More stuff from CeBIT '97

[P3D Joerg Meyer Inf.] <jmeyer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 24 Mar 1997 09:54:36 +0800
Andrew Woods <andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>> There was a lot of 3-D stuff, and some companies obviously
>> are really going to start using 3-D for scientific
>> applications (but also for entertainment purposes).
>
> Joerg, Please tell us more!!!

Here we go: Another interesting thing to mention was
Silicon Graphics' 'Virtual Workbench'. This was already
presented last year by GMD. It's a 3 ft x 6 ft desktop
display (the table surface is the projection screen),
with two video beamers hidden under the table. It can
be used for architects to simulate their designs without
building a real model. The objects look as if they were
erected onto the table's surface. The viewer's position
is tracked via ultrasound, so that you can really walk
around the object! They also had a second pair of LC
shutter glasses for another spectator, but of course
the image was generated for the first person only, and
there were a lot of distortions for the second viewer.
   Last year they had presented an application from
medical imaging: a human body was displayed, and it looked
as if he were lying on the table. They used a data glove
to draw off the skin (amazing effect!), so that the
bones remained only.
   This year they had an airbag crash simulation. The
car seat seemed to be about 2 ft in height above the table.
With better light conditions and better contrast the
simulation would have been perfect!

Joerg

    _V_     | Joerg Meyer ----- University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
   /   \    | Department of Computer Science, Computer Graphics Group
   |O O|    | mailto:jmeyer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx --------------------------
ooO--U--Ooo | http://davinci.informatik.uni-kl.de/~jmeyer -----------


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