The 2005 Summit in Savannah focuses on immersive technologies, both photographic and computer generated. Spectacular 360° panoramas such as these are used to showcase everything from real estate and automobiles, to the historic aircraft in the collection of renowned museums.. The best artists and developers in the world will be in Savannah, Georgia from September 26th-30th for the Summit in Savannah.

The event will begin with three days of seminars on immersive techniques such as Photoshop, web development, and interactive authoring. Followed by two days of hands-on workshops. The final day of the Summit will be a bonus field trip shooting in the great historic homes of Savannah. As a special attraction there will be an art show featuring work by the attendees and open to the general public.

Virtual Reality is perhaps the most important new marketing tool since the invention of the internet. VR images allow shoppers to use their mouse to step into a room or hold an object in their virtual hands. As a creative medium, it allows artists to realize worlds that could previously exist only in their minds.

The Summit in Savannah is this year's premier event for anyone involved or interested in creating VR immersive environments and VR objects. The 5-day conference will include sessions and instruction with the latest software and hardware including photography, image editing, VR authoring, interactivity, audio, and video. The hands-on workshops offer instruction in specific areas of expertise by the world's foremost practitioners. To learn more about the individual speakers click on their name in the session descriptions.

Some sessions will be presented multiple times so that all attendees will have the opportunity to see their favorites. Bring your laptop, or use one of ours in the computer lab. There will be free internet access in designated areas for WiFi equipped computers. Unless otherwise noted, all sessions are held at the Mulberry Hotel, the Official Hotel of the 2005 Summit in Savannah.

Monday: September 26th 2005

8:30-10AM	Registration Opens — The registration area and attendee lounge opens. Attendees can pick up their Summit packets and badges.
9-10AM	Complimentary breakfast — A continental breakfast will be served in the attendee lounge (Complimentary for attendees only).
10:15AM -12 PM	*Introductions with Dennis Biela and Summit Keynote with keynote speaker Matt Uyttendaele*. A member of the Interactive Visual Media Group at Microsoft Research since 1999, Matt's work includes image-based modeling and rendering, omni-directional imaging, panoramic photography, video compression and GPU programming. Currently Matt and his colleagues from Microsoft Research have been busy producing the Microsoft Stitcher (which he will demonstrate) and experimenting with interactive photography and video.
12 -1:30PM	Lunch break - attendees are on their own for lunch.
12 -1:30PM	Exhibits: Showcase Exhibits Open — Exhibitors and sponsors will be showcasing their latest and greatest equipment. Many will be offering special Summit discounts
1:30-3PM	Room One: Panoramic Heads — Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about panoramic camera heads. How to set up and properly use your equipment with instructor Jim Anders of Kaidan.
1:30-3PM	Room Two: Business to Business — Not creative accounting, but basic accounting practices for creatives. If you are a photographer, designer or other creative this session will introduce you to some basic business practices that could mean the difference between long-term success and failure. Instructor: TBA
1:30-3PM	Computer Lab: Intro to Flash — Flash is one of the most powerful and most ubiquitous tools for creating interactivity around, but is it right for VR? Instructor Kay Christy gives you an overview (and then some) of using Flash for interactivity and panoramics.
3:15-5PM	Room One: VR 101 — Understanding the basics of shooting VR. Session instructor Pat St. Clair gives you his insights on the fundamentals of shooting VR. A little of everything will be touched on. Great for novice VR shooters and pros alike.
3:15-5PM	Room Two: Single Shot VR Solutions — Single-shot solutions for shooting VR abound and have made great strides in quality in recent years, but is a single shot solution right for you? Mike Rondinelli of EyeSee360 will lead you through the maze of offerings for shooting 360º panoramas with a single click.
3:15-5PM	Computer Lab: Cool Tools —PT Mac, and other VR authoring solutions are examined. Instructor: Jook Leung.
5-9PM	Computer Lab: Open Lab — Computers in the hands-on lab will be available for individual use.
7- 9PM	Hotel Living Room: Art Show Reception and Mixer — The Official 2005 Summit Art Show opens. This event, hosted by VR Toolbox, will feature prints of work submitted by attendees. There will also be a mixer attended by Summit attendees, instructors and sponsors.

Tuesday: September 27th 2005

Sessions and Speakers Subject To Change. Room Locations Subject To Change

8:30-9AM	Registration Opens — The registration area and attendee lounge open. Attendees can pick up their Summit packets and badges.
8-9AM	Complimentary refreshments for Registered Summit Attendees
9-10:15AM	Room One: Lighting 101 — Lighting is one of the most critical elements in creative imagery, whether you are shooting stills or VR. This overview by lighting guru Pat St. Clair will explore the impact lighting makes and the different affects you can achieve.
9-10:15AM	Room Two: Photoshop CS 2 Max It Out — Photoshop and digital imaging master Dennis Biela gives attendees the chance to see Photoshop CS2 inside and out. From configuration, to key new tools, Dennis gives you a power user’s view of the most pervasive digital imaging tool in the professional creative’s arsenal.
9-10:15AM	Computer Lab: VR Toolbox VRWorx 2.6 — The latest version of VR Toolbox’s VRWorx has just hit the streets. What can we look forward to in this new upgrade? Come see for yourself and experience the new features as presented by a guest instructor from VRToolbox.
10:30AM-12PM	Room One: Ins & Outs of Digital Cameras — A special guest instructor from Canon will be hosting this session to explore innovations in digital photography from the hardware side.
10:30AM-12PM	Room Two: Panoramas.dk — Panoramas.dk – If you haven’t seen the full screen panoramas at Hans Nyberg’s site Panoramas.dk, you have done yourself a disservice. Words like stunning and amazing simple don’t do it justice. Learn ways to create outstanding VR imagery and how to incorporate it into your site.
10:30AM-12PM	Computer Lab: Flash Advanced—How to utilize Flash’s extended capability hardware and software. Instructor: Patrick Cheathan.
12-1:30PM	Lunch break - attendees are on their own for lunch.
12-1:30PM	Exhibits: Showcase Exhibits Open — Exhibitors and sponsors will be showcasing their latest and greatest equipment. Many will be offering special Summit discounts
12-1:30PM	Computer Lab: Open Lab — Computers in the hands-on lab will be available for individual use.
1:30-3PM	Room One: Advanced Lighting for VR Panoramas & Objects — Continuing from the morning session (lighting 101), Pat St. Clair will cover advanced techniques for lighting VR panoramas and objects.
1:30-3PM	Room Two: Guerrilla Marketing VR Imagery — Everen T. Brown has had amazing success at selling his work. How has he done it? It’s not magic, it’s not mysticism... it’s marketing. Specifically, it’s Guerrilla Marketing. Cost effective methods for getting the buyer’s attention. Come to this session and learn the details.
1:30-3PM	Computer Lab: Photoshop CS2 Advanced — With its massive and ever changing toolset, Photoshop is one application that you can never get enough of. Drop in and plumb the depths of this creative engine. Instructor: Kevin O'Connor
3:15-5PM	Room One: Fine Art of Printing — Often when we think of VR we think in terms of computer screens, but as you can see for yourself in the Summit Art Show, properly printed panoramic photography can be a striking way of bridging the work into new markets. A special guest instructor from DiMA (the DIgital Media Association) will present on how to properly print panoramas. Instructor: Kevin O'Connor
3:15-5PM	Room Two: Taming the Red Lion — Dennis Biela is no stranger to massive VR projects. His project with the Red Lion Hotels is a case in point. This session presents an overview from Dennis and Pat St. Clair from initial client concept, to contracts, to project management and delivery of final imagery— A complete look at a major project and what mistakes NOT to make.
3:15-5PM	Computer Lab: 3D Studio Max — Do you want to go beyond virtual reality images of real places and objects? Want to create your own realities from scratch? Well it’s possible with the right tools, and one of the most popular tools is 3D Studio Max. Kay Christy unlocks some of the possibilities of being more virtual than reality with your VR.
5-9PM	Exhibits: Showcase Exhibits Open — Exhibitors and sponsors will be showcasing their latest and greatest equipment. Many will be offering special Summit discounts.
5-9PM	Computer Lab: Open Lab — Computers in the hands-on lab will be available for individual use.
6:30- 9PM	Open Networking: We encourage you to take advantage of this chance to meet your fellow attendees and network in the relaxed atmosphere of the hotel lounges.
7-7:30PM	Attendee Lounge: Auction & Raffle — A chance to win various items provided by the sponsors.
7:30-8:30PM	Living Room Ian Wood presenting on his Landmarks of Britain -- During Summer & Fall 2005, Ian Wood was commissioned by Barclays Bank to produce panoramic prints for display in their new world headquarters in Canary Wharf, London. The main direction of the commission was to take familiar landmarks and use the panoramic format to shown them in a new way, to let people see the world from a new perspective . 6,500 miles, 3,500 exposures and 42 square metres of printing later, the commission was finished.
8:45-9:30PM	Living Room Skip Steuart An Emerging Technology: Photorealistic 3D VR -- The "R" in VR (Reality) is 3D. Because panoramas are only 2D, they are fundamentally flawed as a complete VR solution. Some form of map or other interface must be designed for the 2D panorama so that it can be related to the 3D scene it represents. Skip Steuart and partners are adding the 3rd dimension to VR by integrating QTVR concepts with software initially developed by NASA and an omnidirectional stereoscopic camera system. Skip will explain the 3D VR process, show videos of the scanning process, and demonstrate the videogame-like interface used to explore a VR model. After the demonstration there will be a discussion of the 3D technology and how it can compliment and enhance panoramic VR. Because this is an active R&D project, your input can help steer the effort.

Wednesday: September 28th 2005

Sessions and Speakers Subject To Change. Room Locations Subject To Change

8-9AM	Complimentary refreshments for Registered Summit Attendees
9-10:15AM	Room One: Learning with Your Fingers — Everen T. Brown has been blazing new trails in producing immersive media for the new educational markets. He shares his knowledge of how to penetrate these markets with attendees.
9-10:15AM	Room Two: Building a Website — So you’ve got the VR, now where are you going to put it? Interactive producer and web developer Clifford VanMeter takes you through some of the options you have when it comes to delivering VR on the web.
9-10:15AM	Computer Lab: Photoshop CS2 Advanced — *2nd Chance Session* —With its massive and ever changing toolset, Photoshop is one application that you can never get enough of. Drop in and plumb the depths of this creative engine. Instructor: Kevin O'Conner
10:30AM-12PM	Room One: Tips & Tricks for HDR — Properly used, High Dynamic Range photography offers the solution to a host of bad available lighting issues. Dennis Biela shares his insights on using High Dynamic range for panoramic and still photography.
10:30AM-12PM	Room Two: The New World of Handhelds — Interactivity and VR have landed firmly on handheld devices such as the Sony Clie and the Palm One series of PDAs. Attendees will see a demonstration of the capabilities of the new Kinoma player on these devices and get an overview of authoring options. Instructor: TBA
10:30AM-12PM	Computer Lab: LiveStage Pro — Quicktime is so much more than just a delivery mechanism for video, audio and VR. In total it supports more than 200 media types. What’s incredible is that with the right tool these media types can interact in unique and amazing ways and that tool is LiveStage Pro. Come and learn more about this exciting and innovative piece of software. Instructor: Patrick Cheatham
12-1:30PM	Lunch break - attendees are on their own for lunch.
12-1:30PM	Exhibits: Showcase Exhibits Open — Exhibitors and sponsors will be showcasing their latest and greatest equipment. Many will be offering special Summit discounts
12-1:30PM	Computer Lab: Open Lab — Computers in the hands-on lab will be available for individual use.
1:30-3PM	Room One: New Features in VRWorx — An overview of the exciting new innovations in the new version of VRWorx hosted by VRToolBox.
1:30-3PM	360Precision - Introduction of a totally new 3D object imaging solution and a Case study delivered by Mike Eleftheriades on his use of the 360 Precision VR head on a long shoot in Greece.
1:30-3PM	Computer Lab: iPix Interactive Studio — Dennis Biela explores this powerful authoring option from iPix, arguably one of the simplest and most powerful stitching tools available.
3:15-5PM	Room One: Virtual World Vacations -- Working with panoramic photography companies to provide consumers with a superior travel familiarization and booking tool. Virtual World Vacations in cooperation with Totally Hip Technologies has developed a template for building interactive cities and resorts which can be explored over the Internet or on CD. This interactive environment has been combined with the travel industries latest advancement in real time reservations technology, reinventing how business is done on the internet. Virtual World Vacations will make it’s international debut at the Summit in Savanah, providing panoramic photography companies with the opportunity to expand their business models beyond the standard production of VR and begin to realize sustainable revenues.
3:15-5PM	Room Two: Color & Your Camera — Color management for digital cameras can be a tricky thing. With the maze of different settings and options available to the user. Make sense of it all as we provide something of a road map through the maze in this session. Instructor: Kevin O'Conner
3:15-5PM	Computer Lab: Realviz Stitcher 5 —Stitcher 4 has come a long way, new features and changes in workflow have made it as robust a tool for stitching VR as you are likely to find. Dennis Biela gives us a look at the features and functions of this updated software.
5:15-6PM	Summit Feedback Session — Anyone still around and conscious is welcome to join the Summit organizers for a final session and comment on the Summit.
5-7PM	Exhibits: Showcase Exhibits Open — Exhibitors and sponsors will be showcasing their latest and greatest equipment. Many will be offering special Summit discounts.
5-7PM	Computer Lab: Open Lab — Computers in the hands-on lab will be available for individual use.
7- 9PM	Open Networking: A chance to meet your fellow attendees in the relaxed atmosphere of the hotel lounges.

Thursday: September 29th 2005 (Workshops)

Sessions and Speakers Subject To Change. Room Locations Subject To Change

8-9AM	*Complimentary Refreshments for Summit attendees.*
9-11:45AM	Room One: Authoring Handheld Content Workshop — Lynn Davis & Ken Turkowski take a look at the available tools and workflows for authoring VR content for hand-held devices from cell phones to Palm Pilots.
9-11:45AM	Room Two: Shooting VR with Fish-Eye or RectilinearWorkshop— Learn the options for shooting Fish-Eye panoramas with instructor Dennis Biela.
11:45AM-1:30PM	Lunch break — attendees are on their own for lunch.
1:30-5:30PM	Room One: Interactive Web Development Workshop—Cliff VanMeter looks at how you can use the web for more than just serving VR content and shows you how to take the next step by making VR content interact with web components from Flash to video.
1:30-5:30PM	Room Two: Lighting your Shoot Workshop— Nothing is more critical to getting professional results than properly lighting your shot. In this workshop Pat St. Clair will provide techniques and tips for a variety of different room settings.

Friday: September 30th 2005

9:30AM-4:30PM

Savannah Historical Areas Field-trip — A full photographic field-trip with many of the session speakers on hand to help you get your shots just right. Sponsor manufacturers will have equipment for loan to shoot in and around the beautiful historic houses of Savannah. This is an absolutely once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The photographic results of the trip will be donated to the Savannah Historical Society for inclusion in their website with full credit to the photographers responsible. Attendees will meet at 9:30AM in a TBA designated area.

Speakers

This year's list of speakers is a virtual who's who of the top movers and shakers in the immersive imaging community, from software engineers to photographers to artists. This will be an unprecedented opportunity to hear and meet with the best people in the biz.

Jim Anders of Kaidan As a developer of hardware for immersive imaging, few people have done as much for the industry as Jim Anders, building his company Kaidan Incorporated into the world's leading manufacturer and supplier of Photographic VR solutions. Kaidan also has alliances and relationships with many digital imaging companies, such as Apple, Inc. and Nikon.

Dennis Biela of Lightspeed Media Dennis has been involved in QuickTime and QuickTime VR for more than 7 years. He is a beta tester for Apple Computer's QuickTime VR and Kodak digital imaging equipment. Clients include Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, BMW, Cessna, General Motors, Eastman Kodak, Apple Computer, Esplanade Singapore, Michelin Tires N.A., US Environmental Protection Agency, Car and Driver, Ocean Drive and Automobile magazines, Four Seasons Hotels, and MGM properties. Certified as an expert in the field of digital imaging by the United States Government (don't ask), he is a consultant to major corporations, advertising agencies and various camera manufacturers. In addition Dennis lectures around the world on digital imaging and immersive technologies for Apple Computer and is also on an advisory board for imaging with two colleges.

Everen T Brown of Everen T Brown 360° Images His mission statement is simple, “Everen T. Brown photographs all that he sees, for life is meant to be lived in 360 degrees”. Everen’s travels have taken him over one million miles, visiting over 120 countries, all seven continents, both north and south poles to create the world’s largest collection of 360° images. His VR images have been featured in Microsoft’s Encarta Encyclopedia, Expedia and the Grolier Multipedia Encyclopedia. Using the Globuscope panoramic camera and shooting on film, these images have also appeared in print, Travel+Life, Jane and Addict magazines to name a few. He is the photographer and author of 4 books highlighting his unique photography, Panoramic World, Circumnavigation Antarctica, History’s Lost Cities and 7-360°. Everen has been shooting 360°images for the past nineteen years, way before VR as we know it – was invented! His current educational software program will be released in October 2005.

Kay Christy of Concept Girl Kay Christy is multimedia artist specializing in animation, 3D modeling, aesthetic quality control, and wacky ideas. She has consulted for photographic virtual reality projects, spoken at the New York Digital Video, Digital Media DC Show, and National Association of Broadcasters conferences on such subjects as: 3DS Max and Flash. She teaches 2D and 3D animation at The Art Institute of Washington. Additionally she runs “Concept Girl” an interactive design business. Her most recent personal obsession involves “Frau Haus”, a QTVR-based exploratory game. She is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design and Rhode Island School of Design. Her work can be seen at her website.

Hans Nyberg of Panoramas.dk Hans Nyberg is recognized within the VR community for his innovative and attention-getting work promoting fullscreen QTVR and VR photographers via his website. In two short years, panoramas.dk has become a weekly destination for over 200,000 visitors a month, and has initiated thousands into the wonders of QTVR. Hans has more than 30 years experience in advertising and product photography but his real passion is in the field of photojournalistic panoramas, capturing noteworthy current events in panorama format. His recent assignment for Danish Radio to shoot panoramas of the Danish Royal Wedding has brought him acclaim in his homeland of Denmark.

Jook Leung of 360VR Studio Jook Leung of 360VR Studio is internationally recognized as an innovator in spherical panoramic photography. His full screen QuickTime VR panoramas have appeared several times on Hans Nyberg’s Panoramas.dk and his work has been featured on VRWAY’s online VRMAGazine as a guest artist. Jook's experience spans 25 years as a commercial photographer with a background in photo-illustration and digital imaging.

Pat St. Clair of St. Clair Photo-Imaging Pat St. Clair graduated with a bachelors degree in marketing from Miami University (O) and a bachelors degree in professional photography from the Rochester Institute of Technology and has been photographing professionally since 1978. He serves a corporate clientele that includes agencies of all sizes (mom & pop shops up to Saatchi & Saatchi) as well as direct corporate clients such as Eastman Kodak Company, Palm, Xerox, 3Com, Daimler-Chrysler, Exxon-Mobil, Microwave Data Systems and more. He was an early adapter of digital technology and has worked with Eastman Kodak Company on digital capture projects and digital image quality issues for the last eight years. He has worked with QuickTime VR since 1994 and is a charter member of the IQTVRA. He owns and operates St. Clair Photo-Imaging in Rochester, NY and more about Pat and his work can be found at his website.

Mike Rondinelli of EyeSee360 Michael Rondinelli is V.P. of Technology for EyeSee360, the technology leader in single-shot panoramic imaging for both still and video photography.

Ken Turkowski Ken Turkowski was a senior research scientist in Apple's Interactive Media Group. While at Apple, he contributed to the development of QuickDraw3D, QuickDrawGX and TrueType, and advanced development for QuickTime VR. He is currently an independent programmer and consultant.

Matt Uyttendaele from Microsoft Research (Keynote Speaker) Matt is currently a member of the Interactive Visual Media Group at Microsoft Research. He's been at MSR since 1999 where he's worked on image-based modeling and rendering, omni-directional imaging, panoramic photography, video compression and GPU programming. Before MSR, and starting in 1996, he was part of the Microsoft DirectX group where he worked on the Talisman project.

He holds a B.S. in Electric Power Engineering and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. While on the staff of Bell Laboratories, he designed the AVP product line of signal processing chips for video and audio applications.

Clifford E. VanMeter of ZGH Design Cliff, described as "right-brained/left-brained", is equally at home drawing and painting, or scripting and building web sites. He is a founding partner and editorial director of QuickTiming.Org, the web's top independent QuickTime news and resources site. He is also a managing partner and Interactive Director for ZGH Design, a communications design company in Kalamazoo, Mi. He is the author of A QuickTimers Guide to Web Video, and is currently working on his second book, tentatively titled, "Usability My @$$!".

Kevin O'Connor One of the country's leading experts on digital workflow and color-management consults and teaches public and private workshops around the United States and in other countries, including China, Singapore and India, often drawing record crowds. His areas of expertise include color management, digital photography and publishing workflow creation and best practices, and intense training in the Adobe Creative Suite applications. His clients include Apple, Adobe, Fujifilm USA, X-Rite, GretagMacbeth, Extensis, Sony, Kinko's and HP. He has been a professional photographer for more than 30 years, a graphic designer and print production manager for twenty years, and a color geek for more than ten years (before it was fashionable, something he's never accused of being). A self-described "lazy man", he works hard at finding the easiest ways to do his work, and delights in teaching other people to share the efficient tools, tips and techniques he has adopted. Kevin is a cross between a comedian, artist and magician, interesting to listen to and imparting a boatload of info that you'll be able to take back to your office and use to the next day - info that will add to your bottom line.

http://360vr.com/savannahsummit/ http://kwayneheil.com/GallerySvhGA-Sun.htm http://kwayneheil.com/GallerySvhGA.htm http://www.worldwidepanorama.org/worldwidepanorama/wwp1205/html/RobertThien-1807.html

Savannah 2005