ISAC-II Research Hall
Isotope Separator & Accelerator II
At TRIUMF, ISAC-II experimental facilities analyze phenomena such as the forces that hold the nucleus together, reactions happening inside of exploding stars, heavy element formation in stars, and high-energy cosmic events. We launched a virtual integrated media platform for the public to explore rarely seen areas of the ISAC-II space navigable via device or headset. Read more at TRIUMF.
TRIUMF Lab: Virtual
%20(1)-min-min.jpg)
With a team of cross-disciplinary creatives in architecture, interaction design, film and curation, we developed an integrated media approach to create new public access points to science in a modernized way. The workflow included immersive 3D scans, 360 HDR panoramic photography, visual effects, 3D animation, and industrial design.
Behind The Scenes
Integrating the TIGRESS Model
The scans, photographs, and models were taken into visual effects software used for cinema, integrated and stylized to simulate TRIUMF's high-energy beamline activity, and then re-embedded into the Matterport virtual tour interface.
Capturing ISAC-II with the Matterport Pro2 Scanner
Using Artificial Intelligence, the Matterport scanner generates a 3D model of the space while simultaneously capturing 360 HDR photographs. Because of the complexity of the ISAC-II facilities, the biggest challenge was capturing its detail within a limit of half a million CG polygons to generate flexible assets for visual effects.
Optimizing the TIGRESS 3D Design Schematic
Our team extracted core components from the original TRIUMF shop model of TIGRESS. The design was so detailed that industrial design workflows were needed to analyze and convert the model to our animation workflow.
This opportunity to deconstruct and reconstruct modern visual technology and information design into a completely new workflow has given us a lot of momentum for cultivating more engagement with science through more profound yet widely accessible learning experiences.
Scott Mallory, Jr. | Director
Project Team
Scott Mallory, Jr.
Production Lead, Digital Compositor
Ray Sun
Matterport Specialist
Ivan Li
CG Artist
Declan Reilly-Gordon
Interaction Designer
Alex Swanson
Industrial Designer
Robert-Martyn Fraser
Industrial Designer
TRIUMF Lab, home of the world’s largest cyclotron, leads research in Cosmology & Dark Matter, Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics, Molecular & Materials Science, Nuclear Medicine, Electronics & Radiation Testing, and Nuclear Astrophysics. It has helped lead Canadian contributions to CERN, including the discovery of the Higgs Boson, and is pushing the frontiers in research to advance science, medicine, and business. To make TRIUMF science accessible to more communities, we set out to reimagine interactive virtual tours.
Immersive 3D Experiences in Canada's Particle Accelerator Centre