Spencer Burns is standing in front of a huge five-axis milling machine, which is a custom tool. The machine vigorously polished the metal at 11,000 RPM, and the debris roared and fell slowly and stably. A fine, smooth cylindrical shell is forming, but just a few minutes ago, it was a 13x13-foot solid aluminum block. Burns is a CNC model worker at the Facebook Area 404 Hardware Lab. He witnessed the development process of Facebook's new VR panoramic camera Surround 360 x24/x6 prototype. After the prototype is completed, the designs of the two cameras will be licensed to specific business partners for production. Unlike other panoramic cameras, the new Surround 360 panorama camera can capture 360-degree video depth information and provide six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) tracking. In other words, with the accessories with tracking function, the user can move up, down, left, and right in the VR, which greatly enhances the interactive fun and immersive feeling. The x24 is a professional-grade camera with 24 lenses. Each pixel in each camera captures the full RGB and depth information, which means that it can subdivide 4 times at every point in a full 360 degrees. Its design concept and rough and fashionable appearance were all completed in the Area 404 hardware laboratory and finally produced in cooperation with heat-sensing camera manufacturer FLIR. The x6 is a low-end version that has six cameras and can capture three times the information. Design and prototyping are also done by Facebook's internal team. The specific prices and manufacturers of these two models have yet to be determined. Area 404 Hardware Lab Numerical Modeler Spence Burns 6DoF tracking is featured With 6DoF tracking, both Facebook’s own Oculus Rift and HTC’s Vive head-up users will be able to move in any direction shot, not just 360 degrees from a fixed center position. At present, this effect can only be achieved with computer-generated images or images taken with many inward-facing cameras, or with cameras that are extremely expensive but do not have good visual effects and image processing software. The x24 panoramic camera was still built by a team of open-source "Surround 360" cameras announced earlier in the year. This is one of the highest-end hardware products developed by Facebook and the first commercial product launched by Area 404 Lab and other partners. Area 404 Laboratory Mysterious Area 404 hardware experiment In Silicon Valley’s large technology companies, they all started to build their own laboratories when they reached a certain scale. The purpose of these laboratories is usually based on basic research. There is no need to consider short-term interests for the company, and more attention is paid to Technological evolution and business exploration in the next 5-10 years or even longer. For example, Google’s famous Google X Labs has produced many sensational projects such as Google Glass, driverless cars, and Wi-Fi balloons. In addition to Google, Facebook also silently established the Area 404 lab, whose name comes from a 404 error encountered when browsing the web. Last summer, this laboratory was first disclosed to the outside world. At that time, the long worktable was empty, and dozens of power outlets were unclaimed. Although many extremely expensive devices, such as 3D displays and 5-axis CNC milling machines, were installed, they never seemed to be used. This is a brand new hardware research and development room. X24 Camera Model Parts Printed in Area 404 Lab 3D Hardware Innovation Center Earlier this month, the author visited the Area 404 laboratory as the first invited journalist and obtained an exclusive opportunity to approach the production team and witnessed the team's efforts to create the x24 panoramic camera model. Unlike in the case of the summer lab last summer, electronic products and tools are now full of worktables, with many devices plugged into the outlets. The core department is busy assisting Facebook's teams in their work. This is an "organised chaos," and the company provides space for any team that wants to implement hardware projects. In fact, according to Facebook chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer, the Area 404 lab is now "overbooked," forcing companies to provide more hardware facilities to meet demand. Although last year's panoramic camera development team Surround 360 has been improving the original design, they also need to discuss with Burns how the Area 404 laboratory can create a new panoramic camera. Based on last year's open-source camera design, Facebook plans to create powerful tools that are influential in the film production field and produce product models that other outside teams cannot match. Brian Cabral, Facebook’s engineering director, has been leading the company’s VR camera project since 2015. He said that the goal of the new camera is to be able to capture 1.2 million pixels of depth information per second and easily integrate it into visual effects systems that are easy to understand and use to produce high quality, colorful 3D images. In other words, professional film makers will know exactly how to use the tools they use every day to process 3D images. Brian Cabra said that because the image of the new camera can be accurately mapped into the 3D point cloud, it is very simple to pair it with a computer-generated 3D image, which will make the production of visually-driven movies ever more For easy. Facebook also stated that Surround 360 x24 also allows visual artists to do background changes like they would normally do with a green screen, but without using a green screen. Although the best images produced by the new camera will be suitable for systems like Rift or Vive, it is also possible to produce high-quality 360-degree images for mobile VR heads such as the Samsung Gear VR. When viewing content on these systems, users are at the center of any content they see, and can view content in all directions but not in a 3D environment. However, the images produced using this new camera appear clear and rich. Five-axis machine production The mission of making a camera When asked why Facebook had made x24 and x6, Brian Cabra pointed out the company's core mission: to connect everyone with the memories and experiences they wanted to share. He said: "This includes people who create rich content and everyday content. Given [VR] has a new [visual] language, we want to ensure that there is a language that can be used to share in VR space... The people of the language are artists. They are the first people to capture, guide and produce content in the 360 ​​environment." Eric Cheng, director of Facebook immersive media, said that the company has initially listed partners for camera production. These partners include Adobe and Foundry, both of which are relatively well-known post-processing tool manufacturers, while Otoy is a software developer who produces and distributes 3D content. "People will be able to use familiar tools to make content," said Eric Cheng. "With x24 and x6 cameras, you don't have to struggle with new tools." At the same time, according to Eric Cheng, Facebook has also been working with VR and visual effects production companies such as Be Dragons and FrameStore. “The ultimate goal is to allow users to immerse themselves in the environment or story as much as possible, ignore the existence of technology, and forget about themselves in the story. We have seen such a VR game. This is a huge improvement,†said Eric Cheng. Johannes Saam, senior creative director of European special effects giant Framestore, agreed with Eric Cheng. Saam said in a statement: "Facebook's [6DOF Camera] has unlimited potential. Its point cloud-based approach combined with image overlays blurs the boundaries between 2D and 3D in the production process and creates a premium volume. The chance of capture, which is likely to be the direction of the next generation of film shooting, is very exciting to create this process and shape it into products." X24 Camera Housing Design Collaboration Before Framestore and other companies partnered with Facebook to build x24/x6 cameras, the VR project team led by Brian Cabral, the company's in-house engineering director, worked closely with the Area 404 lab. Burns said that his team also participated in the camera design process, "from the concept until the maturity of machinery and industrial design." In fact, he said that the design of the new camera is completely built around Facebook's internal capabilities, which means that it can be prototyped using professional-grade equipment in the Area 404 laboratory. "The production is very complicated," Burns said. "Only we can build something like this. If we try to outsource [production and iterative prototypes], it will take months to get the project to its current results." More importantly, Facebook will still mass-produce cameras. Joyce Hsu, the prototype designer, said that the new camera could have been less perfect or made a rough polished design, but in the end "chosen a perfectly balanced design between function and form." Initially, these teams created a 3D printing prototype for the camera. Using these technologies, they can identify problems that may arise in manufacturing. Once the actual product prototype in the lab is turned into production, the team can quickly repeat it. Burns said that in a matter of hours or days, not weeks or months, the team took a big step towards mechanical and industrial design elements. All this depends on the strength of the collective, and only a place like the Area 404 laboratory can put "everybody together." Jim Ammon, a mechanical engineer working on camera projects, pointed out that the quick dialogue with Burns and Hsu and others allowed them to make relevant design decisions internally, which saved days of work. "It's hard to do," Jim Ammon said. "If you're dealing with a [manufacturer] in another country remotely." However, a completely new camera built entirely by internal company teams means that no one else can rely on, seek advice or help. Burns said: "There is no script, no rules. No one tells you how to do this. You can only figure it out for yourself." From the outset, Burns realized that he could use the low-end three-axis milling machine in the laboratory Area404 to convert some of the more powerful aluminum working turnings into basic semi-finished bending parts, forming the camera housing. This means that the laboratory's high-end 5-axis milling machine can be used for more complex work. However, because the lab has two devices that can handle different aspects of the design at the same time, it is no better than being forced to use one. X24 in Lab Area404 Hardware released The design of the Surround 360 x24/x6 is now complete and will be forwarded to a specific partner for production. Facebook did not specify which manufacturers, nor did it give the specific price of the camera. However, Mike Schroepfer said that the x24 is equipped with 24 lenses and will definitely cost more than the 17-lens camera of last year. Facebook hopes that professionals will be able to see the true value of the 6DOF cameras and help them use the common editing and processing software to smoothly create content. Mike Schroepfer said that many manufacturers have already built cameras based on Open 360's open-source design last year, but now they need to provide more tools for the industry to push the industry forward. Facebook hopes filmmakers can buy cameras directly or rent them on demand. But either way, the more they use, the better it is for Facebook to be an important actor for VR. "Facebook does not want to enter the camera business, just want to make sure that more people can create content," Mike Schroepfer explained, "We are trying to make any tool makers need tools easier to use. If we can help make, share a lot of immersive The content of the game has achieved its highest value."