  A regular camera only captures what you see in front of your eyes which is far less than a 180 degree view unless your camera can take panoramic photos which isn't the same as 360.

Insta360 One X 360 Camera

A 180 degree camera like the Insta360 EVO can capture a full 180 degree angle which is essentially everything in front of you.  What's cool about the 180 cameras is that they shoot 3D photos and 3D videos which can be viewed within a VR headset in full 3D or by using a 3D viewer that you can attach to your smartphone.  If you view these photos and videos on a computer or smartphone, they will typically appear as flat 2D equirectangular images.  The same with 360 photos/videos.

Insta360 EVO dual 180VR/360 Camera In One

The best example of a flat equirectangular image is when you flatten out a spherical image of the world globe which looks like this...

Some 360 cameras can also shoot in 3D, but those cameras are very expensive and are more for the professional film makers.  The EVO is also a dual camera and when folded into a cube, it can also shoot 360 photos/videos.

I initially purchased the Insta360 One X, but when a friend decided to buy the Insta360 EVO when it first came out and then discovered that he didn't like it, he made me an offer that I couldn't refuse ...LOL.  So now, I have both of them.  Although, I prefer the One X over the EVO when shooting 360, since the stitch lines in the EVO's 360 photos/videos are very noticeable as compared to the One X which are barely visible.  That's mainly due to the wider cube design of the EVO which makes it harder for the camera to "stitch" together the views from both lenses.  However, the EVO does capture some impressive 3D-180VR photos/videos.

Unfortunately, Not All Websites Currently Support Posting of 360/180VR Content...

In order to view and interact with 360/180 photos/videos where you can use your mouse/trackpad to drag the image around and view different angles, the hosting site has to support 360/180 media.  Otherwise if you were to post a 360 photo, for example, it will show up either as a conventional 2D image or as an equirectangular image, since the spherical 360 image will be flattened out.  The same holds true for 3D-180 content.

Currently, Facebook and YouTube are 360/180 friendly.  VeeR is another website that is dedicated to 360/180 VR content and is also free to join, as well as for hosting your 360/180 VR creations for free.  

Unfortunately, Google hasn't made their blogging site (where this blog is hosted), 360/180 friendly, so I can't upload my interactive content here.  Although, the beauty of shooting in 360 is what can be done in post production.  So, I'll be able to upload those directly to my blog.

A 360 Photo displayed as a "Tiny Planet". This was taken with the Insta360 One X at Montrose Harbor, then edited using Snapseed.

Anyways, the weather in my area has been so gloomy, wet, and rainy lately that shooting content outside is limited.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get some good photos/videos during my vacation travels, later this year.

For some additional information, check out my YouTube channel (road66warrior) where I have links to various YouTubers who provide some very good content on VR headsets, VR gaming, and 360/180VR photography.