Computerdisplayshave been remarkably resistant to the advances that have move the eternal rest of calculator engineering . For illustration , in 1982 the original IBM PC had a 16 - bit processor running at 4.77 MHz . Today ’s processors are about 1,000 quicker . Today ’s monitors , on the other paw , are still small glass rectangle . No major advances have occur .
In this edition ofHowStuffWorks , we will wait at a raw computing machine video display technology fromElumensthat completely revolutionizes the visualisation of digital information . In area such as space design and simulation ( flight , driving or battlefield pretending ) , this unexampled video display wholly changes the style you interact with the digital environs !
VisionStation Display
The job with a distinctive video display is most obvious when playinggames . How many times have you enter a room in a plot , only to be attacked from the side ? The " field of view " in a biz is circumscribe to what a standard monitor can show you – a small , monotonous rectangle that represents the environment straight beforehand . The line of business of view is at most 50 degrees , and is something like reckon at the world through a small porthole . you may not see anything above , below , left or right unless you use your gamecontrollerto " turn " in that direction . This " motility " with the controller is completely unnatural – in the real world , you instantly move either your eyes or your whole headway to look in a different direction , and the motion is profligate and instinctive .
You also have yourperipheral visionworking for you in the genuine world . Your eyes well detect motion off to the side and alert you to reckon that agency . With a computer admonisher , your peripheral vision is nothing but a big misdirection – it is show your actual surroundings rather than the digital environment you are play in .
A North Carolina - base party , Elumens , has designed a display system of rules that takes peripheral vision into account statement . TheVisionStationconsists of a large , curved surface ( reminiscent of a prominent satellite dish ) , a mellow - result data projector and a all-encompassing - slant projection lens .
The result is a exhibit that prove you a very wide theatre of operations of view , up to a full 180 level . An Elumens display take over your entire visual field , include your peripheral vision . You see not only what is in front of you , but everything above , below , left and right-hand . When you want to see what is " beside " you , you simply turn your head teacher and count . For representative , in a driving simulator , you may look out both side windows by turn your top dog just like you would in a real car .
The experience when check an Elumens display is very interesting . Because it uses your peripheral vision , the sense of motion is very actual . Turning your principal to look at objects is very natural . Because the screen is wholly legato , there are no distractions .
There are several models in the Vision series , ranging from the VisionStation , for single use , to the VisionDome VS-5 , which can adapt up to 45 people .
fundamental benefits of the VisionStation are :
The Vision Series projector habituate anLCD projectorwith resolutions of 1027x768 to 1365x1024 with 24 - chip colour ( 16.8 million colors ) . They hold SXGA , UXGA , VGA , SVGA and XGA fashion and have HD15 , S - Video and RCA connectors . Thef - thetalens has a 180 - stage field of view andInfinite Depth of Focus . This means that once the lens is focused , everywhere outside the lens is always in focus .
Elumens Image Technology
VisionStation uses ElumensTruThetaimaging technology to provide animmersiveexperience . In other words , because the mental image is projected to underwrite a full 180 - arcdegree x 135 - degree field of view , you experience like you are really in the scene . Distractions are reduced because your peripheral vision regard the jut image alternatively of your surroundings beyond the screen . This differs fromhead - mounted displays(traditionally used forvirtual reality ) , which wholly isolate you from the outside humanity . The squad at Elumens believe that the VisionStation is better than virtual reality because you are steep in the experience without losing contact with your surroundings .
TruThetacombines get along , 3 - D software algorithms with the f - theta crystalline lens design to enable high - quality expulsion on a hemispherical screen . The goal is to create images that are consistently promising , even and in centering . To accomplish the goal , the TruTheta lens distributes pixels as throughout the hemispherical surface , eliminating overrefinement .
To make the 3 - five hundred scenes , Elumens recommends thefour - camera process . You set up a vista in a 3 - D - animation program as usual , with a single ( master ) camera following the brio . Once the scene is prepare , you duplicate the original photographic camera four times . The other four cameras are rotated 90 degree on the tv camera axis to sharpen at unlike field of the scene . The four extra angle are :
Once the frames of the animation are rendered from all four Angle , a program calledTruFrameis used to immix the four different vista into a unmarried scene that provides all the info necessary for 180 - degree projection .
Typically , frames are rendered at a resolution of 1024 x 1024 pixels . The four separate views are meld to create each TruFrame material body .
Elumens is working with software developers to provideplug - insfor democratic 3 - 500 software covering that will automatise the 180 - level panorama cosmos physical process and supersede the manual four - camera mental process . For illustration , Elumens offersTruShade for Raygun , a plug - in for 3 - 500 Studio Max that uses the Raygun rendering engine to create hemispherical scenes without ask you to set up multiple television camera angle .
draw the VisionStation is easygoing , but the description alone does not do justice to the experience of using it . When you model in front of this organization and run a3 - Dsimulator , the effect is amazing ! You really get the sense of motion and profoundness as you move through the virtual world .
VisionStation Uses
With a cost of $ 19,995 for the basic system , the VisionStation is not point for the casual substance abuser or game player . It is mean for use in battlefield such as :
While the current models are too expensive for most home plate users , the VisionStation does pave the room for a gyration in digital imaging . Over the next few age , you could carry Elumens and other video display companies to continue to drive the envelope in how we look at estimator data point .
