Collaboration via immersive 3D displays has taken a leap forward thanks to a technology that displays unique views to two users. Mechdyne Corporation has unveiled ACE Dual-View technology that produces two distinct user perspectives from a single digital projector. The system tracks both viewers so they can explore and interact with the same image but from different angles.
Furthermore, the software allows each user to see the other user's position and orientation relative to the virtual world and the objects it contains.
The first system has already been snapped up by a US University, which is using the technology in conjunction with a CAVE designed and integrated by Mechdyne.
Many 3D immersive display systems used today tie the computer-generated imagery to a single, motion-tracked user whose viewpoint and movements dictate what other viewers see. Previous attempts at creating distinct images for different users in the same virtual work space relied on multiple projectors.
Mechdyne hopes the system will make waves in engineering review, such as the design of an automobile interior within a CAVE system. Two designers can view the simulation from different positions within the virtual image. One view might be from the driver's perspective, while the second would be from the front or even rear passenger seat.
Furthermore medical markets are set to benefit from ACE. Surgical simulations, where a experienced practitioner observes or instructs a student in new techniques, could utilise the technology. Simulation participants would face each other across a virtual surgery table (horizontal 3D system), with both seeing a visually correct image of the operation as it takes place.
"The breakthrough in development of Mechdyne's ACE Dual-View technology is a method of driving one high-end DLP projector at higher refresh rates than standard systems. [This produces] two distinct pairs of left and right eye images, synchronising the different images for viewing with two separate pairs of electronic 3D glasses and integrating the imaging system with motion tracking," said Kurt Hoffmeister, vice president of R&D at Mechdyne.
Mechdyne implemented its ACE Dual-View technology on its HD ROVR" visualization system, using a Digital Projection Titan 3D 1080p projector, optical motion tracking system, and Mechdyne vGeo" software.