360 & Macro Imaging

Engaging your audience is key, and our high-quality and interactive imagery is a great tool … 
  • Our 360-rotary camera allows us to image your samples and output interactive photos and animations that will captivate audiences
  • Easy to embed into websites & presentations
  • Great tool for recording specimens prior to lab work
  • We can mount details onto the image such as text, thin section imagery and detailed macro-shots to provide a complete record of the sample
  • Has been used very successfully to create a digital library which is used as a reference for the geological team
  • Our photo-stacking system creates high definition “macro” images of rocks & other specimens without losing details or focus
  • All equipment is mobile and be set up in an office or project site, or samples can be shipped to the Hive office for processing.

Interactive 360 Imagery

Stacked Macro Imaging

What goes into a 360 image?
We have invested and upgraded technology that has been available for retail for some years, and have transformed it to output specimen images for a variety of uses.
 

We take your sample, up to 10 kilograms in weight, and place it on a special turntable within a custom light tent. A computer controlled camera then snaps between 8 and 72 individual images in a full circle around the specimen.

The individual images are then stitched together using software to create an animation that the user can interact with; zooming, panning, rotating etc.

In addition, information can be mounted onto the image as a “hotspot”. This further adds functionality as detailed images or text can be attributed to the specimen, for example a close-up detailed image of mineral features at a specific point.

The files are then output as html code that can easily be added to a website, or as a GIF image that is great for social media or presentations.

Taking the blur out of the smallest details …
Macro photography is the art of capturing high resolution, close up images of a subject. But then there is stacking which really does take it to the next level.
 
Stacking simply refers to the fact that our camera is controlled by the computer to take several images at different focal lengths and then blend them together. The end result of this is that extremely fine details can be captured with no fuzziness, blur or loss of resolution. 
 
Images can then be examined on the screen by technical teams, or because of their high quality be used for large format printing. 
 
We often combine our 360 and Stacked Macros together to create highly detailed digital archives of rock specimens.
 
We have found great success with this technology when it comes to recording details on core. The rounded surface is hard to focus and so details are lost using standard technology, but our macro rig overcomes that with ease.
A few examples to get you thinking … 
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Example of Zinc mineralization found at Anomaly E.
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Prized Field Specimens

When you have a wonderful field specimen which is going to the lab to be assayed – and destroyed in the process – use 360 to capture all the details for future reference and add assay data as a hotspot, keeping all the information in one place.

Petrographic Studies

As part of a metallurgical or petrographic study, archive the specimens before they are dissected. You can then use hotspots to mount images of thin-sectioned material over specific areas, complete with descriptions to create a permanent record.

Project Teaching Library

Imagine the time saved by getting your team familiar with rocks before they hit your project? The combination of 360 and macro imagery allows you to build an interactive web portal of all the relevant rocks and minerals on your site. This can be used as a familiarization tool, or as a key to identification in the field.

Eye Catching Media

The GIF format output from the 360 camera allows you to easily embed animated imagery into social media feeds, i.e. Twitter, or into presentations such as Powerpoint. This instantly captures the attention of those watching and entices them to learn more!