Google summer of code 2007 finished

Four students completed their projects successfully, helping panorama making open source software and particularly hugin and FreePV leap forward

hugin is the most advanced open source panorama stitching solution. It received three major improvements:

* Zoran Mesec has written Autopano-Z, a new feature/detection matching tool that will free hugin from the restrictions of the patented SIFT algorithm.

* Jing Jin has produced a deghosting tool that will come handy in the production of HDR panoramas in dynamic environments.

* Ippei Ukai has refactored most of hugin's code, providing a framework for faster and better future expension through a modular GUI.

These improvements will show up in the next two hugin releases.

FreePV is the only alternative for Linux users to see QTVR and SPi-V panoramas in their full splendor. Leon Moctezuma expanded on the existing QTVR functionality , added SPi-V support and cleaned up the code base.

The summer was very exciting, with a presentation by Jing of her work at the IVRPA conference in Berkeley and by Pablo and Ippei of hugin at the Panotools Meeting in Lucerne. The invitation to Google's Mentor Summit is the icing on the cake.

At the end of the summer, the code base for hugin and FreePV had improved considerably and the developers are now working to package and release it to general public.

Moreover, the initiative has received further sponsorship by Agnos Engineering who donated a new Agnos MrotatorU unit to every student and their primary mentors.

The summer is over, but not so the development of hugin. The Summer of code has brought a new dynamic and fresh ideas into the team. It has united and energized us like very few things before.

It was good to have four paid full time developers work on the code, but the project can not afford this without Google's sponsorship and the development pace will inevitably slow down.

But development will continue and we'll be back for the Summer of Code 2008, should Google elect to run the program again.

We thank our students, mentors and steering committee for the work done; Google and Agnos for the generous sponsorships; and you, the panoramic community, for your continue use and support of hugin/panotools!

See you next time!

Yuv