Maya Skies Internal Production Site

Visual Introduction to the Site (Images)

The planetarium show Maya Skies is set in Chichen Itza, one of the most important Maya sites in Yucatan, Mexico. This image gallery includes images of the major structures at Chichen Itza, many of which were documented for inclusion in Maya Skies.

Click here to jump to the Gallery, then select "Press Kit": Maya Skies Gallery

The Team at Work (Images)

More than 20 team members have participated in the three project expeditions to Chichen Itza. This image gallery shows the team at work: photographers, digital artists, 3D documentation specialists, and project managers.

Click here to jump to the Gallery, then select "Press Kit": Maya Skies Gallery

Previsualization Paintings (Images)

Ali Jamalzadeh worked with INSIGHT director Kevin Cain to create previsualizations of important moments in the show. Once approved by Director John Weiley, previs images such as the ones seen in this image gallery are used by the artists on the 3D team as primary reference for the look and feel of the computer graphics elements seen in Maya Skies.

Click here to jump to the Gallery, then select "Press Kit": Maya Skies Gallery

Collaboration with INAH (Images)

While in the Yucatan, the Maya Skies team worked in collaboration with the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), the antiquities service of the Mexican government. This image gallery shows some of the key INAH staff who were instrumental in fostering deep collaboration on important topics, including site chronology and history, polychrome studies, restoration of structures, and digital capture of the site.

Click here to jump to the Gallery, then select "Press Kit": Maya Skies Gallery

Renderings - Work in Progress (Images)

This gallery includes still images from the show's evolving computer graphics sequences. These images illustrate the emphasis being placed on realistic depictions of structures and artwork at Chichen Itza and offer a glimpse of the production values the team is working on for the finished sequences in the show.

Click here to jump to the Gallery, then select "Press Kit": Maya Skies Gallery

The Maya Skies Technical Process (Video)

This narrated sequence introduces some of the technology the Maya Skies team has developed for use in the show.

Click here to play the video (QuickTime required): Maya Skies Technical Overview

Animation Test from Scan Data (Video)

While on site, the Maya Skies team using laser scanners to capture a "3D digital cast" for each structure that will be used in the show. In this short video, a small panel from the Southern Venus Platform is used to test the rendering systems planned for the show's production.

Click here to play the video (QuickTime required): Animation Test from Scan Data

Evening Scanning at the Osario (Timelapse Video)

The Maya Skies capture team often worked at night in order to prevent optical sensor interference introduced by daylight. This video shows a special rig developed for the Osario, one of the most important structures in Chichen Itza. This rig allows a 3D scanner to travel horizontally over the surface of inscribed panels, and was designed specifically to accommodate the angle seen in the Osario's sloping walls.

Click here to play the video (QuickTime required): Osario Timelapse

Texture Hallucination Rendering Test (Video)

One of the most exciting research topics for the Maya Skies team is a new digital capture technique dubbed "Texture Hallucination". Spearheaded by graphics researcher Greg Ward and Maschuda Glencross, the Maya Skies team was able to produce realistic 3D models for specific inscribed panels at Chichen Itza using only conventional digital photography. This is the first production to make use of this technique, and the Maya Skies team is actively participating in the evolution of this technique, which has potential to increase production values for fulldome productions while decreasing costs.

Click here to play the video (QuickTime required): Texture Hallucination Test

The Computer Graphics Process Illustrated (Video)

This sequence shows a "scene breakdown" for a computer graphics sequence (not from Maya Skies, but created by the same production people). The separate steps in creating a finished computer animation sequence are explained visually: scene creation (modeling), applying color to models (texturing), and integrating separate visual elements (compositing).

Click here to play the video (QuickTime required): Computer Graphics Process Illustrated