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Rockets
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Launchers
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| Spout |
| Reduced Nozzle diameter (11.8mm) |
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Launch sequence pics
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| Virtual |
| Computer graphics and animation |
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Stuff
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Events
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Three approaches are used:
True conditions:
Launch under normal conditions (i.e. optimized for performance) , then do the best with the photo equipment you have:
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Video capture
At 15 frames per second , this means blurred rockets (but cool water jets).
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Digital cameras
At my price range cameras take maximum 5 pictures/second in "continuous" mode, so snapping a picture during launch involves taking many pictures, few will contain images of the rocket (and never more than one per launch). Even then, the rocket image is not sharp because of it's speed and only one picture per launch can be obtained.
Note:
With the advance of digital cameras, the results shown are expected to improve. Also, if you care about taking pictures of water rockets (or other fast moving objects) you should check the "Continuous" mode for something that is not always noted in the manual. The frames are recorded in "continuous" mode on some kind of a buffer with a given size. When this buffer is full, the camera stops taking pictures until all the pictures are written to the memory. This takes time, for water rockets the camera resumes taking pictures long after the rocket is back on the ground so for all practical purposes "Continuous" has a very low limit. Obviously, reducing the picture size mode increases the number of frames taken before the camera needs to download.
My Nikon 3200 takes 4 frames (!) in 3MB mode and 8 frames in 2MB mode, barely enough for decent pictures.
Other cameras "loop" inside the buffer while the button is pressed and download the pictures once it is released, for example the Fujifilm S5000.
Hollywood style:
Never mind the launch, set conditions best for pictures. This means filling the rocket with water almost to the top and leaving little space for air. Also, launch at the lowest possible pressure. The rocket will leave the launcher at much lower speed and the results are clear and focused picture sets, even if the rocket in the example below did not get much higher than the 1.5 meters seen in the last frame.
Since this can be done in a very small area, such as the average backyard, it is possible to provide a background that will further enhance the result.
Computer graphics and animation:
First, a solid model of the rocket is required. Second, the model is set in a virtual environment and pictures are rendered for scenes or single frames.
To date I did not model a water jet to my satisfaction, I will attempt to insert water jets (and other elements) from real pictures. |
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